What skills/upgrades to take as a BB

[_BBaby]

So between BoS, BFT, and Superintendent, which two should I take for captain skills? I have been going with BFT and aiming for Superintendent, but BoS is growing on me.  I run all premium consumables, so running out isn't a HUGE issue I have to deal with, leading me to think BoS over Superintendent. Also, for my upgrades, should I go with steering gears or Damage control party II? I have been going with DCP II, but you cant turn your back on a better rudder shift time... Lastly, is it better to go with Main Battery Mod 3 or Plotting room 2 (dispersion vs rof)?

 

Just curious to hear the thoughts/opinions I added a poll because everyone loves polls.

[RipNuN2]

Which BB or line?

[_BBaby]

As general as possible. I like consistency. But I do all lines, so if there is specific must haves please let me know

[Sovereigndawg]

You can check out different builds with this and see what others are using. Each ship is kind of different and each nation is even more different.

http://shipcomrade.com/captcalc

[andarragh21]

If you are running a German secondary build or AA on British or American take BFT. Best advice though: don't try to have a "one-size-fits-all" build. What makes one ship work well will often hurt the performance of another line. Play to the ship's strengths and you will do better every time than the generalist build.

[AdmiralThunder]

8 minutes ago, MCCIV said:

As general as possible. I like consistency. But I do all lines, so if there is specific must haves please let me know

Really it depends on what you will do and how you will play. BFT for example is only an aid if you will go for an AA or Secondary build. SI is pretty good as an all around skill as it adds a charge to your consumables (so an extra heal, spotter/fighter, etc...). BOS is also helpful at reducing the time you burn/flood. They are all good and useful skills. BOS/SI are for survivability so any BB can use those.  BFT however is only good if you go for AA or Secondary build.

[Admiral_Thrawn_1]

If you want a very general BB Captain Build I usually go with

PM, EM, BFT, AFT, and SI unless the BB has a knownnbetter build, but this build is just my general build that can provide some enhanced AA and Secondary protection as well as extra heal and other Consumables.

[YeOldeTraveller]

15 minutes ago, andarragh21 said:

If you are running a German secondary build or AA on British or American take BFT. Best advice though: don't try to have a "one-size-fits-all" build. What makes one ship work well will often hurt the performance of another line. Play to the ship's strengths and you will do better every time than the generalist build.

Very much this ^^^

I will only take DamaCon 2 if the rudder shift is reasonable.  I rarely take as I like a quick rudder when I can get one.

I will usually go with dispersion over rate of fire, but if dispersion is good enough, rate of fire is grand.

I tend to run Superintendent as my first Level 3 Skill for the extra heal.  After I get a Level 4 Skill or two, I will get BFT if the ship has usable AA and/or secondaries.  If not, I will consider BoS or Vigilence.

[Ivlerlin]

SI (less useful) - MBM3 - DCM2 

Normally I champion SI as a "go to skill" but every so often I do not live long enough to make the extra Consumables worth it. But if you can stay alive long enough and have good consumable management then SI is a #1 option. 

BFT is dependent on how much you value the Secondary Functions of your ships DP and AA systems. While not always 100% useful in every match, the matches they are, you'll greatly notice the boosts to SB or AA. 

BoS is a great survivability skill since it stacks with DCM2. Because of the stacking it is truly the strongest contender choice between itself and SI. Being a passive skill, it's easy to forget you run it until you're running a CMDR without. 

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MBM3 vs APR2 is entirely dependent on your style of play. 

Personally I opt for the extra Accuracy on my USN BBs, mostly because it's "unique" to the nation and is significantly better than ASM1 for other Nations. 

MBM3 on the other hand, is a great choice also if you prefer faster gun Cooldowns. For Bow-Tanking where you're primarily only using the forward battery it's ability to not risk the ship is significant in its defence by not exposing your sides. Also "loss of accuracy" is potentially made up for by more shots in the air. 

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DCM2 vs SGM2 is the least straightforward decision between the options. 

DCM2 is great especially stacked with BoS, and your a BB; you will be set on fire...

SGM2 is great since it's usually faster to turn the whole ship rather than simply waiting for the guns. It also has added benefit IF you react Late to on coming torpedoes. 

The choice is highly dependent on IF you can mentally survive a sluggish BB Rudder vs a "slightly less sluggish" Rudder. Sometimes it's dependent on Ship Class, some have it easier to live with or without. If you're "unsure" for the ship just don't equip anything in the slot for a few matches before deciding. 

[WolfofWarship]

I don't have as much experience with Battleships but would say Basics of Survivability is a good way to go along with Direction Centre, Expert Marksman, and Fire Prevention. Depends on the line too, some work better for specific lines such as IJN or German

[Big_Tidday_Goth_GF]

Player of everything here - I'm at least at Tier VIII with everything except French (soon) and Royal Navy (never) BBs

 

Let me add my experience and input on the BBs I have played.  The only ship I've put the Artillery plotting room on is Texas, and that is because the other options available are both useless and the range without it is anemic.  American BBs are the best in the game, if you know how to use their slower shell speed.  Everything you heard about Colorado being terrible are true - all of its qualities are rendered useless by the larger Tier VII and above maps and it is especially worthless in Standard Battle.  You want to focus on accuracy because this is the best trait of American BBs at higher tier, besides Alabama, which is designed to be closer to the enemy anyway.  

 

Captain Skills

First off you want concealment on everything unless your playstyle is completely different.  General Dort, who always plays BBs, is a big time streamer who uses AA spec instead.  You can't argue with his results, but also keep in mind that he is an expert at the game and he has his own style.  Your style develops over time.  Being concealed keeps you from being targeted by a carrier anyway, and even with a captain designed for it, if you get caught out on your own and an enemy carrier is the same tier or higher, there isn't much you can do about it anyway if he decides he wants to hit you.  So everything from here is working on the assumption that concealment is your first level 4 skill.

I always use Concealment, Superintendent and Rage.  Rage is good for any BB because you ARE going to take damage or you are playing the ship wrong, in most cases.  I have done big damage and carried at the end with low health, but this isn't world of tanks where you are attempting to take as little damage as possible so you can eat a few rounds at the end of the match.  You are going to get noticed and you are going to get set on fire - the trick is knowing when to use your damage control and how to mitigate the damage you do take.

 

American Captains

I use BFT and AFT as well as concealment.  Everything else is your choice.  Expert Marksman helps with turning because with American ships, your armor is all at the front and your citadel can be hit even when slightly angled, so if you play the New York or Texas you basically get a feel for how the rest of the ships will play - you open the door, fire a broadside, and shut the door.  You want to minimize the amount of time your are vulnerable when you fire your full broadside.  Also you have to lead your shots more than other BBs so to hit those mid range DDs you will want to be able to turn the turrets in time to get them.  American ships get better with every tier - only the Colorado is trash but that is only because of the maps it fights on.  If you can get Colorado into a good position, you can wreak havoc.  I'm not good at that though so I prefer the faster BBs at Tier VIII and above.

Everyone Else

I use Fire Prevention, AFT, and I don't use Expert Marskman for German ships because they don't need them.  I do use it for Japanese ships because their turrets are slow.  You are wasting your time getting BFT because your AA isn't OP like on American BBs, and AFT adds range to this so as a group you can do more plane damage and you will get more out of your secondaries as well.  I no longer run AFT on Japanese captains because Basics of Survivability is useful on every map, and the secondaries aren't really worth buffing.  The secondary playstyle for German BBs is not really that great because you have to be broadside to get the full effect, and how long can you sit there tickling someone to death in an actual game?  Use the aiming mods with everything

 

Damage control 2 is worthless, or it has never done me any good.  Firefighting skills work a lot better and there is no Captain skill for increased rudder operation, so I use the mod for it instead.  The spotting device DOES help spot torpedoes but what is the point in spotting them if you aren't able to thread them as well?  It is better to anticipate torps and turn accordingly than to spot them yourself.