High Tier TB dodging. What do?

[Final_Spark]

So I consider myself to be not half bad of a DD skipper. I screw up from time to time, but I generally know how to handle ship torpedoes and I have even survived for a good while against full Shokaku attack waves focusing on me (yes, in a DD).

 

But with the tier 9 and 10 carriers, I have lots of problems dealing with their torpedo bombers. The players generally in these are some of the best carrier players in the game and I just feel completely helpless against them. I don't have the HP and healing to soak damage like battleships, nor the AA to deter them like cruisers.

 

No matter how much I turn, I just cannot fully foil an attack from even a single squadron at times. They just keep bleeding my speed in the turns and hit me either when I need to use my full rudder shift time or when I can't turn any tighter. The spreads are so wide on the IJN varieties that trying to keep speed up usually means eating the last torp while chopping throttle means I take the first torp instead.

 

With the bag of RNG that are dive bombers, I feel that I at least have a chance and can mitigate damage by maneuvering. It just seems futile with torpedo bombers.

 

Here's an example where I am actually able to survive (with 50 hp, but still alive). Start with a little over 12:00 remaining. Note that only one attack failed out of three on me, and the Shimakaze got insta-popped. http://www.mediafire.com/download/9s6r9xonseeyqec/20150814_023146_PJSD010-Kagero-1943_16_OC_bees_to_honey.wowsreplay

 

How can I do better?

[SweetRollThief]

make sure you upgrade hull in order to get decreased rudder shift time. When u add the module that reduces rudder shifts as well you should be able to turn on a dime. Other than that, i try to stay 4-5 km away from AA support so that I can head that way if a CV spots me.

 

Sometimes I will purposely sail a straight line to bait a drop, knowing  that i will turn hard into the drop while cutting throttle to 1/2 for just a few seconds in order to make a super sharp turn and sail in between them. Sometimes it works other time sit doesn't, but at tier 9 and 10 they can just spam you with so many drops you need a lot of luck to make it out alive.

 

CVs are the hard counter to every class in the game, so if they target you and you are alone its going to be tough to survive at tier 9 and 10 unless the CV player is bad.

 

The upcoming change to CV match making will help us out, since there will always be an equal tier CV they need to worry about.

[MrMooFlarby01]

Bait them. Sail in a predictable pattern or even a straight line and then turn at the last second. It will force them either to do a bad drop or to try to re-position their TBs. And TBs get really stupid when trying to re-position, especially when under fire.

[jersey2005]

Turn towards them and become the aggressor. If you close the distance you have a chance of getting into the previous armed zone so you can take the hit and not take dmg

[Final_Spark]

make sure you upgrade hull in order to get decreased rudder shift time. When u add the module that reduces rudder shifts as well you should be able to turn on a dime. Other than that, i try to stay 4-5 km away from AA support so that I can head that way if a CV spots me.

 

Just to clarify, yes I am using hull B, giving the maneuverability and hp increase. Hull C only trades a turret for AA. Using the rudder shift mod means you are sacrificing the acceleration mod, plus it only drops it by 0.7 seconds. What is in the replay is about as maneuverable a Kagero can get.

 

Turn towards them and become the aggressor. If you close the distance you have a chance of getting into the previous armed zone so you can take the hit and not take dmg

 

That's pretty much what I try to do.

 

Bait them. Sail in a predictable pattern or even a straight line and then turn at the last second. It will force them either to do a bad drop or to try to re-position their TBs. And TBs get really stupid when trying to re-position, especially when under fire.

 

I'll try this out some more. This does set you up for anvil attacks way more, though.