Am I a destroyer kinda guy?

[dmckay]

Am sick and tired of dodging torps and getting killed by the millions/zillions of torpedoes that fill the otherwise pure and pristine seas of this game.  They are like vermin!  OK if I can't beat em maybe I should join them, however I have the Phoenix and in bout 5 attempts at hitting a ship with my torpedoes I have zero hits.  NONE!  What does it take to be a destroyer captain?  If you play em do you like em?  I would have to start out with the lowest on the tier but I am hesitant. All I have played are low tier cruisers but I wanna get in on the fun of being a hated destroyer pilot.  Something about hauling azz at flank speed and putting 3-4 torps into a BB appeals to me.  Comments?

[Xenomancers]

I'm sure you could learn to enjoy being a dd captain. It takes a lot of practice though. Hitting with torps is hard. You also need to learn when it's okay to drive up and deliver them right to the face too - cause though these are the easiest hits - they are also the most risky. If you really just want to torp people - start on the IJN line - and play the isokaze. If you don't enjoy the play style of that ship - you won't like playing destroyers in general I think.

[Moksie]

Am sick and tired of dodging torps and getting killed by the millions/zillions of torpedoes that fill the otherwise pure and pristine seas of this game.  They are like vermin!  OK if I can't beat em maybe I should join them, however I have the Phoenix and in bout 5 attempts at hitting a ship with my torpedoes I have zero hits.  NONE!  What does it take to be a destroyer captain?  If you play em do you like em?  I would have to start out with the lowest on the tier but I am hesitant. All I have played are low tier cruisers but I wanna get in on the fun of being a hated destroyer pilot.  Something about hauling azz at flank speed and putting 3-4 torps into a BB appeals to me.  Comments?

 

Imo, if you are going around trying to torpedo stuff with a US cruiser, your doing something wrong bro.

[DeathwishDrang]

I was where you were. Tested both IJN and USN DDs out in PVE. Became comfortable in IJNs and am up to Tier V now in PVP.  I think they're a blast.

[Sir_Robert_Whitney]

I enjoyed the isokaze, havn't put that many games in my minekaze yet because I made the mistake of grinding up every branch of the tech tree and am facing a huge credit crunch as I try to save up to buy the Myoko. 

[Harv72b]

Torpedoes on cruisers (particularly USN ones) are a last-ditch weapon, not a routine source of kills.  Torpedoes on destroyers (particularly IJN ones) are your primary armament & best chance of scoring kills.  There are a ton of tips spread out around this forum & other online sources, but the essential truth behind it is that practice & repetition are the best ways to get better at driving destroyers and using torpedoes.  If you do want to give it a go then I highly recommend starting with the IJN tier II destroyer, the Umikaze.  Given the incredibly fast reload time on your torpedoes, coupled with the low-tier opposition you'll be facing, this is easy mode for destroyer captains (even more so when you unlock the upgraded torpedoes).  Low-tier IJN destroyers are much easier to play than their USN counterparts, and their near-total reliance on torpedoes will give you the most practice with using them.

 

Okay, one pretty basic but highly effective beginning tip for killing stuff with torpedoes: stay outside of detection range (but within torpedo range) of an enemy ship, open up your torpedo aiming sights, and just sail parallel to him for a few seconds.  If the grey "shoot here" area moves, that's not a good long-range target because he's maneuvering.  If it stays locked in the same place, let 'em rip because if he hasn't changed course or speed yet, odds are good that he's not going to in the near future.

[Thomas_Kinkaid]

It takes a lot of patience, nerves, and luck to even land one torpedo out of a single spread. If long-range attacks don't work, I can always recommend headland ambushes, but they require arrogant/stupid players to fall for it, and you may need to drop anchor.

[dmckay]

Tks all...keep it coming., 

 

 

[Cobraclutch]

With US DD's especially, you sometimes throw yourself into really really crazy situations. That sometimes requires some really good fore sight on how you will maneuver the ship. If you have trouble dodging torpedoes, especially at close range. US DD's might not be for you.

 

You can be in situations with 3-4 other DD's in a cap/ in island groups at some points. It gets really intense with the torps.

[dmckay]

With US DD's especially, you sometimes throw yourself into really really crazy situations. That sometimes requires some really good fore sight on how you will maneuver the ship. If you have trouble dodging torpedoes, especially at close range. US DD's might not be for you.

 

ok..noted.  Tks.  Japnese DD best???????????????????????????

 

[Caucasian_Fury]

 

ok..noted.  Tks.  Japnese DD best???????????????????????????

 

 

If you just wanna run around and hide and torp things, yes, IJN DD's are best for that.

 

If you really hate DD's though and want to hunt them to death, go USN DDs.

[Falls_USMC]

DDs are fickle beasts. If you're ok with a very boom or bust kind of ship then yeah absolutely. They're a blast. But you will have lots of moments of frustration. I think the IJN line is generally regarded as the stronger of the two right now, but I personally enjoy USN DDs more. But you have two tiers of purgatory between the excellent Nicholas at T5 and the excellent Benson at T8, before you get to the supermodel trophy wife at T9 with the Fletcher. 

[dmckay]

DDs are fickle beasts. If you're ok with a very boom or bust kind of ship then yeah absolutely. They're a blast. But you will have lots of moments of frustration. I think the IJN line is generally regarded as the stronger of the two right now, but I personally enjoy USN DDs more. But you have two tiers of purgatory between the excellent Nicholas at T5 and the excellent Benson at T8, before you get to the supermodel trophy wife at T9 with the Fletcher. 

 

T 8???   No no noob here.  I don't wanna make a fool out of myself.  Did that in WoT.  I am taking it easy here.  Much more relaxing inlow tiers until I lean WTH I am doing. 

[Harv72b]

DDs are fickle beasts. If you're ok with a very boom or bust kind of ship then yeah absolutely. They're a blast. But you will have lots of moments of frustration. I think the IJN line is generally regarded as the stronger of the two right now, but I personally enjoy USN DDs more. But you have two tiers of purgatory between the excellent Nicholas at T5 and the excellent Benson at T8, before you get to the supermodel trophy wife at T9 with the Fletcher. 

 

Again with the bashing...I like my Farragut, dammit.

 

(I should explain I don't mean you "again with the bashing", because internet.  Just feel like the only person alive who enjoys that ship.)

[Thomas_Kinkaid]

DDs are fickle beasts. If you're ok with a very boom or bust kind of ship then yeah absolutely. They're a blast. But you will have lots of moments of frustration. I think the IJN line is generally regarded as the stronger of the two right now, but I personally enjoy USN DDs more. But you have two tiers of purgatory between the excellent Nicholas at T5 and the excellent Benson at T8, before you get to the supermodel trophy wife at T9 with the Fletcher. 

 

That's the USN DD line for you.

Also, you're quote's off. Farragut, when he used the word, "torpedo", at the time, it referred to naval mines.

[LoadnUrTube]

 

Again with the bashing...I like my Farragut, dammit.

 

(I should explain I don't mean you "again with the bashing", because internet.  Just feel like the only person alive who enjoys that ship.)

 

The Farragut really wasn't much worse than the US DD's leading up to that point.

 

I still find US DD's to be somewhat suicidal, the moment you open guns you're spotted and everything within range is going to open up.  Team members are going to berate and harass you about using guns so much as well as complain about you not firing your guns enough.  It's a rough life until T8

[Falls_USMC]

 

Again with the bashing...I like my Farragut, dammit.

 

(I should explain I don't mean you "again with the bashing", because internet.  Just feel like the only person alive who enjoys that ship.)

 

I actually enjoyed the Farragut, but you can't deny that it is a difficult ship to play well. 

[Cobraclutch]

 

I actually enjoyed the Farragut, but you can't deny that it is a difficult ship to play well. 

 

I really enjoyed the Farragut also. Even more than the Nicholas.

[Darkreaver55]

Firstly, check out the Quintessential DD Guide on this subforum.  It's a great starter for a budding destroyer captain.  Secondly, if you play USN destroyers make use of your smoke cloud for offensive purposes as well as defensive.  While I rarely use premium consumables in the interest of conserving every single credit, definitely use smoke launchers 2 from tier 4 on up.  Since the USN smoke lasts a lot longer than IJN smoke, pick a chokepoint or other area you want to make yours and make yourself a lovely smoke nest.  Include hard terrain to back up behind in an emergency and, since your smoke will obscure your vision, make sure you have allies or a carrier flight overhead to grant you vision of your targets.  While setting your smoke, make sure you're not traveling more than ten or so knots or you'll pop visible between smoke cloud releases, and that will spoil your trap somewhat.  Once that is done, park and rain ordnance down.  Drift forward or backward a touch every few shots to make sure they can't sight in on the origination point of your shells.  If all goes well, you can get at least a full minute of uninterrupted shellfire that will make back the cost of the consumable (22500 credits; don't spend gold on that sort of thing) in a single charge, of which you can have three if you take the superintendent captain skill which you absolutely should.  You have roughly 90 seconds from when you hear 'smokescreen set' to when it dissipates, so make sure you're already in motion when it fades out or all those ships you've been harassing will blast you into confetti.

 

Also, it's great to see support for the Farragut.  It's such a lovely underrated little thing.  Out of the entire DD line I've played (I just bought the Fletcher) I have by far the best results from the Farragut.  It's the one ship that I've tiered up past that I've kept.

[dmckay]

Hmmmm this DD thing sounds a bit complicated for a less than stellar noob like me.  Killing ships with torps seems to require a pretty high skill level.  I think I will try the IJN line and start in tier 1 just to see if I have what it takes.  By the way I am not a young guy....well over 60.  WELL over 60.  I will give it a try however.  I can do the point and shoot thing in a cruiser but this DD playing looks like it takes a lotta thought to be productive.  Heck, I like a challenge and playing DD's might slow the progression of my dementia.   Tks all.  Most helpful.

[Falls_USMC]

Hmmmm this DD thing sounds a bit complicated for a less than stellar noob like me.  Killing ships with torps seems to require a pretty high skill level.  I think I will try the IJN line and start in tier 1 just to see if I have what it takes.  By the way I am not a young guy....well over 60.  WELL over 60.  I will give it a try however.  I can do the point and shoot thing in a cruiser but this DD playing looks like it takes a lotta thought to be productive.  Heck, I like a challenge and playing DD's might slow the progression of my dementia.   Tks all.  Most helpful.

 

Get to tier 2. That ship at tier 2 is very, very good. 

[Dgwphotos]

Having played both sides (up to tier 4 in IJN, and tier 5 in USN), I prefer the flexibility of the USN DD's.(I tend to get into close quarters situations)  Having useful guns along with the torpedoes, gives you options. I was playing one of the Japanese DD's, and had just put a torpedo into an enemy DD, but because the guns on IJN DD's aren't particularly useful, I couldn't finish him off in time to avoid being sunk. I did get the sinking, either by getting off one more torpedo before I was sunk, or via flooding (I don't recall how), but had I been able to use the guns, I might have remained in action.

[Harv72b]

Hmmmm this DD thing sounds a bit complicated for a less than stellar noob like me.  Killing ships with torps seems to require a pretty high skill level.  I think I will try the IJN line and start in tier 1 just to see if I have what it takes.  By the way I am not a young guy....well over 60.  WELL over 60.  I will give it a try however.  I can do the point and shoot thing in a cruiser but this DD playing looks like it takes a lotta thought to be productive.  Heck, I like a challenge and playing DD's might slow the progression of my dementia.   Tks all.  Most helpful.

 

FWIW, I'm well over 40 and one of things I like about driving DDs is that it's often a mental game.  I know I don't have the reflexes to compete with most of the teenagers (and younger) in these games, but I can mostly outsmart 'em still. ;)

[dmckay]

 

FWIW, I'm well over 40 and one of things I like about driving DDs is that it's often a mental game.  I know I don't have the reflexes to compete with most of the teenagers (and younger) in these games, but I can mostly outsmart 'em still. ;)

 

Good luck kid!

[StrykerNC]

Hmmmm this DD thing sounds a bit complicated for a less than stellar noob like me.  Killing ships with torps seems to require a pretty high skill level.  I think I will try the IJN line and start in tier 1 just to see if I have what it takes.  By the way I am not a young guy....well over 60.  WELL over 60.  I will give it a try however.  I can do the point and shoot thing in a cruiser but this DD playing looks like it takes a lotta thought to be productive.  Heck, I like a challenge and playing DD's might slow the progression of my dementia.   Tks all.  Most helpful.

 

  Been around a bit myself, and to top it off this is my very first PC game to play.  But, after four months, I have managed to get to the Farragut on the USN DD line.  I can tell you in my opinion, that it is partly luck, and a whole lot of stealth, to play DDs well. When you are playing other ships, have you noticed that DDs blink in and out of view?  That's cause they are not constantly shooting.. Shooting gives your position away. So, sometimes you just need to cruise and dodge back and forth until you can line up good shots. Same with torpedoes. Blasting torps every time they reload will keep the reds shooting at you. Wait, wait, wait until the shot is lined up right. And if you start to get nailed by several ships at once, pop out a smoke screen to give yourself some cover.  Use the turbo engine boost to run out of bad situations. DDs have to fight to survive, since it doesn't take much to kill them.  Oh, and have fun. You will get killed in spectacular ways.  Cheers.