If you want to play with American CVs

[YankeeVictor]

 

 

Play as Carrier Commander is a complete different experience in World of Warships. Of course you still will be shooting at moving things but you have to handle far more variables and also a different environment. Basically you need two ways of synchronized thinking at the same time: as Air Commander you have to run squads while as Ship Captain you have to move your big (your very big) ship not too far from the battle zone and not close to the enemy ships. Remember that they consider you the prize. And if the things work out, they will consider you a treat so you are the first to shoot at and in the next level when you play really well, enemy will consider you a hateful thing and you will become their mission.

 

The better you synchronize your two ways of thinking (Air Commander and Ship Captain) the more effective you will become.

 

 Be aware, that (like in the other ships) not always things go right. But with CVs is more clear because once you select your loadout (which amount and which kind of planes) your approach during the battle is defined. You wont operate in the same way when you have a defensive configuration (full of fighters) or when you are in offensive Mode (Strike Package: no fighters, my 1st option always).

 

When you reach Essex, you have a better mix of loadouts but, I have not been there yet and I can not explain how it is. So far I am with Lexington and although my 1st 3 games went pretty bad, I found my way and started to kill things (they at this tier has an insane AA and fighters are Fighters with capital F and you will kill them, the poor bastards anyway ). I will stay a while with Lex. I have myself a superb AA, planes are wonderful and most important: the ship is beatiful. Lady Lex, they used to say.

 

One special note before get into the matter. If the enemy insults you in the chat, means you r having a nice performance. Sometimes in the chat, not your enemy but someone of your team insults you. It will happen no matter what. Dont react, because operate planes and the ships in real time is a far more demanding task than operates one ship w Guns. You dont have to waste yr precious and very much needed time in other thing that aiming at the Orange targets. Chat is important ONLY if there is team work. If it is not present, the one who is insulting you is only another distraction to your main task: Keep moving after orange things. Sometimes, such teammates that insult me without knowing how intense is to run a CV in WOW,  I have considered them as enemy target and tried to bomb them as well just to find out they are already sunk by enemy. Probably due to a poor performance, Probably cos they chat too much. Frustration causes such reactions. 

 

Of course being a CV commander also will be sometimes frustrated (you know also from regular ships: you aim at everything and hit nothing while enemy is pounding you). It happens with the planes too. BUT (and this is the real but) in some point during the battle you will be accurate and BOOM, you will blow out someone or at least let him cripple for the rest of the battle.

 

Langley: First steps

 

I have not play with IJN carriers yet for the very same reason I have not tried the cooperative battles yet: no time.

 

First thing with Langley is get used to the environment and since I and my opponents (bots and other players) were not very skilled in the beginning you just watch how the squads shoot at each other.

 

You will learn in this tier how to approach to the targets: ships and other planes. Necessities of the battlefield will teach you that if you want to prevail in a dogfight, you have to actualize your fighters. Also you will learn that US fighter squad’s arr superior to IJN planes. In higher tiers this difference stays. Don’t be afraid to engage them but avoid two at the same time.

 

Once you kill the first ship with a single salvo of torps, you have been hooked: you will ask for more. Dive bombers will kill the unfinished business (yours or of others) of near death ships and but still, everything goes too slow.

 

Probably you will be exploring you tube. Don’t miss those clips where a single Essex deletes 5 ships in 10 minutes. Those clips will inspire you to move forward.

 

Langley is just baby steps. Meanwhile explore how things looks from top. Views of the ship from top are really really beautiful. Enjoy the view, the hardest test in the CV line is the next: Bogue

 

Bogue: the real test for a CV commander

 

Yep. No doubt. Bogue is the challenge. Here you will decide if you want to stay and become the Best on the battlefield or go back as regular leading BBs shooting from far away.

 

The test is not about your skills. Test is if u can survive the most bored ship in the entire US American fleet. In the same way that Cleveland is good in everything, Bogue is bad in everything: it is slow, easy to locate by enemies, weak and has few planes that are not superior in anything.

 

How to pass Bogue? There are two ways. I choose the easiest: I paid. To pay is good. WOW will take you more serious. They will say: well, this is a customer, a real one and the give you a prize: The Independence.

 

If you choose to stay, I cannot figure out what you will learn. Perhaps the skills of Your commander will accumulate another point but beyond that, I cannot see any further advantage. We have to ask to others who passed the test.

 

Independence. Now we are in business

 

Ok. Independence. This is a Carrier. A real one that can harm the orange team.

 

In this Tier you will learn how to use your squads and how to exploit them. Since the main weakness is the limited number of planes, you will start to be more careful and more effective.

 

1st goal in this Tier is the improvement of the hull. You will obtain more planes and also better AA.

 

Then the planes. Specially the fighters and stay a while with the 1 1 1 load. In this Tier you have to (you really have to) learn to use the manual mode. For me, learn how to drop torps was the most difficult issue. And still is. Learn how to drop torps has only one way: practice. No other. There is no any special trick nor technology that helps. Some days you have it, some days don’t.  Like a MLB (Major League Baseball) pitcher.

 

Drop bombs manually is also important but I do not use it very often. No time during the battle

 

From this point you will have to choose strike configurations (0 1 2) or defensive loads (2 0 1)

 

In my case, I started to use the fighter as escort for my TB. I realized that in my case I prefer to sink ships. So I rapidly went to the 0 1 2 configuration: the Strike CV. Kill other planes is nice, is very rewarding and very useful for the fleet. But is not my thing. If I cannot sink ships then I am only a band of mosquitos.

 

But if you like AA and defensive configurations, pick the 2 fighters and learn how to use the manual mode: strafing. Nothing more destructive than a fighter within his barrage of fire. It is very painful when you lost 3 squads in just one pass of fighters. But it requires (as with the torps) lot of practice.

 

After Independence is Ranger, by then you are an Air Commander and no more restrictions: you will have 4 squads at the same time and lot of planes in the hangar.

 

Independence is a nice ship. I sold mine in order to purchase a higher Tier ship but all my savings in moneygame will be invested in recover it.

 

Ranger: need a CV commander

 

Once you have a Ranger, there is no restrictions. Except very higher Tier ships like Iowas with heavy AA, you can treat anyone in the battlefield. You  can project your power anywhere you want. Yor only restriction is protect your own ship

 

If with Independence you learn how to optimize your planes and become an Air Commander with Ranger you have to become a ship Captain. How to protect your ship includes a smart location not far from your planes but also hidden from enemy ships. Good news is in this Tier your teammates are more cooperatives and associations are more effective. Sometimes for AA, Sometimes for ship protection against DDs. You will really need those.

 

With Ranger you will combine your two ways of thinking: Air Commander and Ship Captain.

 

Ranger is fast, so relocate her it is not a problem. Also the hangar is nice and the upgraded fighter can cover a lot (if you use fighters) but as always I will recommend the strike load if you want to make a difference in the battlefield. A Ranger can easily take 3 ships in one battle. Not always of course but if you are good with torps you will do a lot of damage and always will get a lot of credits. Ranger is a moneymaker

 

Lexington is not

 

Lexington. A real threat

 

Lexington. Ok. Has the same number of planes as Ranger and same configurations after the last patch in 2016. Still there is a huge tactical difference: Lexington can operate alone. Her AA is superb, the survivability is far better and if a DD come too close, is dead.

 

There is only one problem: I am intimidated about how expensive it is to maintain the ship, maxim when all others in the Tier have superior AA as well.

 

But if you are not concern about that, it worth. Lexington can deal with everything except another Lexington perhaps. At least not easily

 

it will take a while till I go to Essex. It is my plan to enjoy the Lex. From time to time, I will find a Ranger with defensive config and join in formation. Lex provides AA and Ranger can cover the TBs and DBs.

 

See you in a while. And let see what brings Saipan class to the fleet

 

[HBZK100]

Love your review! Nice job overall!

 

I just have one issue with your tutorial:  The Bogue I'd argue is not exactly boring, if your using the Fighter mod on the Bogue, yeah it can be boring.  However it's balanced and strike packages are pretty nice for it's tier.  You can output a LOT of damage from the Bogue if done right.

 

If you don't mind, I'd like to add my view on the Essex since I just got her 2 weeks ago:

 

Essex: Worth the Grind

 

When you first take out the Essex, it's going to be a nightmare.  Cruisers will eat your planes so fast that it isn't even funny, if your not careful.  The only thing going for you is your fighters, use your barrage ability 24/7.  When you barrage, you will deny even a fully upgraded Taiho from taking many of your teammates down.

 

Also, AA on the stock hull is pretty meh at tier 9.  So make sure you keep eyes pealed for CV snipers and prepare your fighters accordingly.

 

However, once you get the upgraded planes, Hull, and flight control modules, the Essex will be a beast!  It is basically a better version of a strike Lexington.

 

I suggest upgrading the Torpedo bombers first, then the Fighters, then the dive bombers, hull, then flight mods.  This will net you the best strike damage, while not loosing many credits from lossed aircraft.  At tier 9, your money takes a real hurt if you die (200,000 repair bill).

 

 

[Gavroche_]

More or less my impression

 

[dsharpe60]

Until I move up from the Independence, I'm using my Bogue to train captains, then the Independence will be training carrier. But I still don't understand why some configurations of cv's have no fighters, I thought all cv's had at least one squadron of fighters no matter what.

[HBZK100]

Until I move up from the Independence, I'm using my Bogue to train captains, then the Independence will be training carrier. But I still don't understand why some configurations of cv's have no fighters, I thought all cv's had at least one squadron of fighters no matter what.

 

Nope, that's the bummer part.

 

The problem with USN CVs is that WG seemingly wants to keep all the squads at 6 planes per squad.  This is hurting USN CVs the most.  If WG wants USN CVs to start hurting IJN win rates, then we need USN CVs to have different amounts of planes per plane type, like 4 fighters per squad, 3 torpedo bombers per squad, and 6 dive bombers per squad.

[ForgMaxtor]

 

 

Nope, that's the bummer part.

 

The problem with USN CVs is that WG seemingly wants to keep all the squads at 6 planes per squad.  This is hurting USN CVs the most.  If WG wants USN CVs to start hurting IJN win rates, then we need USN CVs to have different amounts of planes per plane type, like 4 fighters per squad, 3 torpedo bombers per squad, and 6 dive bombers per squad.

 

 

Agree completely.  100% strike loadouts are competely ahistorical and bad for gameplay.  A USN "strike weighted" loadout with mostly bombers but at least a token fighter presence would be much more interesting to play, and reduced-strength fighter squad(s) would be a good way to accomplish this.

 

Perhaps now that they've "broken the ice" on aircraft squads of varying sizes with the Saipan, they will consider utilizing this system in the main CV line.

[dabigD_1055]

Yeah I agree that the strike loadout for USN CVs is great strike power, but the 1 fighter squad is just there for looks.  The IJN CVs will just put their 2 fighter squads against yours and that's it.  If they gave you 2 fighters with less fighters that be something.  They seem to be able to cv snipe with ease way to much.

[Hopelesshobo]

Yeah I agree that the strike loadout for USN CVs is great strike power, but the 1 fighter squad is just there for looks.  The IJN CVs will just put their 2 fighter squads against yours and that's it.  If they gave you 2 fighters with less fighters that be something.  They seem to be able to cv snipe with ease way to much.

 

Still, assuming that neither CV has a 15 point captain, that's a 6 v 8 situation, so you just need to pick your fights.  All you need to do is either engage them when his fighters are separated by a couple squares, or engage while you are over friendly AA.  If you can even distract his fighters and you have tabs on where they are, just move your strike aircraft to the other side of the map, or even split your strike aircraft up.  This means he will either split his own fighters to try to intercept everything, which will leave your fighters with the advantage or he will probably keep tabs on your fighters, so you can freely strike where they are not.

 

At low tiers, I have also dumped my strike aircraft's load so they get the increased speed to keep them alive (Or if I am just running low on aircraft).  I usually do that if 2 conditions have been met.

• The aircraft will probably not be able to get a decent strike off on a ship before they get intercepted and mostly shot down.
• I can not pull my strike aircraft over a ship with good AA to force fighter losses

[Hyyena]

Nice txt but you forgot one thing: Be ready to have you ship nerfed in ever patch.