How do I overcome the bad arcs of USN DDs?

[1Sherman]

After a bit of consideration on what do do with my 12 point USN captain (see: http://forum.worldofwarships.com/index.php?/topic/84529-what-to-do-with-a-12-point-usn-captain/page__fromsearch__1 ), I've decided not to seal-club or backtrack and see about giving the USN DD line another try after I originally sold the Farragut. 

However, that leaves me with a problem: The reason why I quit the USN DDs originally was because after the Clemson, the rest of them get HORRIBLE shell speeds and gun arcs that make shooting at fast-moving targets at range infuriating. I know I could just close the range, but then I raise the risk of getting shot at.

When I play DDs I like such as the Blyskawica, I generally like to go after ships that are distracted and burn them to the keel. Should I do the same thing with USN DDs?

Overall, how can I overcome the bad arcs of the USN DD line and put my captain to good use?

 

P.S. Just so you know, I'll be giving the captain BFT, SA, Last Stand, Superintendent, and DE. 

[Personator]

Even with the horrible shell arcs and speeds, the USN DD lines are the best at top tier due to the torp ranges and great RoF. USN DDs tend to either knife fight or burn BBs with impunity. It's the same thing with the Blyska & VMF DDs, minus the VMF's torps.

[DokterBeefcake]

You aim ahead just a little more, and enjoy being the only ship in this game that can actually do proper plunging fire.

[MrDeaf]

Get closer

Lead your target more than you normally do in other ships.

 

At range, don't shoot in one spot only. You should literally spray your target, so that you get some shells to hit, instead of all misses, because they are weaving.

 

 

I don't think DE is a good skill for USN DDs. I would recommend SE, because this increases your HP, which is valuable when contesting caps, like you should be as a USN DD.

[saagri]

Get close, activate cloaking field, get 300+ hits.

[thepointofluck]

Sorry but the only advice I can give is get closer. The playstyle of the line is to knife fight, especially tiers 4-7 before you get good stealth and torps. You just have to learn to trade effectively and pick your targets wisely. 

[Oliver_Clothes_Offenbed]

It is vital to get close to increase your chances of hitting while implementing WASD hax in your techniques so you can dodge incoming shells and torpedoes. Do not forget to hold right click to look around to evade beaching yourself, heading the wrong way, or ramming an ally. Getting long range shots (13k or further shots) on destroyers really comes down to a majority of luck when it comes to whether the DD captain will maneuver and skill when it comes to how much lead. It's nice to have a fast reload to pump out more shells in case if you miss (BFT op.)

[1SneakyDevil]

If firing from long distance then you need to lead the shell significantly more with the USN DD arcs.

[HazeGrayUnderway]

After a bit of consideration on what do do with my 12 point USN captain (see: http://forum.worldofwarships.com/index.php?/topic/84529-what-to-do-with-a-12-point-usn-captain/page__fromsearch__1 ), I've decided not to seal-club or backtrack and see about giving the USN DD line another try after I originally sold the Farragut. 

However, that leaves me with a problem: The reason why I quit the USN DDs originally was because after the Clemson, the rest of them get HORRIBLE shell speeds and gun arcs that make shooting at fast-moving targets at range infuriating. I know I could just close the range, but then I raise the risk of getting shot at.

When I play DDs I like such as the Blyskawica, I generally like to go after ships that are distracted and burn them to the keel. Should I do the same thing with USN DDs?

Overall, how can I overcome the bad arcs of the USN DD line and put my captain to good use?

 

P.S. Just so you know, I'll be giving the captain BFT, SA, Last Stand, Superintendent, and DE. 

 

You have to look at the full picture.  I took a long hiatus going back to Fall 2015 when I left off with Mahan.  USN DD gameplay was not clicking for me, while Russian ones did.  But after getting Tier X Russian DDs and tangling with IJN, USN up and down the tiers, facing Blyzkawica at Tier VII, I figured USN DDs are the close quarters specialists.  So I gave the USN DDs a whirl again very recently, catching up a bit with Mahan and just yesterday got Benson (fun boat, BTW).

 

USN DD guns excel at short ranged fighting.

- Fastest turret traverse

- Fastest gun ROF, faster than even Russian DDs

 

Where this will come in is in island infested map regions, contesting caps.  You find an enemy DD, you press into him, closing the range, making your superior turret traverse and ROF shine.  I love my Russian DDs to no end but if you let a USN DD press and you do not separate from it, you are in deep, deep ----.  Do not get in an ever increasing ranged gun duel with a Russian DD or Blyzkawica.  But if you get the drop on them and press hard, you can bag them.  Russian DDs have fast guns but not as fast as USN ones, they also have sluggish turret traverse and will rely on hull turning to speed up gun training.  Tier VIII Tashkent and Tier X Khabarovsk in particular have absolutely abysmal rudder shift for a DD, but they're very fast.  Blyzkawica has good guns but far slower shooting guns than USN and Russian guns.  She also has mediocre turret traverse.  Press into them hard and don't let up.  If you lose range, then break off and go back into hiding.

 

As for situations to do long range gunnery with USN DDs, they suck at it compared to Russian DDs, that's where they excel, but USN DDs are better than IJN ones at this (slow ROF, plus concealment is their game anyways).  You just have to get good and doing leads with these crazy USN DD shell arcs.  I would only gun spam at extended ranges with a USN DD if:

- I know there's no Cruiser threat nearby

- Target is a BB, CV - Everything else is just too much a PITA to hit reliably with more range

- Prefer the target to be isolated

- Adding my DD's gunfire spam to the rest of the team / focus fire

[centarina]

you are not going to hit DD at 10km+,   even tashkent  unless they are going straight and stupid.     anyhting long range, you are hitting on BBs to jocularity.   I only do it after teams are thinned down a bit.

[Camo68]

Two tips

• zoom back two notches when in binocular mode, targets are smaller bu you can see your shells better and can ''walk'' them onto the target
• close in on enemy DDs (under 6km is ideal), US DDs excel at short range due to generally faster rof & slow turret traverse on IJN & VMF lines

[Arbinshire]

Two tips

• zoom back two notches when in binocular mode, targets are smaller bu you can see your shells better and can ''walk'' them onto the target
• close in on enemy DDs (under 6km is ideal), US DDs excel at short range due to generally faster rof & slow turret traverse on IJN & VMF lines

 

This. The absolute first thing I do when I play a usn DD is zoom out two stages in binocular mode, so it's ready to go when i encounter something. 

 

Also as stated by another poster, USE SE not DE. I have literally won games I would have lost with the extra hp SE gives me.

[Fog_Battleship_Tosa]

Two tips

• zoom back two notches when in binocular mode, targets are smaller bu you can see your shells better and can ''walk'' them onto the target
• close in on enemy DDs (under 6km is ideal), US DDs excel at short range due to generally faster rof & slow turret traverse on IJN & VMF lines

 

building on the first point. use dynamic scope too. it helps keep things consistent. Use regular scope for all other ship classes. 

[centarina]

anything fast, one click out on scope is what I do.

 

This. The absolute first thing I do when I play a usn DD is zoom out two stages in binocular mode, so it's ready to go when i encounter something. 

 

Also as stated by another poster, USE SE not DE. I have literally won games I would have lost with the extra hp SE gives me.

 

i had DE on my farragut and it has been working fine in   ranked. .  ranked is quicker match and you die quick  if you mess up and extra hp isn't a big deal.  in random, it can be useful though i've been fine with it.

[CapnCappy]

Sequential fire and walk your shells onto target.

[10T0nHammer]

Something that hasn't been brought up: Practice! You have to get the muscle memory in when firing at longer range targets to minimize time you spend calculating where to shoot - which leaves you open to return enemy fire. It is a bit of a double edged sword, at least for me. The better I get at leading with the USN 5''/38s, the worse I get leading in everything else.

 

Everyone else has already provided some solid advice.

[SeaRaptor]

It's a lot of practice, and realization that you're a knife-fighter.  I've burned a Khabarovsk from full to dead inside of 3km before he could get his guns turned around on me in Gearing (he was sitting in smoke, firing away from my position).  Past 6km, I will probably lose that fight.  Inside 6km, I will likely crush him even if he has his guns facing me.  That's the power of the rate of fire of the USN 5-inchers.  

 

You can also reliably hit cruisers and BBs out to medium range once you get some experience with how to lead the shells.  Cruisers are more likely to maneuver, of course, but most BBs are sluggish enough that you'll land some moderate damage and possibly kick off a fire or two.  Smoking up and raining shells down on BBs in my Gearing is hilariously fun, because most of them decide "that's a big pile of nope" and turn the hell away from me.  It's a fun deterrent.

[Captain_Insano]

I have never found the arc to be off-putting or a disadvantage in any way. Just don't fight a Ruskie DD outside 7k. Every good US DD driver knows that.

[beliy_demon]

anything fast, one click out on scope is what I do.

 

i had DE on my farragut and it has been working fine in   ranked. .  ranked is quicker match and you die quick  if you mess up and extra hp isn't a big deal.  in random, it can be useful though i've been fine with it.

 

I dont think anyone at r5 or higher runs DE or AFT.   SE is the top choice, bar none, in ranked.   

[centarina]

lol, I already had it seutp that way and I didn't want to spend the gold to reset.   with farragut, 2400 point hp would be nice, but to R11,  it hasn't been a problem and I seem to set lot of fires, so I am happy enough.  and for random, it is fine as well.   .  I do agree that most will go for SE for USDD  though with mahan/sims because that is how most people setup their benson /fletcher. (I do as well)

[aether_tech]

See the next map over? Thats were you want to lead your target.

[The_Mighty_Rabbit]

As for situations to do long range gunnery with USN DDs, they suck at it compared to Russian DDs, that's where they excel, but USN DDs are better than IJN ones at this (slow ROF, plus concealment is their game anyways).  You just have to get good and doing leads with these crazy USN DD shell arcs.  I would only gun spam at extended ranges with a USN DD if:

- I know there's no Cruiser threat nearby

- Target is a BB, CV - Everything else is just too much a PITA to hit reliably with more range

- Prefer the target to be isolated

- Adding my DD's gunfire spam to the rest of the team / focus fire

 

This^.  As some of the other commenters indicated, there are also situations where it's better to close with your enemies, i.e. other DDs. 

[HazeGrayUnderway]

 

This^.  As some of the other commenters indicated, there are also situations where it's better to close with your enemies, i.e. other DDs. 

 

There's times where a USN DD can troll a BB hardcore.  Again, isolated, or positioned where the only one that can engage you is the BB.

 

A match today where I used Benson to troll an Iowa.  I typically hovered between 12km to my max range, constantly throwing HE at Iowa, slowly chipping away at his HP, setting the occasional fire, etc.  The point was to annoy him and to chip at his hull.  Not to mention I felt I was in proper range and angle where he can't really hit me.  Another thing that helped was positioning:

 

Iowa was part of a group of ships.  There was a Cruiser and a NC with him and they were trying to engage teammates to the south.  I was northeast of them.  I picked out Iowa because of her far more dangerous main battery.  With the gun spam, I chipped away.  He turned to chase me down because I eventually got a good lead and most of my shots were connecting.  I dropped torps hoping he'd run into them as I kited him north, but he was smart about it and weaved.  He however figured that he was being duped into chasing me, so he turned around to rejoin the now distant NC and Cruiser.  So, he breaks from me and sails south.  All I simply did was turn back around, sped up, close distance, and kept on peppering him with HE, setting fires here and there.

 

The whole affair wasn't a lot of damage but it did the job and he went after me, throwing 16"/50 salvos my way but none hit.  Salvos that if he went south with NC and the Cruiser, could have rekt teammates.

 

If the Cruiser went and supported the Iowa against me, there was no way I was going to do what I did with Benson, too risky with Cruiser ROF, range, and shell velocity.

[sushimaster]

To overcome the bad arc is not trying to overcome it.

 

Play to the ship's strength and avoid exposing it's weakest as much as possible. Don't force your ship into doing something it's bad at which is long range shooting.

 

I almost never bother open fire if my enemy DD is over 7 kms far, again BB that i have no way of getting in front to drop torp then I'll open fire even at max range, also again some slow cruiser. But most of the time, i rather position myseft for a good torp run, crawl close to a BB then smoke'n gun, both will do more dmg than wasting time leading 15 seconds ahead per shot and only 1/3 of it will hit, really not worth it.

 

The sooner you stop worrying about the arc and focus on pushing your ship 's best features further, the sooner you'll become better with US DD.

[Delicious_Bait]

I understand that SE is always useful for a ship with low hit points, but DE on a US DD almost doubles the chance for starting fires, and with that withering rate of fire that the line enjoys I think smart play decisions and more toasted targets is the better route.