Unicorn_Poacher

Introduction Carriers (CV) play an invaluable support and strike role to the main fleet. Carriers well protected by their task force can provide crucial reconnaissance, anti-strike defense, high damage output, and general direction sufficient to turn the tide of an engagement. Carrier aviation is essential to accomplishing these goals and as such flight groups must be deployed deliberately and cautiously. Most guides I have encountered are either short on content or did not adequately explain the details of carrier warfare to my satisfaction. Carrier combat is complex. It demands a high degree of attention to detail, micro-management, and real-time strategy skills. This guide seeks to shed light on these topics. The guide assumes a basic fundamental understanding of carrier controls and is focused on maximizing performance in combat to make carrier play more accessible and enjoyable for newer players struggling with the challenges and learning curve of carrier action.

Thanks for the feedback ilDuca, I am glad you found this useful!

Can you talk more about what parts of the guide you think are "dangerous" recommendations? What is your rationale for indicating that maintaining allied ships between your CV and the enemy is an invalid tactic and what would you recommend instead?

El2aZeR, thank you for your comments. I have improved the guide with many of your recommendations and added a section dedicated to anti-destroyer combat discussing the crisscross technique which was a big omission on my part. I tried to emphasize the value of dropping torpedoes close to the target using the manual method but obviously that was not clear, so I have also attempted to highlight this. I still maintain that using the automated cone as a guide in preparing for the drop is a valid learning technique and have routinely used it to devastating effect. You are correct in pointing out that I do not have experience playing high tier carriers so bear with my attempt to make an accessible guide. This is a "noob" guide but with that said your comments lent a lot of improvements in making it potentially useful to more experienced players. Thanks.

Final Remarks I personally love carrier play and consider it highly rewarding and satisfying. My hope is that this guide will encourage new players to try their hand at the carrier trees and will help others who have already taken this step to hone their skills. Remember above all to conduct yourself respectfully with your teammates, work together, and have fun. I would like to thank El2aZeR for some very good recommendations to the guide, particularly pertaining to higher-tier play. Thank you for reading--I hope you found it helpful and I am interested to hear your constructive discussion on these topics!

Aviation Aircraft Overview. Fighters are your primary means of reconnaissance, enemy strike group deterrence, and air superiority. They are fast and will effectively chase down and neutralize enemy strike groups as well as intercept opposing fighter groups. Fighter groups are best deployed separately but at a mutually supportive distance to avoid susceptibility to strafing attacks and maximize area coverage. They can be used actively in this manner, or defensively by assigning them a defend order to a susceptible ship or air group. It should be noted that IJN fighter squadrons should avoid a 1v1 engagement with a USN squadron due to numerical inferiority. Dive Bombers (DB) are effective against all ship types, capable of setting fire with incendiary bombs, and your primary attack against destroyers and cruisers. Approach enemy ships from the bow to minimize flight time to the target, reduce exposure to AA fire, and maximize available area to attack. Torpedo Bombers (TB) are particularly effective against carriers and battleships. Approach enemy ships from the side. When using automated attacks and multiple squadrons, it may be best to attack the target ship from both sides simultaneously. Strike Group Management It is generally important to be thrifty with planes, however strike groups must be preserved at all costs—even at the expense of fighters. Keep strike squadrons out of sight when preparing for an attack to maintain the element of surprise as long as possible. Conversely, single squadrons may be used as “bait” to lure enemy fighter groups away from a main avenue of attack. In the latter case, ensure that the flight can quickly be recalled to the safety of escorts or returned to the carrier. This is particularly useful with dive bombers after they have expended their payload as they travel faster than enemy fighters! If you have a large strike air group, you may find it beneficial to group similar strike squadrons together (e.g. 2x2 dive bomber squadrons) and use them to attack simultaneously. With that said, this can be risky when dealing with air-superiority opponents. In these circumstances it is best to spread out your attacks over a large area as it will be much more difficult for the enemy to pin all your squadrons at the same time. In the end, concentration of strike forces at the point of attack is (obviously) most effective. A particularly effective tactic especially against large enemy ships is as follows: Maintain a torpedo bomber squadron a good distance out from the target (~ 10 km is sufficient). Set fire to an enemy battleship with DB squadron (s). Proceed with the TB attack. Typically the ship will promptly put out the fire only to be shortly thereafter faced with massive flooding damage waiting until their repair party may be reused. Automated attacks are highly effective at early tiers, especially when you are focused on managing many flight groups at the same time. They are also generally preferred against cruisers and destroyers as their ability to evade will often result in a failed manual attack altogether. Avoiding Defensive AA Fire. The Defensive AA fire consumable of even a single enemy ship is a carrier's greatest threat to their air groups. It is therefore never advisable to conduct attacks near large formations of ships, especially those including cruisers capable of defensive AA fire. If you must attack a target supported by defensive AA fire it is best to: Ensure only one ship within 5 km radius of your approach is capable of defensive AA fire. Approach around 5 km to encourage the enemy to engage their AA fire. Withdraw planes for ~ 40 s until AA fire has expired. Resume the strike. Manually-Directed Attacks. Strike squadrons are most effective when conducting a manually directed attack. Against larger ships, the drawback of automated attacks is that less of the payload is likely to hit its mark. Manual attacks can routinely increase the number of successful hits by 20-50%. This is accomplished by enabling the captain to unleash torpedoes at a shorter distance from the target than that allowed by the automated system. This requires a few moments of attentiveness and concentration, blinding you to other threats. Ensure therefore that your target is not protected by defensive AA fire or nearby fighter squadrons which will disrupt or completely neutralize the strike. To conduct a manual attack with a torpedo bomber squadron: Plot a course around to the side of the target ship to minimize flight time near AA and allow you to conduct the attack as quickly as possible. Activate the automated attack sequence such at a perpendicular angle to the target. Monitor the attack and make minor adjustments to the automated attack pattern as the strike groups approach the target to maintain the optimal angle of attack. Zoom in to the closer map view to more accurately conduct the attack. When the strike squadrons are few kilometers out from the point of engagement, depress the manual attack key (Alt). A tighter attack pattern will appear on the the map. Notice that as the fighters follow the automated attack approach (green cone), the manual attack pattern will automatically align with the desired direction of attack. Moments before the strike squadron engages the automated attack pattern (yellow cone), click on the map to replace it with the manual pattern. The simplest way to do this is to place the manual attack pattern within the automated pattern as a guide, however with the starting point roughly 2/3 of the distance to target compared to shown by the automated one. Once you have learned to read target speed you can successfully conduct the drop even closer to the target, resulting in devastating attacks. Two alike strike squadrons can be grouped closely together and this method will allow you to direct both manual attacks with one keystroke. There is little difference adjusting this method for DB's, however remember to approach from the bow. If a ship is moving rapidly, it is usually best to place the DB target on or just ahead of the target's bow as there will be 2-3 additional seconds of flight time before the attack occurs. With a bit of practice this method will enable you to routinely execute successful manual attacks and deliver significantly more damage with each strike. Fighter squadrons can easily eliminate multiple strike squadrons or individual fighter squadrons with a manual strafing run. This will also help to even the odds against air superiority carriers. To conduct a manual attack using fighters, the best possible approach is from behind along the same axis of travel as the target squadrons as this maximizes duration of exposure to the strafe. Direct your fighters in along the axis of flight of enemy squadrons. Depress the manual attack key to assess the length of the strafing run. When the enemy squadrons appear, activate the manual attack shortly after they pass into your strafe zone (green rectangle). You may also consider using a strafing run against an enemy fighter squadron when it is engaged either defeating another fighter squadron or a catapult fighter, as the fighter squadron cannot maneuver at this time. In particular this can be a viable tactic when you have multiple fighter squadrons at your disposal, however note that manual attacks will destroy friendly and enemy planes alike. Defense Against Manually-Directed Attacks. Always assume the enemy will use strafing runs against your oncoming planes. To defend against strafing runs, do not allow your flight groups to fly along the same line of axis of fighters approaching from in front or behind. If this situation occurs, immediately change course; a perpendicular angle from their current course tends to work best. Even if the strafing run has already begun, this direction will quickly move your group out of the strafing zone. Groups flying at odd angles relative to approaching fighters will make it the most difficult for the enemy to strafe effectively. This method can also be applied using fighter squadrons idling close together to bait a strafing run, and then respond with a counter strafe while the target is committed. Anti-Destroyer Warfare. Focusing torpedo attacks on destroyers can be challenging but wise given the massive defensive advantages of larger surface ships in higher-tiered matches. This is accomplished using two successive torpedo strikes as follows: Order TB squadron 1 to attack the side of, or behind along the axis of travel of the target. Order TB squadron 2 to attack the target from the side. This tactic may be preceded by a DB strike to neutralize his ability to repair module damage and prevent subsequent flooding. As a result the target will be detained in the dodge, trapped along a steady heading, or best case unable to maneuver entirely for a time, maximizing the efficacy of the final strike. Honing this skill early on will give you a very competitive advantage when you reach this stage. Note that this tactic can effectively be employed on other fast-moving ships as well. Neutralizing Air Superiority (AS) Carriers. As a strike carrier you need not defeat all the enemy fighters to succeed—you need only distract and delay their squadrons such that your strike groups can get in and deliver their payloads. As such, the following techniques will best enable you to preserve your fighters to do so as long as possible: Use your fighter squadron to lure enemy fighters away from your strike groups, and position them near friendly ships to deter opposing strike squadrons. Always avoid combat with multiple enemy flight groups simultaneously. Do not attempt strafing runs against multiple enemy fighter groups. 9/10 times enough enemy fighters will survive to eliminate your squadron. Draw individual enemy fighter squadrons within range of one or more friendly ships' AA before engaging. Conversely, do not engage enemy fighters near enemy surface AA screens even if you have a local advantage. Do not engage in fighter combat that you do not expect to win. You cannot afford to trade planes one-for-one with an air-superiority carrier. Intercept enemy strike squadrons to draw their fire away from your own. If the enemy carrier keeps their forces grouped on one side of the map, take advantage of the other. Your best use of your fighters against AS CV is typically to avoid combat altogether, and focus on a distracting the enemy. Tie up their fighter squadrons as effectively as possible and move them away from risky situations.

Carrier Tactics and Maneuvers General Maneuvers. Carrier captains that choose to operate exclusively in an isolated fashion run the risk of being stalked by destroyers and targeted for CV strikes, as well as diminish their combat capability due to long air group flight times to and from the carrier. This includes parking your carrier in a corner of the map and forgetting about it. Moreover, once spotted, the clock begins to tick as a lone carrier becomes a priority target for the enemy. The ideal position for a carrier is near a large and diversified formation of escort ships, and preferably within a few kilometers of at least one ship with strong anti-aircraft (AA) capability. This provides several advantages: Being closer to the combat, aircraft flight distance for servicing is significantly reduced, increasing your combat capability over the course of the match. You are better able to rapidly respond to threats to friendly ships. You may utilize friendly ships for additional protection and AA screen for both the carrier and your flight groups. These maneuvers place the carrier at greater risk of contact with enemy ships, however if the escort group is maintained between the carrier and enemy formations, they become a low-priority target given their relative distance and threat profile. Maintain a close eye on the cohesiveness and viability of the escorting force—if the escort begins to dissipate you will need to quickly redeploy away from the combat. Assuming Command. Carrier captains are in a unique position to provide guidance to the team given the information that is readily at their disposal, as most of combat is spent in map-mode. As such, carrier captains should be highly aware of the entire situation, communicate to their teammates about risks and opportunities, and seek to direct friendly forces if able. Use F3 to designate targets and capture points of interest, and double-click the map to highlight an area. At the beginning of the battle it is wise to encourage coordinated tactics, suggesting avenues of attack or capture nodes to focus on. In return, you may not only be rewarded with well-coordinated, effective team action but can get an early feel for where to conduct your own ship to best benefit from the safety of escort. Opening Reconnaissance. Always begin the match with reconnaissance to help yourself and your allies plan the attack. IJN carriers excel at this as with their short servicing times they are able to put planes in the air more quickly than the USN. A three-pronged approach is suitable as it covers a large area and will allow you to spot near capture points. A good formation generally includes fighters in center with strike squadrons to the flanks—this will allow you to respond to fighter threats on either side of the battle zone. If you have multiple fighter groups, you may split one fighter squadron to support each. If you are unable to counter fighters bearing down on your strike groups, pull them back to your fleet for AA protection. Note that it is not necessary to spot every ship during this maneuver. It is sufficient to identify the heading of large formations to support the team without getting too close and then move on to planning your attack. Another approach suited to capture point matches is to focus all planes on one cap zone that is likely to be the goal of an enemy destroyer strike. Depriving the enemy of a capture point and a destroyer at the outset of the match is hugely beneficial. Targets of Opportunity. At earlier tiers, carrier aviation is most effective against individual battleships and carriers, and to a lesser extent their escorts. Carriers should strike where they can most quickly eliminate a surface threat, avoid concentrated enemy AA, and disrupt surface threats to your own fleet. The best targets of opportunity include: Single targets Targets that are obviously on fire or flooding, or have recently recovered therefrom Targets with low HP that are not likely to be defeated by nearby allies Targets that are engaged in combat facing the opposite direction of your approaching strike planes Uptiered Battles. The worst possible situation for a CV is to end up in a match where their battleship opponents are multiple tiers higher. The CV fighters cannot generally stand up to the AA capabilities of these ships, significantly reducing your combat capability. At the later tiers, attacking battleships becomes far more difficult with their increased AA capability, especially at tier VIII when these gain the Defensive Fire consumable. Even destroyers will gain this buff at the high tiers and can effectively neutralize your strike. In these cases it is wise to operate especially conservatively with your strike planes until mid-match. In these situations: Wait until large ships become well-isolated from the others before conducting a strike. As the match proceeds and ships sustain damage, their AA capabilities will diminish, giving your fighters a better chance to succeed. Attack large ships with multiple squadrons simultaneously from multiple angles for best effect. Focus dive bomber attacks on destroyers. Focus on providing good reconnaissance and information to the team.

Outfitting the Carrier Ship Selection. Carrier aviation loadouts are generally categorized into “air superiority” and “strike” configurations, containing a large fighter or bomber complement respectively. United States Navy (USN) carriers tend to offer more sturdy aircraft organized in large squadrons and better surface anti-aircraft capability. Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) carriers have a greater total number of active squadrons with great strike capabilities, yet in smaller formations than USN counterparts. IJN carriers typically include flight group options including multiple torpedo bomber squadrons. For some this may appeal as being more suited for strike play, but demands greater ability to micromanage large numbers of squadrons simultaneously. USN carriers will suit players who find this sort of micromanagement too difficult, and may be a better tree to start off for newcomers. Upgrades. For early-tier carriers upgrades Air Group Modifications 1 and 2 are recommended. These increase the defensive capability of your aircraft. As planes are your primary assets, they with be the most beneficial in typical situations. By the time you get past tier 6, you probably don't need this guide to choose your modules so I won't get into it. Flight Groups. Strike flight configurations containing a fighter component are recommended. I do not recommend pure air superiority builds as these sacrifice one of the main roles of the carrier—the capability to quickly deliver damage where it is needed the most. I entirely consider air superiority captains to be trolls, capable of nothing but neutralizing the enemy carrier, and I will call you out if I see you running one. Further, I will laugh if you fail at your one and only job (many do). I warn against groups containing no fighter component as these are indispensable for distracting, delaying, and destroying enemy strike groups. Commander Skills. Commander skills that increase the defense, sturdiness, and servicing rate of your planes are the highest priority followed by defensive carrier capabilities. It is usually good to preserve your points as well as possible for tier 4 skills which tend to be the most useful for the carrier. Air superiority at tier 4 which will increase all your fighter and dive bomber (DB) squadron sizes by +1 each is always useful especially for USN CV's choosing fighter/DB flight group configurations. Concealment Expert (-16% detectability) is arguably the best defensive skill as the best way to not be killed surely is to not be seen in the first place. This is followed closely by AA buff skills. All commander skill selections should consider your air-group configurations and AA strengths for prioritization and optimization.

Greetings developers, I wanted to propose adding a shared tac map view option within a division. The tac map would have the capability to show what course I have plotted for my division mates to see on their respective maps. This would be extremely helpful and convenient in coordinating strategy with friends as just using the coordinates is slow and clunky to call out to teammates. Thanks for your consideration!