RUSSIANBlAS

DDs only really get good from T7 onwards mostly when they get decent torps, concealment and often guns too... They're also the most resistant to being bottom tier. I did laugh at the Kami player claiming the guns are viable

You know high DD games are actually no fun for the DDs right? As too many knife fights will get the better of even a good DD eventually...

Shhhh, there's folk who feel RPF isn't needed. Better to keep it a secret Well SE is arguably a compulsory pick as it'll keep you floating that bit longer. BFT, SI and that Torp Expert Loader thing are all viable picks but that's pretty much all the DD flexibility. Still that's better than some other classes which essentially have one build... The only time I see RU gunboat DDs as selfish is in a single DD MM. When against a conventional DD you can leave your team short but that isn't the individual player's fault... Take Monty, it's arguably one of the best BBs in game. Has all round excellent attributes, I just got Rank 1 with it.

DDs are the spotter class, there's no convincing some that RPF is useful even though it clearly adds to the information a DD can get about the enemy team... Heh well the gunboat RU DDs are there to shoot stuff a lot and take up the space of a conventional DD. I've grinded both RU DD lines to T10, I jest when I say they're selfish lol botes. In fact a good chunk of RU DDs are more conventional, it's only the higher tier ones that become long range gunboats.

I'm not a big DD torp boat user, I'm more of a gunboat DD player but yeah you're actually giving more reason why RPF is a must pick It's a circle as Torp boat DDs who take RPF means that Gunboat DDs who hunt them also need it too Because I don't think anyone knows how to use a Grozo, as I see some using it as a light Khaba and then there's me who uses it as a full on traditional DD... Either way it loses out to more specialised DDs. I want to love it as it's turrets look cool but meh

Lets see now... RPF can run rings around smoke camping DDs by letting you know where to torp or where to rush. RPF gives you a very good idea of if the cap you are going to is being contested. RPF tells you whether that BB you're about to torp is alone or has DD escorts screening them. RPF also works as the counter for the above as you can stop that flanking solo DD from torping your own BBs. And that's just what I can think of from the top of my head. The average beginner should actually get used to using it, I personally think higher tier DD play is divided between who uses RPF and who doesn't... Please carry on if you feel RPF isn't useful, it makes life easier for those who do use it.

Sorry bro. But RPF in say a Khaba is completely unsuitable. Although I'm crazy enough to play Grozo with RPF and CE as I'm desperate to make it work as a true DD

On any DD that contests caps and protects friendlies from other DDs then RPF is simply a must pick. Selfish gunboat RU DDs can go without it but pretty much everyone else could use it, even torp boat DDs as you need to know where the gaps are in the enemy. It's a stupid skill that should never have been added to the game as once you've played using it and against other who use it you really notice the difference it makes.

Well done firstly... There's a strong argument for only playing Ranked at the start and end of a season, leaving the middle 2 or 3 weeks and doing something else as the MM during that time is completely I spent probably over half of my 300 odd games at Rank 4 because teams would constantly cancel each other out so it was endless WIN LOSS WIN LOSS etc. Thing is, whilst DDs are what makes Ranked happen I found at T10 the BBs had better range and HP so it meant that if a DD messed up you could still farm as a BB by angling then just shooting wheres if you had a good DD capping game you'd NEVER finish top because you've prolonged the game enough for that Cruiser or BB to farm the top star...

WG thought changing the skill sets for captains would make things more "diverse" but that's pretty much debunked now. If you DD and want to compete with others who are competent then your skills are basically the following: First level can be PM/PT, I'd probably go with PT. Rest would be LS because engines, SE because you ALWAYS need that extra hp, CE and RPF at 4th level. That doesn't leave many skills left over, I'd say take AR for the extra DPM then the last pick is a choice between SI, the torp reload skill and BFT for extra gun DPM.

I'll drop some of what I've found useful this season for those Monty users still left in there: Take PM (could take PT or Directional Float plane thing), EM, SI, CE, FP, AR and BoS. For modules take Damage Con 2, the accuracy module and the range extender. With a spotter plane you can reach out to 32km and it's worth having a snipe if there are no better targets. My longest kill this season was a Zao from full HP from 26km. When you're in the queue quit if you see CVs, also quit if the BB count goes over 4. Monty does best in low BB MMs. If there are too many BBs then the Yam will have an edge over you. Use AP all the time unless vs only DDs maybe. The AP can damage almost anything at any angle. I've hit BBs for 9k bow in by scraping AP into the sides of their superstructure. Shoot DDs first if you can, then Cruisers and finally BBs. Unless someone offers you a broadside you can't refuse. Spotter plane helps you kill those island camping DMs. Always try to go to the contested cap and to get far across enough to shoot the natural radar cruiser camp island. It goes a long way if you can kill the radar or push them back. If your team collapses then you've got a decent chance to farm the star due to your tanking ability and 12 barrels of accurate AP. Everything else is your own judgment and skill I guess... Having played Monty this season I feel the BB is King of this season of Ranked. Top tier BBs often engage effectively at ranges where torps and DDs do little effective damage to them. Plus when you're in a 100k HP monster you can ignore the odd torp strike. Hope that helps, or even gives non BB users some counter play...

Yeah totally, it's awful and I admit to doing it as the teamplay in Ranked so so bad that sometimes the only thing you can do is play for your own star. Angle away, and watch the other team trying to chase you down often results in huge damage yeah. Someone else I know even considers suiciding as a BB if they know they're on top for points as it collapses the team faster but personally I just stayed alive to farm but ensured I didn't contest caps so whatever resistance was left would fold quickly. I mean I love playing DDs and all but I felt that this season of Ranked belonged to the Monty...

Flint is strong but I just don't enjoy playing it that much... The folk left in Ranked are appalling so I could probably have used Yue Yang again but star farming saves you time. If I didn't switch to Monty I'd still be playing now. BBs have huge amounts of HP and are accurate at T10 so I feel the metal shifts in their favour.

Meh I couldn't rank out in a Yue Yang with radar and I'm an experienced DD user. Needed the Monty. Nerf BBs?

Better with Black as it's a tiny DD with naturally decent concealment. I'm licking my lips at the Div potential with her... But yeah WG and their games.

Yeah 9.2km torps are sweet and you have excellent AA too so can stack with dirty Kaga players I'm looking forward to the broken mess that is the Black. Basically a Fletcher with radar AND smoke. WG smoke the best stuff

Meh I've got a Flint and I've barely played it... It's basically a worse Belfast but with better AA and torps.

No but I'll have a Black in a few weeks and I'm well and truly done with Ranked. Selfish yes but WG seem not to mind this.

I'd agree too which is why I changed to BB. If a DD throws you can still farm but if a BB plays badly then it's going to be hard to kill anything or make progress. Collapsing teams affect BBs least in Ranked and you can even doctor it if you don't trust your team can turn it around by withdrawing and farming from distance. It's a revolting tactic but some teams don't deserve any better and WG have engineered this by the star farming mechanic.

WG completely nerfed the rewards and I'm done with Ranked. You can win containers by just playing Random so why bother with this?

I've got R1 3 times in DDs but I switched to Monty this season. I agree with you except I'm not as salty. Damage farming is too strong in BBs. You can even do disgusting things like letting your team collapse faster if you know you have a points lead so you'll definitely finish top...

This is getting good. You're clearly special and unique. Victor has rigged your account despite you personally giving him so much money. Seriously though, there's tens of thousands of players. Teams are random. To think it's rigged against you personally is simply deluded and smacks of self importance... I'll happily be proven wrong.

OP forgets that they are the common denominator in all this

I'm done finally, about 320 games to R1. Over half of which was spent in R4 and R5. Never slipped back into R6 once... Used Harekaze until 10. Then Moskva for a bit but then used Yue Yang as main. Finally changed to Monty for the final 50+ games. I actually feel mid season is an complete waste of time for most folk as everyone cancels each other out. Early season there's quite a bit of team play and now the standard of play is so low that you can carry. The community is appalling, yolo players instantly blame their team for no support, I've seen team killing, deliberate throwing and endless low quality smack talk. Even if my life circumstances were not changing I'd never play Ranked again. It's a huge time sink and for decreasing pathetic rewards. Although Black for me now to troll the common potato... Specifically this season I've found it difficult to be effective in a DD. There's so much radar and the engagement ranges are often 15km plus. BBs, Monty especially are extremely powerful with accurate AP which damages everything at all ranges. Also factor in the huge HP of T10 BBs and you can shrug off torp hits that would crush lower tier BB. Monty for instance can tank over 140k before sinking. Finally Monty seems excellent at farming stars, I was losing games in the YY after doing little wrong but found Monty could reliably farm even if a team collapses in minutes. The format needs to change I think but meh, it's finally over for me at least

Higher tier USN BB can hurt angled BBs if you fire into the superstructure. Like aiming for the base of the main tower of a Yam can net up to 9k in one salvo. On the other hand, AP shots on angled BB may bounce for zero damage...