Close_Quarters_Expert

I've also started a guide series, as you can see in my siggie too now If anyone wants to see the earlier Dreadnoughts/maybe even Mikasa get the same treatment, I'd probably be able to oblige

AFT all the way simply because AA range is everything on a North Carolina; your damage is already god-tier but the range can always be improved. It sounds stupid, but even in games without CV's it comes in handy just to rip other people's spotters out the sky. It really does help with concealment! I can't count how many times I've been lit up by someone's fighter/spotter when maneuvering behind an island and it's gotten me killed, even in a Battleship. AFT is also good because of the secondary boost it gives; obviously you're not going to be shredding DDs up like Bismarck can anytime soon, but NC has surprisingly potent secondaries if you give them AFT EDIT: AFT will also allow you to attack planes which have barely even detected you yet if you're running concealment. It can serve as a harsh 'stay away' warning for CVs, not to mention allow you to escort other ships or add to their aura...which in a BB is worth its weight in gold to your team!

I've been using concealment NC for a few months now and just started doing so in ranked. I'd say go for it to be honest dude. It's great having that added option of engaging or disengaging, instead of being forced into a fight you know you'll lose before even starting. It's also useful for stuff like capping (if you absolutly must), and of course CVs have a huge headache with stealth NC's...they can't see you until they're within that 100-rated AA range of yours!! Also, as everyone's much closer together in ranked, it's cool knowing they can't see you until you fire first. Makes defending allies much easier as you can quickly go bow-in and draw their fire.

Check out my guide I've just started on Colorado. I used the Germans extensively as examples throughout: http://forum.worldofwarships.eu/index.php?/topic/63542-captain-cowpers-colorado-guide/page__pid__1341898#entry1341898 IMO, the US BBs are extremly competitive. My only gripe is the fact Gneisenau has that ridiculous fairytale AA; she just wouldn't have out-machine gunned a US Battleship in that era, end of. So once that's nerfed a tiny but, we will have an interesting balance at tier 7. New Mexico is definitly stronger than Bayern. More guns, better armour (no seriously...I always win brawls in Mexico when it's against a Bayern), better AA, better manuevering, better DPM and alpha. She's just a better ship.

It was pure serendipity I found it to be honest...so thought I'd spread some cheer in my siggie I actually discovered WoWs looking at videos of Naval Action with Jingles; do kind of wish that game was set 30 or 40 years later!

I remember this match! You died fighting hard, bro I think you also did the majority of your team's damage to my team tbh....it's important to note that I did have some help from the Fuso with those kills, but yeah; they definitely seem to have a harder time than the two thoroughbred brawlers so far. It's for this reason I'm getting such good results from the secondary build; though it's a pity that island was in the way in this particular example as I'd have had an alibi! Covenant, I tend to lean towards CE; purely because it gives you more flexibility tactically which can make or break a match; but that 15% isn't to be sniffed at either and it is a tough call. Hope we meet again in-game, thestaggy!

If I get into a dual with another BB, I do the tried and tested method of timing the use of my aft guns to the enemy ship's reload. I fire my forward batts from the sheer angle, let them fire second then immediately feint to give them the afts, then turn back and take their next round on the bow. Works wonderfully in most low to mid tier BBs (and even some cruisers; Atlanta comes to mind), but especially Warspite, as you say I actually find it odd that most people I encounter don't do this straightforward tactic...it's one of the reasons Ishizuchi is such a good ship imo. Edit: Speeeelling again. Oh dear.

Thank you! Yeah I know; in fact that's one reason I took the plunge on Ishizuchi; and as you know, Major Koenig, I was not disappointed ;) As a side-note. I understand why she's been left out in this context given her later period of construction, and some may question if she is even a 'dreadnought' design at all; but I do consider Colorado my favourite Dreadnought in the game. She's just the epitomy of everything I love about them. Cage mast even on final hull, 2 funnels, heavy broadside armour tapering away aft and forward, speed secondary to weight, numerous secondaries relative to size, attractive aesthetics (imo anyway! I'm not a fast BB lover in terms of aesthetics though; I shll blaspheme...I find Dunkerque and Gneisenau somewhat ugly tbh) and of course that great dreadnought maneuverability. KGV takes 1st place in my heart for 20thC cap ships. But in-game I think Colorado needs a lot more appreciation than she gets; not least from dreadnought lovers! I also found out recently that USS South Carolina predated HMS Dreadnought as the first 'all big gun' ship by several years; only she was delayed and thus launched later. I had suspected this as she almost feels like a pre-dread in the game's aesthetics...now I know why Speaking of which, it's hard to find any written reviews at all for the Colorado, and nobody even discussing her after CBT ended (if anyone knows of anywhere send it my way!). Given her bad rep but long grind I feel I should do one highlighting how and why she's still competitive with Gneisenau as a contemporary and offer gameplay tips if possible. Still being a forum noob, do you think people read this if I did it? I love writing reviews XD Edit: Spelt Fishyzuchi the wrong way. The nerve of me!

Thank you, gentleman That sounds like a great get together! Beware thee those cruisers who get within 3.8km....! Victoria (and the age of) is a life long passion. My day job involves recreating 19th century cityscapes in 3D on a regular basis so it's a consistant hobby too! Just wish WG had gone back 10 or so more years...though I fully get why they didn't. Naval warfare was a lot more volatile in those closing years and to implement it would require some pretty radical changes to the game mechanic. But still...we can but dream! I'll be sure to do that, Bellegar! I think I may even have seen you around already...

Fair enough, I'll keep it for myself then! But to address your pink points quickly: 1) Agreed 2) Agreed; albeit a good one, hence posting in this thread 3) I mean in a situation where I literally have 3 of them hunting me and there's no way to turn if all 3 were to launch at me. In that situation, yes, I'm a sitting duck despite the turning circle etc 4) I don't mean angle wise; sorry for the confusion here. I mean the whole thing of having a tonne of guns down the sides, firing forwards or backwards, as opposed to the usual meta, where of course the majority of fighting is going on from the bow or stern with the main batts. Of course I don't present my full broadside and ask for a trashing unless I am absolutly sick of the battle; I've been in a Pensacola afterall 5) Agreed! Ah well you do make good points. From a competitive perspective, this probably isn't for everyone. Again, though; just giving my opinion on the matter Edit: Speellling

Sign me up! My division mates would hate me when I'd bring Kongo Hull A....despite having elited her years ago! Nothing like a good dreadnought. Edward really knew how to line up a handsome fleet:

Mikasa is love. Mikasa is life. I have a real thing for Victorian pre-dreads. You guys probably already know who I'm named after here too if you're fans of this era...(without looking in my siggie ;) ) Seriously though, where are you guys when I'm online? I can't remember the last time another Mikasa joined me (or fought me!) in a Random match. Been winning quite a few brawls with Kaisers and Nassaus recently; and when I don't, they still get a jolly good pasting! A proverbial bloody nose, if you will! Seriously though, would love to div up with a fellow Mikasa-manic. SIGN ME UP!!! <3 Edit: I used to live in Worcester. You hail from there?

I appreciate your points and agree a BB is all about the main guns. However, I can tell you now I put plenty of thought into this; she cost me 20 quid afterall. My secondaries do, on average, 15-20k damage a battle from fires alone. When i used to run Turret speed mod on Warspite, I really didn't notice any difference. I still played the same, i still anticipated where my turrets would point 5 minutes beforehand and I still got reliable damage in her. For me, the secondaries are the cherry on top; and they really do help in a lot of situations. Even if it's just the fact a DD comes close and my secondaries open up at near enough 8km, scaring it away (this DOES happen...all the time. I'm basically a sitting duck but they choose another target after seeing their range and accuracy; don't forget that upgrade also gives me 20% accuracy and it does help a lot). The 5th skill is definitely helpful, but not vital imo; esp at t6, as you point out I also run secondary build B-hull Colorado (with 5th skill). Yes, yes I know that one probably *is* me being dumb. But A), I LOVE Colorado so I can put up with B hull if it means 2 extra guns, and B), I actually find they help, even if just in closing the range gap with the Germans....for me, the other upgrades simply don't offer me an edge. AA only helps if your AA is above average to begin with, and range on US BBs just gives you an RNG nightmare from the dispersion it creates. Even my Mexico and NC run AA instead of plotting room due to this. But maybe I am wrong about this. Completely. I'm just throwing my two cents in there. I love the old broadside style of warfare so perhaps it's that part of me which loves seeing secondaries fire so much!

I seem to have had an opposite experience to some of you. I'm by no means a 'good' player. However, i've been running a Secondary Warspite (7.6km) exclusively in this season; and I've carried a good few battles too. But why secondary build? For me, it's a no-brainer. Warspite has amazing secondaries. I had a match today in which I sunk a Dunkerque....I wasn't aiming at him but an enemy cruiser, but my secondaries started so many fires he went from 14k to 0 within a matter of minutes. I then got a cheeky DD kill with AP because he assumed I'd been pointing my turrets at the Dunkerque...so tactically speaking, my secondaries not only got me the first kill but also helped me secure a second! This isn't an isolated example, either and I'd go so far as argue that it isn't situational at all, but in fact vital for every battle if you want to win brawls. If you're a good brawler, Warspite secondary build will be an absolute firestarter and very, very very worth it. Turret traverse speed is trivial if you know how to use the ship well; I'm using stock speed! I can imagine it's a very similar story with Bayern, though my money is on Warspite's accuracy anyday. As an addendum; I was starting to find Warspite a little annoying in random battles; mostly because I felt she lacked the 'edge' she used to have. Since 5.12, my WR with her has gone up; mostly due to the increased amount of brawling I can get away with which gives her a purpose once again. She's a ranked battle BEAST! Just a pity I've got to start taking Tier 8's out soon instead...

Awesome! Thanks for the clear explanation guys Good to know it's not just me then! Now I get why some players complain of 'the grind' a little more!

Hello all, sorry if this is a repeat topic but I searched and couldn't find anything related...my bad if there already is and mods can feel free to remove this. I reached Rank 15 in season 4 and have now been demoted to Rank 19 for this season. I'm just wondering why this is? As it seems odd to me that nobody is moaning about this except me. I thought Rank 15 was permanent? I still have the flag and everything; I've just been shot back to Rank 19. This is normal, right?

I had him say 'We have Penetrated!' earlier. The way he said it was just...wrong. Very, very wrong. Almost like being overly excited but holding it in badly.

Sorry if this is a duplicate but I couldn't find anything on it, oddly. My friend just received 100 free camos because, and I quote, '...he met the MTG 20 at an offline event'. Thing is, I was also at said event and had 2 games in the truck but I didn't get anything at all. We both have the Aurora card and have both activated it. I can't think why this might be? Said friend also got a FREE 1 million credits and Emden a few months ago totally out of the blue, which we have still yet to confirm why. Smacks of favouritism (jokes), but really, I wouldn't mind knowing why this is? Also sorry if this is in the wrong section but I didn't know where else to put it...

<3 the whole pre-dreadnought thing so <3 Mikasa. As you say, she's very 'pre'!

Actually, she's my favourite low tier BB... Mikasa's a beast when used well. But that's for another thread

True, but I've found myself avoiding a lot of torp drops in her, mostly thanks to those 28knots pushing me through the turns that little bit faster. I'd say she's more useful than A-Hull Myogi against Carriers, at any rate. But AA is definitely the one thing I find her seriously lacking in. To be honest while I like the bow-in fast BB meta (hence enjoying this ship so much), I, like many other noobs, find Dunkerque unnecessarily cumbersome and situational for such a fast and powerful ship. I can get reliable damage over 100k in New Mexico or Warspite on a good day, so for me they're T6 farms. The other thing about Tier 4 is, even if I get my HP halved by someone's 14" guns right at the beginning and don't get to push much as a result of that, I'll still make a worthwhile amount of credits even with 22k premiums mounted.

I loved visiting you guys on Saturday with my friend (we weren't in 40s garb sadly, but we both got the goody bag...boy am I happy with what was in it! ;) ). Both being WoWs regulars it was great to finally meet some staff too! Belfast is a BEAST. She's a seriously good ship. I took down a Bismarck and Amagi in my second battle with her! Loved your Army truck too. What make/model is it? As we both couldn't quite figure it out! I'd also love to know who the person (I won't say his real name in case of privacy) was playing by the door; he said we should division up sometime and if he's reading this, I'd love to! Just sorry I forgot your in-game name.

Thanks for the input StringWitch; I've made according adjustments, and also changed 'bad prevention' to 'short RP immunity time', which I believe is closer to what I meant. I'd have loved to have layed her back then...I've heard Notser discuss the nerf to helm shift etc a while back and would love to have been part of OBT just to experience that! Divisions definitely help with her. A good cruiser by your side can mostly negate torp and DD issues I've found.

This is definitely what I'd like to see in the game. You've hit the nail on the head perfectly, backoija Dreadnought as premium would be my only iffy thing (though I agree, this is most likely going to be what WG choose to do). I think she should be a main tech tree ship due purely to the linear progression of the line, which would naturally have her at the start. Vincent is a good choice, but yeah...Dreadnought is the best T3 choice for Britain as she'll show noobies the ropes well.

I don't think she needs anything done to her. As people will already have seen from my posting a full guide on here today, just a day after buying her, I honestly think it's a matter of play-style and taste. The weaknesses she has are there to offset the fact she's a very, very powerful tier 4 ship when used correctly. AA or lack of doesn't bother me at all on this ship as she can maneuver through most torp drops. The range can be annoying, but then again, most cruisers can only shoot to 12 or 13 at this tier, and she is kind of a cruiser, afterall...