How to dodge torps! Post here for tips + advice

[Conte_Vincero]

So with the predictable surge of torp complaints as we hit OBT, it struck me that we don't have much helping people to deal with them. If you come to the forums you will see a huge amount of threads bashing torps, but very few teaching you how to deal with them so that is the point of this thread! Post below for your best tips/tricks for not getting torpedoed and I will put some the best ones in this post!

General tips

• Don't go alone, destroyers are designed for solo pickoffs, so by going alone you play into their strengths
• In most cases you're already dead before you spot the torps simply because of bad positioning. If you want to improve against them, improve your positioning.
• Increase your level of torpedo paranoia proportional to your rudder shift time!
• Get into the habbit of constantly changing course slightly. This will help not just against torps from fog, but also from long range gunfire.

 

Carrier torps:

• Keep your eye open for planes, as soon as you see them turn into or away to narrow your profile. Keep circling to prevent them from getting alongside you while your AA picks them off 
• If you lost track and have squadrons on either side of you, putting the engines into full reverse is your best tactic to evade them, but this is highly risky as if the CV spots this.. you die.
• You should be able to see TBs from 8k away, giving you enough time to turn to avoid them. If not then mount the rudder improvement upgrade.
• If you let a squadron get alongside you, then turning into them may mean that the torps do not arm before they hit you, causing them to do nothing.

 

Destroyers

• Keep varying your heading and speed. that way you will mitigate damage from long ranged torps launched from fog.
• Turning away from DDs can be useful as well, it forces them to overhaul you at a slower rate and gives your Secondaries maximum time to do damage.
• Watch for signs of a DD launching torps. These can be small splashes in the water next to it, or suddenly turning broadside on to you and ceasing fire for several seconds. If you see either, then turn to make sure they miss!
• For mid - low tiers DD ranges will be ~ 5.5k for US DDs and ~7k for Japanese DDs. Remember this and use it to keep them out of torp range.
• If a destroyer pops smoke then going in and out of zoom view (shift) will show a "fountain" of smoke where the destroyer was when you zoomed in!

 

Let's hope we can successfully educate our new players, bring to an end the plethera of torp threads and bring the forum back to what it once was complaints about the delayed RN tree!

[Simpson2142]

Not sure what graphic levels you need for this but..

 

When you have a destroyer approaching you look closely for small splashes to appear by his torpedo tubes, this shows when they just launched a spread and lets you know when to take evasive action. 

[Bismarck_chan]

Not playing for too long yet, but some things I found helpful:

 

- Occasionally flash up the tactical map and have a look for anything able to launch torpedos

- Know the approximate torpedo ranges of your opponents, no need to get paranoid about a USN DD at 8km out (yet), an IJN one however? Prepare to go evasive!

- don't chug along forever without maneuvering or changing speed, you just make it easy

- turn into, or away from threats

- Ramming is a perfectly viable way to get rid of that pesky DD that got in much to close (your secondary gun crews may be drunk, asleep, on shore leave or all of those, sometimes)

- increase your level of torpedo paranoia proportional to your rudder shift time

[Flavio1997]

Not sure what graphic levels you need for this but..

 

When you have a destroyer approaching you look closely for small splashes to appear by his torpedo tubes, this shows when they just launched a spread and lets you know when to take evasive action. 

 

I used that trick since the start of cbt, but I'm  also playing  with everything  maxed out

[Renegade61]

If you can see a DD and he's coming for you (or you think you're the target), when he stops shooting at you (if he is) and turns broadside on....he's launching torps!

Each time you see him turn broadside, turn into or away from him, or if you want to keep "guns on"...slam into "stop" or 1/4 speed.

 

Always try to turn INTO spreads rather then away from them. This gives your sharp (and thin) Bow to meet them while giving a little extra few seconds to turn your big fat arse out of the way!

 

Plane torps?..as stated above by Conte.

[Conte_Vincero]

Thanks guys, Updating the post!

[Hauptbahnhof]

Carrier torps:

• Keep your eye open for planes, as soon as you see them turn into or away (I prefer away) to narrow your profile. Keep circling to prevent them from getting alongside you while your AA picks them off 
• If you lost track and have squadrons on either side of you, putting the engines into full reverse is your best tactic to evade them, but this is highly risky as if the CV spots this.. you die.

 

Turning away can be risky at least when facing Japanese Carrier strikes or when there are several incoming torpedo squads because often you will end up running alongside the torpedoes with one on each side for some time. This makes you vulnerable to followup torpedo drops because you are forced to go straight for some time after the first 90 degree turn.

 

Turning into the drop is preferable IMO if there is room also because it shortens the time the carrier player has to react and adjust, it brings your more powerful close range AA into play faster and it is also much better if the drop is to close and fails to activate which is a guaranteed miss and one less drop to worry about. Especially when you are engaged in a stem chase trying to catch up with a CV it is also desirable to keep going towards them and not away from them.

 

If turning towards or away is best depends on alot of other factors as well, you need to plan ahead where enemies are ( and where they will be 1min from now ), and where you ( and your slow turning guns if in a BB ) will end up, and pick the best option taking all factors into account.

 

 

For basic torpedo avoidance it's all about map awareness and ship knowledge. Which enemies can carry torpedoes and where are they. If any of them are in range ( or for Jap ninja DDs are undetected/unknown location ), keep maneuvering and turning!!

[ttchip]

- When you see a DD popping his smoke generator, you can use your sights (the mode you activate with Shift) to peek into the smoke. If you look closely, you will be able to see a "fountain" of smoke. That's where the DD was when you activated your sights. Also, for this position to update you need to deactivate and reactivate that aiming mode.

 

Regarding CVs:

- Spotting distance for planes unless your view is obstructed by terrain is roughly 8km. This gives you enough time to turn in low tier battles. Furthermore, some ships in low tier battles DO have enough AA to ward off those attacks. Yubari and Omaha w/ the C-hull are two of those. In mid tiers (6 and 7), AA on USN cruisers is good enough for them to deter attacks on you if you're being escorted. Note, however, that the reaction time you have decreases as the speed of planes goes up while spotting distances remain the same. This is met by players being able to mount the rudder equipment. In high tiers, where your ships generally do not turn well anymore, regardless of the class you're playing, reaction times are low, incoming plane zergs are large and reserves are plentiful. Haven't found a solution for those tiers yet, despite me playing USN CAs.

[Kirasa]

You shouldn't occasionally look at the minimap, but have it always in mind. It also helps to make it bigger with the + key. Keyword: Situational Awareness.

 

For CVs:

 

It is important to focus your AA fire on one squad with ctrl+LMB. This gives you a 50% bonus damage for your AA. (THIS is also needed for the clear sky achievement)

Also, since it can't be said often enough, don't sail around alone. Make sure that you are covered by friendly AA auras from other ships too.

Even one plane downed from a squad gives you a better chance to get out of the attack with less hits. Less torps in the water -> easier to evade.

 

Some BB players think they should be able to evade all torps though, which is just pure dreaming. It's all about minimizing damage, not evading it completly.

[Blue_Bug]

Last resort Advice

 

Areal torpedo's are only armed when the litle red triangles apear. CV commanders will want to manuel drop the torpedo's as close as posible. So when this is hapening to you , and you have no other option to evade them, Sail to the Torpedo's. If done right and you are lucky they will not explode. A litle bit of less distance between you and the torpedo, can save your vessel. This methode saved my life a few times when I was attacked by multiple sqadrons.

 

I have to say the methode works better with CA's as with BB's.

[DtXpwnz]

two words... situational awareness

[Tugnut]

Parinoid play like some one all ways shooting them at you :p

[nikos13ole]

I would like to add

Do some research on the ships you are facing at the tiers

 

For example 

tier 5 USN Light Cruiser the omaha : 

she gets torps the 2nd hull increases the torp tubes to 4 from 2 so you have 4x3 overall and 2x3 on each side with 5.5 km range 

so by that if you see an omaha captain coming close you know he is going for a torp run 

and basically all that stuff but at least know the max ranges of the torps you are facing at the certain tier 

and ofc Dont sail into straight lines with speed unchanged it's getting ridicusly easy to torp to death a BB doing that

[Aerroon]

It's impossible to dodge torpedoes. Don't even bother trying, there's no point.

 

Source: forums and reddit.

[EvilBob]

You don't even need to look for signs. If you are within torp range of a destroyer, turn away (but keep him engaged with your stern guns). If you see torp bombers heading towards your ship, turn away.

 

Obviously there are more skilled ways to avoid them, but basically what I'm saying to any new player, if in doubt turn away.

 

By turning away (i.e. 90 degrees from your current course, so that your are heading away from the threat). You do three simple things:

 

1) You are on a new bearing increasing the chance of the torps being launched off target.

2) You are smaller target (stern on, instead of side on), meaning that less will hit.

3) You are increasing distance, meaning you have more time.

[allufewig]

It's impossible to dodge torpedoes that got plane-launched 200m next to you. Don't even bother trying, there's no point.

 

Source: forums and reddit.

 

fixed

 

But you can try in a DD. Maybe you will just eat one of them (and probably still sink)

 

[Ra97oR]

 

It's impossible to dodge torpedoes. Don't even bother trying, there's no point.

 

Source: forums and reddit.

CV dropped torps, yes. But against DD and CL/CA with torps it is rather doable.

[DumbleDerp]

One word: Anticipation.

 

That's usually the only thing I use when dodging torps. If I see a DD/Cruiser w.Torps then I assume they will fire and adjust direction and speed

 

Sometimes, like in my last game, adjusting to one set of incoming torps pushes me right into the path of another. Such is life eh!

 

[Scilya]

torps fairly easy to dodge, if you see a DD comeing in to strikeing distance then turn and run away all you need to do is full reverse and they will miss.

in the open seas if the enemy has japanese destroyers simply change direaction by a few degrees every 10 secconds or so and your golden no dd will hit you unless they launch a considdrbly wide spread  which is easy to slip through.

 

also with planes dont start turning till; they do there circle thing just before there attack run or the CV will launch the torps so you tun in to them.

for dive bombers turn parrallel to them and they will miss most of the bombs with a good chance to miss completly

[Conte_Vincero]

Another update! By the way, there seems to be differences of opinion as to whether to turn into or away from a threat. I turn away normally as the extra time it gives you can sometimes make the difference between being hit and avoiding the torps. Also if the torps haven't been launched then it exposes the aircraft/Destroyer to my secondaries for longer as they have less relative speed now. Anyway, from the other feedback it sounds like this is contested so I will remove it from the general feedback section.

[Banelord300]

If the CV players is average you can avoid by good positioning, but if the CV player is good he will wait for you to avoid his first torp launch and then launch right next to your exposed side. Or he will just faint his attacks until he sees a opportunity to strike.

[TheDivineComedy]

Have read all and must say Ive learn t a lot but one Q  whats this key Ctrl+LMB never heard of it are there other key strokes to activate other parts of the ship. as Im new to WoWs i did wonder if you could activate your secondary systems.    

 

and to thoughs who think I was complaining your wrong Im peeved at not clearing all torps headed at me, like last game this morning had suddenly 12 coming at me from three sides and i was surrounded but two St Lewis's and one Cleveland what to do "I know DIE"         

[genai]

Another update! By the way, there seems to be differences of opinion as to whether to turn into or away from a threat. I turn away normally as the extra time it gives you can sometimes make the difference between being hit and avoiding the torps. Also if the torps haven't been launched then it exposes the aircraft/Destroyer to my secondaries for longer as they have less relative speed now. Anyway, from the other feedback it sounds like this is contested so I will remove it from the general feedback section.

 

http://www.twitch.tv/papedipupi/b/675967086?t=183m35s

 

This link, in addition to showing how good CV player will drop and hit you no matter what you do(and how high tier AA is not that good at all), also shows why turning away is worse than turning into...

Planes are going your way, you turn away... he can just fly parallel to you and drop whenever he wants, as both ship and planes move in same direction! If you stop turn he just drops earlier, if you continue, he drops a bit later... But if you turn towards, he needs to either pick a time and drop that might not be the best time if you do something else (like if he thinks you will stop turn he needs to drop later, but if he thinks you will continue turning, he needs to drop earlier... he has to do guess correctly what you will do for perfect drop, something he doesnt have to do when you turn away... as) and reduce efficiency of the drop or circle around and make a run from other side to match your direction so he can do the same as in this VoD, and that buys more time for AA and everything... Good player will hit anyway and whatever you do will be useless most of the time against good player, but its a bit harder to find perfect time if you turn into them

[RaakaKarju]

If you have chance to "chase " tb's what are closing to you and put them target to aa's when doing this tb's have much harder to hit you and same time you have opprtuny shoot down planes so less torps in water works better of cruisers but allso for bb's, sometimes that is imbossbly but anything else than sailing straight line and same speed helps.

 

 

[Hannibalurg]

Pro tips!

 

1. When not firing, press "M" and get as much information as you can from your teammates and what they spot, look for planes, DD's and CA's.

2. Don't tunnelvision, press "Shift" often and zoom maximum out to get a good overveiw of your surroundings while reloading, turning, and planning your next moves.

3. Change speed and try to fool the torp planes, DD's by changing angels and keep that rotor moving. Don't continue dead ahead or stand still. Try to predict, try to dodge no matter what way your turrets will end up at.

4. Turning away or into torps depends on your current rotor position, speed and the angle of the planes/ DD's there is no singel right answer. Different situations demand different actions.

5. Learn, adapt and win. You will fail sometimes, you will succeed sometimes, it's not possible to dodge all torps, but try your best and continue to try. Don't give up before you are sunk.