[DUDES] Z_OnkelE WoWs Wiki Team, Privateer 1,795 posts 19,859 battles Report post #1 Posted May 3, 2016 WIP NOTE: This guide is currently (starting October 2018) under a full rework to reflect changes in core mechanics and also to include new lines of gunboat destroyers. 0.1.:Table of content 0. Preface 0.1. Table of content 0.2. General remarks 0.3. Abbreviations 1. Chapter: What is a gunboat destroyer? 1.1. Which destroyers count as gunboats? 1.2. US Navy 1.2. Russian Navy 1.3. Pan Asia 1.4. Poland 1.5. Royal Navy 1.6. Imperial Japanese Navy 1.7. Kriegsmarine 2. Chapter: Gameplay (part 1) 2.1. General tactics 2.2. The defensive part 2.3. The offensive part 2.4. Your role in the battle 2. Chapter: Gameplay (part 2) 2.5. Additional tips 2.6. A word or two on captain skills 2.7. Please, sir, I want some more. 3. Chapter: Supplement 0.2.: General remarks All ships listed below are denoted with their associated tier number. Premium ships are indicated be a *. In the list of ship characteristics all numbers are given without modules or camouflage, except premium ships which are assumed to be modified by their special camouflage. In most cases the ships are considered to be in their top hull configuration with all upgrades. In many cases the torpedo armament will not be discussed in detail because for several ships listed below they can be regarded as secondary armament type. If they can be used from concealment there will be an according remark. Quote If you are interested in a quick overview: follow the boxes indicated by "Note" you will find below. 0.3.: Abbreviations AFT - Advanced Firing Training BFT - Basic Firing Training CE - Concealment Expert DE - Demolition Expert EM - Expert Marksman AA - Anti Air AP - Armour Piercing (shell) HE - High Explosive (shell) APmod - Artillery Plotting Room Modification 2 CSmod - Concealment System Modification 1 MBmod - Main Battery Modification 3 SGmod - Steering Gears Modification 2 11 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
[DUDES] Z_OnkelE WoWs Wiki Team, Privateer 1,795 posts 19,859 battles Report post #2 Posted May 3, 2016 1.: What is a gunboat destroyer? 1.1. Which destroyers count as gunboats? 1.2. US Navy 1.2. Russian Navy 1.3. Pan Asia 1.4. Poland 1.5. Royal Navy 1.6. Imperial Japanese Navy 1.7. Kriegsmarine In World of Warships a gunboat destroyer is a destroyer class ship, that relies mostly on its gun power. While its counterpart, the torpedo boat, is a destroyer class as well but relies mostly on its torpedo armament. The general characteristics of gunboat destroyers are usually a high rate of fire, relative fast turning turrets (with some exceptions) and in some cases the possibility to shoot without being spotted. 1.1.: Which destroyers count as gunboats There are currently 25 gunboat destroyers of 5 "nations" in the game. Two of those "nations" have a distinct play style, the others are basically derived from those. These playstyles are created by the combination of their detection range, the characteristic of their firing trajectories and the potential to support their armament by the usage of torpedoes. 1.1.1.: US Navy The destroyer of the US Navy were the first ones to be implemented into the game. They are usually very good at extremely short ranges and can also rely on their torpedo armament. II) Sampson Gun Range: 8.6 km Detection Range: 5.9 km Speed: 29.5 kn Rudder Shift Time: 2.7 s Turning Circle: 520 m Main Battery: 4x1 barrels Rate of Fire: 8.6 per minute Damage per Shell: 1500 HE / 1700 AP Turret Turning Time: 15.7 s Health Points: 9100 Detection + gunfire: 9.5 km ( = 5.9 km + 3.6 km ) Remarks: Can fire from stealth with AFT. II*) Smith Gun Range: 6.5 km Detection Range*: 5.6 km Speed: 28.0 kn Rudder Shift Time: 2.0 s Turning Circle: 480 m Main Battery: 5x1 barrels Rate of Fire: 17.1 per minute Damage per Shell: 1100 HE / 1100 AP Turret Turning Time: 18.0 s Health Points: 7300 Detection + gunfire: 7.9 km ( = 5.6 km + 2.3 km ) Remarks: Can fire from stealth with AFT and CE combined. III) Wickes Gun Range: 9.2 km Detection Range: 6.7 km Speed: 34.0 kn Rudder Shift Time: 2.7 s Turning Circle: 520 m Main Battery: 4x1 barrels Rate of Fire: 8.6 per minute Damage per Shell: 1500 HE / 1700 AP Turret Turning Time: 15.7 s Health Points: 8900 Detection + gunfire: 10.3 km ( = 6.7 km + 3.6 km ) Remarks: Can fire from stealth with AFT. IV) Clemson Gun Range: 8.6 km Detection Range: 7.0 km Speed: 35.0 kn Rudder Shift Time: 2.8 s Turning Circle: 520 m Main Battery: 4x2 barrels Rate of Fire: 8.6 per minute Damage per Shell: 1500 HE / 1700 AP Turret Turning Time: 18.0 s Health Points: 10900 Detection + gunfire: 10.4 km ( = 7.0 km + 3.4 km ) Remarks: The gun upgrade of the Clemson is much more potent than indicated. Once upgraded she has her gun power doubled! Can fire from stealth with AFT (100 m!). V) Nicholas Gun Range: 10.9 km Detection Range: 6.7 km Speed: 37.0 kn Rudder Shift Time: 2.7 s Turning Circle: 600 m Main Battery: 4x1 barrels Rate of Fire: 15.0 per minute Damage per Shell: 1800 HE / 2100 AP Turret Turning Time: 12.0 s Health Points: 13100 Detection + gunfire: 10.5 km ( = 6.7 km + 3.8 km ) Remarks: The Nicholas loses on turret once her hull is upgraded. She also fires less potent AP shells but gains several improvements and may equip the AA consumable. She can fire from stealth. VI) Faragut Gun Range: 12.6 km Detection Range: 7.6 km Speed: 36.5 kn Rudder Shift Time: 2.7 s Turning Circle: 560 m Main Battery: 5x1 barrels Rate of Fire: 15.0 per minute Damage per Shell: 1800 HE / 2100 AP Turret Turning Time: 12.0 s Health Points: 11500 Detection + gunfire: 11.4 km ( = 7.6 km + 3.8 km ) Remarks: She can fire from stealth. Has the AA consumable with hull ( C ) but loses one gun. VII) Mahan Gun Range: 11.7 km Detection Range: 7.9 km Speed: 35.0 kn Rudder Shift Time: 2.7 s Turning Circle: 560 m Main Battery: 5x1 barrels Rate of Fire: 15.0 per minute Damage per Shell: 1800 HE / 2100 AP Turret Turning Time: 12.0 s Health Points: 11500 Detection + gunfire: 11.7 km ( = 7.9 km + 3.8 km ) Remarks: Once the torpedoes are upgraded the Mahan is able to use them from concealment. The hull upgrade ( B ) and ( C ) also lower the detection range. She can fire from stealth with camouflage (100 m!). VII*) Sims Gun Range: 12.9 km Detection Range*: 7.3 km Speed: 38.5 kn Rudder Shift Time: 2.7 s Turning Circle: 500 m Main Battery: 4x1 barrels Rate of Fire: 18.0 per minute Damage per Shell: 1800 HE / 2100 AP Turret Turning Time: 5.3 s Health Points: 13800 Detection + gunfire: 11.1 km ( = 7.3 km + 3.8 km ) Remarks: She can fire undetected. She can use her long range torpedoes from stealth. VIII) Benson Gun Range: 11.6 km Detection Range: 7.4 km Speed: 38.0 kn Rudder Shift Time: 4.0 s Turning Circle: 570 m Main Battery: 5x1 barrels Rate of Fire: 18.0 per minute Damage per Shell: 1800 HE / 2100 AP Turret Turning Time: 5.3 s Health Points: 15400 Detection + gunfire: 11.2 km ( = 7.4 km + 3.8 km ) Remarks: She can fire or use her torpedoes from stealth if equipped with a CSmod. Has the AA consumable with hull ( C ) and receives a better rudder shift time but loses one gun. IX) Fletcher Gun Range: 12.9 km Detection Range: 7.4 km Speed: 36.5 kn Rudder Shift Time: 3.0 s Turning Circle: 560 m Main Battery: 5x1 barrels Rate of Fire: 18.0 per minute Damage per Shell: 1800 HE / 2100 AP Turret Turning Time: 5.3 s Health Points: 17100 Detection + gunfire: 11.2 km ( = 7.4 km + 3.8 km ) Remarks: She can fire or use her torpedoes from stealth if equipped with a CSmod. Has the AA consumable. X) Gearing Gun Range: 11.1 km Detection Range: 7.6 km Speed: 36.0 kn Rudder Shift Time: 3.3 s Turning Circle: 640 m Main Battery: 3x2 barrels Rate of Fire: 20.0 per minute Damage per Shell: 1800 HE / 2100 AP Turret Turning Time: 7.2 s Health Points: 19400 Detection + gunfire: 11.4 km ( = 7.6 km + 3.8 km ) Remarks: She can fire or use her torpedoes from stealth if equipped with a CSmod or the gun range module. Has the AA consumable. 1.1.2.: Russian Navy The destroyer of the Russian Navy were the second gunboats to be implemented. They are usually rely on their very accurate and powerful guns only and stay at farther distances to their targets.Keep in mind these ships usually lack of concealment compared to other nations. II) Storozhevoi Gun Range: 9.7 km Detection Range: 5.8 km Speed: 35.0 kn Rudder Shift Time: 2.1 s Turning Circle: 490 m Main Battery: 3x1 barrels Rate of Fire: 12.0 per minute Damage per Shell: 1500 HE / 1800 AP Turret Turning Time: 22.5 s Health Points: 7800 Detection + gunfire: 9.8 km ( = 5.8 km + 4.0 km ) Remarks: The Storozhevoi receives an extra increase for the gun firing debuff. Can fire from concealment with AFT. III) Derzki Gun Range: 10.2 km Detection Range: 6.1 km Speed: 34.0 kn Rudder Shift Time: 2.6 s Turning Circle: 510 m Main Battery: 3x1 barrels Rate of Fire: 12.0 per minute Damage per Shell: 1500 HE / 1800 AP Turret Turning Time: 22.5 s Health Points: 9700 Detection + gunfire: 10.1 km ( = 6.1 km + 4.0 km ) Remarks: Upgrading the hull also increases the gun range. She receives an extra increase for the gun firing debuff. Can fire from concealment (100 m!). IV) Izyaslav Gun Range: 10.2 km Detection Range: 6.7 km Speed: 35.0 kn Rudder Shift Time: 2.7 s Turning Circle: 580 m Main Battery: 5x1 barrels Rate of Fire: 12.0 per minute Damage per Shell: 1500 HE / 1800 AP Turret Turning Time: 22.5 s Health Points: 10300 Detection + gunfire: 10.7 km ( = 6.7 km + 4.0 km ) Remarks: She receives an extra increase for the gun firing debuff. Can fire from concealment with AFT. V) Gnevny Gun Range: 11.9 km Detection Range: 7.0 km Speed: 38.0 kn Rudder Shift Time: 4.4 s Turning Circle: 610 m Main Battery: 4x1 barrels Rate of Fire: 12.0 per minute Damage per Shell: 1600 HE / 2500 AP Turret Turning Time: 36.0 s Health Points: 13900 Detection + gunfire: 12.9 km ( = 7.0 km + 5.9 km ) Remarks: She receives an extra increase for the gun firing debuff. Her turret rotation is exceptionally slow. Can fire from concealment with AFT. V*) Gremyashchy Gun Range: 11.9 km Detection Range*: 6.8 km Speed: 37.0 kn Rudder Shift Time: 2.7 s Turning Circle: 510 m Main Battery: 4x1 barrels Rate of Fire: 12.0 per minute Damage per Shell: 1900 HE / 2500 AP Turret Turning Time: 36.0 s Health Points: 13100 Detection + gunfire: 10.7 km ( = 6.8 km + 3.9 km ) Remarks: She can fire from stealth. Her guns have not received an additional detection debuff but her turrets turn exceptionally slow. She can use her torpedoes from concealment. VI) Ognevoi Gun Range: 12.0 km Detection Range: 7.7 km Speed: 37.0 kn Rudder Shift Time: 4.8 s Turning Circle: 610 m Main Battery: 2x2 barrels Rate of Fire: 12.0 per minute Damage per Shell: 1600 HE / 2500 AP Turret Turning Time: 18.6 s Health Points: 15500 Detection + gunfire: 13.6 km ( = 7.7 km + 5.9 km ) Remarks: She has received an additional range to her gunfire debuff but can fire her guns from stealth with AFT. VII) Kiev Gun Range: 12.3 km Detection Range: 9.0 km Speed: 42.5 kn Rudder Shift Time: 4.8 s Turning Circle: 690 m Main Battery: 3x2 barrels Rate of Fire: 12.0 per minute Damage per Shell: 1600 HE / 2500 AP Turret Turning Time: 18.6 s Health Points: 12800 Detection + gunfire: 14.9 km ( = 9.0 km + 5.9 km ) Remarks: She has received an additional range to her gunfire debuff but can fire her guns from stealth with AFT and CE. VII) Tashkent Gun Range: 11.6 km Detection Range: 9.4 km Speed: 42.5 kn Rudder Shift Time: 6.1 s Turning Circle: 730 m Main Battery: 3x2 barrels Rate of Fire: 12.0 per minute Damage per Shell: 1600 HE / 2500 AP Turret Turning Time: 18.6 s Health Points: 19600 Detection + gunfire: 15.3 km ( = 9.4 km + 5.9 km ) Remarks: She has received an additional range to her gunfire debuff but can fire her guns from stealth with AFT, CE and CSmod. IX) Udaloi Gun Range: 12.1 km Detection Range: 9.2 km Speed: 40.0 kn Rudder Shift Time: 5.3 s Turning Circle: 610 m Main Battery: 3x2 barrels Rate of Fire: 13.0 per minute Damage per Shell: 1600 HE / 2600 AP Turret Turning Time: 9.0 s Health Points: 18800 Detection + gunfire: 14.5 km ( = 9.2 km + 5.3 km ) Remarks: She has received an additional range to her gunfire debuff. Upgrading herhull increases her detection range further but she can fire her guns from stealth with AFT and camouflage or CE and CSmod. X) Khabarovsk Spoiler Gun Range: 13.0 km Detection Range: 10.0 km Speed: 43.0 kn Rudder Shift Time: 6.1 s Turning Circle: 760 m Main Battery: 4x2 barrels Rate of Fire: 13.0 per minute Damage per Shell: 1600 HE / 2600 AP Turret Turning Time: 9.0 s Health Points: 22500 Detection + gunfire: 15.9 km ( = 10.0 km + 5.9 km ) Remarks: She has received an additional range to her gunfire debuff. She can use torpedoes from stealth with camouflage and can fire her guns undetected when upgraded with a CSmod, using camouflage and AFT. 1.1.3.: Pan Asia The destroyer of the Pan Asian faction features currently two ships. One of Each of the US Navy and the Russian Navy and thus inherit their traits. Both of them are Premium ships. VI*) Anshan Gun Range: 11.9 km Detection Range*: 7.0 km Speed: 38.0 kn Rudder Shift Time: 4.4 s Turning Circle: 610 m Main Battery: 4x1 barrels Rate of Fire: 12.0 per minute Damage per Shell: 1600 HE / 2500 AP Turret Turning Time: 30.0 s Health Points: 14400 Detection + gunfire: 12.9 km ( = 7.0 km + 5.9 km ) Remarks: She receives an extra increase for the gun firing debuff from the Russian destroyer line but can fire her guns from stealth if AFT is used. She yields additional Free XP if sailed with her unique premium camouflage. VIII*) Lo Yang Gun Range: 11.6 km Detection Range*: 7.2 km Speed: 38.0 kn Rudder Shift Time: 2.7 s Turning Circle: 570 m Main Battery: 4x1 barrels Rate of Fire: 18.0 per minute Damage per Shell: 1800 HE / 2100 AP Turret Turning Time: 5.3 s Health Points: 14600 Detection + gunfire: 11.0 km ( = 7.2 km + 3.8 km ) Remarks: She is THE Benson destroyer and thus inherits all her characteristics of the Benson with a ( C ) hull. Has the unique ability to use the Hydro Acoustic Search consumable. Can fire her guns or use her torpedoes from stealth if equipped with a CSmod. 1.1.4.: Poland The Polish Navy currently features only one ship. It is a unique Premium ship with its own design. It still picks up some of the characteristics already presented with the other navies. VII*) Blyskawica Gun Range: 12.0 km Detection Range*: 7.5 km Speed: 39.0 kn Rudder Shift Time: 5.8 s Turning Circle: 610 m Main Battery: 1x1 + 3x2 barrels Rate of Fire: 9.2 per minute Damage per Shell: 1700 HE / 2200 AP Turret Turning Time: 18.0 s Health Points: 15500 Detection + gunfire: 11.1 km ( = 7.5 km + 3.6 km ) Remarks: She can fire or use her torpedoes from stealth without any modifications. Her repair costs are noticably cheap, on a par with tier 6 destroyers. 1.1.5.: Royal Navy The Royal Navy is about to make its appearance soon with a second ship. While the first one is a battleship this new and second ship will be a Premium gunboat destroyer. It inherits its traits from the US Navy. III*) Campbeltown Gun Range: 9.2 km Detection Range*: 6.5 km Speed: 35.0 kn Rudder Shift Time: 2.7 s Turning Circle: 520 m Main Battery: 3x1 barrels Rate of Fire: 8.6 per minute Damage per Shell: 1500 HE / 1700 AP Turret Turning Time: 15.7 s Health Points: 8900 Detection + gunfire: 9.9 km ( = 6.5 km + 3.4 km ) Remarks: The Campbelown inherits her characteristics from the Wickes class destroyer. Due do the changes to her turrets she can only be regarded partially as a gunboat destroyer. Her detection debuff for firing the guns is increased. Can fire from stealth with AFT. 1.1.6.: Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy are known for their extreme stealth capabilities. Their gun-oriented sub-branch indeed provides this trait as well. Their second speciality is their good torpedo armament. All ships in the sub-branch do have quite good torpedoes and therefore can be considered to be seen rather as hybrid destroyers: torpedoboats with decent guns. With ONE exception: the tier VIII Akizuki. VIII) Akizuki Gun Range: 10.2 km Detection Range: 7.6 km Speed: 33.0 kn Rudder Shift Time: 4.6 s Turning Circle: 730 m Main Battery: 4x2 barrels Rate of Fire: 20 per minute Damage per Shell: 1200 HE / 1700 AP Turret Turning Time: 11.3 s Health Points: 20400 Detection + gunfire: 10.6 km ( = 7.6 km + 3.0 km ) Remarks: The Akizuki is really unique among the gunboat DDs. She is the slowest DD on tier VIII but has the highest initial velocity of quite low calibre for her tier. In addition she has access to the IJN Torpedo Reload Booster consumable, which she needs for her ONE quadruple launcher. Her strength is the gun fire from concealment (starts at about 9 km with the CSmod, CE and camouflage) to a range of 12.2 km with AFT. 12 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
[DUDES] Z_OnkelE WoWs Wiki Team, Privateer 1,795 posts 19,859 battles Report post #3 Posted May 3, 2016 1.1.7.: Kriegsmarine The destroyers sailing for the German Kriegsmarine offer an interesting ride through history: they start out with pure torpedo boats (they are literally named Torpedoboote) at lower tiers and continue with hybrid destroyers (named Z... for the German description of destroyer). Due to a peculiarity for their gun shooting penalty they are generally more focused on their torpedo armament first (fast reload, decent speed and damage) and their guns secondly. They also provide the weakest smoke screens of all nations. 2.: Gameplay 2.1. General tactics 2.2. The defensive part 2.3. The offensive part 2.4. Your role in the battle 2.5. Additional tips (part 2) 2.6. A word or two on captain skills (part 2) 2.7. Please, sir, I want some more.(part 2) All gunboat destroyers have in common that they rely mostly on their main battery armament. Because of this approach they do not base their gameplay around the torpedo cooldown. This results in a much more involved playstyle because the player needs to be active almost the entire time without any breaks in between. For a gunboat destroyer it is not uncommon to be detected. Although all destroyer in the game are rather fragile gunboat destroyer captains do not (always) need to fear to be seen. In most cases their manoeuvrability and high speed help them to evade enemy's fire. There are other defensive mechanism to help against incoming fire, see below. 2.1.: General tactics As with all other ships one of your objectives in each match is to inflict damage onto enemy vessels. For gunboats this means you have to shoot your guns. This is especially true for them because each shell usually doesn't do as much damage as shells fired by battleships for example. This is obviously related to the smaller calibre used on destroyer guns and their fast reload. Therefore a break from firing means a notable cut in the overall damage. Keep in mind that each shot you land with your gunboat guns is in principal a positive point. While you will not always deal damage, sometimes you may also disable modules on enemy ships or destroy them completely. A crippled enemy is also useful for you and your team. Sometimes it surely is better to stop shooting. This will be covered in the defensive part of the tactics section. Because your of the gun characteristics you should focus on crippling the enemy ships and therefore deny areas that you cover with your gunfire. Your presence should be noticed, even when undetected and shooting the enemy. In contrast to a torpedo boat that prefers stealth and the threat of sudden damage you should take care of: - incapacitations of enemy - fires on enemy ships - preventing interactions (see battle role) 2.2.: The defensive part Excursus: Concealment is affected by gunfire! In World of Warships every ship has a minimal range from which it will be spotted by enemy vessels. For example the Russian tier VII destroyer the Kiev will be detected from the surface at 9 km (without any modifier). This means every enemy ship which is 9km or closer will "see" the Kiev. For further reading on spotting in general: an updated guide by LilJumpa (continued Sharana's work) http://forum.worldofwarships.eu/index.php?/topic/49421-new-spotting-mechanics-guide-rework-patch-055/ This detection range can be modified. It can be lowered by painting the ship with a special camouflage. It can also be increased. This will - most likely - happen when the Kiev fires her guns. Each turret creates a loud noise of an explosion and the gunfire lead to flash followed by a smoke cloud. It is only logical that those events make a ship more noticeable. **: for further demonstration watch The increase in range from where the Kiev will be spotted is dependent on her gun calibre. Larger guns are probably louder and produce a larger flash and smoke clouds. Therefore a larger gun calibre leads to a farther increase in detectability. For the Kiev this detection is usually increased by 5.9 km and thus she will be spotted at 14.9 km after she fired her guns. The increase in detectability will last for 20 seconds and will afterwards become the original distance. Because of the game mechanic used for spotting ships it became an interesting aspect of the game for certain ships to stay a bit farther away from their target and keep undetected while firing their guns. The important part of this concept is to be able to hit a target from those distances! This enables those ships to fulfil their role while under the minimal danger to be damaged in return. Generally the concept of firing guns at enemy ships while undetected, or "invisi fire", relies on very low detectability of your ship in the first place. If the basic detection range of your ship is larger than your gun range, you ship will most like never hit an enemy while not being detected. Due to the spotting mechanic in combination with gun fire, the ship needs to be even stealthier! For every ship this will result in a simple rule: detection range + detection increase by gun fire < gun range If you stay outside this increased detection range and still be within gun range, your ship is capable to fire her guns from stealth! Firing your guns from concealment can be considered rather defensive because enemy ships are more unlikely to successfully shoot back in return. It is the "gun equivalent for using torpedoes from stealth". For a more in depth list of ranges and conditions to achieve the capability to successfully fire your ship's guns stealth you may want to take a look into http://forum.worldofwarships.com/index.php?/topic/57096-concealment-chart/ or http://forum.worldofwarships.eu/index.php?/topic/41343-undetectable-destroyer-firing-capabilities-excel-table/ The numbers may be subject to changes, especially now with 0.5.5 some ships of the Russian destroyer line have had their gunfire debuff lowered. This leads to another more defensive tactic which is only possible for some of the available gunboat destroyer. Some of them have torpedoes that travel long enough to be used from stealth. Therefore those ships are also capable to fulfil the role of a torpedo boat which - for them - is a rather defensive strategy. For this strategy you usually should avoid using your guns. If the torpedo range of your gunboat destroyer is greater than your detection range you can use your ship as a torpedo boat as well. But using your guns during that process will probably get you spotted. 2.3.: The offensive part Another offensive part of your gameplay as a gunboat is the objective to be close to enemy destroyers and thus spotting them for your team or even fight them yourself. Especially US destroyer are known for their strengths in very close fights against other destroyer (see below). Although it is always dangerous to fight another destroyer up close, someone has to do it at some point! And let's face it: because you decided to play a destroyer you are always in the danger zone! 2.4.: Your role in the battle When you enter a match in you gunboat destroyer there are two main tasks you should fulfil: 1) cap points for your team 2) spot or even fight enemy destroyer Optional jobs are (if not done by someone else): 3a) control areas via gunfire (see section 2.1.) or torpedoes 3b) deal damage/sink ships (lots and lots of it) The reason for your main tasks are your two biggest strengths: your low detectability and speed. Usually you are the first ship near a cap point and you are less likely to be detected there than your fellow cruisers of battleships. Although there are some gunboats that can do some tasks better than others you should still be aware of your duties and assist your team with them at least some point in each battle. If every point is capped your team surely wants to keep it. To protect it you basically have to noted as a danger to the enemy. This is in principle the scenario when you start to inflict damage onto the enemy. Your focus should lie on killing enemy destroyers first. Your guns fire faster than most guns of cruiser and thus it is easier to keep up with evasive actions an enemy destroyer may perform. Outdated replay files: Here is a collection of replays for version 0.5.10.0 to illustrate some of those gameplay advices: Domination Mode Random Battle in the Blyskawica: caps and cap resets Domination Mode Random Battle in the Sims: agile action Standard Battle Random Battle in the Blyskawica: areal denial As an example I uploaded a 0.5.6 replay which emphasise on match objectives and how you may engage enemy ships. Also noteworthy: taking a position where your team needs you! I uploaded this 0.5.5.0 replay of a rather successful Team Battle match in which you can watch how to emphasise on match objectives and how it pays off. . 14 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
[DUDES] Z_OnkelE WoWs Wiki Team, Privateer 1,795 posts 19,859 battles Report post #4 Posted May 3, 2016 2.5.: Additional tips 2.1. General tactics (part 1) 2.2. The defensive part (part 1) 2.3. The offensive part (part 1) 2.4. Your role in the battle (part 1) 2.5. Additional tips 2.6. A word or two on captain skills 2.7. Please, sir, I want some more. Another important aspect of the gunboat destroyer repertoire is a speciality of all destroyers: they are very fast. This means you can reposition your ship very quickly and thus react promptly to any changes in the battle. Be aware of your tactical situation and position yourself at a point where your ship matters! Be where you are needed! Sail there if necessary, you are in a fast ship! When it comes to bigger ships your best friend is your fire chance. Because your guns will have only a rather small calibre the majority of your damage is less like to come from armour penetration hits. Keep this in mind and watch your target closely if it is vulnerable against your HE fire chance. If a ship has repaired module damage, another fire or flooding recently there is a small window of immunity. But afterwards every fire set will last for the full duration. Enjoy burning battleship barbecue! A repairing ship is immune to fire but cannot extinguish a fire afterwards! A special case are cruisers at close range. They are less armoured than the biggest ships, namely battleships, and more vulnerable against AP shells. Keep that in mind next time you ambush a cruiser off guard and facing it broadside on. Even most destroyer guns can penetrate cruiser armour when you face them less than 10 km away. Cruiser armour is almost for show! Use your AP ammunition if they dare to show you their broadside in less than 10 km! The closer, the better! Speaking of ambushes: it is very common to use the terrain for your advantage. Because destroyer are very manoeuvrable you can sail through narrows between island. These regions are also better protected against a possible detection of your ship. This helps to close the distance to enemy ships and therefore you may be able to use your torpedoes very effectively. They also cover you against enemy fire. Use islands to your advantage and close the distance to your opponent! Via this technique you can also make use of your other armament, your torpedoes! Something entirely different is the topic of AA fire. Because it is performed automatically it may not always work in your favour. Therefore in most cases it isn't a bad idea to just turn them off (p key by default). If you are spotted anyway there is nothing to lose using them again. Especially if those annoying planes follow you. Use your AA fire in this case. For this scenario a decent AA rating is always welcome. AA fire isn't always bad but may get you into trouble! Learn the situations when to use your AA guns and when not to! It is also possible, especially for US destroyer from tier V to X, to use your gunboat destroyer as a fleet escort and help against air based attacks. This comes at the cost of your main battery fire power for many of these ships and you have to make a choice if this is worthwhile. The unlocked tools may be really convenient especially when want to get rid of enemy planes flying over your ship all day long. 2.6.: A word or two on captain skills Because a gunboat destroyer differs from torpedo boats it is quite obvious to use a (slightly) different set of captain skills. First of all you should some must-have skills. These take your role, strengths and weaknesses into account. 1) Preventive Maintenance (1) This talent will help your ship to be less prone to engine failures, broken rudder or incapacitated armament. It will not negate these incapacitations all together. 2) Last Stand (2) You sail a destroyer, this is a fragile ship! You will absolutely need this skill to not sink! Invest those two points in your best defensive skill you can get. If you do not use Last Stand, you are doing wrong, period. The first three skill points are used for Preventive Maintenance and Last Stand! Done! 3) Superintendent/Vigilance/Survivability Expert/BFT/DE (3) For your third skill you have quite some options. Those are partly favoured due to your ship's national flavour and your personal preferences (More fires? More health? etc). 4) Concealment Expert (4) or optional skills Your ship's biggest strength (to a certain extent) is concealment. It will most likely improve your performance to strengthen this ability by using CE. Alternatively opt for other skills listed below. 5) Optionals: a) Priority Target (1) This quite interesting perk helps especially for long range focused destroyers. You get notified if noone targets you and thus you are safe. b) Expert Marksman (2) EM makes your guns turn faster. Thus you may shoot earlier. Might be worthless if your guns turn very, very fast already. c) a different (3) point skill mentioned above d) a different (4) point skill mentioned above (AFT, Radio Location or Inertia Fuse for HE Shells) 7) The don't s: Do not opt for Expert Loader! This is a wasted point! Do not opt for Expert Marksman if you have an US destroyer! Do not opt for Torpedo Acceleration! (Only for experimentalists) You may check your planned point distribution by an online calculator like http://shipcomrade.com/skillcalc . 2.7.: Please, sir, I want some more. If you are interested in the gunboat playstyle even further you may want to check out the channels of (to mention only a couple) Flamu (youtube) Flamu (twitch) (especially the educational gameplay guides on youtube) iEarlGrey (twitch) iEarlGrey (youtube) (destroyer maniac ;) ) Notser (general gameplay examples) And now for something completely different... Eurobeat (the must see for warships enthusiasts), especially: 13 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
[DUDES] Z_OnkelE WoWs Wiki Team, Privateer 1,795 posts 19,859 battles Report post #5 Posted May 3, 2016 (edited) 3.: Supplement Software used: - World of Warships 0.5.10.0 by Wargaming.net (formerly 0.5.6.1) - LibreOffice 4.3 by the Document Foundation - Gimp 2.8 - Paint by Microsoft - ConTEXT 0.98.6 by ConTEXT Project Ltd. Special thanks to everyone involved in the design and maintenance of the Extended Tech Tree and Training Room enabler modification. This guide was created as part of the Gunboat Destroyer Guide Contest in the EU-forum http://forum.worldofwarships.eu/index.php?/topic/49342-gunboat-destroyer-guide-contest All information was taken from the game client (version 0.5.4.3, 0.5.5.x, 0.5.6.1 and finally 0.5.10.0) itself or its source is given with the corresponding data. Some numbers may change with future patches! (beware of the typos!). Changelog: v0.9 1st May 2016 initial post v1.0 3rd May 2016 official guide post v1.1 6th May 2016 update for 0.5.5 (tier 2 - 4 Russian DDs, typos) v1.2 12th May 2016 added example replay to role-paragraph v1.3 28th May 2016 new example replay (pre 0.5.6 aren't working any more) v1.4 3rd June 2016 updated for change in Concealment Expert, typos v1.5 20th June 2016 new detection range format v1.6 28th July 2016 small changes due to patch 0.5.9 v1.7 24th August 2016 updated some outdated datav1.8 13th February 2017 update for 0.6.x (captain perks, IJN DD(s) and KM DDs) Edited February 13, 2017 by Z_OnkelE 9 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Doerte Beta Tester 256 posts 17,143 battles Report post #6 Posted May 3, 2016 Wow... quite some work put into this. Thx, mate! That Anshan is well deserved! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
[P0RT] Admiral_H_Nelson Players 3,938 posts 23,206 battles Report post #7 Posted May 3, 2016 Great stuff! Every captain of a gunboat destroyer should be familiar with this post. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LilJumpa Beta Tester 4,603 posts 7,488 battles Report post #8 Posted May 9, 2016 Thanks for the work, great guide. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Soft_Kitty_Warm_Kitty Players 231 posts 7,799 battles Report post #9 Posted May 20, 2016 Great guide, thanks for taking the time Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EsaTuunanen Beta Tester 3,552 posts 8,863 battles Report post #10 Posted May 22, 2016 I think Hydro Acoustic Search (HAS) and radar should be added to this. Because both make DD's defense/detection avoidance strategies of islands and smoke futile. Though islands still block firing line... of enemies behind islands. Every captain of a gunboat destroyer should be familiar with this post. And my Gremlin still disagrees about need of Last Stand... Proper planning ahead and player (not captain) situational awareness is better for survival until presence of radar equipped ships. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
[DUDES] Z_OnkelE WoWs Wiki Team, Privateer 1,795 posts 19,859 battles Report post #11 Posted May 23, 2016 I think Hydro Acoustic Search (HAS) and radar should be added to this. Because both make DD's defense/detection avoidance strategies of islands and smoke futile. Though islands still block firing line... of enemies behind islands. And my Gremlin still disagrees about need of Last Stand... Proper planning ahead and player (not captain) situational awareness is better for survival until presence of radar equipped ships. Those are very special cases. If anyone wants to get into the general gameplay he/she should first master those mentioned surprise attacks and after that we can talk about how a counter to this specific tactic may be avoided, too. Also the Gremy (thus also Gnevny and Anshan) does need Last Stand even though Expert Marksman is very much next on the list of necessary skills. Still, there is no alternative over the advice to take Last Stand and Situational Awareness as the first two skills for the first three points. Especially for almost 90% of all gunboat destroyer. Otherwise you will become every cruiser captain's favourite target to shoot at! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EsaTuunanen Beta Tester 3,552 posts 8,863 battles Report post #12 Posted May 23, 2016 Granted radar is enough high tier stuff to not be really needed in basics... But HAS becomes available earlier and can be nasty surprise if trying to do close range ambushing. Also it gives enemy easy torpedo dodging chances needing getting to point blank range for succesfull ambush. I guess you've missed discipline I maintain on that planning ahead part. https://www.reddit.com/r/WorldOfWarships/comments/4bbicu/this_guy_has_2509_games_in_gremmy_734_win_rate/ Giving cruisers good shot at you isn't part of good DD skipper's curriculum and they should see destroyer only in two situations: 1. When they can't hit effectively. (varies from cruiser to another) 2. When you're about to sink them. (or both) Retreat from incomfortably bad situation is for what smoke is. Properly timed firing of guns can actually work as distraction getting cruiser to miss first warning of torpedoes. Though getting to citadelling position is the most enjoyable part. (why didn't that Phoenix citadel Yubari?) And seeing side of multiple cruisers is the best use of offensive smoke: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
[TTTX] Mayv Players 1,952 posts 7,021 battles Report post #13 Posted May 23, 2016 And my Gremlin still disagrees about need of Last Stand... Proper planning ahead and player (not captain) situational awareness is better for survival until presence of radar equipped ships. Last stand allows you to save your repair for fires. I find this quite useful when engaging other DDs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
[FLAG] Granatel Beta Tester 397 posts 11,450 battles Report post #14 Posted June 15, 2016 (edited) Cool post, but didn't you like japanese DDs? Greedings, the Granatel Edited June 15, 2016 by Granatel Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mtm78 Alpha Tester 19,378 posts 6,105 battles Report post #15 Posted June 15, 2016 Nice writeup surprised I didn't run accross it earlier. Bit confused as to which 'guide' ends up in newcomers section and which in ship specific sections, I would put this in the former. I have some points though I would like to address. !. I use my guns all the time on my Fubuki... 2km stealth firing range ( retrained Shima captain back to Fubuki as I find it a lot more fun ). 2. You mention concealment for all ships ( with optimal gunboat config's / hull option ) but you don't mention the concealment when firing main guns. Also giving concealment numbers with and without CE would be nice for new people. 3. I never argue with EsaTuunanen about Gremmy play's, if I do he ends up taking me out for a spin in a Gremmy division and trust me it's really rare if I manage to beat him on the team's xp list ( though yes it happens now and then ). Seriously, my Gremmy does not have last stand and I do not miss it one bit. I am not nearly as good in mine as Esa is in his, but Gremmy is good for TWO things mainly -> 9.9km stealth firing capability messing up anything it meets, and killing of unsuspecting cruisers from close range with AP. You don't brawl with DD's with Gremmy, if you do that you're using her wrong. And because of that, you don't need last stand as badly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EsaTuunanen Beta Tester 3,552 posts 8,863 battles Report post #16 Posted June 15, 2016 Cool post, but didn't you like japanese DDs? Of course gunboat players like them... as food. You don't brawl with DD's with Gremmy, if you do that you're using her wrong. Bummer, another thing I do wrong... Or does trying to keep other destroyers at 5+ km (gunboats 6+ km) away disqualify for term brawl? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mtm78 Alpha Tester 19,378 posts 6,105 battles Report post #17 Posted June 15, 2016 Yes, I even learned that from you Brawling is bad ( close range ) due to turret traverse not keeping up ( depending on targets ofc, I specifically think of 'brawling' when engaging USN DD's at < 5 km range. Also, Fubuki is a viable gunboat with CE and AFT, 2km stealth fire capability with good fire chance and high alpha means people don't like it even when raw dpm isn't that high. just not a gunboat against other DD's. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
[DUDES] Z_OnkelE WoWs Wiki Team, Privateer 1,795 posts 19,859 battles Report post #18 Posted June 15, 2016 Cool post, but didn't you like japanese DDs? I actually started with IJN DDs. Then my idea was, and that was even before the introduction of Russian DDs, to get into the US DDs because of their versatility. At that time they were already able to do torpedo drops from stealth for T8+ ships and invisi firing was possible but really surprising concept to most players. Nowadays I enjoy pretty much all DDs and their slightly different playstyle. I am actually training another captain for my Fubuki, which I planned to keep anyway, just for the invisi fire lolz . 1. I use my guns all the time on my Fubuki... 2km stealth firing range 2. You mention concealment for all ships 3. I never argue with EsaTuunanen about Gremmy play's 1. Yes, I do that on IJN DDs, too. I was really amazed by the additional fire power compared the guns used on T5 and T6 once I unlocked the Hatsuharu. The Fubuki and possibly any other of the IJN DDs should never forget they have guns, too. Still gameplay-wise IJN DDs work heavily around the cool down of their torpedoes even for the Fubuki. What you do in the meantime surely determines if you perform good, great or remarkable; for beginners let's stick to "IJN = torpedo boat" 2. That is a great point, I will add the numbers and change the format for a better understanding. 3. I don't think there was a real argument. For all these special case ships (Gremyashchy, the Gnevny and the Anshan) somebody new should definitely pick Last Stand like on any other DD as well. Expert Marksman is the next skill. I mentioned their peculiarity in the list and in my answer I pointed out that these three ships out of the total of 25 are surely special cases. But a 10% exception of all ships discussed should not be the examples to determine what the rule of thumb is. Another thing: from your explanations I hear you preferably do not go into knife fights/brawls/melee.. with other DDs in your Gremyashchy and you generally prefer longer ranges. That distance probably helps a lot to counter your usage of Expert Marksman over Last Stand. Not to get hit in the first place is a great tactic to pretty much have no trouble at all. Does an inexperienced player do that instinctively in the same way as you? Or may it be simpler to tell him/her "pick Last Stand to have safety net"? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mtm78 Alpha Tester 19,378 posts 6,105 battles Report post #19 Posted June 15, 2016 Another suggestion: could you add not just dmg per shell and number of guns but make it easy for everyone and give raw dpm numbers? I think that is also very helpful for new people to judge which engagements are beneficial and which are not. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
[DUDES] Z_OnkelE WoWs Wiki Team, Privateer 1,795 posts 19,859 battles Report post #20 Posted June 15, 2016 Another suggestion: could you add not just dmg per shell and number of guns but make it easy for everyone and give raw dpm numbers? I guess that works, too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EsaTuunanen Beta Tester 3,552 posts 8,863 battles Report post #21 Posted June 15, 2016 Another thing: from your explanations I hear you preferably do not go into knife fights/brawls/melee.. with other DDs in your Gremyashchy and you generally prefer longer ranges. That distance probably helps a lot to counter your usage of Expert Marksman over Last Stand. Not to get hit in the first place is a great tactic to pretty much have no trouble at all. Does an inexperienced player do that instinctively in the same way as you? Or may it be simpler to tell him/her "pick Last Stand to have safety net"? Last Stand still doesn't solve much if gun traverse speed locks ship into one course. At shorter ranges that exposes ship badly to enemy torpedoes. Then there are of course possible islands to collide with, becoming even easier target for both enemy guns and torpedoes. Or conversely these facts can lock course, so that guns point to wrong direction while enemy takes free shots. Could easily see IJN destroyer with its high alpha damage beating gunboat waiting its guns to turn if distance is short enough to make every salvo hit. So in gunboat with slowly turning guns solo gunfight against anything fighting back should be done from "arm's length" instead of "hugging distance" and with planning ahead. In areas with limited ship maneuvering it's even more important to plan ahead. As for other situations Last Stand's help is still very limited if playing badly in some scenarios. Like having enemy cruisers say ~8-9km away while going straight towards them. If that stealthier IJN DD suddenly detects you it takes time to turn away leaving lots of time to be under constant shelling especially now with smoke nonfunctional. And if smoke machine is out of order at the moment there's good chance for Last Stand to help to survive only couple salvoes longer. So while DD's agility might be the opposite of that of BB it needs as much situational awareness and planning if wanting to have as much effect to match result as possible. During closed beta used that 5-6+ km range strategy in USN DDs. Here's one torpedo boat hunting match... along with that almost mandatory for good match cruiser citadelling of pesky Kirov contesting cap. Might want to add that to 2.4 I guess this would fit into some "ambush" example: And next two minutes fit perfectly to use of offensive smoking and cruiser citadelling. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
creamgravy Players 2,780 posts 17,292 battles Report post #22 Posted June 20, 2016 You typically want a 15-18 second 180 degree turret turn time for a destroyer. This allows your guns to track a target with heavy manoeuvring, anything quicker is a bit of a waste. These are the destroyers that'll benefit from Expert Marksman. Essential: (EM doesn't normalise gun performance, follow EsaTuunanen advice) Gnevny, Gremyashchy, Anshan. Wakatake. Important: (EM normalises gun performance) Storozhevoi Derzki Izyaslav All Japanese destroyers expect Tachibana and Wakatake. Desirable: (EM fine tunes gun performance) Sampson Wickes Campbeltown Clemson Błyskawica Ognevoi Kiev Tashkent Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
[DUDES] Z_OnkelE WoWs Wiki Team, Privateer 1,795 posts 19,859 battles Report post #23 Posted February 13, 2017 Updated 0.6.0 captain talent changes and the addition of the IJN sub-branch plus a comment (for now) on the Kriegsmarine DDs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
anonym_MSqPBzxRtsaO Players 15 posts Report post #24 Posted April 2, 2017 Sorry for the necro, but now that stealth firing is no longer an option, will you rewrite the guide, tweak it where needed or just leave the thread to rot? Asking because I'm looking at Blyskawica and her seven guns, but wouldn't want to spend money for nothing. :x Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
[DUDES] Z_OnkelE WoWs Wiki Team, Privateer 1,795 posts 19,859 battles Report post #25 Posted April 2, 2017 Sorry for the necro, but now that stealth firing is no longer an option, will you rewrite the guide, tweak it where needed or just leave the thread to rot? Asking because I'm looking at Blyskawica and her seven guns, but wouldn't want to spend money for nothing. :x In case you didn't notice: the last update was Feb 13th 2017, so nothing rotten here. This guide will definitely be updated, soon . I am simply playing a a couple battles more with my DDs and update the section in question. For the Blyskawica: she still works fine even without stealth firing. Many played her successful without excessive use of that mechanic before the patch and she will still work fine now. She just lost a kind of special trait. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
