Ranked Tactics

[MeTaLMooSe]

Hi folks.

So we have multiple threads on which tier 7 ships we think are best for ranked in their various classes.

There is much discussion on the impact of radar and CV's.

 

Having only done season 5 to ranked 15, I would welcome some intelligent debate on what the more experienced guys feel should be valid strategies for the different modes and especially how each class of ship should be played.

It's one thing to have the assets but another thing entirely to use those assets in a beneficial way.

Also how to you see the classes in terms of skill factor? Last season it was said that if you were potato then picking a cruiser would have the least impact and deprive the team less of a more useful class.

This season it would appear a cruiser (especially radar) may be a game winner hence non potato friendly?

DD's last season were the crux to victory. This season how will they fare being hunted with no means to hide?

 

Lots of strategies to talk about and I look forward to any wise words to help us forumites go into ranked with a little forethought.

 

[Allied_Winter]

Short (slightly sarcastic) answer: Proper Teamwork will mostly guarantee a win

 

Longer answer:

- DDs use their smoke to cover up allies and do a bit less pew pew pew and more capping/ cap supporting. Those DDs that survive the longest usually secure their team a win

 

- BBs need to play aggressively but on the same time mustn't overextend. In Domination, a concentrated push by your teams BBs towards one cap is a big support to any capping DD/cruiser. In the longer run: A BB sitting inside a US smoke is terrifying. But also smoke = torpedo magnet, so be carefull while sitting in smoke.

 

- Cruisers: I haven't played that many cruisers so far in ranked, thus I can say little about their tactics.

 

- CVs: Mainly spotting and finishing off low HP targets that no one else can finish I'd say

 

 

Greetings

[XbodzioXplX]

- DDs use their smoke to cover up allies and do a bit less pew pew pew and more capping/ cap supporting. Those DDs that survive the longest usually secure their team a win

 

While I agree with you I dislike the current "let us cover the whole map with smoke" gameplay.

I do know how to play that way and against it. But it makes this game more campy and less dynamic.

[PotatoTorpedo]

Biggest tip: Resist the urge to become embroiled in chat - trying to educate a potato is futile - they always know best.

[_interceptor_80]

Less potato in your team is key to win No science there 

 

[Oely001]

One word: Patience. Random Battles are rarely decided by points. So don't yolo and try to survive as long as possible while remaining useful to the team. This is especially important with DDs.

 

There will be a lot of smoke, and key will be which side supports its DDs better. This is where cruisers (Belfast!) come into play. With "Radio Location" stealth and smoke alone will not be enough, what makes Radar and hydroacoustics very important. Radar has shorter range on T7, but hydro can do a lot, because there will be enough "RL"-guided torpedo volleys.

 

Maybe some DD will also accept that it is better not to smoke and to retreat instead to be able to spot targets for the collegues with the big guns...

[PotatoTorpedo]

Less potato in your team is key to win No science there 

 

You offend me sir!

[MrConway]

Flamu made a great video on which ships should work best in ranked, give it a watch:

[Migulaitor]

Atlanta tactic, be sneaky,support dds, hug your waifu and daka daka with your IFHE gatling guns shooting up to 14 shots every 3,51secs (BFT+AR) 5-6k salvos are easy to get, can take down a dd in less than 10 seconds and a Belfast during the radar time. If there isnt many CVs go for hydro+radar to bully even better those little dds. If your HP drops too much go behind a mountain and spam shells until your finger hurts.

Gneisenau tactic follow dds as close as possible to use secondaries and torps while giving AA and soaking dmg for them while they spot torps its a brawler you really want to close distance against enemy BBs.

[tenacious_torps]

Flamu made a great video on which ships should work best in ranked, give it a watch:

 

Flashy sig, MrConway. Nice. New or did I just somehow manage to never notice it?

 

Anyway, I'd like to take the opportunity to ask what's WG's reasoning to pick tier 7 for this ranked season? It's pretty hard not to think p2w, it really is. So, can we have the sales pitch on that pretty please?

[MeTaLMooSe]

Yep seen Flamu's vid. Nothing really any different than whats been discussed on these forums.

 

Some QQ's I have in mind though.

 

1. DD choice. I have both Lenin and Blys. I use them exclusively as gunboats to begin with as support to capping DD's. When the heard is thinned out I'll start to cap.

They are clumsy and do not handle well within the confines of a cap circle. Both also suffer to an extent from slow turrets. Give them 8k range and they dominate. If I go for an initial cap I will always limp away from heavy coordinated fire even If successful in seeing off an enemy DD.

So given they are the number 1 choice, and considering they have Ru smoke duration how is their initial cap and area denial going to work well? They're going to need a lot of support as I don't see them as self sustaining capping DD's. Hunters yes, late game capping yes. Early game will need patience.

2. Radar cruisers, Belfast, Atlanta, Indy. Going to need to get into the thick of the cap to seek and destroy/scare out enemy DD's. Trouble is without smoke support they are dead in the water.

So they're going to need to co-ordinate smoke and hydro. That'll be fun in a  non clan ranked game! I foresee many dead Belfasts from an initial cap charge. These boys are going to take some skill to employ and survive.

3. BB's Are going to be supporting a cap dodging the odd wall of skill and licking their chops awaiting for a Belfast to unsmoke. Teamed up BB's giving mutual AA cover and using their l'il buddies as fish detectors are going to be doing the killing. They are also most likely to survive the initial purge. I'll choose BB to begin to assess how and what is suited to me.

4. CV's. Entirely down to skill and as we all know a decent CV driver is the scourge or saviour of a team.

 

Will this mean after the initial games of cap clusters and wrecked Belfasts with fast DD's gunboating not caping we will have a holy chaos of ranked battles?

It's going to be interesting to see as you progress further how much people have learnt and try to co-ordinate.

In theory and experienced hands, the favoured ships should provide all the parts to make a machine of win.

Why do I have this feeling that there's going to be a lot of whining after the first few nights battles?

 

As a semi noob I'm hoping to be able to carry my weight and some. I'm really looking forward to this season to see how much I've improved since last. Despite protestations of lack of comms etc I found ranked either got 7 guys to work together or utterly fail. But being single tier with no MM influence it's a great way to test your individual skill (and sanity).

[Oely001]

Problem is that you can counter a well-played Belfast only with another Belfast. All others can only fill the smoke with torpedos and/or wait until the smoke is gone.

 

[MeTaLMooSe]

Having just played against a div of 3 Belfasts in my Blys I can say torps are an issue.

With a Radar range of 8.49 and Blys/Lenin torp range of 8km you are screwed. If they take turns to radar/smoke/hydro you are more screwed.

You need IJN torp walls of skill and maybe a few charging gnashing BB's to dislodge them. Luckily Belfasts don't have a sting in the tail but 36 HE spewing guns makes quick work of a DD if you probe too close!

 

So we have an arbitrary 8KMish zone of exclusion due to the favourite DD torp range and our radar range.

Mmmmm strike up the tents whilst the campfires are smoking!

Or send in a Sharnhorst forlorn hope to smash the Belfasts!

[RenamedUser_92906789]

Having just played against a div of 3 Belfasts in my Blys I can say torps are an issue.

With a Radar range of 8.49 and Blys/Lenin torp range of 8km you are screwed. If they take turns to radar/smoke/hydro you are more screwed.

You need IJN torp walls of skill and maybe a few charging gnashing BB's to dislodge them. Luckily Belfasts don't have a sting in the tail but 36 HE spewing guns makes quick work of a DD if you probe too close!

 

 

So we have an arbitrary 8KMish zone of exclusion due to the favourite DD torp range and our radar range.

Mmmmm strike up the tents whilst the campfires are smoking!

Or send in a Sharnhorst forlorn hope to smash the Belfasts!

 

Since its ranked, and divs/teams/clans are not supported, the strategy has to be made within first 10-20 seconds in the game.

 

I expect a lot of smoke and sitting in the smoke. The only thing Belfast fears is torps in the smoke (hydro helps), overshooting the smoke (i strongly hope to see loads of those) and being focused in the open once the smoke runs out (again I hope not many people use the smoke counter mod). I think that solo DDs (Blyska, Lenin) will get some hard time, while Mahan could prove very useful as a smoke provider for the capital ships.

Also the Nagato being the big dog and all the smoke going around could give hard time for Sharnhorst and Gnaisenau.

 

This season will either be very good (action packed with nice pushes) or very bad (camper strike on the water). We will see in two days.

 

 

[txtspeak]

Problem is that you can counter a well-played Belfast only with another Belfast. All others can only fill the smoke with torpedos and/or wait until the smoke is gone.

 

 

or if the positioning is right, just charge in there with a Scharnhorst

[Dampfboot]

Flamu made a great video on which ships should work best in ranked, give it a watch:

 

Ah p2w officially confirmed by WG. Good to know.

[EsaTuunanen]

while Mahan could prove very useful as a smoke provider for the capital ships.

While Mahan has clearly better torps than slow and weak "mobile mines" of Sims Mahan has lousy stealth and speed which could be problem for survivability and ability to hunt DDs.

[_ramrus_]

You better devise a strategy that will not leave you empty after few hundred repetitive battles with same ship(s).

Tactics will take care of themselves.

[Oely001]

 

or if the positioning is right, just charge in there with a Scharnhorst

 

 

Belfast will have Radar or hydro on, so will spot you before you spot him. And his collegue will welcome you with some torpedos.

[cracktrackflak]

Over on NA last night, there were players already at Rank 6 & 7, just a few hours after the season started with the update.

 

 

[RUSSIANBlAS]

I'm finding I do just as well in a Fiji than the Belfast in Random Battles. This may differ in Ranked but I tend to do more damage in the Fiji as her torps are excellent. Only 3 a side but with single launching you really have a lot of control over them.

[walter3kurtz]

1. DD choice. I have both Lenin and Blys. I use them exclusively as gunboats to begin with as support to capping DD's. When the heard is thinned out I'll start to cap.

They are clumsy and do not handle well within the confines of a cap circle. Both also suffer to an extent from slow turrets. Give them 8k range and they dominate. If I go for an initial cap I will always limp away from heavy coordinated fire even If successful in seeing off an enemy DD.

 

This. The only thing I see working for the Lenin and Blys is capping from smoke with the nose pointed towards a quick exit (for avoiding torp wall or radar).

 

I think Shiratsuyu with torp reload mod is actually the top tier DD for this season. Knife fight DD's are less of a problem in ranked, because opponents will get massive focus from your team supporting the cap. Also consider that the normal game of farming damage will be a lot harder for Leningrad and Blys, because they rely on a target rich environment that they can spam from relative safety. In a 7v7 game with lots of smoke it will not be so easy as in randoms. It's a lot better to have one cap as soon as possible, and then hold it with torp spam and fire focus from the rest of your team. This was the same in previous ranked season (get the points ticking in your favor first and you will normally win).

[RUSSIANBlAS]

 

This. The only thing I see working for the Lenin and Blys is capping from smoke with the nose pointed towards a quick exit (for avoiding torp wall or radar).

 

I think Shiratsuyu with torp reload mod is actually the top tier DD for this season. Knife fight DD's are less of a problem in ranked, because opponents will get massive focus from your team supporting the cap. Also consider that the normal game of farming damage will be a lot harder for Leningrad and Blys, because they rely on a target rich environment that they can spam from relative safety. In a 7v7 game with lots of smoke it will not be so easy as in randoms. It's a lot better to have one cap as soon as possible, and then hold it with torp spam and fire focus from the rest of your team. This was the same in previous ranked season (get the points ticking in your favor first and you will normally win).

 

Yes, tactics were often to cap, stop the bleed then whoever makes the first mistake/decent kill.

 

Radar meta may steal from DD knife fighting importance yes. I imagine we'll see more radar this season than ever before.

[walter3kurtz]

Radar meta may steal from DD knife fighting importance yes. I imagine we'll see more radar this season than ever before.

 

Yes, but I think also just Shiratsuyu outspotting Leningrad and Blys. They will have to turn around at the edge of cap or be focused and die fast.

[RUSSIANBlAS]

 

Yes, but I think also just Shiratsuyu outspotting Leningrad and Blys. They will have to turn around at the edge of cap or be focused and die fast.

 

 The Eastern Bloc sisters are less likely to take RDF too but there will likey be plenty of DD detection out there.