[2022] 1/18/22 - New Player Captain's Log: DDs, CVs and BBs? Oh, my!

Greetings Captains,
Welcome to the inaugural New Player Captain's Log! For those of you who aren't sure what this is or what it might do, feel free to check out the introductory post here.

Without further ado, let’s proceed with Week 1 of the New Player Captain’s Log!

DDs - Co-op Battles
I’ve been experimenting with DDs in Co-op first, as I am positive I will just get obliterated in Randoms. I can definitely see how they would be a difficult class to master. The impulse to rush in and just blast away with torps is definitely real, which you can get away with to a certain extent in Co-Op.

Ship I have been using: Nicholas Observations: Doesn’t seem to pack as much of a punch as its predecessor, Clemson. The guns are also SUPER floaty, which makes range attacks more difficult. Great news is that I just unlocked the Farragut, so hopefully I’ll fare better with her!

Things that I definitely need to be more cognizant of:
1. Strategic use of smoke, especially with ships who are joining me to cap
2. Dodging BBs and other devastating attacks while maintaining pressure

CVs - Tier IV Randoms (still protected matchmaking for now)
I have now played quite a few matches with CV. It is definitely a very different experience than the more classic DD, BB or Cruiser experience, but from the perspective of a new player I can definitely see the appeal. There’s a lot of versatility amongst the fighters, and there’s something to be said about being able to survive for the length of the match (most of the time) when you are just starting out. That being said, it can feel like my impact is minimal at times, but I expect that would probably come with more experience.

Ship I have been using: Langley Observations: As I don’t have another CV to compare it to yet, it feels fine! I’d say that I struggle the most with using Rockets effectively, but I also think I just need to brute force use them more often so I can get more comfortable with timing. One could even say timing (along with strategic targeting) is something I need to get used to.

Things that I definitely need to be more cognizant of:
1. Strategic use of planes at the proper times (i.e. When should I be using Rockets? What ships should I target first?)
2. Strategic use of Engine Cooling on attack or approach
3. Maneuvering on the map

BBs - Randoms and Co-ops
Finally, onto my go-to class! The reason I have gravitated towards BBs to start are for two main reasons: the potential punch they can pack, and the survivability. When they hit, they really hit! When they miss, they sure do miss. Those devastating citadels make it all worth it! I have been experimenting with some premium BBs in Co-op mainly, while grinding the US line in Randoms. Currently, I'm up to Tier VIII, where I chose Kansas over the N. Carolina based off of AA and survivability. **dodges your thrown tomatoes**

Ships I have been using: Kansas, Repulse, Tirpitz Observations: I don’t yet have too much experience with the Repulse or the Tirpitz, but my initial reactions are that the Repulse is very speedy but delicate, and the Tirpitz has the potential to deal some devastating blows but is difficult to use (at least for me). For the Kansas, I am having some mixed results. The AA and the health are definitely pros, but I have noticed that my average damage output has decreased in comparison to using the New Mexico or the Colorado. This could also be contributed to me just increasing in rank, or it could be based on the survivability build. I haven’t quite put my finger on it.

Things that I definitely need to be more cognizant of:
1. Strategic positioning. I often find myself either overextending and getting demolished by oncoming forces or being a little too cautious and finding myself rather useless or too far out to make an impact.
2. Effective kiting. Similar to above, I find that when I go to kite I have either done so too late or too early. I also find difficulty getting my front guns in a position to fire without opening up too much of my broadside. Angles continue to be a challenge for me.

I think that about covers it this week! See you next week for some more New Player musings.

Thank you! I really hope it does!

This is a fantastic question/point. There are two main reasons. One is work related and one is, well, silly.

First, I was encouraged by my co-workers to play up to Tier VIII to get a sense of perspective as to how tiers beyond 5/6 start to feel different than their lower tier counterparts. This has honestly help me gain knowledge on things such as optimized builds, different consumables and general ship statistics, all of which have been very useful in learning the game at a quicker pace. Having a bunch of pros around me definitely helps, too.
Second, and I'll be completely honest...I just got lost in the grind for shiny new objects lol. I want more ships, more credits, all of that fun stuff. It seems to me that playing higher tiers might get me there a bit faster.
I think over this next week, I might focus on lower tiers (maybe no higher than 6) and see if I can improve in things like damage, potential damage, kills, etc.

In CVs, I struggle a lot to determine if I should focus cruisers (lower health, quicker threat) vs BBs (tons of health to chip away at, hit harder). Thinking more logically about knocking out some AA is really good advice.

I love this idea as well. When you go to conceal yourself, are you attempting to do so strategically with the map (ie. near or between islands) or do you just rely on the smoke itself?

Could not agree more with this. I'm very lucky to have Boggzy, Ahskance and Maredraco willing to div at any time. They're all wonderful teachers, too.

Oh this is very interesting to me. I've yet to try Ops just out of fear of being incompetent but maybe this week is the week!

Definitely! Cruisers as a whole will get some love soon. Just didn't play them at all in this week.

If you don't mind me asking, what makes Newport News difficult? I just want to see if it is worth me trying this week or not.

I just wanted to highlight this because this is wonderful advice. The WoWS "How To" videos are very well done, and if you aren't lucky enough to have an Ahskance right next to you like I am, his videos are incredibly informative.

Yup, I am certain! Your first 200 matches are within protected matchmaking guidelines, regardless if you try out ships beyond Tier IV or not. The reasoning behind this is if a new player buys a higher tier premium ship and gets obliterated in Randoms, they can go back to Tier IV or below and stay protected while they learn the game.
I am close to being out of protected though!

Thank you! This is a project that I have been working on/developing with feedback from several other WG employees, so I believe they see the same value in it as I do.

Definitely understand where you are coming from here. Even with somewhat speedy BBs like the Repulse and Tirpitz, I am not getting tons of damage/kills. I mainly like to use them in co-op just from a learning perspective. How fast does this ship feel under my keys? How about reload times? Consumables? I know these details are all listed out in port, but I don't always learn most optimally by reading things. Sometimes feeling/experiencing gives me better comprehension before I take a new ship into Randoms. Probably silly, but it works for me!

Hmm that is a very interesting concept. I will have to look into how it was done in the past to see if that is something that could exist once again. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!

For those curious, I actually do not have a press account! My personal account (linked to my profile here) is the only account I have at this time.