[2022] 9/6/22 - New Player Captain’s Log: Speed and Strength

Greetings Captains,

Welcome to this week’s edition of the 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.

With each topic I discuss, I also added a question at the end to see how y’all feel about things in comparison to how I feel. I just thought it would be an interesting way to get some discussion going!

Without further ado, let’s proceed with this week’s Log!

Accomplishments
Here’s a list of personal milestones that I hit during the week:

1. Unlocked new Tech Tree ships for the Japanese DD line and the French BB line
Focus Points of the Week
Here’s a list of the focus points for this week:

1. Continue to develop in two lines that I have been particularly joining.

Also, just wanted to take a second to say that I will be on vacation this week (I’m actually on vacation right now, but I posted this in advance) so I will not be checking replies until I get back most likely. Feel free to still reply, and I will get to it upon my return!

Japanese Destroyers
I continued to bring myself to the mercy of playing Destroyers this week after a small break. I will say, nothing is more satisfying to me than being speedy and maneuverable on the oceanic battlefield. As someone who primarily focused on battleships for so long, these freedoms in particular are most welcome. However, I still find myself either being very effective (applying pressure, providing cover, landing torps) or being borderline useless (make a small mistake and get clapped HARD for it), with no suitable middle ground. My feeling is that this is just how learning destroyers is going to go: sometimes I will succeed, and sometimes I will fail miserably. That being said, I am looking forward to the day where it starts to “click” like it has for Battleships for me (somewhat). As always, any general advice on tried and true strategies is more than welcome!

Question: Of all researchable destroyers, which is your favorite to use at Tiers 5 and 6, and why?

French Battleships
After a long hiatus, I decided to also return to the French Battleship line this week. I have to say, this is a VERY enjoyable line for me. I appreciate the slightly faster reload and the accuracy that these big botes seem to provide for me. I have been told that as I progress (currently sitting at Tiers VI and VII), there’s a chance I will continue to enjoy these aspects as well as the zippiness that the higher tier ships can bring. In particular, I had one match where it came down to me versus a Colorado (I was in a Normandie), and whoever was going to land the next shot was going to seal the deal. I found myself clicking furiously on the shoot button, and found myself victorious as I was able to get a shell out first. The down side, as it tends to be with Battleships, is the horrid detectability. It’s almost impossible for me to go dark in more intense situations, so I have to rely more on my positioning and strategy than I might in other BB lines.

Question: What is your perception of French Battleships?

I think that about covers it this week! I want to remind everyone that the New Player Captain’s Log is also designed to be a place for new players to reply with their experiences or seek advice as well, so feel free to join in on the conversation below!

See you next week for some more New Player musings. Fair winds and following seas!

Thank you for the tips! I have been using PT somewhat regularly for less familiar classes (started to feel pretty good about BBs so I removed it on some of those).

I've seen a common refrain about French BBs, which is just to push though and get to the end. I'm surprised to hear that just based off of my enjoyment of the middle tiers! That being said, I haven't began the Richelieu grind yet, so we will see if my tune changes.

I've heard a good amount of appreciation for the Jean Bart as well! I do have the Jean Bart B, so maybe I'll have to take her out and see how I fair. :)