Geek Control 2 Major Tim: World of Warships, and Toolbag Torpedo says, "U mad bro?"

Okay, so I think it's time we had the torpedo discussion. In my blogs leading up until this point, I've been pretty much laying a lot of the blame for bad gameplay in WoWs on the misuse and misunderstanding of torpedoes. In all of my "how to not n00b" discussions, the first thing I've usually said is that you should set a course that avoids torpedo-armed ships, at least until you've earned your stripes. I've even likened torps to a drug habit, because you've seen all of the cool kids doing it (youtubers/twitch streamers), and they seem like the greatest thing in the game. In complete truth, torps are one of the most fun things in the game, and give the player a finger of god that can strike down the toughest of enemies with nought  but a click a button. It feels a lot like a power-gamer's wet dream, on a similar level to sniping, or having the huge critical damage of a WoW rouge. The biggest, tankiest enemies, the pride of their fleet, the cream of the crop, and you can pop them with a single pin prick. For gamers that seek instant gratification, or that feeling of ultimate power with impunity to reply, the torpedo armed destroyers of WoWs seem like the perfect ship class.

I stand by my earlier statements. Torpedoes, and especially destroyers require a great deal of mastery to use effectively. For new players coming to WoWs, jumping into a torpedo-armed ship, especially a DD, and recklessly firing off torpedoes at distant silhouettes is not only fruitless to your game, but it is a great way to get yourself banned quickly. Unlike a lot of team-based multiplayer games, WoWs doesn't dick around when it comes to friendly fire. Since torpedoes swim slowly through the water, unlike gunfire that arcs high through the air, you will always be at risk of clipping one of your friendly ships if you don't check that the line of fire is clear. While the occasional accident or near presidential assassination is inevitable, looking at you USS William D. Porter, instances of teamkilling via torpedoes is disproportionate to others in WoWs. And while WoWs doesn't pull punches when it comes to team damage, it also offers little to no mercy to teamkillers (accident or otherwise) when it comes to banning them from the game.

The problem boils down to two things: people not knowing the maximum range of their torpedoes, and people not checking their line of fire. It's kind of funny, but I've encountered players close to the top tiers of the game that don't realize torps actually have a maximum range. Torps in WoWs frequently cap out at 5km ranges, and only the most extreme examples of top tier DDs can claim to exceed 20km. You can actually check this range at any point by selecting the torpedoes as your main weapon, and then holding down the alt key. Holding alt will cause ranges to appear over enemy ships, as well as putting a range indicator over your cursor. If the numbers on your range indicator are red, then you are aiming at a point beyond your weapon range. You can also look this up in your port view by selecting your ship, and clicking the torpedo armament listed on the right-hand panel. This is also a good chance to check out your ship's concealment rating, which will tell you the distance at which you'll be spotted. If the torp range is longer, you'll be able to launch them without ever being detected. Launching your torps at a target that is beyond maximum range is usually not a good idea. Typically this will mean they will stop at max range and achieve nothing, but as an advanced tactic (not for new players to attempt), if you fire them at an enemy that is closing distance with you, then they might just sail into range while the torpedoes are in motion; a great tactic for beating a retreat from a cruiser. Note also that the aiming lead-indicator that the game provides you with is only giving you the enemy's predicted position based on their current course. They can easily screw up your shot if they turn or change speed. Another useful tip here is to base your aim on your enemy's maneuverability, and whether or not you've been spotted yet. If they are fat and slow like a battleship, you haven't been detected, and they are firing at another target, you can pretty much expect your torps to hit if you fire them right where the aim indicator says. If they are maneuverable, you've been detected, or they aren't firing at anything else, you can expect them to take action to dodge your shots. In these cases, I recommend firing behind where the aim indicator says, as their maneuvers will slow them down, causing the aim indicator to overlead them. Finally, fire narrow spreads at long range. Torps are fired in fanning formations, so if you fire a wide spread, it will widen out significantly at the outer range limits, making it harder to land hits.

The second major problem that I mentioned was that most players simply don't clear their line of fire before loosing their torps. This is more a problem of situational awareness than anything, and the simple solution is to stop focusing all your attention on your enemies. A lot of gamers are used to games where you focus only on yourself and the position of your most immediate enemy. WoWs is a fleet action game. There is no deathmatch mode here, and the potential for friendly fire makes good teamwork and situational awareness critical to success. DDs are the king ship class when it comes to situational awareness, as they need to be constantly considering their position, the position of all enemies, as well as their own friendlies. I will do a full post on this someday, but for now, just remember that knowing your friendies' location is super important as a DD, because you always want your enemies distracted, before you make an attack run. Spotted DDs that have nothing to distract the enemy, are dead DDs. This in mind, you should have no excuse for blapping one of your friends in the back with your torps, since you should know exactly where they are at all times. As usual, I'll offer you a quick metric for this. If a friendly ship is closer to the enemy than you, don't fire your torpedoes. As a DD you should be closer to the enemy than your team. You should be stalking them from just outside your detection range. You should be constantly observing and waiting for your opportunity to strike. And when the enemy least expects it, and your friends are clear of the path of destruction, you should take the initiative and crush them mercilessly. This is why I call the destroyer class of ships the mother-in-laws of the sea!

A final word on this one is that you should always favour torpedoes with the highest possible speed over torps with the longer ranges. As a few prominent youtubers have pointed out (love you Jangles), fast torps are always the most likely to hit. Firing your torps at shorter ranges and higher speeds gives your opponents the least time to react and attempt to maneuver. The legendary long range of Japanese torpedoes in WoWs is actually pretty detrimental to the player's efficiency. It encourages players to sit as far as possible from the enemy plinking like a coward from the back of their fleet, endangering friendlies in the process. It encourages the opposite behaviour to what a DD should be adopting, and quite frankly reduces your efficiency. The longer the distance to the target, the more likely it is that they will change course with no knowledge of your approaching attack. These long range weapons do have a place and purpose in the game, but that's a story for another time.

Try not to get me killed, and guarantee your team's defeat by randomly firing off those scumbag death cigars without first considering: range, line of fire, chance of actually hitting. I still forbid you as a new player from going down this road until you've learned the necessary skills, but I'm not your real dad (no matter how disappointing your mother and I are with you), so take what I've said here and put it into practice.

Good luck, and fair seas.