How to master naval combat games

1. Lead the target

Shells and cannonballs take seconds to arrive. Watch the enemy's speed and heading, aim ahead of the bow, and adjust after the first salvo lands. Against a ship sailing straight at you, aim at the waterline of the bow; against a broadside ship, aim at the middle of the hull just above the water.

2. Angle your ship

A shell that hits armor at a steep angle bounces or does far less damage. Keep your bow or stern toward the heaviest enemy guns and show broadside only to fire, then turn back. In sailing games the same idea applies to boarding and ramming: never give an enemy a straight line at your flank.

3. Respect the torpedo

Torpedoes are slow but lethal. Change speed and heading every twenty seconds when destroyers are unspotted, watch for the launch warning and turn into the spread, not away from it, to slip between torpedoes.

4. Position before you shoot

The best players spend the first minutes getting to a spot with cover, an escape route and a view of the objective. A ship in a good position with average aim beats a sharpshooter in the open. Islands, smoke and distance are your armor.

5. Read the minimap

Glance at the minimap every few seconds. It tells you which flank is collapsing, where the enemy destroyers were last seen and whether your team is about to lose on points. Most losses are decided on the minimap before they happen on screen.

Practice routine

1. Co-op or training battles for aiming until you hit moving targets at range.
2. One class for fifty battles to learn its range and timing.
3. Watch your replays and note where you were when the match turned.
4. Copy positions from good players on each map, then adapt.

For the sailing-ship version of all this, see our World of Sea Battle guide.

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