INTRODUCTION
Aircraft carrier (CV) is probably the hardest class to master. It’s the only class that uses RTS-style top-down view of the battlefield. It’s also the class with the highest impact in the game. If the CV player is good, he can easily carry his team. If the CV player is bad or dead, his team has almost no chance to win.
THREE FUNDAMENTAL ROLES
CV gameplay is complex. CV has three fundamental roles: spotting, defending, and attacking. Ideally, the CV player should be able to perform all three roles simultaneously. If you can’t accomplish these roles, your impact on the battlefield will be severely reduced and your team will suffer. This article will cover these fundamentals.
#1: SPOTTING/SCOUTING
Information is crucial for victory. At the beginning of the battle, send your planes to the middle and the flanks to find as many enemies as possible. At this stage it’s better to not attack immediately. Be careful, don’t let your planes get attacked or enter the AA range of enemy ships prematurely. It’s important to conserve your planes.
If the map is big and the battle is spread out in different flanks, it’s usually better to repurpose one squadron (usually a dive bomber squadron) for spotting enemies. The other squadrons are for attacking and deKeep that squadron alive as long as possible. Avoid enemy AA guns and fighters while maintaining visual contact with enemy ships. Constant information is important for your team.
#2: DEFENDING
Many CV players forgot this role even though this has significant impact. Even if your attacks are ineffective, if you can defend your teammates well, your teammates can survive and carry you to victory. On the other hand, if the strongest players on your team get killed by the enemy CV, your chance for victory will be reduced drastically.
When you see the enemy CV is preparing to attack your teammate, move your fighters to that area. Target the enemy’s strike planes (dive bombers/torpedo planes) if possible. Do not let your fighters overextend to the enemy’s AA bubble or move too far away. Warn your teammates of incoming attack. If done correctly, you’ll be able to slow down the enemy CV’s attack and make their attack ineffective.
#3: ATTACKING
Unlike other classes, CV can inflict a devastating amount of damage with just one strike. A good CV player can easily one shot a battleship one tier higher. The key is deciding who to attack first. Attacking low impact ships will cost you precious time. This is why you must attack only if you already know all enemy’s position.
Priority Target
In PVP, your priority is players, especially the dangerous ones. Among the dangerous players are:
- A highly skilled player (if you recognize one);
- A battleship on the flank, trying to ambush or crossfire your teammates;
- A destroyer in a domination mode map with one or three bases.
If you can’t attack the dangerous players, switch your priority to vulnerable players. Among the vulnerable players are:
- Players with low HP. It’s important to kill a low HP player so he doesn’t recover his health and come back harming your teammates. A CV is exceptionally good for this job because no one can run away from planes.
- A lone CV/battleship/cruiser without AA protection from their teammates. No matter how strong the enemy’s AA is, a CV can always deal devastating amount of damage.
A kill on enemy CV usually results in an easy win. However, if you’re not sure you can kill the enemy CV in one strike (for example the enemy CV is too far away or under AA protection from his allies) then it’s best to not attack him. Wasting time and planes might cause your team to be overwhelmed on the other side of the battlefield.
Bots should be ignored because they’re weak and don’t have much impact. Just let your teammates kill the bots. You must focus on your job.
How to Attack
- In general, it’s a good idea to group your strike planes (dive bombers/torpedo planes) together before attacking. This will reduce the effectiveness of AA. However, sometimes scattering them might be beneficial to confuse the enemy.
- Fighters can be used to protect your strike planes (if there’s no teammate who needs air cover). You can send your fighters first or together with your strike planes . If the enemy sends out fighters, use your fighters to counter them so your strike planes can continue with the attack.
- Attacking with torpedo planes: Move your torpedo planes to the side of the enemy ship first, then drag the “Manual” button to aim.
- Attacking with dive bombers: move your dive bombers to the front or back of the enemy ship (whichever side is closer to you), then drag the “Manual” button to aim.
- If the enemy activates anti-air defense consumable (shows as a yellow circle), move your planes out of that. Continue your attack after the consumable activation time expires.
OTHER ASPECTS OF CV GAMEPLAY
Recommended Equipment
- Slot 1: Aircraft guns enhancement module
- Slot 2: Engine enhancement module or steering gears enhancement module
- Slot 3: Aircraft defense enhancement module
Recommended Crew Skills
- Captain: boost morale – hull protection – artillery warning
- Gun officer: ADA enhancement
- Engine officer: noise reduction – quick shift – advanced quick shift – steering master
- Damage control officer: emergency flooding – torpedo bulkhead – elite damage control
- Aircraft officer: Elite servicing – ace pilot – precision bombing – rapid return – dogfight
Position
Ideally, a CV should never be detected. You either stay behind your teammates or hide behind a big island. To read more about positioning, click here.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
Even with auto aim, you can still get fire and flood damage. CV attacks can also mess the formation of the enemy ship. Most often, the one that effectively reduces the impact of a CV is its own player’s skill.
Since CV has very high impact on team battles, do not play it in ranked battle (Global Arena) if you haven’t mastered the basics. A CV player with low skill will drag his team down.
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