In battleships, cruisers, and destroyers, there are four types of crews that can increase the ship’s abilities in various ways. Those crews consist of captain, gun officer, engine officer, and damage control officer. Ships that have torpedoes also have chief torpedoman as the fifth crew. Aircraft carrier has different set of crews and won’t be included in this article.
Each crew has 1 basic skill and multiple additional skills (also called specialty) that resembles their role in the ship. Basic skills can’t be changed but every crew with the same type has the same basic skill (for example, every Captain has the same basic skill no matter what ship it is). To unlock the next crew skill you must train the previous skill until it reaches 100% proficiency. After your basic skill has reached 100% proficiency, you can choose and train additional crew skills. The amount of exp to unlock the next skill increase exponentially so you must choose carefully what crew skill to grind first. If you choose the wrong crew skill you will waste your time and effort. Some crew skills are only usable if they’re at 100% proficiency.
The most common way to train a crew is by playing the ship. A crew’s proficiency point increases by 25% of ship exp gained per battle (20% if the ship has 5 crews). For example, if in one battle you gain 3000 ship exp, your crew will gain around 750 proficiency points (600 points if the ship has 5 crews). If you want to read more about crew management (training, transfer, arena configuration, etc) click here.
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Captain
- Artillery warning
- Boost morale
- Hull protection
- Extinguish
- Band of brothers
- Rush repair
Artillery warning
This skill gives you an alert when someone shoots their main guns at you. It gives you the precise timing to maneuver your ship and dodge their shells without the need to observe the enemy. When you’re fighting against multiple enemy ships, you can’t observe everyone all the time so having this skill greatly increases your survivability. This skill is a priority for any ship in arena.
Boost morale
This skill increases the effect of all other skills you have by 10%. For example, the captain’s basic skill lowers ship concealment by 10%, with the addition of boost morale it becomes 11% (10% x 10%). It doesn’t look like much, but for ships that rely on concealment, a little bit better concealment can determine life and death. This skill is useful for ships that rely on good concealment to survive like IJN destroyers, USN destroyers, IJN cruisers, and some British light cruisers.
Hull protection
It gives your ship an additional 3000 HP at max level. Extremely useful for destroyers and ships with low base HP.
Extinguish
It reduces the fire duration if your ship is burning, but the effect is minimal and only becomes apparent if all crews already have this skill.
Band of brothers
This skill increases the effect of other skills that the crew have by 10%. However, it only works when all crews already have this skill at 100% progress. This skill needs a lot of investment and not suitable for common players.
Rush repair
It reduces the flood duration if your ship is flooding, but the effect is minimal and only becomes apparent if all crews already have this skill. Flooding is rare but often lethal so all players should use damage control consumable instead.
Priority skills to choose and train:
- Most ships: artillery warning -> hull protection -> boost morale -> etc.
- Destroyers: hull protection -> boost morale -> etc.
Gun Officer
- Crack gunner
- Burn the ship behind
- ADA enhancement
- Secondary battery enhancement
- High-speed aiming
- Extinguish
- Band of brothers
- Rush repair
Crack gunner
Improves the main gun’s accuracy. This skill is a priority for most ships.
Burn the ship behind
It reduces the main gun reload time by 20% when HP falls below 50%. It’s a fixed value, so whether your HP is 1% or 49% the reload reduction is still the same. It’s a good skill for most battleships, but ships with bad armor rarely can utilize this skill because they’re at high risk of dying if they keep their HP low and doesn’t repair it.
ADA enhancement
It increases the range of all AA guns by 20%. Close range, mid range, and long range AA ranges will be buffed. Useful only if your ship has good AA already and even then it doesn’t improve your AA’s power.
Secondary battery enhancement
It increases the range and accuracy of secondary guns. Useful only for some battleships (German battleships and Illinois).
High-speed aiming
It increases the rotation speed of main guns. Very useful for battleships with slow turret rotation like Super Yamato, Yamato Refit, and Yamato (Musashi).
Extinguish
It reduces the fire duration if your ship is burning, but the effect is minimal and only becomes apparent if all crews already have this skill.
Band of brothers
This skill increases the effect of other skills that the crew have by 10%. However, it only works when all crews already have this skill at 100% progress. This skill needs a lot of investment and not suitable for common players.
Rush repair
It reduces the flood duration if your ship is flooding, but the effect is minimal and only becomes apparent if all crews already have this skill. Flooding is rare but often lethal so all players should use damage control instead.
Priority skills to choose and train:
- Most ships: crack gunner -> high-speed aiming -> etc.
- AA cruisers (for example Worcester, Minotaur, Gloucester): ADA enhancement -> crack gunner -> etc.
- German battleships and Illinois: secondary battery enhancement -> crack gunner -> high-speed aiming -> etc.
- Super Yamato, Yamato Refit, and Yamato: high-speed aiming -> crack gunner -> etc.
Engine Officer
- Steering master
- Emergency power
- Quick shift
- Advanced quick shift
- Noise reduction
- Extinguish
- Band of brothers
- Rush repair
Steering master
Reduces the rudder turning time so the ship can turn faster. It doesn’t reduce the turning radius. For ships that focuses on close range fights (for example German battleships), this skill is a priority.
Emergency power
Allows the ship to sail at 50% speed when the engine is destroyed. For destroyers this skill is a must have, because if the engine is destroyed the ship will become a sitting duck waiting to be sunk. For bigger ships the engine is well protected so this skill is useless.
Quick shift
This skill makes the ship accelerates faster. It doesn’t increase top speed. This skill if combined with advanced quick shift and engine enhancement module (traditionally called triple acceleration build) will give an absurd amount of acceleration. It’s a very strong skill for long range fights.
Advanced quick shift
This skill stacks with quick shift to make the ship accelerate even faster. It doesn’t increase top speed. This skill if combined with quick shift and engine enhancement module will give an absurd amount of acceleration. It’s a very strong skill for long range fights.
Noise reduction
It reduces the ship’s detection range, allowing it to move more freely and closer to the enemies without being detected. This skill is a priority for ships that rely on good concealment to survive like destroyer and some cruisers.
Extinguish
It reduces the fire duration if your ship is burning, but the effect is minimal and only becomes apparent if all crews already have this skill.
Band of brothers
This skill increases the effect of other skills that the crew have by 10%. However, it only works when all crews already have this skill at 100% progress. This skill needs a lot of investment and not suitable for common players.
Rush repair
It reduces the flood duration if your ship is flooding, but the effect is minimal and only becomes apparent if all crews already have this skill. Flooding is rare but often lethal so all players should use damage control instead.
Priority skills to choose and train:
- Most ships: quick shift -> advanced quick shift -> steering master -> noise reduction -> etc.
- German battleships: steering master -> quick shift -> advanced quick shift -> etc.
- Destroyers: noise reduction -> emergency power -> quick shift -> etc.
- Stealth-focused cruisers (for example Belfast, Cheyenne, Agano): noise reduction -> quick shift -> advanced quick shift -> etc.
Damage Control Officer
- Elite damage control
- Emergency flooding
- Torpedo bulkhead
- Buoyancy reserve
- Extinguish
- Band of brothers
- Rush repair
Elite damage control
It increases the damage control consumable’s duration by 3 seconds. Its effectiveness in battle is questionable.
Emergency flooding
It reduces fire chance after an HE shell hits the ship. Among other skills in this crew, this is probably the most universally useful. For battleships and cruisers, this skill is a priority.
Torpedo bulkhead
It reduces the chance of flood after a torpedo hit. However, because torpedoes already have very high flood chance, this skill isn’t effective.
Buoyancy reserve
This skill increases the amount of HP that you gain in each repair consumable. It doesn’t calculate based on your maximum HP, but rather based on the repair potential of your ship. For example if each repair consumable has the capacity to repair 20% of your HP, with this crew skill you’ll gain 22% (10% x 20%). For British cruisers, this skill is a priority because their repair consumable has high repair capacity. British battleships also benefit greatly from this skill.
Extinguish
It reduces the fire duration if your ship is burning, but the effect is minimal and only becomes apparent if all crews already have this skill.
Band of brothers
This skill increases the effect of other skills that the crew have by 10%. However, it only works when all crews already have this skill at 100% progress. This skill needs a lot of investment and not suitable for common players.
Rush repair
It reduces the flood duration if your ship is flooding, but the effect is minimal and only becomes apparent if all crews already have this skill. Flooding is rare but often lethal so all players should use damage control instead.
Priority skills to choose and train:
- Most ships: emergency flooding -> buoyancy reserve -> elite damage control -> etc.
- British cruisers and battleships: buoyancy reserve -> emergency flooding -> elite damage control -> etc.
- Destroyers and other ships without repair consumable: emergency flooding -> elite damage control -> etc (don’t choose buoyancy reserve).
Chief Torpedoman
- Weak point attack
- Engine maintenance
- Barrage
- Excess charge
- Tube enhancement
- Extinguish
- Band of brothers
- Rush repair
Weak point attack
This skill increases the chance to inflict flooding. A good skill, but since torpedoes already have high flood chance it’s not a priority.
Engine maintenance
This skill increases the range of torpedoes by 10%. This is an essential skill for ships with short torpedo range. Combined with noise reduction (engine officer), this skill will make some ships capable of torpedoing from stealth. This skill is a priority for all ships that has short range torpedoes.
Barrage
It improves the torpedo angle of the ship by 3o. In battle, its impact is minimal.
Excess charge
It increases the damage from each torpedo hit. This is useful for all torpedo ships.
Tube enhance
It increases the survivability of torpedo tubes. Only useful in some ships that uses both the main gun and torpedo as the primary damage source (for example Tirpitz, Scharnhorst). Those ships will get shot after they fire their guns and sometimes get their torpedo tubes destroyed. Since they also need their torpedoes to sink enemies, keeping the torpedo tubes intact is crucial. Aside from Tirpitz and Scharnhorst, other cruisers like Japanese Cruisers might need this crew skill too if your playstyle is very aggressive.
Extinguish
It reduces the fire duration if your ship is burning, but the effect is minimal and only becomes apparent if all crews already have this skill.
Band of brothers
This skill increases the effect of other skills that the crew have by 10%. However, it only works when all crews already have this skill at 100% progress. This skill needs a lot of investment and not suitable for common players.
Rush repair
It reduces the flood duration if your ship is flooding, but the effect is minimal and only becomes apparent if all crews already have this skill. Flooding is rare but often lethal so all players should use damage control instead.
Priority skills to choose and train:
- Most ships with torpedoes: excess charge -> engine maintenance -> weak point attack -> etc.
- Cruisers with short range torpedoes (<10.5 km): engine maintenance -> excess charge -> weak point attack -> etc.
- Tirpitz, Scharnhorst: excess charge -> tube enhance -> engine maintenance -> etc.
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