All hands on deck! Raise the black jack and batten down the hatches! Who knew that World of Warships was even a thing anymore? I didn’t! Heck, I’ve gone over my World of Tanks/Planes/Ships and War Thunder phase eons ago after coming to the sad realization that high tier vehicles require a plentiful coffer and grind to match, however the entire world has come to a sudden halt and I found myself marooned and in dire need of sea-related entertainment. Heave ho, buccaneers!

Total War Curse of the Vampire Coast kinda nails the strategic aspect of building a Marine Corps of disgruntled (by that I mean very, very dead) filibusters and hornswoggle them into a professional army. Shiver me timbers! The landlubbers at Creative Assembly thought that it was a fine idea to skip the ship on ship boarding fest in a PIRATE theme DLC. Sunless Sea is just too depressing for a time like this and Gaijin’s punny, low tier, strategy-less PT boats spitting lead everywhere did not suffice either.War Thunder’s maritime portion is one big pile of ship.

Listen to enough “Bismark” by Sabaton and World of Warship videos start popping-up on the Youtube feed. Watch a few of those and soon enough you’re being lured by the sirens at Wargaming into cracking Jenny’s teacup for a couple of go’s. Instead of Jenny you better be prepared to find beautifully rendered World War 1 and 2 naval Hearties and Man-o-Wars’ waiting to have a crack on you.

World of Warships gives no quarter to the competition in the hardware department, packing above 200 ships, each with it’s own quirks, bits and bobs to play around. So far my sea legs have taken me to the 6th tier in the American and Japanese cruisers tech tree. After a small boom about with battleships, reaching as far as the tier 5 in the American technological boticarium, I’ve come to the conclusion that cumbersome, lumbering beasts of steel with extremely small rates of fire aren’t exactly my favorite approach to naval scuffling. On the other wooden leg, the sneaky-peaky Destroyers run a rig of torp’n’take heel that requires a lot of map knowledge and skill that a son of a biscuit eater like me does not possess. I’m left with aircraft carriers but if I wanted to see others having fun I would just boot up another tab of pornhub. Cruisers it is, then!

Fast moving, medium to lightweight and carrying lots of anti-aircraft guns, decent main and secondary batteries and in some instances torps that you can use to whip the nine tails out of those that dare to close in for a devastating broadside. Being a jack of all trades and master of none means that cruise captains wanting to avoid the deep six will have to gung ho with another fellow maritimers. You’re the team’s barnacle and the cruisers helmsman task is to provide supporting fire and to flank, surprise and send the enemy crimps into an eternal search of the Davy Jones’ Locker. Those skilled salty sea-dogs can furl their sails and use the superior knots to draw fire and kite the enemy into delivering a broadside at your juicy, slim-silhouette, exposing and isolating themselves.

Able seamen will spend a considerate amount of time at their binnacles, finding positioning to be paramount lest they wish to find themselves between the devil and the deep.

To know the ropes around the mechanics of the field of vision are also amongst the main factors for success, those that know their three mile limit will be able to discharge a very unfriendly gun salute while keeping the opposite cannons at range. Speaking of guns, armchair admirals of cruisers aiming to deliver a wallop on their foes must familiarize themselves with main and secondary batteries range and calibre, reload times, shot spread and penetration values, gun inclination and turret traverse speed. Seafarers must also be able to lead their shots and make the proper corrections to ensure they blast involuntary port holes into their hulls. Have into account the outline, armor and critical locations within your vessel and those talented corsairs can use that to avoid the ill intents of the opposing ordnance. This is one seafarer game that takes the S from Sea and rams it into Strategic play.

Arrive at the port with hoofing flying colours and the game showers you with rewards. Unlike it’s land-loving peer, tussles in World of Warships tend to end up with digital corsairs dealing damage by the tens of thousands every match. Rare are the occasions in which you’re unable to penetrate enemy armor, so far I haven’t found myself chin-strapped for XP and credits as I desperately did in World of Tanks. To be above board with y’all currently I have a premium account activated so that might explain it- Still, the booty is aplenty even without the premium account.

Unfortunately, those that look for an armchair admiralty experience won’t find it here. World of Warships is clearly an arcade game for the ones that wish to hoist a Jolly Roger and captain the mighty ships of yore from the first half of 20th century naval warfare. Stay at home, be safe and protect yourself, sailor!

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