How to Play: Battleships in World of Warships in 2024

Battleships are the most armored ships in the World of Warships and deal the most damage from main caliber guns at the most excellent possible range.

Many players strive to obtain a battleship, believing the ship can single-handedly withstand superior enemy forces and decide the outcome of any battle.

Such an opinion is common but does not correspond to reality because World of Warships is a team game, and the efforts of one player, without the support of allies, mean little.

We also advise you to familiarize yourself with a helpful article: How to Dodge Torpedoes in World of Warships.

How to properly play on battleships in WoWs in 2024 to be an effective teammate and not to repeat common mistakes, we will understand further.

Battleship Class Features in World of Warships

Their design features explain the specificity of battleships:

1. Large dimensions make ships conspicuous but allow for many isolated compartments, each increasing the safety margin and making battleships virtually unsinkable.
2. Thick armor allows them to withstand multiple hits, but their large size negatively affects speed and maneuverability due to the increased overall mass of the ship.
3. Gun turrets for firing large-caliber ammunition have long barrels, allowing long-range firing but increasing the ship’s visibility.
4. Large main caliber gun turrets occupy all available space on the deck, so the lack of free space makes it challenging to place air defense systems, and the protection against air raids suffers.

Sluggishness and poor defense against air attacks make liners dependent on allied assistance:

• cruisers equipped with sound air defense systems must be close by to defend against air attacks by torpedo carriers;
• destroyers must be nearby to drop depth charges when submarines appear and to torpedo a careless carrier.

Tips for Effectively Playing Battleships in WoWs

To become an effective Battleship player, there are a few basic rules:

1. You can do the most damage from a distance of 20 km without getting close to the enemy, which is enough to fire salvo fire armor-piercing shells on a steep trajectory. When falling from a high altitude, the hard-shell warhead penetrates any deck, after which the fuse causes enormous damage.
2. One must not board the enemies to avoid massive hits and heavy damage. It is necessary to keep the ship bow to the enemy but at an angle that allows you to fire salvos from all guns.
3. It is better to use fragmentation ammunition for firing on cruisers and destroyers because armor-piercing shells penetrate the thin plating without causing significant damage.
4. When fighting one against two or more opponents, it is better to strategically retreat towards the allied forces by firing off the aft guns.
5. Excessive proximity to an enemy battleship will not allow you to fire armor-piercing shells; therefore, you must retreat by firing fragmentation ammunition.

Common Battleship Mistakes

The most common mistakes when playing WoWs on battleships are:

• Attempting to single-handedly confront several opponents or breaking away from the main allied forces;
• attempts to pursue opponents by entering narrow channels, from which you can get out only by backtracking and taking fire;
• neglecting maneuvering, which causes the vulnerable side of the citadel to come under fire;
• getting too close to the enemy to increase damage, which causes armor-piercing shells to ricochet;
• please do not attempt to install upgrades to air defense systems, as they will not be effective, and the opportunity to increase survivability and firepower will be lost.

Battleship: Pros and Cons

The main advantages of battleships are apparent:

• high safety margin and good armor;
• extended range of main caliber guns.

The main disadvantages of floating fortresses are as follows:

• low maneuverability and sluggishness;
• weak air defense system, which is useless to improve;
• low reloading speed of gun turrets.

Battleship Tactics in World of Warships

The best battleship tactics in WoWs are as follows:

1. Start the attack at a long distance (20 km), firing armor-piercing shells.
2. Next to the battleship (a little behind) should be a cruiser, a defense against air attacks, and can attack under cover.
3. Approaching more maneuverable destroyers and cruisers capable of a devastating torpedo attack should be avoided.
4. Approaching islands and areas of smoke should be done with caution because destroyers may be lurking there, ready to attack.
5. When a destroyer or cruiser lights up, you should immediately begin an evasive maneuver, assuming a torpedo attack in your direction by default.
6. Approach the enemy only at the end of the battle to escalate the resolution of the conflict.