Tier 12 Battleship Announcement

Well after 1 year this week we get this major patch update. It includes a two fold introduction of the hotly anticipated tier 12 battleships, along with modifications patching:

•  all battleship gun turn speeds increased
• all battleship defense levels increased
• a universal 5% increase to destroyer torpedoes against battleships
• and finally a speed reduction for all light cruisers.

Here is the full data changes that will take place

And the BIG part of this update includes these four wonderful new ships. Behold the tier 12 battleships. Derived from original plans that were around during WWII that were never totally built or had been re-purposed for aircraft carriers. Some characteristics of the ships have changed and are not true to real life, as they simply would not be up to the required standard for gameplay here. However feast your eyes on these:

IJN A150 - Which is basically a Yamato with another triple gun.

KM H44 the faster bigger brother of the h39, still running 8 guns as standard.

RN Lion 2 which has the addition of a fourth triple gun over it's navyfield 1 counterpart. It also boast the highest defense level

USN Montana, which is pretty much a larger Iowa with the addition of another triple gun.

Three of these ships have an interesting symmetry having four sets of triple guns. What we are all really hoping for is that they play differently and give each nation a unique feel.

As with navyfield 1 the RN Lion 2 was an extremely tough ship to sink, having good natural armor (in this case defence level) and having the smallest length and width of its class. This new one has an additional gun set to add extra umph!

The USN Monata was a fierce battleship in navyfield and could even oneshot a Lion 2 with a perfect full hit, which was tricky for the others ships due to high hang time (yamato) or weaker shell damage (h44).

KM H44 was the master of range and speed in the prequel. It has the same layout as you see above. While being physically weak, it was very quick. We'll have to see if it matches the same style as the original. H44 also had the fastest reloading AA battery to boot that could mess up scouts and bombers.

The IJN A150 you see above is also a big change from the previous iteration. It now has a fourth main gun turret. The current tier 11 Yamato has the heaviest damage in class when landing salvos. This ship looks set to be monstrous in it's damage output.

We can't wait to get our hands on these beauties come post-patch on Thursday.

First time through - Battleships

This post aims to highlight the key points that you will come to appreciate as you play battleships  to get to that maximum tier. We'll take a look into them tier by tier starting from tier five and point out the key advantages and disadvantages of each class.

As a general note, throughout your battleship experience you will come to appreciate the following points:

• until you get good accuracy at higher levels and with high morale, your long range shell spread will be poor. Only target other battleships at extreme range. 
• be aware of the rockets ships that are destroyers. Only subs and carriers are slower than you.
• be aware of submarines: take note of when and where they dive/surface and fire.
• be aware of packs of bombers flocking towards you, they WILL be targeting you. I guarantee it.
• do not buy armor items for your BB's in early tiers. Its best to wait until around tier 8 . This is because you wont be able to afford replacing 4 slabs of armor on a regular basis without it affecting your fund and thus restricting you purchasing the next tier ship.
• don't forget to buy credit/ship exp aides. You shouldn't be running a ship without one. Aides  are far more valuable to you than blowing money on armor early on and are still extremely productive when used regularly. Its quicker to progress to the next ship using an aide rather than spending credits on armors in the early stages. 
• take note of the damage you deal. Figures will pop up to show you how much damage you made, if these figures are lower than your ship's damage values then your enemy has armor equipped. Fire armor piercing (AP) shells to strip the armor away first. Literally landing one full salvo is sufficient against even the biggest battleships.
• income scales to your tier, meaning higher tier ships earn more exp and credits than lower tiers.
• tiers 5-7 are relatively quick to level through. From tier 7-8 it takes a bit longer, then tier 9-10 becomes slightly grindy and tier 10-11 is the main bulk of grinding. 
• with premium accounts some of these grinds can be reduced drastically. Premium is the best thing to spend money on if you are unsure about how morale benefits your ship.
• battleship AA is relatively weak until tier 9, then becomes very good in the high tiers.
• tier 11 guns at max-range will not always produce a perfect blockshot even with 200% morale gunners. Tier 9 & 10 spread can be slightly better.
• do not waste gold on gold items for general matchmaking. do make use of regular items like the boiler and reload for your battleships, as you can afford them.

I can't stress this point enough: every other ship out there has a means to deal lots of damage to a battleship and will always go for you because you are big, slow and an easy target that they can cause lots of damage to.

Think about it, why target a small fast ship that can dodge when there is a juicy big battleship that is far easier to hit and, at times, not paying attention?

• Destroyers and light cruisers will use their torpedoes along with their faster speed to torpedo run you. IJN torp ships Shimikaze, Kuma and Kitakami are lethal. Also be aware of the USN gearing.
  
• Subs will stay hidden and attempt to alpha strike you. 
• Carriers will send dive bombers straight at you because you are impossible to miss and yield the most damage.
• Heavy cruisers will use the high dps of their guns coupled with their agility to whittle away your health (dp) while dodging your attacks making life difficult and aiming more fiddly.
• other battleships will be aiming for the bigger easier targets, which will be you in your bb.

A battleships life is hard because you need to pay attention to every possible threat on the battlefield. Then ultimately realize that you can only deal with one or two of those threats at any given moment.

Reading the battle and multitasking become extremely important the higher level you get. Its good practice paying attention to the sky and sniping down scouts and bombers. You can AA planes and fire your main guns quickly, dealing with scouts or bombers and dealing with a bb/dd/ca/cl threat at the same time.

Tip: If you know a CV will be dive bombing, aim all AA guns sets directly up by clicking on your ship. Both left and right side guns have a chance to score big hits on these bombers directly overhead and can easily shred squadrons of planes this way.

Recognize that if you drift close to a group of enemies who have a good composition of ships you will be forced to face a variety of threats, which will make life very difficult for you.

In the initial minutes of a match don't be overly aggressive by engaging multiple ships, let your teammates draw attention first. You can then settle into bombarding your target while not being bombarded yourself.

Avoid getting outnumbered and surrounded. Always keep at a comfortable range, a range where you can deal damage to a target without one or more targets can repeatedly fire back at you.

Avoid doing too little. As you increase the tier of ships more action is expected from the firepower you have brought to the fight. Doing nothing until you have to will infuriate your team and could cost you the match. Learn when to engage and be prepared to take a hit or two as that's what battleships are designed for, taking some punishment.

Remember though that your first few hits are crucial, and after armor is gone and you dp is declining you will notice all types of ships CA/CL and BB's take more interest in you because you are easier to destroy.

Smaller fast ships will time your salvos and turn away from you to avoid being hit. Try using gradual fire modes and predict their movement to score hits. Aim to fire when they present a larger target for you (broadside)

Below is a general tier by tier breakdown that we mentioned in the intro. It will explain some of the pros and cons of each tier and provide a little insight into how to use them effectively. It will also feature some specific ships to watch out for and why that is the case.

Tier 5

These 'pocket battleships' are a generally considered powerful for their tier because at such an early stage they have a few advantages which include:

• high dps from primary and secondary HE guns
• decent speed
• small size/ ship profile

Being small combined with high dps makes tier 5 'pocket battleships' a joy to drive as they can tear up tiers 4-6 quite comfortably. The KM Moltke (seen below) is one of the more powerful tier 5 because it's tough and armed to the teeth along with being a small target.

Disadvantages:

• no scout
• slow turn rate 
• slow speed compared to higher tier BB's

The one major downside for tier 5 is their lack of vision. Not having a scout means you rely on teammates and islands for vision. The second downside is overall speed, being slow means you cant attack/retreat as quickly as other tiers if you're not vigilant you could run into trouble.

Avoid destroyers and submarines who can cripple or outright sink you.

Best practices for tier 5 bb's include sticking around higher tier battleships and avoid taking fire from multiple enemy battleships. Retreat behind larger ships until they are the focus of enemy attacks.

Tier 6

These battleships give you access to your first scout which is the most important aspect of navyfield. Vision is a battleship's life.

Three of the four nations tier 6 bb's come with a scout. If you picked the RN (uk) unfortunately the Revenge and the tier 9 Nelson don't have scouts. RN captains have to wait to tier 7 for your first scout.

T6 advantages include:

• improved gun range
• higher damage per shell over tier 5
• more dp (damage points)
• first bb with a scout 

Some tier 6 main guns are powerful like the USN lexington which can deal a fair bit of damage when landing a full salvo. Most of the tier 9 and 10 bb's have similar caliber guns.

T6 disadvantages include:

• large ship size. (Most are bigger and longer than t5, 7& 8's)
• poor shell spread (with low level gunnery officers)

Now that you have scouts, use them to avoid running straight into the enemy team.
The scout is your newest best friend, no more relying on allies and islands for vision. Now you have to watch out for enemy flak!

At this early stage your main gun shell spread will be bad, so be selective and aim for larger targets at medium to long range, try to avoid drawing too much attention to yourself. If the target is blind then approach to allow for more shells to hit it. Always watch for incoming scouts that will reveal you and retreat accordingly if spotted.


Tier 7

These battleships tend to be smaller in length compared to tier 6 and offer some minor improvements like:

• slightly better DP than tier 6
• more shell damage
• slightly improved speed & turning force.

Again with tier 7's you shouldn't be too aggressive and attacking above your weight as t8's and above will crush you in a head-on battle. Watch out for tough tier 8/9 BB's who have stacked on heavy armor, as they can afford armor at this point armor.

It's best to stick close to high tier allies and not draw attention to yourself. Play to your ships strengths, use scouts and aa enemy scouts down. It will make life much easier for you in the long run.

Tier 8 

Ah now we're onto tier 8. These ship begin the more powerful end of the battleship spectrum. They  shine when it come to mid-range engagements due to two key factors:

• high DPS due to HE secondary guns.
• strong armor setups (like 4-0, 3-1 or 2-2 belt/deck, which becomes more affordable). 

Tier 8's can now afford to purchase regular armor items because they earn more credits. Try usinga  credit aide & premium account for maximum income. Sadly they are also the last tier of battleship to have secondary HE guns which allows them to be fairly more aggressive and able to counter support ships better.

Use these secondary guns to the full against other battleships. Use AP shells to strip your target of armor before firing you main guns. It's very effective and can catch higher tier ships out.

Tier 8's also benefit from being relatively small in size, making them harder to land shells onto. Their accuracy is very good at mid-range meaning more shells hit their mark translating to more damage being dealt with each salvo.

The USN New Mexico is considered one of the more powerful tier 8 ship even after being nerfed. This is due to having twelve main guns which fire at lower angles. When fully upgraded the New Mexico is a potent ship with its high accuracy and low-angle flight time of shells combining to make this battleship lethal at medium ranges.

Tier 9

These ships are generally a stronger breed of battleship benefiting from the following advantages:

• higher defense levels, which mitigate damage better. (see UK Nelson)
• high caliber guns
• improved AA over previous tiers 
• strong armor setups 

In particular the UK Nelson is a very potent ship when armored. It can head straight towards groups of ships with relative impunity, seemingly brushing off damage.

However, all tier 9 ships can be tougher to sink due to improved defense levels coupled with armor. They benefit from being slightly faster than previous tiers and retain decent accuracy.

Tier 9 disadvantages:

• all tier 9 ships lose their secondary HE shells and are replaced with AA ammo instead.
• tier 9 ships are relatively bigger and/or wider than previous tiers (making them easier to hit)

Transitioning up to tier 9 can be a little strange at first because of the different play style. Losing HE secondaries means you generally want to fight at longer ranges, attacking and retreating based on your main gun reload times. Drift into range of multiple ships will result in your armor and DP promptly vanishing.

Also be extremely aware of scouts in BB vs BB encounters. Denying an enemy battleship his vision is crucial,  a blind bb can not hit its target. Shoot scouts down with your improved AA guns before you engage. Attacking a blind enemy gives you the advantage as they won't be able to hit back.

Pay attention to specific ships, like Nelsons (t9) and Amagi (t10) who will probably rush anyway because they lack scouts. Both of these ships deal lots of damage so monitor their movements towards you.

Tier 10

These bb's get a slight increase in performance over tier 9's in the following areas:

• faster ship speed 
• slightly longer gun range
• improved gun damage
• high gun accuracy

The USN South Dakota is one of the best tier 10 ships due to its small profile and high accuracy.
The Bismarck 1945 & Vanguard P  are equally quick and accurate too. At this stage your gunnery officers will be getting decent accuracy even without high morale.

Tier 10 downsides include:

• No sub detection
• Long ship length ( making shells and torpedoes easier to hit you)
• Slightly less range than some tier 11's

As with all battleships avoid getting swarmed and deal damage to the targets you should be aiming for, that is other battleships primarily.

At tier 10 it is advised to get the ship upgrades first, starting with speed, dp and guns. It doesn't take too long to acquire them and they will make your ship operate correctly for the grind to tier 11.

Tier 11

These bb's are the cream of the crop when it comes to bb's, at least until tier 12's are released in 2016.

Tier 11's benefit from:

• Highest shell damage (IJN Yamato is currently the highest)
• Longest gun range (USN Iowa)
• Superior AA capabilities
• Highest DP (damage points) in game.
• 5(7) Scouts
• Fastest BB class, especially if not armored and using gold boiler

Tier 11 downsides include:

• They are massive targets having large profiles to hit. 
• Longest reload times.

Tier 11 BB's are tough to take on alone, but are not invincible. With combined fire they can be worn down over time. Any respectable tier 11 captain should know which targets to take down, and will be alert to a variety of threats. Being a torpedo and bullet magnet means staying on the move is strongly recommended. Speed is your new best friend.

Once you get your tier 11 battleship, work through getting the upgrades like speed, dp and guns. Once you master the ship you will be able to get more exp for the tier 12 ships.

Tier 12

These ships are coming soon to the server. They include the USN Montana (see image), IJN A150, RN Lion and the KM H44.

Conclusion

Battleships are a less forgiving class of ship to play in navyfield. You need to stay alert at all times and be active in the battle. They can also be very fun and challenging to master their play style especially when you get some of the biggest guns to rain down destruction on others.

New Years Update

So 2015 has ended and here we are on the cusp of an exciting new year ahead, especially for Navyfield 2. On the 31st December the dev team at SDEnternet posted the following announcements of upcoming plans for 2016 here.

For the abbreviated details if you simply can't wait look below:

• Tier 12 Battleships will be introduced during January or February.
• Significant balance patch  will be made affecting BB's reload time, gun turn speed and defense power, CL's speed reduction, DD's torp damage increased. During January.
• Certain ships' credit gain increased.
• Planes now becoming permanent. The 7 day timer will be removed.
• Fleet Battles will be introduced. During March.
• Harbour Assault will be patched. Sometime during April or May.

This is great news as almost every month should include some form of major alterations to hold us out until the big game modes are available. So many of the long term veterans are looking forward to fleet battles, and the high level of strategy in the upcoming harbor assaults.

These features are exactly what the game is about, getting lots of fleets together in big battles with an end goal in sight: being the top of the leader boards or holding down a harbor for the longest.  

But the strategies involved and the tactics employed will show who has their wits about them and which fleets truly are up for the challenge.

For more details on the updates to come your in 2016 check out here. 

Southern Seas Event - Q & A

From the previous post you will now know the details regarding the southern seas event, and how you can use this time to improve things as best you can.

I had a few nagging questions that could only be answered by playing the game and trying it out for myself. So I logged in and spent about 30 minutes sorting through my officers to get them correct.

Here's what I found:


Q. How many times can you reset your sailor's skill points?

A. One time.

The way this operates is that you have a global reset on all sailors on all nations already done once you log in.

Once you have allocated your officer's points they are once again set and you must then pay gold if you want to redo them again.


Q. Are captain points reset?

A. No.

This one was a bit of a bummer as it would have been helpful to reallocate some points on my captains.

The gold cost of changing (resetting) a captain's skill points is not as bad as resetting a single officer.


Q. Are officers able to change their types from gunner to support, or special?

A. No.

Only the officer ability points can be changed, not the type of officer itself.


Q.  Do the ability caps coincide with the ability bars you see for your ship performance?

A. Initially this is a bit of a tough one to tell.

My fleet mates mentioned that should get all 5 gunners to 100 accuracy. It appears that only with full 100 accuracy that each officer's ability bar will fill completely and by extension only will the collective ship performance bar reach the top too ( assuming you have with 200% morale)

While I was looking at only getting to the ability cap (of 480 for accuracy)  which works out 96 acc per sailor, I may have actually done myself some damage in the long run. 20 points in reload isn't going to make even the slightest difference anyway.

Thankfully I listened to my fleet mates.


Q. How does gold payback work?

A. The developers have added the 20% bonus onto the total amount of gold you purchase.

For instance if you choose the 6250 gold option the initial 250 bonus gold is added as normal. Then the 20% event bonus is added on top (1300 gold) giving you a grand total of 7800 gold.

The Southern Seas Event

For this weeks' update the development team have unleashed a wave of content for October under The Southern Seas event. Details include:

• South American players are now able to join the server.
• Sink ship event  - sinking the required number of ships rewards you with credit packs.
• Crystal event -  active players get a chance to earn a navyfield 2 crystal trophy.
• Gold payback event - 20% increase on new gold purchases.
• Sailor skill reset - free officer skill points resets.

The officer reset part of this event is a very important one. Many players have discovered that they would prefer to change their officer points. While this can be done at the cost of gold, the developers realise how helpful this will be to the community, especially with harbour assaults on the horizon.

Many gamers have placed points incorrectly on their officers to find out what works and what doesn't and quite simply refuse to use their gold for a reset if they selected incorrectly.

This is a good move as all players will now be able to fine tune their officer ability points to maximise their ships' effectiveness. Combining this with the ability caps mentioned on the nf2 forum here players can allocate the exact number of points as they wish.

The gold event is also great. If you're looking to spend some money on gold this really sweetens the deal with an extra 20% added on to what you buy.

Patch notes for this week also mention that matchmaking has been adjusted so that only tiers 1-5 and tier 6-12 will be matched together. This will stop the low tier population battling the higher tiers.

Also this is reflected with platoons having the same limitation as well. If a platoon wants to join a match only ships from tier 1-5 or tiers 6-12 can be used together. Ship from different groups won't be allowed to start a match if attempted.

So there we have it, have a great October event, fine tuning your sailors and welcoming all those new south american players.

Current Update

In truth there has been no changes to the game since last week, save for the usual server maintenance (boring). But that's a huge positive, why? because we know the devs are hard at work preparing for the launch of the harbour assault tests.

As mentioned in our previous posts this will be the end-game content for all fleets to get involved in, and a chance for them to use their best ships. And the devs mentioned the test could be within the next month or two, with a release soon after adjustments are made.

Top five Fleets to be looking out for when Harbour Assault are being tested and go live are:

Chinese Fleet  - Chinese flag
Japanese Fleet - Yin/Yang flag
Jedi - Yoda Flag
Icbm - Bio-hazard flag
Australia Fleet - Australian flag

You will notice when playing against other fleets, especially the top 5, they have multiple players who have maximum morale crews which make their ships as fully effective as they can be. Coupled with the players' skills and competency, knowing how to play against skilful players, they are some of the best players in game right now.

Currently the top 5 are among the most active fleets right now given the low population (what I'm calling The Depression) This will change once HA's come in as everyone will jump back into nf2 to get in on the action.

We will see a plethora of fleets who will be eager to form alliances and dominate the high seas together.

Finally, can you guess which fleet I belong to? I'll give you a hint it's one of those mentioned above.

One or Two Months

That was the quote from SDEnternet's development team in this forum post about when harbour assault mode will be tested.

This is fantastic news as many will be eager to get involved with this test. Super hyper buzzing right now!

Coming back to reality, the dev team also revealed that the planning period has finished and they are well under way with the actual development of their plan.

They teased by saying that the first test will be a couple months away. Even more interestingly they revealed that the harbour assaults will be on a "grander scale" than in nf1 previously.

The harbour assaults were a 5x5 grid fashion. Win a battle room to win a grid, work your way to the harbour tile, win the battle and then capture the harbour.

It is anyones guess exactly what they mean by a "grander scale". It could be that more than one fleet is involved. Or maybe there is a new world map and/or grid layout that offers new routes and challenges to get to the harbours.

Also what about rewards? If the same holds true from nf1, obtaining a harbour means you get free repairs on ships of that nation and access to producing unique ships.

Hopefully there will be a few more surprises in store for the rewards you get when owning a harbour.

The final note was that screenshots will be coming soon so that we all get a taster of what the new mode and interface will look like in readiness for the live server test.

Exciting times? Yes. We can't wait!

Tier XI Battleships

Having spent enough time & effort along with boat loads of experience & credits you have proudly bought your first BB XI. Either the long range Iowa, the accurate H39, the devastating Yamato, or the speedy and sleek Vanguard

All tier 11 battleships do not have secondary he guns. This means your DPS is limited to your main guns reload time.

However they have the longest range and most powerful guns on the sea. Tier XI's also have the highest amounts of DP in the game so far most sport a formidable AA complement with long range and damage capability. High tier BB's are quicker than previous ones.

But being in a top tier ship whilst every other players is in a tier 10 or less means you are public enemy number one. Every ship will be itching to shoot every form of high explosive destruction they can at you under the sun.

Congratulations, you will now become the biggest electro-magnet of shells and torpedoes ever, good luck.

Gameplay Changes

Play to your strengths: range, high damage, speed and accuracy.
Be aware of weaknesses: slow turn rate, long reload times, easy to hit and bomb.

I've underlined range, because you will definitely want to use it. Once you are in the range of other battleships and heavy cruisers they will target you and that is exactly what you want to avoid: being in the range of several enemy ships at once.

Your speed will allow you to dictate the flow of battle. Push other battleships back by pinging them with a salvo or two. Then watch for support ships rushing in to attack you. If you stray too close to a few enemies, speed away back to the safety of your team.

Stay within the safety net of your team. Going it alone gives your enemy an invitation to attack you whether they can successfully destroy you or just strip your armour and be a nuisance.

Also make it a habit of targeting ships you are designed to hit. Prioritize other battleships and Heavy cruisers that stray too close. It's pointless to attack distant apa's & dd's as most shells will miss and you will be wasting your shells and overall battle effectiveness in the process.

Initially It's far better to land more shells on an enemy battleship dealing upwards of 30k damage rather than missing the majority of shells on a ship who is far away and never going to harm you.

Learn to focus fire and prioritize weakened ships. If you see a half damaged ship that will bug-out try to sink it. Sinking it results in one less enemy firing at you and makes your life that bit easier.

I've seen this many many times where players will target the nearest ship to them, when a ship a little farther away is close to being sunk. In certain circumstances (maybe a crippled BB 9-11) you may want to pursue it to remove its effectiveness from the battle.

Evaluate targets worth shooting. Some targets may be so crippled that you could be wasting your shells on them, while other nearby ships can take them out. Target a new ship and leave the crippled one to your allies. If there are no allies around you finish him off yourself, but switch firing to gradual mode and only use what ammo is necessary to sink them.

High damage is only as good as your accuracy, spread and personal aiming skills are. If you are constantly missing shells your damage output will be reduced and your overall contribution to the team effort will be low.

Items

The best items for tier XI's are the boiler enhancement, and a reload item.
You want to be fast, and reload more quickly in general matchmaking battles. You will probably want some armour. How much is up to you.

In Harbour Assaults you will definitely want to repair more quickly to keep your ships from sinking. Equipping an advance repair crew will increase your battle endurance.

Armour is good for matchmaking. Speed is just as valuable for tier XI than taking a few extra hits. Maybe 1/1 Belt/Deck is sufficient. Don't over estimate the value of armour:  it's helpful yes but it doesn't make you invincible.

Think of armour as a limited buffer of dp. It never lasts forever. And it will slow you down the more you have. It really depends on your play style and the battle situation. In matchmaking you may want a bit or a lot. In fleet battles, speed might be more crucial to attack and withraw instead of having that dp buffer. Time will tell.

Bear in mind that tier XI's won't be the top of the tree for long, as tier XII's have already been leaked by the devs. And will probably be slightly quicker, tougher, dealing more damage and having even more range.

Value of Kiting

Kiting is technique in which a player uses his ship in a hit and run fashion. While the player giving chase is at a disadvantage the runner gains the advantage due to continually slipping out of gun range during every firing cycle.

This is a sound tactic especially if a player is alone and knows he will get sunk by the combined fire of his opponents.

Two keys factors in nf2 are the speed and size of your ship. In relation to incoming shells kiting becomes easier with a faster and smaller ship (CA, CL & DD's). Smaller ships are also much more agile and can turn to avoid shells.

Kiting is an effective method that can discourage  aggressors from pursuing you. Kiting can work in many 1v1 situations regardless of what ship you are in, but it is much more effective if your ship is quicker.

Kiting is an integral part of the game, especially when it comes to ship to ship combat and fleet actions.

Effective fleets will draw a ship towards them, forcing them to miss their salvo, whilst the rest of the team will hit the ship that advances with a barrage of shells.

Basic Carrier Tips

If you are looking for a fresh perspective on the game, carriers might be the place to start. They are a fun, challenging and unquestionably the most crucial ship class in the game.

The entire team looks to their carriers as a source of protection from bombers and most importantly vision for the team during the battle.

Starter Tips

Carriers can operate quickly or slowly. A quick carrier can respond to changing circumstances. 

To begin with you have a small tier V carrier with few planes, a runway that can launch 5 planes at a time and very weak level 1 planes.

When loading planes it's quicker to ready two or three at a time over four or five which take longer to fuel. On small maps being quick is imperative.

You can control 5 groups of planes at one time. You will usually want fighters up first, protecting you and your team. Once secure then begin loading bombers. Rotate planes that are low on fuel.

TIP:  At level 1-59 use torpedo bombers and stay clear of enemy ships to preserve your planes. Level 1 dive bombers just evaporate to AAW.

TIP: When engaging other groups of fighters if you're outnumbered or the enemy is a greater level than you, lure their planes down into your friendly ships AAW radius to shred them.

From this point its up to you to read the battle situation as it develops. Are you getting harassed by small ships, or bombed by another carrier. What targets are easy to bomb, what scouts can you mop up.

Carriers have to be able to think about several different things at once and pay attention to important matters in the air first.

Advanced carrier tips coming soon...

Pre Harbour Assault Era

Now that daily quest missions have been added in the 13th August weekly update, the devs have shifted their focus onto end-game content.

At the moment Navyfield's population is low. However despite that, I can guarantee that not only does everyone want harbour assaults to be added,  HA's are the very reason they started playing navyfield for in the first place and because of this they will come flooding back once the end game contents is rolled out on the server.

Not only will it be a boost to the population but it'll also be a huge boost for the community and for the life of navyfield 2. From the developers point of view it will provide a significant and ongoing boost in premium sales, as players compete to kit out their officers and ships to the limits.

Harbour assaults will prove to be the most competitive aspect of the navyfield experience, and everyone involved will want their ships to perform at there best. Fleet rivalries and alliances will be forged as the game evolves.

Testing Phase

As stated in one of their recent newsletters the developers informed us that active fleets will get the chance to test out harbour assaults. This will be great as fleets can be directly involved in how the HA mode will run.

The development team teased fleets informing us that those most active will be awarded with the first harbours when they go live. This is a great enough incentive for fleets to be getting their ships and tactics up to scratch to be ready for the testing phase.

Being Ready

Many non-premium players know that harbour assaults are a little way off yet and there has been no reason to rush getting multiple end tier ships in record time. And to be honest many who have spent lots of money so far feel short-changed because they can't really use those top tier ships for anything other than end-game content, which simply isn't there.

However all players can still be getting as many ships as they can. High tier or not, the more ships you have at your disposal for a harbour assault the better. Why? Well, during a harbour assault your ships can not be repaired in the shipyard. That means a sunken ship will be unusable for the rest of the assault.

This is one of the defining aspects of harbour assaults, sinking a ship to remove it from further battles. The two fleets go into contention against all the ships in the opposing fleets shipyards. It becomes a battle of attrition, requiring fleets to wear away the other fleets' powerful ships until they are forced to submit.

This makes players act more cautiously than normal, as they do not want to lose their best ships early on. However it also brings other skills and knowledge into the mix. For instance, repair rate becomes more important as damaged ships can retreat from the front line to heal up.

Adjusting from the chaos and randomness of matchmaking games to having two highly skilled fleets battling with their most lethal ships is going to be the challenge this game really deserves along with the satisfaction of overcoming the odds to claim the prize: a harbour.

But we don't just want the harbours, we want the rewards and the prestige that go along with them. Access to unique ships and proof to the claim that our fleet can be one of the best out there. Not just at the game itself, but because of what we stand for.

6 Months of 2015 - Looking Back

Staring August in the face let's look back and review what's happened over the last few month to refresh our memories of some significant changes that have taken place,

So let's have a look:

Increased XP and credit earning - Ranking system

Feb/March 2015 -
The first big changes in-game were the inclusion of increased credits and experience. Firstly credits seemed to be very scarce to come by in the earlier tiers (where you earn less). The devs did an overhaul that included adding a ranking system based on factors such as how much damage you dealt, how long the match lasted and what ship tier you are in.

The F-S rank was included to make players aware of how well they performed whilst giving a sense of their earnings related to that performance.

Major Ship Adjustments

April/May 2015 -
This involved all ships receiving game-changing nerfs/ buffs depending on its current performance.

Changes from damage, speed, defence level, turning rate, dive time, plane speed, you name it it was all there and almost every ship got changed. Let's put it this way, things felt different.

Major Ship Update

May/June 2015 -

This included a large patch where all the 'blank' spaces in the ship tree were filled in. For example tier 10 and tier 6 battleships were added, among others for all classes. Around 50 ships were added in total.

This facilitated an easier and more enjoyable experience to players going up the ship tree. It also gave plenty of players their first tier 11 ship for free. (almost)

New game Modes

June/July 2015 -

Two new game modes were added: Flagship and Occupation. Along with the standard Annihilation mode this gave players a total of three modes to try.

Although still requiring adjustments to improve them both modes tend to finish quickly with little rewards because earnings are still based off damage dealt, not the actual success of the game type.

Website & Forum Updates

July 2015 - 

Changes to improve the fluidity of the website and forum were added. Things like removing captcha (a pain), longer Auto-Log off time (another pain), word wrap (get the gist?) and latest posts-by have now been implemented.

Making for a more relaxed experience when it comes to commenting about things navyfield related.

Future Updates

Latter 2015- 

The biggest focus of attention for everyone now is on the end-game content: harbour assaults. The development team are surely feeling the breath of the community down their neck.

The good news is that development has now begun. The bad news is that it will likely take some months to get to a point where testing will take place, before it gets onto a live launch.

Many aspects need to be addressed like; the world map, the shipyard blimp interface, battle rooms to set up the matches, then the actual game mode itself ( a derivative of annihilation ), along with fleet banks, challenge times and not to forget the benefits of owning a harbour; access to unique ships and production levels for defence. And ultimate bragging rights.

We want the whole package, but we also want it to be done well in the first instance.

Captain's Log: Episode 7

Captain's Log:

The H39 is a interesting ship as you can get the upgrades pretty fast due to earning the most xp and credits. Now that the 'final' tier ship is mine I can branch out into the heavy cruiser line. Already having a the Roon, I've managed to access the First Bismarck and the Scharnhorst very quickly too.

Heavy cruisers' compact size is a big bonus. Not just from the point of view of avoiding shells, but, more crucially, from a psychological perspective. Most players ignore a ship that is smaller in appearance and will focus on a bigger one (like a battleship) instead.

This psychological indoctrination is easy to recognise, and therefore easy to combat. You can practically see how a player thinks. Then you can predict what he is going to do. This means you have the advantage.

Speed, agility and dps are the key things that make a heavy cruiser a serious threat. Alone a heavy cruiser will be ok in a 1 vs 1 fight. But working collectively and letting friendly (battle)ships draw fire is the key to driving a heavy cruiser effectively. Chipping away your victims dp. You have to allow time for that dps to kick in

If you can not overcome your target(s) in that time, then you need to rethink your strategy.

Tier six heavy cruisers lack a scout. Therefore being with team mates and around islands is an essential tactic to improve your vision and effectiveness in battle.

You need to keep on the move. Never wander in a straight line. You are small and nippy but can still get thumped by shells if you take it easy.

I always make my ship difficult to hit by zig-zaging. Evading shells in a heavy cruisers is much easier due to erratic driving and the ship being smaller in size.

I've noticed that it is much easier to target smaller support ships with a CA's guns, as the accuracy of the shells is much better plus the range is closer so it take less travel time for the shell to hit the target.

Heavy cruisers are fun after being in a battleship. You can run and gun. It's a joy in comparison to being a shell magnet for hundreds of games.

It seems like this new class has breathed new life into the game for me.

Weekly Update 16th July - Summer Cooldown Event

After Wednesday's patch which included a few minor changes, the devs are now running a Summer Chilldown Event.

This event encompasses three separate events rolled in one and includes, 50% extra experience, sink ships to earn credit items, and daily missions to earn gold. Read more

This is great as we haven't had an event for a couple months. It provides that litte extra incentive to sink the ships you want to for extra credits, and complete the missions to earn free gold.

And quite a necessary one as many are waiting for the Harbour Assaults to be developed and added into the game.

Recent Information

Lets get straight to it.

Quest Missions

Firstly the devs are currently working on Quest Missions which will give regular players daily challenges to overcome to earn some free gold.

To be released soon...

Harbour Assaults

The development team have announced (navyfield2.com) that their next main project is going to be Harbour Assaults. Which, let's face it, is a huge task.

It's a necessary step in development to provide navyfield 2 community that top level challenge and strategy that it deserves. Especially for the fleets who are active and want more of a challenge.

So the dev team are knuckling down on harbour assaults constructing it from the ground up to make it work smoothly with the current system. They also announced that testing will take place to work out bugs and issues as they go along, which is always good to know as it gets us involved too.

We'll have to wait and see how the blimps on our shipyards will work with the fleet/ harbour assault information. As they were added months ago (February?) and were directly for this purpose.

Fleet wars should also be heading our way, and whether that is separate to harbour assaults is yet to be determined.

Tier Increase - XII

And don't forget the devs haven't yet revealed when the new Tier 12 ships will be added. But  this will probably be further down the line this year as the leak was only in June.

Lots to look forward to on the horizon!

Captain's Log - Episode 5

Having several hundred matches under my belt I have a firm grasp of the game now.

Certain maps need to be played in certain ways. Ships need to be played correctly. Teams who work together (and work to their ship strengths) really stand out and just dominate a match. Fulfilling your ship roles are crucial.

Currently I drive a tier 8 BB (Bayern). In terms of size, it's more compact than previous tiers and, therefore, it's easier to evade shells from other BB's when at range.

I've learned to appreciate that you need to stick with your team and focus fire more so than before, as BB's don't perform as well on their own.To win battles you must reduce the enemy's offensive capability one ship at a time while keeping your ships in tact.

As most battles progress, picking the right target and picking the right time to strike is vital, asking myself:

• Is this target really worth attacking? Do I have an opportunity to break apart the enemy formation? Will I attract too much aggro and get sunk? Am I correctly positioned?
• Am I able to attack without being attacked? (am I scouted?) Can I retreat? Do I have back-up or not?

The play style of NF2 strongly encourages captains to stay with their team mates. The majority of battles can be won with superior numbers. BB's have lots of DP, but that can vanish if you get torpedoed, or shelled by the combined fire of multiple CA's/ BB's

BB's are vulnerable because of their slower speeds (when heavily armoured), slower turn rate and long reload times. However, get several of them together firing at one target and they will quickly devour it. 

The game is still fun and yet frustrating at the same time, as is the case in most random match made scenarios.

Captain's Log - Episode 4

Nearly a month of playing I have a decent battleship with a scout and anti-aircraft guns.  The Mackensen is... interesting. It's so big and the guns spray shells all over the place, but it's definitely a joy to be able scout where I want instead of relying on my team for light.

 AA works well against enemy scouts when on auto aim, and German ships seem to possess strong aa shells and good aa range. I tried manual aiming for a while. It's proving tiresome to aim the secondary guns and main guns. But it is possible.

Some games are very interesting but most are just a matter of sticking to your team and avoiding the rushing ships and bombers.

Matchmaking is pretty much players getting to understand the game. And win percentage is affected by this. But it's only a means to an end.

Because credits are in short supply I'm saving up for the next ship, and only spending xp on the research to get their.

This seems to be what it's like for mid-tier ships. Conserve credits to purchase the next one. Until it takes longer to get the next ship, then upgrades could be (credit) purchased

Navyfield Newsletter - Reinforcements Have Arrived

As a brief summary of recent changes to Navyfield 2 the development team have issued the following newsletter:

Navyfield 2 End-game?

Harbour Assaults

Following the traditional approach set down from navyfield 1, the end game revolves around what is called harbour assaults. Harbour assaults can only be played by fleets who wish to control one of the available harbours.

What will harbour assaults be like?

Quite simply, a harbour assault consists of two fleets who battles it out over who owns the harbour. The victorious fleet gets to keep the harbour for themselves until it is attacked again. The setup may be fairly similar to the original harbour assaults in navyfield 1.

What are the benefits of owning a harbour?

Harbours allow the controlling fleet to get free ship repairs in regular matches. It also allows the fleet to rent unique ships. Harbours are the hallmark of a strong fleet, especially if they control it for longer periods of time.

What are unique ships?

Basically they are like ships on steroids. Compared to mastered ships they are very accurate, fast, quick to reload and have slightly longer range than their standard counterpart.

In navyfield 1 unique ships were a remodelled version of a current battleship. In navyfield 2 there may be unique destroyers, cruisers, submarines and carriers. This could add an interesting twist for fleets if they are included.

How will harbour assaults work?

A fleet takes over a battle area leading up to the harbour. Then they attack the harbour to capture or destroy it. Claiming it for your themselves.

More details on Harbour Assault will be available once they are added.

Platoon Battles

What are platoon battles?

The platoon battle gives you and two friends (or more likely fleet mates) the chance to battle together on the same team.

However, there are certain restrictions on the type of ships you can have in a platoon. For instance you can only have two battleships in your team, never three. Your team can have either one carrier or one submarine running at a time, but never both at the same time .

This is so you could never have a maximum tier battleship, carrier and submarine teaming up together.

Platoon benefits and advantages

Platoons are a great way to have fun with friends and fleet mates. It is also a good opportunity to learn fleet mates play styles, what ships they have, to communicate effectively with them in battle       (using voice chat).

A strong incentive for using a platoon is the 20% increased credit earnings. Which is a great because credits are harder to come by than exp. 

Platoon downsides?

Usually platoons are a good way to make a strong team in matchmaking. Most likely you will be matched against other platoons.

In some games one team may have a platoon while the other team doesn't. In which case, if you're at the short end of the stick, your team will get wrecked in no time.

With active fleets, having only three players in a platoon can be a little restrictive, and you may find because your fleet has multiple platoons out there, that you bump into them more frequently.