World of Warships: Types of Warships

World of Warships features about every notable warship, both new and old. The free-to-play World War II multiplayer online game’s warship roster includes just about every Destroyer, Cruiser, Battleship, and Aircraft Carrier you can think of, giving Naval Warfare fans a reason to celebrate.

However, World of Warships has a pretty steep learning curve that can be intimidating for beginners. The aiming mechanics, positioning, weapon types, and shell types require quite a few solid hours of gameplay to get used to and probably a thousand more to truly master.

With that in mind, it might be best to approach the in-game mechanics and elements one at a time. Where else to best start than to familiarize oneself with the various types of warships present in-game.

The Warships

There are five main types of warships in World of Warships, with the recent inclusion of the Submarine-class as the newest addition to the game. However, since the Submarine-class is currently a rare sight in matchmaking, we will focus more on the more common Destroyer, Cruiser, Battleship, and Aircraft Carrier types for now.

Destroyer

Tier II Umikaze

Destroyers are by far the smallest warships in the game. However, do not let the minute size of these warships fool you; Destroyers are the fastest and most agile warships in the game.

The Destroyer-class’ amazing speed and agility allow them to enter contested enemy territory to scout out enemy positions. With the help of their smokescreen, they can quickly conceal and provide support to teammates stuck in sticky situations. Destroyers are called upon in-game to provide enemy information about enemy whereabouts.

Despite their unassuming stature, Destroyers are some of the most devastating warships in the game, thanks to their rapid-fire Main Guns and their Battleship-sinking torpedoes.

Cruiser

Tier I Hashidate

One can think of Cruisers as a hybrid between the Destroyer-class and the Battleship-class.

The Cruiser-class is the most versatile type of ship in Naval Warfare history. These ships can effectively be viewed as the “bodyguards” of larger warships such as the Battleship-class and the Aircraft Carrier. Depending on their current loadout, Cruisers can leave their more defensive “escort” role and take on a more aggressive role for the team.

Cruisers pack modestly-sized Main Guns (relative to the enormous Battleship Main Guns). Some even have torpedoes onboard. Cruisers can almost rival the Destroyer-class in sailing speed, which helps them go toe-to-toe with enemy Destroyers. Cruisers ultimately have the advantage thanks to the better armor plating that Cruisers possess.

Battleship

Tier X Yamato

The Battleship class of warships was often the most extravagant and powerful warship in Naval History. These ships represented the best that every country could manage in creating a technologically advanced and powerful warship. Battleships resulted from countries throwing caution in the wind; the cost was never an issue.

Battleships featured the most devastating (in theory) loadout in Naval History. The Battleship-class had the largest and most powerful guns, had the thickest armor plating, and the most manpower.

Battleships were ironically bad at their main job (provide long-range fire) due to the inherent inaccuracy of their Main Guns. However, the Battleship’s enormous size made them very easy to spot from kilometers away. Their size and weight made maneuverability a myth, and they are hopeless without a proper escort fleet.

The same story continues in World of Warships. Battleship-class warships are hopeless without a proper fleet (Cruiser + Destroyer) to provide support and escort to them. The Battleship Main Guns are difficult to aim and are inherently slow to turn and reload.

However, when the Battleship’s strengths are used properly in-game, these behemoths can easily dispose of Cruisers and Destroyers with a single Salvo. Enemy Battleships and Aircraft Carriers HP can also be easily melted down by a well-placed Battleship salvo.

Finally, thanks to the thick armor common for the Battleship-class, they can tank a ton of enemy fire before they are ultimately destroyed and sink to the bottom of the ocean.

Aircraft Carrier

Tier X Hakuryu

In the last legs of World War II, the Aircraft Carrier gave the world a quick glimpse of what naval warfare was going to look like moving forward.

Battleships of old stood no chance against the superior accuracy and range that Aircraft Carriers (or their planes, specifically) brought to the battlefield. One on one, the Battleship would have already sunk to the bottom of the ocean before their behemoth Main Battery could even fire a single shot at effective range towards the direction of the Aircraft Carrier. Aircraft Carriers ultimately rendered the Battleship obsolete by the end of the last world war.

In-game, the Aircraft Carrier is a frightening force on the battlefield. The torpedo and airstrike capability of the in-game Aircraft Carriers is a nightmare to go against as a Battleship. The Battleship’s inherent slow speed and slow turn times make it almost impossible to evade a direct torpedo strike from an Aircraft Carrier.

Overall, the Aircraft Carrier is a force to be reckoned with in just about any naval battle in World of Warships. Their superior range and accuracy are second to none in-game.

Naval War Heroes

It will not matter which type of warship you end up “maining” in World of Warships, all of them are fun in their own right, and they all serve a role and purpose in your team winning the match.

Now that you have learned a little bit more about which type of ships serve which role in a match, you probably now have a better idea of which type of ships you should and shouldn’t engage with to maximize your effectiveness on the battlefield.

With that said, there is no substitute for actual in-game experience from just playing the game a ton. Raise your anchors and go into battle! You will figure out what you can and cannot do better from experience. What are you waiting for?