Guide to naval warfare

[UNSC Trooper]

Hey, guys.

I'm pretty noobish when it comes to naval warfare. I know the basics, but not much more. Are there any guides to naval warfare in Darkest Hour out there? I know there was a guide for HoI2, but I'm not sure if the naval mechanics are the same in both games.

Thanks!

 

[Miihkali]

For many people, naval warfare is the Achilles' heel of DH. While land warfare is modeled very accurately and has plenty of tactical choices to do, naval warfare is more or less random. When your navy meets enemy's navy, cross your fingers. Larger navy and better doctrines help to win a battle.

Anyway, the perfect composition of your fleet depends on the country you are playing. A good surface fleet has as many carriers as possible, and and equal amount of destroyers to escort them. Nothing else is required. To hunt submarines, build tons of destroyers and equip them with the ASW brigade. To hunt enemy convoys, build tons of submarines and put them to one huge stack.

As a result, I suggest you role-play instead and build all kinds of ships. I personally usually build carriers, battlecruisers, and heavy cruisers and create a battle fleet out of them. As bigger is better, I equip them with all possible brigades. For anti-submarine purposes I build light cruisers and destroyers with ASW brigade. That said, I rarely play as naval nations and usually start building a fleet only after I have won the land war.

 

[TK3600]

You don't many options.

1. Many CV with equal or more DD using ASW.

2. SUB stack of 30, mounting torpedo. I pwrsonallu prefer heavy SUB.

3. Don't build a fighting fleet, spam NAV. It beats any type of fleet composition possible.

 

[Soul of Darknes]

You don't many options.
3. Don't build a fighting fleet, spam NAV. It beats any type of fleet composition possible.

Lol, i vote for this options. )

 

[der Kriegsherr]

You don't many options.

1. Many CV with equal or more DD using ASW.

2. SUB stack of 30, mounting torpedo. I pwrsonallu prefer heavy SUB.

3. Don't build a fighting fleet, spam NAV. It beats any type of fleet composition possible.

Thanks.
Much like OP, I also keep getting my butt handed to me by the AI at sea.

Few things in this game are as frustrating as having a stack of brand-new DDs and CVs sent to Davy Jones' Locker almost immediately.

 

[TK3600]

Thanks.
Much like OP, I also keep getting my butt handed to me by the AI at sea.

Few things in this game are as frustrating as having a stack of brand-new DDs and CVs sent to Davy Jones' Locker almost immediately.

There is a less gamey, but still OP way. Build 30 CA. Immune to SUB, BB, and can hunt small CV fleet.

 

[Stuka Ju87 D3]

Stacking SS/DD is not OP.
Subs and Destroyers come 5 in a group, so 30 sub flotillas = 150 subs. If those can ambush a carrier task force, I imagine they'd rip it to pieces. Similarly, if 150 destroyers (assuming they have torpedoes and/or can penetrate CV skin with deck guns + they have decent AA) should be enough to wreck a carrier task force.

 

[Jazwana]

Well, the problem with naval warfare is not what fleet composition can win, but how you can efficiently win with the right size fleet. Anyone can build 15 CV/15DD and research doctrines and win vs any AI fleet with that stack, but it's an expensive proposition. Lots of IC dumped into CVs and lots of research time. So there's some gamey min-maxing like "tons of DDs" or "tons of subs." A guide to naval combat is not too hard: best doctrines you can get, max all the brigades, have the right # of escorts for 100% efficiency, best admirals, fleets of equal speed, max range, etc etc.

 

[TK3600]

Ships cost nothing in IC and MP, only in time. If you could produce a panzer division, you can produce a CV fleet.

 

[TK3600]

Stacking SS/DD is not OP.
Subs and Destroyers come 5 in a group, so 30 sub flotillas = 150 subs. If those can ambush a carrier task force, I imagine they'd rip it to pieces. Similarly, if 150 destroyers (assuming they have torpedoes and/or can penetrate CV skin with deck guns + they have decent AA) should be enough to wreck a carrier task force.

Dude, you don't understand. The SUB in this game has a deck gun that launches torpedo with a range of 18km. Of course they can win against aircraft carriers.