Aircraft carriers FAQ

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1.       Why are you introducing carriers now?

There was always a great demand from the players to have carriers, pretty much from day 1. It took us some time and a test event but we're finally arriving at a point in time when the demand meets our development capabilities.

And if we look at carriers from gameplay perspective, they are bound to add a new dimension to battles, shaking things up a little and creating new pathways to success (and sometimes failure!) for all the ship types. Everyone will have to deal with a new threat as well as take advantage of a new ally.

2.       What nations are going to have carriers?

We’re going to start just like we did with the Air Strike event – with United States and Japan, with the only difference being that we’ll have tier VII ships available – Lexington for the USA and Shokaku for Japan.

3.       Will there be more nations supported with time?

Definitely! We expect to at least one more nation before the end of 2021, if there are no factors slowing down the development like we’ve had in 2020.

4.       What is the goal of a carrier in the game?

As you have probably seen during the Air Strike event carriers are far from being the be-all, end-all damage dealers, but rather they are super-scouts with an ability to damage pretty much any ship on the map, provided you’re able to escape the most powerful of the anti-air suites. Also note, that while spotting destroyers is going to be easy, hitting them – much less so, so you might want to save your torpedoes and bombs for cruisers and battleships if the situation provides a choice. You will also find that planes are not exceptionally sturdy, and that is because the overall ability of carriers to assist the allied ships in destroying the enemy.

5.       How can I unlock the carriers?

Just like other researchable ships, you’ll be able to unlock carriers by accumulating XP on your tier III battleships and then unlocking tier III carriers. After that you’ll need to accumulate XP on your carriers to move on to higher tiers. Please note, that researching a tier VII carrier is a little more expensive that researching a tier VII battleship. This is justified by the bigger overall influence of a carrier on a battlefield as well as by the limitation of 1 carrier per team.

6.       Will there be premium carriers?

There will be premium carriers for sure, but not right away. Most likely first premium carriers will be available for doubloons.

7.       Is there a limitation on how many carriers there are in a single battle?

Yes. Currently only one carrier per team will be allowed as we don’t want the carriers to overinfluence the outcome of the battle. It is true that those that are better at spotting will bring more benefit to their teams, so it is a delicate balance that we will follow closely once the battle performance data starts to accumulate.

8.       Which tiers did you pick for carriers and why?

We’re using tiers III, V and VII for aircraft carriers for a few reasons. First, we’re only allowing 1 carrier per team in each battle, so there need not be an overabundance of ships in the line. Secondly, we should be able to balance fewer units better against other ship types and each other.

9.       What types of planes will the carriers have access to?

We’re moving on with the tried-and-true pair of dive and torpedo bombers, which we feel provide enough of an arsenal, supplementing the excellent spotting abilities of carriers and allowing carriers to significantly affect the battle, but not dominate it. For bombers we’re staying with HE armament, but AP bombs are a possibility in the future. When it comes to attack aircraft armed with rockets, currently there is no plan to implement them, but it could change.

10.       Are carriers going to be available in Standard or vs. AI modes or will they stay in a separate mode?

Carriers are here to stay in both the regular modes – Vs. AI and Standard. There is a possibility that carriers will be allowed/featured in other modes, but we don’t have any concrete plans regarding those implementations yet.

11.       How is the anti-air mechanic changed to counteract the carriers?

The AA mechanics are pretty much like they were in the Airstrike event: each ship that has an AA suite has 3 radii (inner, middle and outer) that deal damage over time to any squadrons which fly inside them, with the outer radius being denoted in the range menu (available upon pushing the options button in battle). As for ship performance, many ships received new modifications to improve their AA capabilities, plus most cruisers now have the Defensive AA Fire in the second consumable slot.

12.       Since you’re putting carriers in the game, does that mean that submarines are next?

While we would never say “never”, there’s nothing being developed regarding submarines.

We hope this was helpful! Turn the tide!