Torpedos

El armamento de Torpedos

Los torpedos son el arma por excelencia a corta y media distancia contra grandes buques con poca capacidad de maniobra. A pesar de su poca velocidad y lenta recarga, éstos proyectiles submarinos autopropulsados pueden infligir daños devastadores a cualquier barco desprevenido. Son el arma principal de una gran mayoría de Destructores y de los Aviones Torpederos de los Portaaviones, aunque un buen número de Cruceros disponen de ellos como armamento secundario. Incluso algún Acorazado. Al lanzar torpedos, puede resultar difícil acertar en el blanco con cada lanzamiento, ya que son mucho más lentos que los proyectiles convencionales y más fáciles de esquivar en el caso de ser detectados. Sin embargo, el daño potencial es considerablemente mayor y, además, pueden provocar inundaciones fatales en el buque enemigo.

Existen muchos modelos de torpedos en World of Warships, cada uno con valores específicos de alcance, velocidad, daño y distancia de detección; además de sus lanzaderas, con tiempos de recarga y rotación diferentes según el barco o tipo de torpedo.

Al contrario que abrir fuego con los cañones de la batería principal, lanzar torpedos no incrementa el rango de detectabilidad del barco. Por todo ello, los torpedos son el arma furtiva definitiva en World of Warships.

Apuntado con Torpedos de Barco

Los torpedos se lanzan simultáneamente en salvas de entre 1 y 5 torpedos por salva, pudiéndose lanzar varias salvas consecutivas dependiendo del barco. Cuando se seleccionan los torpedos (por defecto en la tecla 3), la retícula de disparo de torpedos se muestra en la interfaz del juego. Esta retícula, de color verde oscuro y forma semicircular a ambos lados del buque, indica los ángulos de lanzamiento de torpedos. El apuntado se realiza con el cono de color verde brillante, que muestra la dirección y el ancho del abanico de torpedos. Dicho cono se mueve a la velocidad de giro de las lanzaderas de torpedos. En el caso de que las lanzaderas no hayan recargado torpedos, la retícula será de color amarillo.

Cuando se seleccione un buque enemigo (con la tecla X por defecto o por la autoselección del juego), aparecerá en la interfaz un cono de color gris claro indicando hacia dónde apuntar para acertar en el centro del barco enemigo, siempre y cuando mantenga rumbo y velocidad. Para ello, se debe alinear el cono de apuntado verde brillante con el cono gris claro de la predicción de objetivo y abrir fuego con el botón izquierdo del ratón (ver imagen).

Presionando de nuevo la tecla de selección de torpedos (por defecto, 3) se puede cambiar la apertura del cono de lanzamiento entre abanico ancho y abanico estrecho. O entre salva completa o lanzamiento de torpedos de uno en uno, en el caso de los Cruceros Británicos. Una vez lanzados los torpedos, éstos no se moverán paralelamente, sino que se irán abriendo en abanico con la distancia.

Normalmente el abanico estrecho es útil a distancias largas contra objetivos grandes como Acorazados, para evitar una dispersión exagerada; o a muy cortas distancias concentrando lo máximo posible los torpedos si podemos asegurar el impacto. El abanico ancho también es útil a muy corta distancia, para abarcar más espacio y asegurar algún impacto contra objetivos pequeños y móviles como los Destructores; o a larga distancia para intentar garantizar el blanco de al menos un torpedo. Al pulsar la tecla C, es posible cambiar la vista entre las lanzaderas de torpedos.

Emplazamiento de las Lanzaderas de Torpedos

Existen tres configuraciones de lanzaderas de torpedos:

• Lateral: Es la configuración más habitual. Estas monturas solo pueden lanzar torpedos hacia uno de los lados del buque, con un arco de lanzamiento variable dependiendo del barco. Algunas pueden disparar practicamente hacia adelante o atrás como el Admiral Graf Spee, otras utilizando un arco de disparo moderado (en la mayoría de Cruceros), solamente hacia atrás y lateralmente (en Cruceros Japoneses a partir de Tier VI), y algunas otras en un ángulo lateral muy estrecho (Mutsu). Los barcos con esta configuración suelen equipar mayor número de torpedos, ya que solo pueden lanzar como mucho la mitad de ellos en la misma dirección al mismo tiempo.
• Central: Se encuentra en la mayoría de Destructores. Estas lanzaderas pueden disparar a ambos lados del barco, generalmente con buenos arcos de lanzamiento. Esto le proporciona mayor flexibilidad que las lanzaderas laterales, a cambio de necesitar unos pocos segundos para rotar y apuntar de un lado al otro del buque. Unos pocos barcos, como el Mahan y el Udaloi montan una mezcla de lanzaderas laterales y centrales, permitiéndoles disparar un par de salvas por un costado y otra salva por el otro.
• Frontal: Se encuentra en Destructores Alemanes de Tier bajo. Pueden disparar los torpedos por proa con un arco de lanzamiento muy estrecho.

Recargando Torpedos

Después de que una lanzadera haya disparado sus torpedos, ésta debe recargarse antes de poder disparar otra vez. La recarga es automática y, generalmente, a mayor número de tubos de torpedo en la lanzadera, mayor será su tiempo de recarga.

Aunque al disparar torpedos éstos se lanzan todos a la vez y comienza la recarga de manera inmediata; en el caso de los Cruceros Británicos, si se lanzan de uno en uno la lanzadera no se recarga automáticamente hasta que todos los torpedos de esa lanzadera se hayan disparado. Pulsando la tecla de recarga (por defecto F) se puede recargar manualmente las lanzaderas.

Existen distintas maneras de acelerar el tiempo de recarga de los torpedos:

• Subidón de Adrenalina: Se trata de una habilidad del Capitán de nivel 2 que aumenta la velocidad de recarga de todo el armamento (incluídos torpedos) a medida que se reducen los Puntos de Vida del barco. El tiempo de recarga se reduce en un 0.2% por cada 1% de Puntos de Vida perdidos.
• Experto en Armamento de Torpedos: Esta habilidad del Capitán de nivel 3 reduce el tiempo de recarga de torpedos en un 10%.
• Modificación 3 de los Tubos de Torpedo: Disponible en barcos a partir de Tier IX, esta mejora reduce el tiempo de recarga de torpedos en un 15% y añade un 50% a la probabilidad de incapacitación de las lanzaderas de torpedos.
• Mejora de la Recarga de Torpedos: Al usar este Consumible las lanzaderas de torpedos se recargan completamente en 5 u 8 segundos, dependiendo del barco. Está disponible solamente para algunos Destructores Japoneses de Tier alto.

Detección de Torpedos

Todos los aviones y barcos pueden detectar torpedos si los sobrevuelan o navegan lo suficientemente cerca, dependiento del tipo de torpedo. El Consumible de Búsqueda Hidroacústica incrementa temporalmente la distancia a la que un barco puede detectar torpedos. Cuando un torpedo enemigo sea detectado por nuestro barco o la flota aliada, éste permanecerá avistado hasta que agote su combustible al llegar a su máximo alcance o sea destruído.

Tiempo de Reacción

Entendemos como tiempo de reacción en este contexto al tiempo que tarda un barco en iniciar maniobras evasivas al avistar torpedos para intentar esquivarlos. Es el tiempo que tarda el torpedo en viajar desde su rango de detectabilidad hasta que impacta en el buque objetivo. Esta distancia de detectabilidad se muestra en el juego al mover el puntero del ratón sobre los "Tubos de Torpedos" en las especificaciones del barco en el Puerto.

Para calcular el tiempo de reacción, se debe dividir la distancia de detectabilidad entre la velocidad del torpedo. Debido a que la velocidad se muestra en nudos (Kn), el valor debe convertirse a metros por segundo. De todas formas, ya que las unidades de medida del juego no corresponden directamente con las unidades de medida reales, se debe aplicar un factor de conversión determinado para pasar de nudos a metros por segundo. Teniendo en cuenta las pruebas empíricas de numerosos usuarios, se ha calculado que el factor de conversión de 2.6 es el más adecuado. (El F_conversión = 2.6 está basado en velocidades de Km/s. Para un resultado en m/s utilizaremos F_conversión = 0.0026)

Tiempo de reaccion y probabilidad de inundación de torpedos.

Por tanto, la fórmula para calcular el tiempo de reacción es la siguiente:

T_reacción = D_{detectabilidad} / (V_torpedo * 0.0026)

El tiempo de reacción está calculado para un blanco estático. Hay que tener en cuenta que si el barco objetivo navega hacia los torpedos, el tiempo de reacción disminuirá ya que habría que sumar la velocidad propia del objetivo. Del mismo modo, si el barco objetivo se aleja de los torpedos, el tiempo de reacción aumentaría.

Por ejemplo, el tiempo de reacción de un torpedo Type F3 proveniente de un Destructor Japonés Yugumo sería de:

T_reacción = D_{detectabilidad} / (V_torpedo * .0026) = 1.9km / (76 nudos * 0.0026) ≈ 9.6 segundos

Otro ejemplo: el tiempo de reacción para un torpedo Type 93 lanzado desde un Shimakaze sería de:

T_reacción = D_{detectabilidad} / (V_torpedo * .0026) = 2.5km / (62 nudos * 0.0026) ≈ 15.5 segundos

Para un listado completo de los tiempos de reacción de todos los torpedos disponibles en el juego, consultar la imagen de la derecha.

Nota: El tiempo de reacción puede disminuír sensiblemente al utilizar la habilidad del Capitán de nivel 2 Aceleración de Torpedos, que aumenta la velocidad del torpedo en un 5% a cambio de disminuír su alcance en un 20%.

Deep Water Torpedoes

A stat card for the Deep Water Torpedo. Notice the "strikes ships" section indicating what ships can be hit by these weapons.

Deep water torpedoes are a special type of torpedo found only on Pan-Asian destroyers. What makes them so special are their unique stealth and ship targeting properties. With an average spotting distance of 0.5km, deep water torpedoes are far more stealthy than normal torpedoes. However, the price for that advantage is that they are unable to hit and damage destroyers of any nation.

There are several ways to help captains counter attacks with deep water torpedoes:

• The captain skill Vigilance is great for spotting enemy torpedoes sooner and with the high stealth of these torpedoes, any advantage is helpful.
• extends the detection of torpedoes by a set amount (Ranges can be seen here) and stacks with the commander skill Vigilance.
• Spotting Aircraft  or Plantilla:Catapult Fighter can spot torpedoes from the air as they orbit the ship.
• Plantilla:Target Acquisition System Modification 1 also extends the range torpedoes are spotted from the ship. Stacks with Vigilance and Hydroacoustic Search.

It is worth noting that on destroyers, the deep water torpedoes do not set off the torpedo alarm, nor do they show an indicator on the UI for which direction they are coming from like normal torpedoes. As well as this, deep water torpedoes simply pass underneath a destroyer harmlessly and continue on their way. This can lead to some interesting team play, stacking torpedoes under allied destroyers.

Top: What is shown when targeting a destroyer with Deep Water Torpedoes. Bottom left: Icon of Deep Water Torpedoes that can hit the captain's ship. Bottom right: Icon of Deep Water Torpedoes when driving a destroyer.

Impacto de Torpedos

Acorazado USS Maryland de la clase Colorado en el puerto de Pearl Harbor, tras recibir el impacto de un torpedo en la Batalla de Saipán.

Cuando un torpedo impacta en un barco, en una isla o alcanza su rango máximo, se destruye. Si impacta en un barco, produce cuantiosos daños y puede causar una inundación que reduzca puntos de vida en el objetivo continuamente hasta que se repare.

Distancia de Armado

Los torpedos necesitan una distancia mínima para armarse. Si un torpedo impacta en un objetivo antes de que haya alcanzado la distancia mínima de armado no se activará, por lo que no explotará ni causará daño alguno al buque objetivo. Una vez que el torpedo se arme, permanecerá activo y siempre explotará cuando impacte en el blanco. Al contrario que en un combate naval real, los fallos de armado, torpedos defectuosos que no exploten o rebotes contra el casco del objetivo, no están contemplados en el juego.

Daño

Según la parte del buque donde impacte el torpedo, los daños pueden ser los siguientes:

• Impacto en Proa o Popa/Timón: Inflige aprox. 90% del daño nominal del torpedo, independientemente del tipo de barco.
• Impacto en la Ciudadela o parte central del buque con Protección contra Torpedos: (Por ejemplo, en el cinturón o bulgue antitorpedos). Inflige un daño menor al nominal, determinado por el coeficiente de reducción de daño por torpedo del barco y, además, reduce la probabilidad de inundación. Este porcentaje de reducción de daño se puede consultar en las especificaciones del barco en el Puerto, en el apartado Supervivencia. No todos los barcos poseen protección contra torpedos.
• Impacto en la sección central de un Destructor: Inflige aprox. 90% del daño nominal del torpedo.

Hay que tener en cuenta que el blindaje y toda la estructura de un barco está compartimentado (ver el apartado Balística & Blindaje). Esto supone que cada barco posee distintos compartimentos independientes, cada uno de los cuales con unos determinados puntos de vida. Por lo que, una vez agotados los puntos de vida de esa zona, cualquier impacto a posteriori en dicho compartimento no producirá daño alguno. Por tanto es posible, aunque no habitual, que un barco reciba el impacto de numerosos torpedos en una misma zona y sobreviva, al ser unicamente el primer torpedo impactado el que haga daño.

Inundaciones

Cuando un torpedo impacta en el objetivo, existe la posibilidad de que cause una inundación. Está inundación provocará un daño en el buque enemigo del 0.667% de los puntos de vida máximos por segundo, hasta un máximo de 90 segundos si no se repara antes. Es difícil sobrevivir a una inundación sin el Equipo de Control de Daños o sin la ayuda del consumible Equipo de Reparación, por lo que puede resultar letal para el barco enemigo recibir una inundación cuando haya utilizado alguno de estos consumibles recientemente. Al contrario que los incendios, solo puede producirse una inundación a la vez y solo puede afectar a una única sección del buque. En el caso de que un barco con inundación reciba de nuevo el impacto de un torpedo que provoque inundación, el contador de tiempo para autorepararse volverá al máximo de 90 segundos. Este tiempo puede reducirse al montar algunos tipos de señales o mejoras en el barco que reduzcan el tiempo máximo para recuperarse de una inundación.

El HMS Glatton en dique seco en 1916. Nótese el espesor del bulgue antitorpedo.

La probabilidad de inundación varía según el tamaño y tipo de torpedo (ver imagen Tiempos de reacción y probabilidad de inundación). Por ejemplo, el torpedo japonés Type 93 Mod 3 de 610mm tiene una probabilidad de inundación garantizada del 406%. Por otra parte, el torpedo Type 91 Mod 1A, lanzado por los escuadrones de aviones torpederos japoneses, tiene solamente un 63%.

De todas formas, incluso con estas elevadas probabilidades, a veces el impacto de un torpedo no provocará inundación. Y casi nunca en el caso de los aviones torpederos japoneses. Esto es debido, como se ha explicado antes, a que todos los barcos poseen un coeficiente de reducción de daño proporcionado por su protección antitorpedos, que reduce las posibilidades de inundación. Normalmente, en los Destructores esta protección es del 0%, prácticamente inexistente, mientras que los Acorazados tienen porcentajes de reducción de inundación mucho mayores.

Offensive Tactics

Avoiding Friendly Fire

Torpedoes are the number one cause of lethal friendly fire incidents. Always be aware of allies both in front of and beyond your target. When in doubt, hold your fire. Even if your torpedoes do not hit your allies, they can be a distraction as well as restricting their freedom to maneouvre. If nothing else, if your torpedo hits an ally it cannot hit an enemy! So as a rule, best avoid launching your torps from behind an ally. Should it still happen, typing a quick "Torps" warning in the chat may help avert disaster.

While it is generally accepted that it is the torpedo ship's responsibility to avoid friendly fire, some defensive sailing is warranted. For example, it is inadvisable to suddenly cut in front of a friendly destroyer in smoke.

Damage Control Party

If you can, bait your opponent into using their Damage Control Party using fires before hitting them with torpedoes. They will then be unable to repair any flooding caused by your torpedoes, leading to extra damage. By the same token, if you hit an enemy with torpedoes and cause flooding, the enemy will be obligated to use Damage Control Party---a perfect time to set them on fire or cause more flooding!

Stealth Torpedoing

Some ships, particularly destroyers, have greater torpedo range than their detectability radius. This allows them to fire torpedoes at a target without being detected by that target, making this a relatively safe method of employing torpedoes. Indeed, this is the standard operating procedure for most Japanese destroyers. However, this tactic does have its weaknesses:

• The launching ship may still be detected by ships other than the target.
• The longer travel time at range means hits are less likely:

• The target has a longer window to move out of the way.
• There is more opportunity for the torpedoes to be spotted by other enemy ships or aircraft.
• The torpedoes will be spread wider when they eventualy arrive, potentially allowing the target to slip between them.
• If the target was moving away to begin with, the torpedoes may outrun their range - they not only need to catch up to the initial position but then also make the extra distance the target travels during their run.

Even ships with a slightly shorter torpedo range than detectability radius can perform stealth torpedoing in the right circumstances: even if the enemy ship is out of range at the moment the torpedo is fired, if the ship is approaching they may nevertheless sail into the torpedo. However, this will generally result in a lower chance for a hit since they are presenting a bow-on profile.

Smoke

Smoke is another option in order to be able to torpedo without being seen. While ships firing artillery from smoke can sometimes be traced by their shell arcs, the delay and lower visibility of torpedoes makes it harder to precisely determine the location of a ship firing torpedoes out of a smoke cloud.

However, keep in mind that smoke works both ways. A smoke cloud is an attractive target for some torpedoes of the enemy's own, as a ship parked in a smoke cloud will have trouble spotting and dodging them. Even if the target does evade the torpedoes they may be forced out of the smoke cloud in the process. Also, smoke will not block Hydroacoustic Search or Surveillance Radar. Finally, players will often turn away from smoke in order to minimize the damage they take from a source they cannot fire back at.

Island Ambushes

Another option is to hide behind an island as an enemy ship passes by, and then ambush them at close range. This is often the best way of ensuring a large number of torpedo hits---the element of surprise and the short range makes it difficult for the enemy to dodge the torpedoes or sink you before you can launch. Even a higher-tier, full-health battleship can be sunk in seconds this way.

The main difficulty is setting up the ambush---it is often more of a matter of opportunity than anything else. In the early game there are often too many ships about to set up the ambush undetected. Guess where opposing ships, especially lone ships, may be headed and note any islands they may be passing by. If you can get behind one of those islands first, you can try setting up an ambush.

Note that as with smoke, islands will not block Hydroacoustic Search or Surveillance Radar. Furthermore, aircraft can see over islands. Ships will automatically detect each other at a range of 2 km (3 km with Target Acquisition upgrade) regardless of islands or other factors. Finally of course, other ships may also be able to spot. If the enemy has these measures, they may be able to avoid your ambush and/or counterattack. On the other hand, if you have these measures they can aid in the ambush.

If the enemy ship is moving quickly and/or you have slow torpedoes, you may be able to launch even before the target has line of sight to you. This is safer than the conventional charge around the corner, but the delay makes it less reliable.

Head-on Attack

In a pinch it may be necessary to attack a target without benefit of stealth or a close-range ambush. Here it is best to attack head-on: torpedoes are liable to run out of range and are extremely easy to dodge in a chasing situation. Furthermore, in a chasing situation it takes far too long to close to a range where torpedo hits can be ensured.

Even if in a position to attack head-on this is an extremely risky proposition. You will likely become the priority target for all nearby enemies, and at close range they are likely to hit and at least some are likely to be able to shoot at your broadside.

Various tips:

• Get as close as you can before being detected and noticed. Hold your gun fire if you are not detected, and consider continuing to hold or shoot a different target if your rush target has not noticed you yet.
• It is good to have local numerical advantage. Allies can distract the target for a few crucial seconds as you close, and discourage the target from turning and fleeing for fear of showing a vulnerable broadside. Unfortunately, if the situation is so desperate that rushing is a good idea, you are most likely rather at a numerical disadvantage.
• Move towards the side the target's guns are not pointing towards. Again, allies can be helpful here.
• Don't fire your torpedoes too soon. While getting sunk or having your torpedo tubes incapacitated or destroyed before you can launch is unfortunate, so is launching from too great a distance and giving your target a chance to dodge. If you can wait that long, launch just before you pass alongside the target, just far away enough to guarantee that your torpedoes arm.
• If the attack ends up with you in a position likely to be quickly sunk, consider ramming. But be aware that the target may try to do the same to you if they are at a disadvantage!
• If you have torpedo launchers mounted on both sides of your ship and the first pass fails to sink your target, consider turning away from the target so you can get the other side's torpedo launchers to bear rather than trying to keep your guns on the target. If the target tries to keep their guns on you, they will run into your other side's torpedo arcs quite quickly.
• Risks are magnified if your target also has torpedoes. If your target knows what they are doing, it is likely that the duel will end with both ships sunk, so be sure you are willing to risk this outcome before making a head-on attack against another torpedo-armed ship. It is often better to be the second to launch, provided you don't get sunk before you can launch:

• By launching later and closer it will be harder for your opponent to dodge your torpedoes than vice versa.
• If your opponent launches first and fails to sink you, you can move to an optimal launching position with much less risk.
• As a bonus, even if you get sunk after you launch, you have a good chance at the "It's Just a Flesh Wound" achievement and its reward of India Bravo Terrathree signal flags (reduces post-battle service cost).

Aiming Torpedoes

If you suspect that your target is somehow obligated to keep their current course (e.g. to avoid presenting broadside to your allies, or to reach a capture point as quickly as possible), is distracted, or is simply not very good, and that they will simply continue sailing on their present course and speed, you can just aim directly at the white predictive marker.

Make sure that you have the correct target selected (default X to change targets) before you make any judgments from the marker. If the enemy is clustered, it may also be a good idea to check the markers of multiple targets---if multiple markers are close together you may be able to threaten multiple enemies with a single torpedo salvo.

If your target is broadside to you and traveling at full speed, the only things they could do to change where they end up relative to the predictive marker are to slow down and/or turn in or out, both of which will put them behind the marker by the time the torpedoes get there. Both are also common reactions to spotting torpedoes. In this case it is a good idea to aim some of your torpedoes behind the marker.

Likewise, if your target is accelerating or turning towards broadside they may end up ahead of the marker, though this is less common than the above.

Sometimes the marker is not necessary at all:

• If you predict the enemy will soon come through a chokepoint, you may want to fire torpedoes through the chokepoint regardless of the current marker position, or sometimes even if there is no enemy currently visible to get a marker from.
• If a target is stationary in smoke and firing shells out of it, you can fire torpedoes towards the shell origin.

The torpedo marker can also be a good way of measuring the enemy's speed, direction, and acceleration for the purpose of leading artillery fire.

Area Denial

Damage is not the only reason to use torpedoes. They can also be used to force enemies to take or avoid a particular course, which in turn can be useful when you and/or your allies are trying to make an escape, get a shot at their broadside, and so forth. If nothing else they may serve as a distraction as your opponent tries to determine how to avoid them.

Defensive Tactics

Before Torpedoes Are Spotted

Effective torpedo defense starts before the torpedoes---and sometimes before their launcher---are spotted. If there is any risk of incoming torpedoes, it is a good idea to frequently change course and speed (known colloquially as "WASD hacks") in order to foil long-range torpedo prediction. Pointing one's bow or stern towards the direction of expected threats will reduce the target area.

If sitting in smoke, avoid presenting a full broadside to the direction of likely enemy torpedo attacks. This will make it less likely to be hit if the enemy fires torpedoes into the smoke. However, a moderate angle may be useful in dodging laterally.

Even if you are undetected, you are not immune to torpedoes. Be careful when passing into obvious chokepoints near where enemy destroyers may have pre-fired them. Unless you are actively trying to spot torpedoes using a maneuverable ship or Hydroacoustic Search, try to avoid sailing between friendly ships and any enemies that may be trying to torpedo them, as you can still be hit by torpedoes that were not intended for you.

Defending Against Rushes

If an enemy is trying to rush and torpedo you at close range, consider these tips:

• If you can do so safely, turn away and start kiting. It is difficult to rush even a slow ship that is kiting away, and at the very least it will delay them. However, turning around may not always be safe; if you are too close you could be torpedoes during your turn, and turning might expose your broadside to artillery fire.
• Shoot at the rushing enemy. You may be able to sink them before they launch; disable or destroy their torpedo tubes, engine, or rudder; or cause them to panic and launch too early, allowing you to dodge more easily.
• Get your allies to shoot at the rushing enemy too. Designate the target for your allies by aiming at them and pressing default F3.
• Most ships need to show broadside in order to launch torpedoes. Take this as a signal---and if they are a cruiser or battleship, an opportunity to shoot them in the citadel!
• Turn unpredictably while pointing your bow or stern roughly towards the rushing enemy; this will make it harder for them to hit you. Even near-point-blank torpedoes can sometimes be dodged this way!
• If you have torpedoes of your own, prepare to use them---see the offensive tactics above.
• If all else fails, go for the ram. Better for you to trade ships than for the enemy to sink you and survive.

When Torpedoes Are Spotted

Once incoming torpedoes have been spotted it is time to try to dodge them ("torpedobeat") if necessary. When facing a spread of torpedoes, there are three main options:

1. Try to make the spread pass ahead of your ship. Apply hard rudder to bring your ship parallel to the path of the torpedoes, and cut your throttle.
   • To turn in or away? Turn in the direction that will get you parallel faster if one is clearly faster---for example, if you are already close to parallel or you are already committed to a turn. Otherwise, it is generally advised to turn towards, rather than away, from the torpedoes---although this shortens the time of approach, this also reduces the time of exposure to the torpedoes and restores your freedom of movement faster. Furthermore, a stern hit risks disabling your rudder. Finally, as you are looking ahead, there is less risk of accidentally turning the wrong direction.
   • If turning away from the torpedoes, keeping your throttle down will shorten the time it takes for the torpedoes to pass you.
2. Try to make the spread pass behind your ship. Sail close to broadside to the torpedoes, apply full speed ahead, and don't turn more than necessary. This is often riskier, as giving a broadside increases your target area and makes you more vulnerable to artillery fire from the direction the torpedoes came from, especially if you sail in a straight line to keep your speed up. However, it may sometimes be necessary, especially if your opponent launched behind your path expecting you to take option #1.
3. Try to sail between the torpedoes, or, if not possible, to minimize the number of torpedo hits. This can be very risky, and it will be difficult for you to maneuver until the torpedoes are past. Again, however, it may sometimes be necessary. As with the first option, it is generally best to turn into the torpedoes.

Which option to use depends on whether the torpedoes were launched more ahead or behind your ship, and on the broader tactical situation.

If you are at slow speed:

• Do not try to reverse direction unless the torpedoes are extremely far away. Ship deceleration is extremely slow, and even propulsion upgrades do not improve the rate of deceleration.
• On the other hand, accelerating is fine, especially in a destroyer, British cruiser, or ship with the propulsion acceleration upgrade.

Against Torpedo Bombers

• Travel close to friendly ships, especially those with good AA capabilities. This will increase the chance of shooting down bombers before they reach you.
• Make the torpedo bombers your priority target (default Ctrl to show cursor, then click on the bomber wing). This will make sure your AA fires at the torpedo bombers in preference to any other, less dangerous planes that may be around, and also gives a damage bonus. If there are multiple torpedo bomber wings, switch targets after your current target has dropped their torpedoes.
• If you have Defensive AA Fire and/or Catapult Fighter consumables, an enemy bomber attack is a good time to use them. In addition to shooting down more planes, Defensive AA Fire will cause a panic reaction, increasing the spread of any torpedoes dropped.
• If the torpedo bombers are far away and you have very good AA, you can turn away from them. This will force them to spend more time inside your AA range.
• Very fast ships (Russian destroyers) can even outrun air-dropped torpedoes (provided they do not lose too much speed by turning---but also keep in mind that driving in a straight line will make you more vulnerable to cross-drops and artillery fire).
• Otherwise, turn into them. This present a smaller target to the torpedoes and make your path harder to predict. Additionally if you are lucky the bombers will drop too close and the torpedoes will not have time to arm.
• If the bombers are approaching from a shoreline, being close to that shoreline will force them to go to the other side, as torpedoes do not function if they are dropped on land. On the other hand, if the bombers are coming from the other direction being close to the shoreline will restrict your options for maneuvering.

Near Closest Approach

• The stern of many ships is elevated above the water, so it is possible for a torpedo to pass under the stern without hitting the ship.
• Remember that a ship's rudder takes time to shift, and the inertia of a ship will tend to cause it to drift towards the outside of a turn. British cruisers are particularly infamous for this. If you are aiming for a narrow gap between torpedoes, you should start straightening out before you reach the gap.
• Counterintuitively, if a torpedo is coming from close to directly ahead and would hit near your stern, it may be possible to get your stern out of the way by turning towards the torpedo as your bow clears it.
• If you are in a battleship and being hit by a torpedo is inevitable, try to take it in the center section---this way your torpedo protection system will reduce the damage and chance of flooding. However, keep in mind that center section torpedo hits count as citadel damage and are thus less eligible to be repaired by the Repair Party consumable.

Smoke

As mentioned before, smoke tends to attract enemy torpedoes. Some tips to avoid being hit by enemy torpedoes when in smoke:

• Don't present your broadside to directions enemy torpedoes may come from, as presenting such a large area will make it difficult to dodge.
• Even with smoke, landmasses can be useful to reduce the possible directions torpedoes may come from, and to duck behind when you see torpedoes coming.
• Laying a longer smoke cloud and moving slowly back-and-forth in it will make it harder to predict your current and future position if you are firing your guns. However, when actively dodging torpedoes, keep in mind that it takes a long time to switch between forward and reverse. Also keep in mind that your ship is less maneuverable when reversing.
• Smoke does not last forever, and sometimes it may be best to leave the smoke cloud early to avoid torpedoes and other threats. Always have an escape route planned.