They are stealthy, cautious, and extremely dangerous…
You've probably already guessed that the topic of today's video is submarines!
Find out how to play the new ship type and how to oppose them…
right now!
Submarines can be in one of three different states in battle.
These subs have different capabilities in each state.
You can switch between states with the C and F keys.
In their surfaced state, submarines can travel at their full speed;
restore dive capacity, which is required to stay underwater;
and capture Key Areas.
In this state, submarines are at their most vulnerable and are easy to detect.
Let's now dive to the periscope depth.
Submarines are harder to detect in this state,
and they keep their capability of moving at full speed.
At this depth, submarines can spot enemies
from a similar distance to the spotting distance by aviation.
Surveillance Radar is useless against submarines at the periscope depth.
However, there are other means to detect a submarine.
The Radio Location skill, for example,
will still show the direction toward a submarine.
The last state is maximum depth.
Here, you can be spotted only by other submarines using Submarine Surveillance
and surface ships when their Hydroacoustic Search is activated,
but only within a 2-kilometer radius.
At the maximum depth, submarines can see ships that have been detected
at a distance between 8 and 10 kilometers on average.
In this state, it's easier for submarines to retreat in case of danger
or to attack targets that have been already spotted.
It's important to note that submarines can't capture Key Areas
when at the periscope or maximum depths.
In addition, these states consume dive capacity.
When this parameter reaches zero,
the submarine begins to surface automatically.
Regardless of a submarine's diving position,
her primary armament will always be torpedoes.
Tier VI subs are armed with torpedoes that have acoustic guidance.
At higher tiers—Tiers VIII and X—
they additionally have alternative torpedoes.
Acoustic torpedoes deal minor damage and have low chances of causing flooding.
Their primary advantage is that they home in on their targets.
To lock on a target, you need to hit an enemy with a sonar ping
before or after launching the torpedoes.
Upon hitting an enemy ship with a sonar ping,
a sector on the ship's hull will be marked for some time.
Acoustic torpedoes will home in on this exact sector.
Hitting the same part of the enemy hull with a sonar ping again
will prolong the guidance timer and make the guidance more effective.
If a subsequent sonar ping hits another part of the enemy ship,
the guiding sector will move to the new spot.
Several ships can be marked with sonar pings simultaneously.
However, torpedoes launched after a sonar ping
has been emitted will home in on the last-marked sector.
This sector will be prioritized for launched torpedoes
and will bear a special symbol.
Acoustic torpedoes remember the priority sector
even if another enemy is marked with a sonar ping
after the torpedoes have been launched.
Torpedoes with acoustic guidance
are effective against maneuverable and lightly armored targets.
But you should also take into account
that it's harder to hit such enemies with a sonar ping.
Keep in mind that enemies can see when submarines emit sonar pings.
A visual effect for sonar emission appears above the submarine.
This means that the enemy will always be aware of your presence
when you use homing torpedoes.
As for the alternative torpedoes,
they are similar to those that can be found on surface ships.
These torpedoes can't be guided with sonar pings,
and they deal higher damage than their acoustic counterparts.
Submarines can launch alternative torpedoes
only when surfaced or at the periscope depth.
All in-game submarines come equipped with a variant of Damage Control Party
that has a limited number of charges.
To detect enemy ships,
submarines have Hydrophone and Submarine Surveillance.
The former consumable shows the locations of surface ships and submarines
at the periscope depth and on the water's surface,
and it also highlights the seabed relief.
The Submarine Surveillance consumable
detects enemy submarines at the maximum and periscope depths.
Enemies that have been detected by it will be visible to all allied ships.
In addition, U.S. submarines have Enhanced Rudder Gears,
which speeds up the process of shifting gears and switching states.
German submarines can utilize Reserve Battery Unit,
which temporarily disables expenditure of dive capacity,
as well as its replenishment in the surfaced state.
When new ships appear in the game,
it's important to both master playing them and understand how to oppose them.
The same applies to submarines.
If your ship is hit with a sonar ping,
you can reset its effect by utilizing Damage Control Party.
But don't rush to do so immediately after the first sonar ping hits.
Wait until the acoustic torpedoes come closer to you
before activating the consumable.
Note that acoustic torpedoes cease to home in on their targets
while still some distance away.
At this point, they start moving along a straight-line trajectory.
That's why more nimble ships can evade torpedoes with just timely maneuvers
and without using Damage Control Party.
Almost all ships in the game have depth charges.
Destroyers and some light cruisers attack enemy submarines
by utilizing on-board depth charges.
To deploy this weaponry, ships need to travel
above the probable submarine location then press the appropriate key.
Most other ships are equipped with Depth Charge Airstrike.
It works the following way.
When battleships and cruisers activate this armament,
a targeting reticle for the airstrike appears.
You'll then need to choose the preferred release area
and click the left mouse button.
After a short while, a group of anti-submarine warfare aircraft
will arrive and drop depth charges in this area.
Aircraft carriers have a variant of Depth Charge Airstrike
that activates automatically when any submarines of signs of their presence
are detected within its area of effect.
These signs include the effects of using sonar pings
and fuel spillages on the water's surface
that are left in the wake of a damaged submarine.
Moreover, submarines are most vulnerable to different types of ammunition
when they are surfaced or at the periscope depth.
Even a shell that falls close to a submarine
can deal splash damage to her,
but direct hits obviously inflict greater damage.
Captain, submarines are ready to take their place on the same stage
as all other ship types in the game!
Batten down the hatches and prepare to dive!