World of Warships Blitz: Complete Beginner's Guide and Tactical Analysis

PART I: BEFORE SETTING SAIL - PORT MECHANICS AND FOUNDATIONS

Introduction to WoWS Blitz: Core Principles and Objectives

World of Warships Blitz (WoWS Blitz) is a free-to-play mobile arcade naval combat game featuring WW2-era warships. The game centers on fast-paced, tactical, real-time 7v7 PvP battles optimized for Android devices, Chromebooks, and tablets.

The first critical distinction new captains must understand is that WoWS Blitz offers a fundamentally different experience from World of Warships (PC version) or World of Warships: Legends (Console). The PC version is considered the “authentic” experience with deeper, more methodical, and strategic gameplay. WoWS Blitz is faster-paced, features less lethal weaponry, and focuses heavily on personal skill. This means players can experiment with riskier strategies by mastering individual defensive maneuvers like angling and precision aiming. This guide focuses exclusively on Blitz’s unique arcade and skill-based mechanics.

The primary objective extends beyond simply sinking enemy ships—controlling map objectives is equally crucial. New players commonly fall into the trap of “damage farming,” but victory is won by playing the objectives.

The game features three main modes:

• Standard Battle: Win by either destroying all enemy ships OR capturing the enemy base (or all bases on the map)
• Naval Supremacy: First team to reach 1,000 points wins. Points are earned by capturing central control zones and destroying enemy vessels
• Domination: Win by reaching 1,000 points or having more points when time expires

The fact that two of these modes directly rely on point control demonstrates that victory typically goes to the team controlling the map, not the last ship standing.

Port Interface: Your Arsenal’s Command Center

The Port is your main screen for all non-combat preparations—ship selection, equipment management, upgrades, commander assignments, camouflages, and modifications.

There’s one critical setting new players must enable before their first battle. Known in World of Warships PC guides as “Alternative Interface Mode,” this feature displays vital information during combat: distance to your aim point, your ship’s detection range, and most importantly, Shell Fly Time. WoWS Blitz uses ballistic trajectories—shells don’t hit instantly. Enabling this setting transforms the “Leading Targets” tactic (detailed in Part III) from guesswork into calculation.

Progression and Economic Management

The Technology Tree

The Technology Tree is where you research different nations (USA, Japan, Germany, etc.) and ship classes (Destroyer, Cruiser, Battleship, Aircraft Carrier). New players typically choose a single line (e.g., German Battleships) and rush to top tier (Tier 10).

This approach is strategically flawed in WoWS Blitz’s structure. Unlike PC or WoT Blitz, Blitz has no port slot purchase limit, and commanders can be assigned to multiple ships from the same nation simultaneously. This enables players to expand as wide as possible and upgrade tiers slowly.

Rushing to Tier 10 prevents players from learning other ship class mechanics. Naval combat operates on a “Rock-Paper-Scissors” relationship (Cruisers hunt Destroyers, Battleships hunt Cruisers). A player who reaches high tiers playing only Battleships will never truly understand a high-tier Destroyer’s stealth or torpedo tactics because they’ve never played the class. The most effective strategy is playing ships from multiple nations and all classes simultaneously up to Tier 4-5.

Beginners should avoid lines that “play against the archetype”: smokeless French and Pan-European Destroyers, Pan-Asian Destroyers with specialized Deep Water Torpedoes, and lightly-armored German/British Battle Cruisers. Aircraft Carriers (CVs) also require “solid game understanding.”

In-Game Currencies

The game economy operates on three main resources:

• Silver XP (Ship XP): Earned by playing a specific ship (e.g., Kawachi) and used only to research the next ship in that tech tree line (e.g., Ishizuchi)
• Free XP (“Gold XP”): Small amounts earned alongside Ship XP in every battle. Can be used to research or upgrade any ship
• Gold: Premium currency purchased with real money

An economic trap is the option to convert accumulated Ship XP on “Elite” (fully upgraded) or Premium ships into Free XP using Gold. Beginners should absolutely avoid this. The conversion rate is terrible and represents a waste of hard-to-get resources. This action is harmful both economically and strategically (skipping the learning process).

Ship Upgrade Strategies: The Blueprint System

Ship characteristics (firepower, durability, etc.) are upgraded using items called Blueprints. Blueprints are earned as battle rewards or obtained from crates.

• Blueprint Levels: There are 5 Blueprint levels. Level 1 Blueprints work for Tier 1-2 ships, Level 2 Blueprints for Tier 3-4 ships, and so on
• Blueprint Management: Players can combine three blueprints of the same level to create one higher-level blueprint, or split a higher-level blueprint into lower-level ones, using Silver
• Universal Blueprints: Wildcard blueprints that fill gaps when specific ship blueprints are missing
• Elite Ship: When a ship is fully upgraded, it achieves “Elite” status (marked with a laurel wreath icon) and can select an extra bonus (Elite Ship Bonus)

Universal Blueprints are among the most valuable progression resources in the game. New players tend to spend these on low-tier (Tier 1-4) ships. This is a mistake. The real grind begins at Tier 5 and beyond. Universal Blueprints should be hoarded and used strategically only to skip unpopular or difficult ship upgrades at high tiers.

PART II: THE FLEET’S FOUR PILLARS - SHIP CLASSES AND ROLES

WoWS Blitz features four main ship classes. Each fulfills a different battlefield role and requires a distinct playstyle.

Table 1: Ship Class Quick Reference Guide

Destroyers (DD): Stealth Hunters and Scouts

Destroyers are “fast, powerful ships” whose core strategy relies on guerrilla warfare and hit-and-run tactics.

• Strengths: Their greatest advantages are being “exceedingly fast” and having “excellent concealment,” allowing them to easily dodge enemy shells
• Weaknesses: They “lack real armor and firepower.” They’re extremely fragile and will sink within seconds if caught in the firing line
• Gameplay and Strategic Role: New players view Destroyers as mere torpedo boats. However, in 7v7 battles, their excellent concealment grants them a far more important strategic role: Spotting. Your team can only fire at spotted targets. A Destroyer capturing a control point undetected or revealing the entire enemy fleet to your team is often more valuable than torpedoing a Battleship. Cruisers are “good destroyer killers,” so a Destroyer’s priority mission is hunting enemy Destroyers (or avoiding them) and controlling the map
• National Differences: Not all Destroyers are equal. American (USN) Destroyers rely on their guns and excel at hunting other Destroyers. Japanese (IJN) Destroyers focus on stealth and long-range torpedoes. British (RN) Destroyers offer balanced performance with good guns, single-launch torpedoes, and special “Fuel Smoke” that lets them escape while moving

Cruisers (CA/CL): Versatile Warriors and Support Units

Cruisers are “the group’s multitasker.” They offer an excellent balance between firepower, maneuverability, and speed.

• Strengths: Versatility. Their rapid-firing guns make them “good destroyer killers.” They typically have strong anti-aircraft (AA) defense
• Weaknesses: Known as “fragile.” They must be especially careful against Battleship (BB) large-caliber guns because they can easily suffer hits to their vital “Citadel” section
• Gameplay and Strategic Role: The Cruiser’s role is complex, requiring constant positioning and map awareness. They need to be at the front to hunt enemy Destroyers while staying with the team to escort Battleships (protecting them from DD and aircraft threats). These conflicting duties make Cruisers the most challenging class to play but the most rewarding to master

Battleships (BB): Floating Fortresses and Front Line Tanks

Battleships are “the group’s tanks” thanks to their “thick hulls.” Their mission is tanking enemy fire and delivering punishing damage with large-caliber guns.

• Strengths: Tremendous firepower and high durability. Some lines like German Battleships have “higher survivability” and effective automatic secondary weapons at close range
• Weaknesses: They’re “cumbersome and slow to maneuver.” Their guns have a “long time to reload,” making them vulnerable to fast threats like Destroyer torpedoes
• Gameplay and Strategic Role: A Battleship’s “tank” role doesn’t mean recklessly charging into enemy lines like “Leroy Jenkins.” Battleships that push too early typically get focus fired and sink quickly. A Battleship’s mission is holding the front line using the Angling technique (explained in Part III), drawing enemy fire, and surviving. Positioning is critical: never go to map edges; instead, take central positions where you can support teammates

Aircraft Carriers (CV): Strategic Map Control

Aircraft Carriers (CVs) function as “support units” or “snipers.” They stay far from the battlefield, attacking with their squadrons, and have “no chance” in close combat.

• Mechanics: CVs unlock at Tier 4. They view the entire map from a top-down view and can send attack squadrons to different targets simultaneously
• Aircraft Types and Missions:
  • Torpedo Bombers (TB): Primary damage source. Cause Flooding on hit, dealing damage over time (a ship can only have one flooding effect at a time)
  • Dive Bombers (DB): Drop bombs with hits “more RNG-based” (more random) than torpedoes. Cause Fire on hit, dealing damage over time (a ship can have up to four fire effects simultaneously)
  • Fighters (F): Don’t damage ships but are strategically “at least as important.” They have two main missions: Scouting areas and protecting friendly ships from enemy aircraft (TB/DB)
• Strategic Role: CVs aren’t recommended for beginners because they require “good game understanding.” A new CV player focuses only on dealing damage with TB and DB aircraft. But a CV’s real power comes from map control provided by Fighters (F). In 7v7 battles, the biggest threat is an invisible enemy Destroyer (DD). A CV keeping a Fighter over a DD to continuously spot it enables the team’s Cruisers to eliminate that DD. This is exponentially more valuable than bombing a Battleship

PART III: CORE COMBAT TACTICS - AIMING AND SURVIVAL

The Art of Gunnery: Aiming and Shell Selection

Leading Targets

In WoWS Blitz, weapon batteries are slow and fired shells don’t reach targets instantly. Shells fly along a ballistic trajectory for “several seconds” to reach the target. Therefore, you must aim not directly at the target, but where the target will be. This fundamental skill is called leading.

Enabling “Alternative Interface Mode” (mentioned in Part I) displays shell fly time to your aim point. If the flight time is 8 seconds, you must fire anticipating where the enemy will be in 8 seconds. This transforms aiming from a “feeling” into a “calculation,” dramatically improving player skill.

Critical Decision: AP (Armor-Piercing) vs. HE (High Explosive) Ammunition

Selecting the correct ammunition is where new players struggle most.

• HE (High Explosive) Shells:

  • Characteristic: Deal weaker damage but almost always (regardless of angle or armor) deal some damage
  • Main Strength: Chance to cause fire on enemy ships. Fire deals damage over time (DoT), eroding the enemy’s HP
  • When to Use: Against Battleships (BB) (especially if they’re angled toward you or at distance) and against Destroyers (DD) (to slow them and break their modules)

• AP (Armor-Piercing) Shells:

  • Characteristic: Much more powerful but can ricochet/bounce and deal zero (0) damage
  • Main Strength: Penetrating enemy armor and hitting the ship’s vital center, the Citadel, to deal devastating damage in a single salvo
  • When to Use: Only when the target (especially Cruisers) shows you their broadside and is typically at close range

Guides may contain conflicting advice for beginners (e.g., recommending HE over AP for DDs). This situation shows selection is situational (AP can “over-penetrate” a DD’s thin armor, dealing minimal damage). Given this complexity, the Golden Rule for new players is: When in doubt, use HE. HE shells always work (dealing some damage or causing fire). AP shells are only superior to HE under ideal conditions.

Table 2: Ammunition Selection Matrix (AP vs. HE)

Improving Hit Rate

Increasing shell velocity makes aiming easier, especially against fast targets like Destroyers (DD). Two main ship modifications achieve this:

• Main Battery Modification: Increases main battery shell velocity by 20%
• Aiming Systems Modification: Provides a lower bonus to all weapon systems (main and secondary)

Torpedo Doctrine: Lethal Surprise

Aiming Mechanics: The White Line Trap

When you target an enemy ship (typically locked with the ‘X’ key), the game shows you a white cone or white line. This indicator is an aiming assistant showing where torpedoes will hit if the enemy ship maintains current speed and course.

New players lock onto this white line and fire. This is a major mistake. Experienced players don’t trust the white line too much because they know enemies will maneuver. More importantly, experienced Battleship players also see this white line and use it to bait Destroyers; they change course the moment they realize torpedoes are incoming, executing a dodge maneuver.

Tactical Torpedo Usage

The white line is a suggestion, not a solution. Effective torpedo use requires prediction:

• Prediction: Aim not at the white line, but where the enemy must go (e.g., a narrow passage around an island) or where you predict their next maneuver will be
• Area Control (Zoning): Fire torpedoes not directly at the ship, but at the ship’s escape route (e.g., into their smoke screen) to force them into open water, into your teammates’ firing line
• Patience: Wait for the right moment when the enemy is distracted by another ship or unable to maneuver (e.g., cornered by an island)

Defense Fundamentals: Positioning and Armor Usage

Survival 101: Angling

Angling is the tactic of rotating your ship’s armor so it’s not at 90 degrees (straight broadside) to enemy fire, but at a sharp angle.

• Purpose: This tactic changes the impact angle of incoming shells, artificially increasing the armor’s effective thickness. AP shells hitting at sharp angles can’t penetrate the armor and ricochet/bounce, dealing zero damage
• Importance in Blitz: While WoWS Blitz isn’t as complex as the PC version, Blitz rewards those who angle. The deadliest mistake when playing a Battleship or Cruiser is showing your broadside to the enemy

Terrain Usage: Islands as Cover

“Islands are your friend.”

• Cover: Use islands as physical cover for complete protection from incoming fire
• Ambush: Destroyers can use islands to set up torpedo ambushes
• Closing Firing Lines: Most importantly, use islands to ensure only one or two enemies can fire at you simultaneously. This prevents multiple enemies from focus firing on you

The Kiting Tactic

Kiting is sailing away from a superior enemy force at an angle while continuing to fire at them, making it difficult for them to damage you.

• Purpose: Distract the enemy, defend a weak flank alone, or make an advantageous damage trade
• Key Factor: Range—Kiting is most effective when you have a range advantage. As enemy shell travel time increases (e.g., 11+ seconds), your chances of dodging incoming shells by changing speed or direction increase. Long-range HE shooters like Japanese Cruisers (IJN) excel at this tactic

These three tactics (Angling, Island Usage, Kiting) work in synergy. Kiting is Angling in motion. Islands let you hide during reload times while kiting. Together, these three form the foundation of a ship’s survivability skill.

PART IV: ADVANCED CUSTOMIZATION AND STRATEGIES

Tactical Mastery of Consumables

Smoke Screen

Smoke Screen is a tactical consumable whose basic function is obscuring vision.

• Mechanics: A ship inside smoke can’t see outside. A ship outside smoke can’t fire inside (can’t see the target). For a ship in smoke to fire, a teammate outside the smoke (or a CV aircraft) must spot the target
• The Smoke Trap: Smoke doesn’t block assured detection range. If an enemy ship approaches within 2.0 km (or more on some ships), you become visible even in smoke
• Correct vs. Incorrect Usage: New players view smoke as an “invisibility fortress,” staying inside and firing. This is a lethal mistake. Experienced enemies blindfire into smoke or launch torpedoes into that area
• Counters: The biggest threats are Radar (typically on Cruisers) or Sonar (Hydroacoustic Search—typically on German DDs and Cruisers) consumables. These two abilities make the inside of smoke visible. A motionless ship in smoke is an easy target when Radar activates
• Conclusion: Smoke Screen is primarily an escape tool for disengaging under fire, repositioning, or safely launching torpedoes—not for sitting still and fighting
• Exception (British DD Smoke): British Destroyers have special Fuel Smoke that deploys in short intervals (2-5 seconds) while the ship moves at high speed, providing mobile cover

Commander Skills: Perfecting Your Ship

As you progress, commanders assigned to your ships earn Skill Points. These points are spent on special Skills or Talents that enhance ship performance.

There’s no “best skill” in this system; instead, there’s best synergy for the ship. Skill choices offer trade-offs that fundamentally change a ship’s playstyle:

• APCS vs. IFHE: A Cruiser commander can choose between increasing AP shell penetration (APCS - Armor-Piercing Capped Shells) or increasing HE shell penetration (IFHE - Inertia Fuse for High Explosive shells). This choice specializes the ship as either a “Cruiser hunter” (with APCS) or “Battleship burner” (with IFHE)
• Demolition Expert vs. Close Quarters Expert: A Battleship commander must choose between increasing HE fire chance (Demolition Expert) or improving secondary battery accuracy (Close Quarters Expert)
• Adrenaline Rush vs. Mistweaver: A Destroyer commander chooses between faster reload as HP decreases (Adrenaline Rush) or longer/faster-reloading smoke screen (Mistweaver)

Beginners should focus on skills that enhance their ships’ core features (e.g., good secondary guns, long smoke duration).

PART V: CONCLUSION AND FIRST LINE RECOMMENDATIONS

Analysis: Which Nation and Ship Line to Start With?

New players inevitably ask “which is the best line” or “which is the best Tier 8 monster?” The strategically correct answer is: “There is no ’newbie tech tree line.’”

As stated in Part I, the wide progression strategy (grinding multiple lines to Tier 4-5 simultaneously) is healthiest. However, some lines teach fundamental mechanics better than others.

Lines to Avoid:

New players should avoid lines that bend or “play against the archetype” of basic game rules (smoke, torpedoes, armor):

• Smokeless Destroyers: French and Pan-European lines (don’t teach smoke screen mechanics)
• Special Torpedo Destroyers: Pan-Asian line (uses Deep Water Torpedoes that only hit ships, not DDs)
• Lightly Armored Battle Cruisers: German Zieten and British Hawke lines (have too little armor for Battleships, don’t forgive angling and tanking mistakes)
• Aircraft Carriers (CV): Require high strategic knowledge and map awareness

The Ideal “Learning Triangle” for Beginners:

“Standard” lines that safely and effectively teach fundamental mechanics (gunnery, torpedoes, armor):

• American (USN) Cruisers: (Starter) Excellent gunnery platforms. Teach Destroyer hunting and (at higher tiers) support role with Radar
• Japanese (IJN) Cruisers: (Starter) Teach long-range HE firing, kiting tactics, and ambush torpedo usage
• German (KMS) Battleships: (Starter) High survivability and strong secondary weapons provide a forgiving platform for learning angling and tanking mechanics

Playing these three lines simultaneously up to Tier 4-5 will teach new captains the game’s three fundamental pillars (support, kiting, tanking).

Ultimate Strategic Notes for New Captains

• Most Critical Mistake: Going Alone: WoWS Blitz is a 7v7 team game. One ship represents 14% of the team’s firepower. Breaking from the team to “Leroy Jenkins” results in getting focus fired and sinking within seconds. STAY WITH YOUR TEAMMATES!
• Map Awareness: Never suffer tunnel vision (focusing only on the ship you’re aiming at). Your eyes should constantly be on the minimap. Where are enemies? Where are allies? Who controls the objectives?
• Objectives > Damage: Teams that damage farm but lose control points lose the battle. Survivability, correct positioning, and teamplay are always more valuable than high damage scores

This comprehensive guide provides the foundation needed to excel in World of Warships Blitz. Remember: naval warfare rewards patience, positioning, and teamwork over individual heroics. Master the fundamentals, learn each ship class, and you’ll command the seas with confidence.