"The first major reason I found it easier to get into World of Warships was the combat itself. In World of Warships, there are several significant ways to play depending on the class of vessel you choose."

As the name implies, the focus of World of Warships is on naval combat. You’ll witness a variety of seaworthy vessels to choose from a number of countries such as the United States Navy, the Soviet Navy, Imperial Japanese Navy and many more. The vessels in World of Warships are divided into four key classes – destroyers, aircraft carriers, cruisers and battleships. Like World of Tanks, there’s a pretty large variety of craft to choose from and each class has ten tiers of technology trees within each nation. So even if you start out relatively slow in your destructive power, don’t worry – you’ll have plenty to look forward to after amassing credits and ranking up.

The first major reason I found it easier to get into World of Warships was the combat itself. In World of Tanks, you had a variety of tanks to choose from but the tactics were more or less the same – protect your rear, don’t push too far and constantly stay alert and on the move to avoid damage. In World of Warships, there are several significant ways to play depending on the class of vessel you choose. The destroyer is best suited for quick bombing runs and because of its relatively weak armour, it’s not a good idea to stand toe-to-toe with heavier enemies. On the other hand, battleships offer tons of firepower and armour but are limited in their movement. The cruiser balances both of these aspects, offering a good amount of toughness while delivering decent stopping power and agility.

The aircraft carrier is where things get even more interesting. This essentially lets you to direct various planes to attack foes, issuing orders from a wide-ranging map and managing different squadrons. Though it isn’t quite the most nuanced in terms of real-time strategy mechanics, it serves as a very strong change from the other vessels in-game.

"Regardless, there’s a ton of synergy to be had between the different vessel classes and when you have your battleship pelting enemies from a distance while your destroyer flanks for the quick kill, supported by the aircraft from your carrier, the game can really capture the nuance and tension of a high seas battle."

To make things even better, the combat within World of Warships is geared more towards thinking tactically, measuring distances and sticking together with your team. You’ll have to factor in distance from your target, projectile travel time and other nuances in order to succeed in battle. For what it’s worth, things do improve as you level up and unlock more upgrade. Not only do you become faster and stronger but you’re also capable of various abilities like, say, support craft that help you spot enemies more easily. The objectives that make up World of Warships’ battles are fairly straightforward but it’s the tactics of your team, be it in destroying the opposing team or occupying certain regions for a set amount of time, that ultimately decide how battles play out.

It should also be emphasized that teamwork is essential in World of Warships. Granted, when you’re not teaming with friends in Divisions, you do have to rely on the perils of matchmaking (and lord help if your team has no clue what to do). It can also get a little annoying when the game tries to match you to opponents within the same tier and somehow finds opponents that are a few tiers higher.

Regardless, there’s a ton of synergy to be had between the different vessel classes and when you have your battleship pelting enemies from a distance while your destroyer flanks for the quick kill, supported by the aircraft from your carrier, the game can really capture the nuance and tension of a high seas battle. Wargaming also put in some significant effort for the visuals. Even as a free to play title, World of Warships features intricate detailing on your ships, right down to the paneling and different weapons, gorgeous sunsets peeking out over the jungle ridden islands and beautiful, if understated, skyboxes. The odd graphical glitch does occur every now and then but for the most part, the game runs very smoothly.

"With its realistic depiction of naval combat, strategic team-play, and varying classes that provide unique experiences all around, World of Warships is definitely worth a look for all kinds of war gamers."

Of course, there is one little niggle that World of Warships shares with World of Tanks – the progression system. Your main impetus is to earn better craft and pursue upgrades but it feels like a grind when you’re trying to get the right amount of credits and experience. You can purchase a premium account which boosts your credits and experience amounts earned by 50 percent for a number of days or you can purchase various consumables for your ships through Doubloons with real money.

Microtransactions are also the only means to pick up some exclusive ships along with removing upgrades and such. It takes away a bit from the competitive nature of the game, especially when the person who spends the most money can immediately obtain access to the best ships. Couple this with the matchmaking that doesn’t always pit you against the most evenly balanced opponent and you may encounter some difficulties with World of Warships when you’re truly serious and debate dropping any cash. Also, like World of Tanks, your average player may find it tough to really acclimate to the various details and realistic combat in the early going. And no matter how much you get used to the combat, the pacing is often slow – even when you’re suffering great defeat, it takes a while before your enemy can fully stomp your team.

You ultimately don’t have to spend any money to really play and enjoy World of Warships though, and the game doesn’t force it on you either. With its realistic depiction of naval combat, strategic team-play, and varying classes that provide unique experiences all around, World of Warships is definitely worth a look for all kinds of war gamers.

This game was reviewed on PC.

This continues into the battle space where things tend to start off slow, possessing a feeling of doubt and unsurety, not lasting long thankfully, before the player finds themselves within the intensity and chaos amongst the threat of surrounding warships. While each mode of play carries a similar style of play regardless of the rules of the game, capturing zones residing around land masses and defending each one from an oncoming threat that seeks to take it for themselves can be as exhilarating as it’s exhausting.

"This continues into the battle space where things can start off slow possessing a feeling of doubts and unsurety, not lasting long before the player finds themselves within the intensity and chaos amongst the threat of surrounding warships"

Destroying the opposing team’s ships while simultaneously receiving damage to your own does well in delivering a sense of threat and a thrilling adrenaline. It’s as overwhelming as it rewarding, something of which requires a great level of patience and learning that some may feel uneasy with.

Just like the previous games in the series, Wargaming.net seems to cater their games specifically, those with a deep level of interest and enthusiasm for vehicle based warfare and realism will feel right at home and will know exactly what they’re getting their selves into.

With that being said the audience for such a title is rather niche, this allows the studio to harness and focus their vision and resources for the game more appropriately, and fans of the series will without a doubt receive enjoyment from the game. In short, this isn’t casual.

" In short, this isn't casual. "

At this current point in time players are given the choice of four different ships. Destroyers, Battleships, Cruisers, and Aircraft Carriers. Whether or not this increases over time is questionable but given the studios’ history with their other titles, it’s a given. Each type of ship contains different properties for how they perform in battle, and players should find comfortability with a ship in a fairly short amount of time.

Destroyers make use of Torpedo’s and smoke screen distractions, following up with speed and maneuverability that puts them one step ahead of the other ships within the game. On the other end of scale the game offers up Battleships which consist of more powerful firepower and a higher level of defense and durability, which of course comes at the cost of slower movement.

Engaging in battle works on the basis of realism within the authenticity of the ships themselves. Weak points on the base of the ships and targeting the weaponry of the opposing ships can cripple their ability to retaliate if not destroy them completely. Although battles play out fairly chaotic there is a level of strategy and tactics, and since this is a team based game, working as a unit should aid in delivering this feeling of play.

"Whether or not this increases over time is questionable but given the studios' history with their other titles, it's a given. "

Sadly enough my experience with the game failed to deliver such as there’s not much the player can do in regards to aiding a fellow teammate. Should the player’s ship be destroyed during battle they will be given two choices. One of which is to spectate the match through the perspective of his or her fellow team mates.

The other is to select an alternative ship from the port and head straight back in to the battle. Outside of gameplay the player is given various options in customizing different aspects of their ships. Those such as the modules for artillery and armor stood out and these consist of the gun systems, engines, and the hull.

As well as various ammunition and consumable types for use during battle, these modifications can aid in the survivability, maneuverability, and concealment of the player’s ship. All of which play an important role during battle, along with the state of the ship’s artillery and guns.

"The other is to select an alternative ship from his or her port and head straight back in to the battle."

In terms of the game’s level design there’s not much that can be said when looking to other titles such as World of Tanks. There’s an extremely large amount of water and it contains a few masses of lands. In regards to how fast each ship can travel and make it from one section of the map to the next, the balance between speed and size feels just right. Battles occur from far as the player looks down his or her binoculars into the distance, and this continues as each team sails closer to one another as the battle becomes more intense.

As the game continues through it’s development it will be interesting to see just how much the game will evolve and if any major gameplay changes will be made from now until its release. As of right now there are a few minor glitches and the servers aren’t perfect.

It’s by no means unplayable but there is room for improvement. It’s fair to say the game scales well across different configurations and performance seems solid enough given its current stage in development. This is topped off in fairly acceptable visuals and the attention to detail is by no means slacking, as each ship is intricately modeled and they look stunning when engaging in battle.

This game was previewed on the PC.

Wargaming’s World of Warships, which is the latest in their long line of World of <insert military vehicle here> MMO action titles, is now in closed beta as of today, the developer confirmed. As with their other games, in World of Warships, Wargaming offers an authentic experience to all players- players can seize the wheel of many iconic mid-20^th century vessels across five maps. A grand total of 50 ships, Japanese and American, are available in the beta as well.

If these numbers already sound like a lot to you, keep in mind that the final release will have even more.

To get into the mood for some serious naval ass kicking, here is a brand new trailer of the game for you. It’s not exactly the most representative trailer of the game itself (it’s a ‘cinematic’ trailer), but hey, it serves to build the mood and get you pumped.

Stay tuned for more coverage, and if you are interested, be sure to sign up for the beta here.