Leviathan Warships Advanced Tips

Leviathan Warships Advanced Tips by KildarKMT

Kildar again, here to impart some of the more advanced tips and tricks I’ve picked up. Most of these were discovered using my Piranha centered fleets, which I was fortunate enough to have with me since my very first versus match, and have slowly evolved into what they are today. Nevertheless, hopefully you can apply them in your own ways.

First make sure you know about the basic fundamentals: http://guidescroll.com/2013/09/leviathan-warships-beginners-tips/

Forward Into the Valley of Death
This line actually applies quite well to me, now that I think about it, since I essentially field a light brigade. When under enemy fire and in doubt, turn towards it. This may seem counter intuitive, especially if your unit in question is a mere Scout (but that should be the only time you should have to make this decision), but you by turning to fight you present your strongest armor, close the distance to the Pegasus dead zone, and unless you’re one in one of those tail gun “here chase me” phases, earn the chance to at least ding the enemy before going down. Most people don’t expect to be charged either, and may be completely unprepared for a close quarters brawl.

Of course, there are exceptions to this. If cover, be it a nice rock, land, or preferably an enemy ship, is close enough that you should be safe from the salvo next turn, it may be wiser to head for shelter instead.

Damn the Mines, Full Speed Ahead
Some people fail to realize how polluted our oceans already are and take it upon themselves to seed the ocean with mines. One of the best courses of action against a compulsive minelayer is moving forward, at least with small ships. Most people don’t begin to lay mines until contact has been made, but mines launched in enemy view will remain visible to enemies. Furthermore, mines that have not yet been armed (it takes a full ten seconds or so), can be destroyed by running them over, as can vision probes and decoy ships. Enemy strategies that involve mines may also be unprepared for someone with the brass ballast to charge them anyways, and you can force them to shit where they eat, and one turn too wide may result in one of their ships on the bottom instead of yours.

The Road Less Traveled
Many games feature Atlases and Overlords bashing heads against each other, and the winner of such a crude battle can simply be lucky. A true admiral will strike from many directions at once, and the only counter to such a tactic is to be everywhere the enemy could be and more. Travelling along as many flanking routes as you can will provide at the very least warning of a flank attack, and at its best, an opportunity to strike from the flank yourself. However, be wary of overextending your forces in such a way that you can be destroyed piecemeal.

Life on Rails
Rail guns should always be taken neat, never mixed with Pegasi or anything beyond a few self defense weapons. A true captain of a rail gun equipped warship is a dark knight, the hero a fleet a needs but not one that should be seen, instead preferring poking holes in enemy warships from the shadows of the fog of war beyond even a Scout’s beacon of light. I used to think that rail guns would not mesh well with my Piranha Ballets, but there is almost always a clear shot to be made, and by operating at maximum range, overpenetrating hits on my own warships operating within enemy lines can be limited.

Protecting your rail gun warship from enemy scouts is critical. Being exposed to enemy fire is one thing, but any impact whatsoever by even a stray Kauser shell will knock your ship around, disturbing its aim, with potentially devastating consequences.

Ocean Beautification
Do your duty for the oceans by destroying litter wherever you find it. Mines and vision probes can be destroyed with gunfire, although landing a shot can be difficult using an autocannon, whose slight spread and ballistic trajectory can result in many misses. If you have a railgun on hand however, use it pick off your enemies’ limited mines and vision probes when you’re not actively shooting at his ships. It can mean the difference in advancing into an overwatched or booby trapped choke point. Be aware however your enemies may be able to trace your weapons fire back to your ship.

Master Gunnery
If the enemy is in range, so are you. The key to winning a firefight given equal firepower is to gain positional and/or informational advantage. Attacking from as great an angle off the bow of a hostile ship gives provides a boatload of bonuses for a turn or more. You have the ability to fire at the thinner midships and rear armor while presenting your own armored prow and a slimmer profile. Your enemy will have to spend precious time to turn to meet your assault, but you have already gotten in an alpha strike that has already given you the upper hand. It can be difficult to perfect this technique on the assault, but it can be used defensively as an ambush around a blind corner your enemy must turn into or pass.

While positional advantage cannot always be achieved, long range combat, where the heavier punches are traded, can be a one sided affair for the side with informational superiority. This means being able to see and fire upon your enemies without being seen or fired upon yourself. One way to achieve this is with scout superiority. If you can destroy any enemy units with vision range equal or greater than your own scouts, you can then whittle down the opposing fleet from the safety of the fog of war. If scout superiority cannot be won, smoke grenades can provide the necessary concealment, especially at longer ranges where your foe cannot deploy vision probes close enough to see through the haze. Both these strategies rely on having a strong forward skirmishing force able to destroy enemy scouts or at least prevent them from spotting your larger more powerful ships.