Battleship Central Positioning Example #1 - Jean Bart 

Whenever I post BB videos I always get people exclaiming about how "they never get these kinds of broadsides" and how it has to be rigged or some random explanation why I manage to get them. The reason for this is simple, positioning. The hardest skill to master, but the most valuable to learn. It's always easy to call out good/bad positions in hindsight, but it requires real game understanding to notice them before they happen. Stream: www.twitch.tv/flamuu Insta: instagram.com/flamugram/ Twitter: twitter.com/flamuchz Discord: discord.gg/Flamu

I also love central positioning in my BBs, especially in the Two Brothers map.

"with 3700 health left there is no way hes going to survive" in reality its "with 3700 health left he's got 1 overpen and 1 ricochet"

flamu : the most effective way to learn map awareness is playing BB majority of the BB main playerbase : err.. what?

The thing in a battleship is that you also need to know where the enemy Destroyers are. You need to know where possible torpedoes can come in from. Using islands to your advantage and preventing ships from moving freely to turn in a given area is important. Although your own Destroyers are very important, you must position yourself to not be farmed but instead seek out broadsides. The Jean Bart with it's reload booster is unrivaled at it's tier and can remain nose in to all it's engagements without much issue. Very glad I spent a little steel to get it before it left the Armory.

I one hundred percent absolutely agree, central positioning on two brothers is the most effective tactic you will ever witness

Still not wondering why the JB is by Winrate my best ship in the game. It's sexy, it's fast, it has potent guns, short reload, speed boost for trolling enemies in multiple ways. I feel so confident in the JB, I really have faith in it and it feels like good to start a battle with it. Its one of the most flexible ships in the game. Sorry for my long love letter to the JB.

Can you make a similar guide for German BBs and when to push and when to hang back and tolerate the crappy accuracy?

I'm a DD main. I 'reverse engineered' Flamu's advice about positioning from last years positioning video (I think it was last year), started playing BBs just to see how I can send my torps better in order to hit them even when they are maneuvering or simply to deny them a position they want to be in. :D

Ever since Flamu started talking about central positioning I tried to force myself to do it when I play a BB. Currently I am regrinding KM BBs and I am at FDG. On my first run, I had like ~40% winrate. Now I have improved my stats with FDG to above 51% winrate and my average damage has went up by 20k. Of course it is also more challenging to play, but it also feels much more rewarding.

Please make more such videos. I love how you explain stuff and help people get better in the game.

i love how you guys on youtube get all that damage from your shells .when in game the shells would be lucky to get half the amount.

I love video's like this! Thanks Flamu - it seems I've been potatoing in my BBs for too long.

Great vid, love it. I hope people get the idea of map awareness and map control more than the usual "capture zone for the points". Although i admit it's kinda hard to analize the map and predict the game, I think experience and patience improves this aspect. Looking forward for the yamato example!

This might be the most important WoWS video ever made.

Interesting video, and I will definitely try this out in my BBs. I do have a question though, what do you recommend for maps with a big open area in the middle with little cover where going there is just asking to be focused down?

Exactly the type of video WG should be promoting rather than the infomercial dribble I keep seeing on their channel. They should engage more with you CC's to get this sort of info shown on the game launcher.

Thanks for the video Flamu. You'll be at 100k soon!

I agree with central positioning, however maybe not all bbs? I have way more succes on a flank with my georgia then when I go middle because of the range I think. On the contrary my highest dmg ever (257k) was in a Yamato with a central position on tears of the cruisers. As always thx for the vids Flamu, keep on informing and entertaining! And lets pray for Stalin to finally calm down with the fantasy ships.

Thanks for the lesson , sir !! Much appreciated !

Flamu I agree, and the strat works if you have people bright enough that they see your strat or when in a clan. Same for Carriers like my self I'm give the info to the friendly I give positions, I spot for the team I can even help aly's... only problem is that folks aren't lissening or watching the chat or being in dismissal. So mostly what you say does work in an clan not Random play. People there don't watch the chat or playing with music on and pop down chat audio. So yeah it's very stressfull as an carrier in Random.

...oh, not going nose in makes very good sense. I main US cruisers and often find myself dying before being able to disengage, I'll try to be less paranoid in angling because I have no hope of bouncing off most shells anyway... and thanks for the tips on playing BB to learn map awareness. I've always hated BB for their reload speed but at least now I have a good reason to bear with them.

Just wanna chime in and say that even if you think "oh yeah i know all of this so ill be fine" its always good to keep up with the fundamentals, i would consider myself above average in terms of skill but in no way am I anywhere near unicum level, i sit at a 55% w/r mostly because i keep practicing the fundamentals like the ines in this video and ones like knowing when pushing is going to get you killed. At the end of the day the more people that are good players, the more fun we all have

Minor nerd thing: Irl, flat turret faces are not just worse. They are worse for close range, but at most ranges that people expected to fight at, they are better. If your turret face is sloped back, at mid to long ranges, you're giving the enemy shell a flatter surface to hit because of the steep angle the shell is coming in at. In world of warships, scale is really weird. Like realistically you'd need a shell to travel in excess of 1000mps for it to travel 10km in 10 seconds, but in wows lots of shells can to that with lower speed. This means plunging fire basically isn't not a thing in the game, so all engagements are technically close range (at most mid range) by irl battleship standards

Very helpful video flamu. Thanks for the video!

well done for posting we need you ichase etc to do more and more regarding this as we'll all benefit from players knowing what to do. Cheers

This is a phenomenal video

I love the idea of these videos! Please make more instructional videos like this! :)

Another high quality vid Flamu Thankyou and Cheers!

I think your friendly Donskoi was trying to find the pot of glue at the end of the rainbow somewhere on the next map grid.

Pushing in a Schors. That's a paddlin'.

And that is why Cruisers MUST NOT HAVE SMOKE!

They need to have a BB only game mode. Would be hella fun.

Thanks a ton for your much different take on BB strategy than ichasegaming. He pretty much is a fan of flanking or a/c only ... and Ive been having limited success w/ that. I switched to "playing mid" like you outline and immediately notice the increase in crossfire damage Im capable of. Now, I just gotta learn when to get out of there (dd's n the like) .. and also when playing mid may not be good based on what the rest of team doing. I had one game where basically the other team pushed both flanks really hard, wiped my team and ganged up on me lol... oh well.

Great Video I can use this with my Richelieau and I cant wait for the Yamato guide as I just got her!.

want to see similar guides for different cruises in different maps and game modes!!!

I think my biggest issue is that I cant plan ahead and adapt to certain situations. Heres an example, I'm in my yamato, going to c flank. I decide to hide behind an island and take shots at anyone that pushes. But when someone shoots me over the island, I start screwing up and end up dying.

Noob here. My biggest problem is positioning. I just tried this tactic in 2 games. First was on Two Brothers. In the whole game I saw nothing but a DD and BB to my West. My team all steamrolled the East. I missed all of my shots on both ships because RNG gave me shit dispersion despite good tracking. Eventually they charged me. I scraped together a kill on the BB with the help of a random friendly CC 's smoke, before getting skull fucked by the DD's torps. 45k total DMG done. Second game was Fault Line. Again I saw almost nothing until a BB pushed and killed a friendly BB 8km away, which then received a punishing citadel-hit salvo from me before a random DD appeared and obliterated me with one series of torps. Because I was turning to avoid the torps, I couldn't shoot the DD. I had to choose between definitely eating all the torps or maybe only eating 1 or 3. I'm loving this game but goddamn I'm hating DD's - even DD's on my team. Friendly DD's are usually dead or in the middle of nowhere doing nothing useful, while enemy DD's are a nuisance at best and keyboard smashing at worst. I get the feeling because people play this game like it's team death match, they first choose BB then get dunked on by DD and then go DD. And it's my impression that cruiser player are always a complete waste of space. If anyone's up for playing with and training a noob let me know. I'm dying to get better.

Can you do a Positioning Example on the Bismarck? I am gonna unlock it within this week and I want to be as well prepared as possible ;) Very great video, you explained everything very well and not to complicated. I am gonna jump into a match with my Gneisenau and try to see how I can do with my new knowledge! :D

I'm a simple frenchman, i see a Jean Bart, i click like.

bru i always get hit by some random ass dual purpose torps whenever i play central position in bb.

Fantastic video, would it be possible for you to do a video like this in German BB' by chance or is this more universal tactics and so on? How applicable is this at low tiers like 6-7? I'm struggling at the moment at low tier games, especially when CV' are in play sadly.

Can you do a heavy cruiser position? Please

Is there a better explanation about why going fully nose-in is bad? I missed the reasoning in this video

I always tried to do this Central position in a BB but there is always someone who ruins your game like a dd going central and a CV who will annoy your central position.

I'm honestly flabbergasted at the lack of *Preventative Maintenance* . This ship only has 2 turrets, among the most fragile in the game tier-for-tier, and because of its low hp pool and high DPM it works best as a mid-range ambush predator, so imho it absolutely needs that skill. I see the value of both Expert Loader and Jack of all Trades, but PM is a must, but for 1 point I'd take PM any day. If one is planning to go for the center and use island cover a lot, I suggest ditching CE in favor of BoS+PM.

I'll use that tips a lot! Please show how to work on that shorter ranged fighter battleships like Massachusetts or something like that after Yamato!

I can not set up crossfires when BBs follow me around. I push and then they push. I flank and then they flank. I stop and they stop. It feels like follow the leader instead of setting up crossfires.

I think that the most challenging battleships are the slow ones, like Colorado or New York. The most suffering to play aswell.

I especially like that you point out that you can get stuck as a BB id you tank nose in. Going nose in means you lose all potential to do anything but stay there and win or die. As for the ultimate central BB test, try the Colorado. because it can do only 21 kts, you're kind of forced to play CenterBB.

With the Jean Bart B, I think this video will have much more views :D (we don't say the T of Bart btw ;) )

Takao was about to hit three ships with three torpedoes with a wide spread launch. Too bad the range ran out.

Can you do it with the georgia please.

Well, amazing video and very nice explanations. I understood what I did wrong when I tried to do the same. The central positioning I knew about, however, I was going nose in...of course sometimes you can escape with it but most of the time, there is no chance. So thank you. One thing that I would like to ask: In a Yamato or even better, a Grosser Kurfurst (sec build which has no fire proof) how do you stay central against a Smolensk? Because, especially in a GK this is painful. Also, do you recommend the legendary module on the GK? Many thanks and keep it up. Looking forward for the Yamato video.

Flamu, what about secondary BBs like the Massachusetts? Should it be playing central as well?

How does the water look so incredibly wonderful awesome? Do you have a super GPU?

Can you do a video when you play the Bourgogne?

How would i take a central position in a Russian BB with barely 20km range. Im on sovesky soyuz and stuggle to hit anything cuz i dont have range when I do this

Then all this goes right down the shitter when a CV decides you're not allowed to play in the center.

Chapayev at 5:13 got really damn lucky lol

please make a video about positioning during the much hated epicenter mode.

My issue with a central position is that you potentially give broadside to every other ship. This is why it is hard to pull off

Well to be fair u kinda need bbs on flanks as otherwise u don't get broadsides as well when all ur bbs are in the center (of cause not border humping but on a flank) Love ur vid tho helped me to learn a lot more

How did you get that amount of free xp? You have a good amount of emblems, i guess u have the economic signals and skin buff, but so do I when I play her and when I have a good score game I don't even get close to what u hade, is there something i have missed?

Position will make you carrier target though, if you don't mind being bombed to hell, positioning meaning being lone wolf....

I dont understand why is wg remove jean bart from resorces?...

5:07, worlds luckiest chapayev

If you have the ship can you maybe do the Kurfurst or FDG because i am strugilling with how to play the FDG because if i am in the center in that ship i get focus fired and die quickly

I do like most of the time this kind of thing, but most of the times flankers get wiped out before i can literally shoot 3 or 4 salvos. Life sucks.

Wow first rly GOOD video how to play BB's. Have looked shit load of vids and lot of them concentrate how to aim, where to shoot etc. Not the MAIN thing. How to position. U will get the rest of the small things after u get right positions. Next thing would be to know when I make the influence on the game and when the team is carrying me.

Nice Idea!!!! pls start with all T10 ships than 9..8..7. :P

Do this in a Sovetsky Soyuz with 17km range? You gotta get so close.

If I go middle i end up losing track of someone and get punished..

Wish JB would go back on sale... I still regret not getting it.

How do you avoid getting primaried in the centre? Seems to be whenever I do it the enemy team laugh with glee as they can pound me from both sides.

Are central positions possible to be played at lower tiers where bbs don’t get that much of a range?

Do you mean create cross fire ?

Good video!

6:23 I just laughed how you were accused of being a dimwit by a teammate in the game chat at the same time, as you commenting on your successful actions.

Should have inculde that this only work when cv isnt in the game because in order to survive in central position against cv u need a teammate with strong AA to keep you alive long enough but even then it still debatable

I always flank in my JB, trying to get the BBS from the side but on the flank

I"m confused why Amagi, Alaska and rest of their cruisers weren't actively shooting you ? you were broadside to Alaska and Amagi several times -- no shots. WTF ?

Love the JB always have decent matches in her even if the team is crap. Just got the Georgia and boy am I really struggling in it. Seems so damn squishy and 6 guns or should I say mainly 4 usable without showing too much blapfest against T10's is a struggle. Any tips? I'm too used to JB, Kind of wish I had of got the cruiser Yoshino before the Georgia now. :(

Is it the same for the British BB’s? I’m never sure if I should be sniping or aggro in them

PS. Central positioning only work if you have range to shoot them, dont try CP if you cant shoot them

15:52 I have tried a lot to get the central potition, I work hard on getting better and I'm doing well... until a CV catches me and farm me to dead, yes I'm moving, yes I'm watching minimap and doing the necessary changes but ultimatly ends like that...

7:48 very important !!!!

alright who has kidnapped Flamu? is it WG or who?

Man your positioning is awesome though your use of reload booster sometimes runs me crazy ^^

Hey flamu i rly Love ur Guide Videos und they helped me alot . But i Hope U will do Dome Videos in which U play the "big Boys" Like kremlin and GK Just to shoh how this Central positioning is working in a Not so nimble and "accurate" Ship. Greetings from Germany

I get broadsides.... my shells look good..... then RNG denies me the damage i deserve

"..., cause the maps are so large" Are you kidding? The maps are way to small. If you take the BB into center position, you should not be able to shell the entire map. The game needs movement and players should have the chance to do a flanking maneuver without being punished for thinking and acting in a basic tactical fashion.

Nice vid

Legend

I feel like this video will have a lot of unintended consequences.

i regret i didn't buy Jean Bart. I bought Georgia with my coal saving and coupon A DAY before the removal announcement

Having all your BB's out of play on the flanks, often behind islands, is usually the first sign of a likely loss. Poor BB play has been the hardest element to overcome since the beginning.

Please do sinop video

Thank you, I can try to be better in JB now

on RU server it doesnt work