Is Lower Tiers Becoming Popular Again ?

[tm63au]

I Decided I would just take out a Tier 3 BB Just for something different and was surprised to find 7 of the team members human, now maybe its just the holiday season or just a one off game but it was good to see  lot down there, I should point out that it was also a Coop game.

Could this be some sought of low Tier renaissance or is it hope full wishing.  

[Bumblegoose]

I have enjoyed a number of random battles T3/T4 on the EU server in recent weeks with between 50% human players and a full house. I wasn't sure whether lower tiers are more popular on the EU server or whether the wishful low Tier renaissance you suggest is happening.

[thornzero]

Not really. When I am working on lines [new na account] there is plenty of bots in randoms on na even at tier V. I find the wait times in the que to be much longer than eu.  

[Justin_Simpleton]

It seems to me there are more bots in low tier randoms before noon on both NA and EU servers.  So, now @5:30am Central time, NA is mostly bots but EU is mostly human because it's 11:30 GMT.  

[Captain_Lootbox]

I like playing their V and below.  The non-ships are less of a ballache in those tiers.   I like my ship game to be ships. 

[BlueNautilus]

Not sure about NA but in EU, you regularly get human+bot mix teams in random matches when playing T5 or lower.  At T5, the odds of encountering bots in random is lower than in T1-T4 but it's not zero, even in the afternoon and evenings.

[clammboy]

I have been playing and enjoying the tier 5 Agincourt and even at 9:00 at night I have games with bots in them. Not every game but enough to notice.

Edited December 26, 2024 by clammboy

[Wolfswetpaws]

When feasible, I enjoy sailing my low tier ships (Tier-2/3/4) to earn stars on my Naval Battles grid.
The number of human players in a game can vary.  
Sometimes only one human per team.  Other times, 4 to 5 or more players per team.
The time of the day and a bit of luck seem to be factors.

Mid-tiers, Tier-5 through Tier-7, tend to have more human players.

I'm talking about random battles, by the way.

Co-op seems to be affected by time of day and the tier of play, and sometimes the luck is "wild",
because the matchmaker must get players into a game within 30 seconds.
I normally have a full roster of humans on a Co-op team.
But there have been times when there are only 4 to 5, or times when only two humans, and occasions when I'm the only human player.  
  

[Captain Slattery]

I do prefer the simplicity of low tier random battles.  No super ships, no funny buttons or funny business.  I don't mind the wait.  After all, I'm on a low salt diet.  😁

[clammboy]

2 hours ago, Wolfswetpaws said:

Mid-tiers, Tier-5 through Tier-7, tend to have more human players.

Yea agree I dont see bots in tier 7 ever but maybe tier 6 off hours. It's really only tier 5 and lower where I can expect bots from time to time.

Edited December 26, 2024 by clammboy

[YouSatInGum]

I tend to play CL's (or CAs with cl RoF like DM)or DD's.  That pretty much means T7 is the floor tier for me.

....and I love T7 ranked.  Flanta is still most fun CLAA in the game (despite the criminal nerf to its AA)

[oldblackdog]

Low tier seems to be a little better populated these days. When I play low tier (usually for Naval Battles), I've noticed a few more players in each game. Also, many of these players have clan tags, so they must have some sort of commitment to the game.  

[YouSatInGum]

2 minutes ago, oldblackdog said:

Low tier seems to be a little better populated these days. When I play low tier (usually for Naval Battles), I've noticed a few more players in each game. Also, many of these players have clan tags, so they must have some sort of commitment to the game.  

Well...if you see tags attached to division more likely is they are trying to either seal club or stat pad.  (Esp. Tags 3x, KSx, Nocap, or Bonkxx...er...no wait... Nm I'm in bonky now...we don't do such things)

 

[oldblackdog]

12 minutes ago, YouSatInGum said:

Well...if you see tags attached to division more likely is they are trying to either seal club or stat pad.  (Esp. Tags 3x, KSx, Nocap, or Bonkxx...er...no wait... Nm I'm in bonky now...we don't do such things)

 

Well, yeah...you have a point. But, as I'm a co-op main, this isn't a factor in my games. I figure the clan divisions are there to help with missions, or break in new clan members.

[Daniel_Allan_Clark]

3 hours ago, BlueNautilus said:

Not sure about NA but in EU, you regularly get human+bot mix teams in random matches when playing T5 or lower.  At T5, the odds of encountering bots in random is lower than in T1-T4 but it's not zero, even in the afternoon and evenings.

On NA, tier 5 randoms have been mostly bots for at least a year.

2 hours ago, clammboy said:

I have been playing and enjoying the tier 5 Agincourt and even at 9:00 at night I have games with bots in them. Not every game but enough to notice.

Looks like the population drop is hitting EU now. Thats not good.

2 hours ago, Captain Slattery said:

I do prefer the simplicity of low tier random battles.  No super ships, no funny buttons or funny business.  I don't mind the wait.  After all, I'm on a low salt diet.  😁

Indeed. Its classic WoWs, with better gameplay, IMO.

1 hour ago, clammboy said:

Yea agree I dont see bots in tier 7 ever but maybe tier 6 off hours. It's really only tier 5 and lower where I can expect bots from time to time.

Seeing it at tier 6? Randoms or co-op?

1 hour ago, YouSatInGum said:

Well...if you see tags attached to division more likely is they are trying to either seal club or stat pad.  (Esp. Tags 3x, KSx, Nocap, or Bonkxx...er...no wait... Nm I'm in bonky now...we don't do such things)

 

I saw a Ning Hai yesterday with a special commander on it...some guy definitely stat padding...

Meanwhile I'm grinding my last line below tier 5, the pan-asian DDs.

Soon, I'll be tier 6 and above on all tech tree lines...

[Aethervox]

Hard to say if low tiers are becoming more popular. Perhaps. On NA server you barely see any low tier human players. I'd say there are more on EU server. I play randoms only, so, cannot comment on Co-op except for one point ...

Since one sees many Bots in the low tiers these days why wouldn't players play randoms instead of co-op? After all, the rewards for playing random are higher than co-op & you have Bots in both modes (now) hence, the rewards are more when playing randoms.

Low tier play is free (almost) of the horrid reworked CVs &, ofc, 'Flubs', as well. Plus, low tiers are free of the new 'Gimmick' ships. You know, how WoWS was before Wedgie wrecked their own creation just like they wrecked their first success (WoT). Oh for the early years of both games ...... (sigh).

PS: I agree entirely with Wolfswetpaws excellent response here. He encapsulates the low tier situation exactly 🙂

[oldblackdog]

28 minutes ago, Aethervox said:

Since one sees many Bots in the low tiers these days why wouldn't players play randoms instead of co-op?

I play co-op because the games are fast (5-10 minutes) and it's virtually impossible to lose credits. If I just need a couple of hundred xp for the next container, a tier 2 co-op match works just fine.

[Aethervox]

1 minute ago, oldblackdog said:

I play co-op because the games are fast (5-10 minutes) and it's virtually impossible to lose credits.

My co-op play is only in low tier battles (from beginning WoWS) & the occaisional co-op battle I got into by mistake or when divisioned with someone who set co-op as the battle mode - my experience there is witnessing a 'feeding frenzy' where the human players sink the Bots as fast as they can (which is very fast) hence, I think sometimes the reward you earn could be rather low. Aren't DDs used a lot to get more sinkings in Co-op battles? This appears to me to be the case.

[Guest]

Well I suppose you mean Tier V and lower. I always bring on the Giulio Caesara and Agincourt for good old fashioned T5 fun, along with IJN DD Minekaza. But for me "lower tiers" starts at VII and I have a recent Santa gift Tashkent '39 DD and it's a hoot in Operations. And the Grand Old Lady Warspite my 'go-to' for T6 with her guns, and turn on a dime handling. Special mention to the Belfast as well for sheerly unique play. But IJN Nagato gets special mention as a favourite brawler. 55% WR and 335 battles, one of my best BBs all round.

Edited December 26, 2024 by Stauffenberg44

[oldblackdog]

12 minutes ago, Aethervox said:

My co-op play is only in low tier battles (from beginning WoWS) & the occaisional co-op battle I got into by mistake or when divisioned with someone who set co-op as the battle mode - my experience there is witnessing a 'feeding frenzy' where the human players sink the Bots as fast as they can (which is very fast) hence, I think sometimes the reward you earn could be rather low. Aren't DDs used a lot to get more sinkings in Co-op battles? This appears to me to be the case.

I use just about anything I have at Tier 2, especially if I'm trying to score in Naval Battles. And yes, it can be a feeding frenzy (the goal being to get what you can before it's all gone). The scores and rewards can be a little low, but I don't mind so much (the important bit is that I don't lose credits...players who are in a money crunch take note).

11 minutes ago, Stauffenberg44 said:

Well I suppose you mean Tier V and lower.

In this case, I'm speaking of tiers 1-4. At tier 5, missions kick in, and I choose ships with that in mind. 

[WES_HoundDog]

5 hours ago, clammboy said:

Yea agree I dont see bots in tier 7 ever but maybe tier 6 off hours. It's really only tier 5 and lower where I can expect bots from time to time.

I would say mid tier is having it's problems..

Spoiler

 

[Guest]

49 minutes ago, oldblackdog said:

I use just about anything I have at Tier 2, especially if I'm trying to score in Naval Battles. And yes, it can be a feeding frenzy (the goal being to get what you can before it's all gone). The scores and rewards can be a little low, but I don't mind so much (the important bit is that I don't lose credits...players who are in a money crunch take note).

In this case, I'm speaking of tiers 1-4. At tier 5, missions kick in, and I choose ships with that in mind. 

Ah you mean very low tiers. Got it.

In that case I like the von der Tann (very nice lines on this ship, looks very modern), Bellerophon, König Albert, and pride of place to Dante Alighieri, Italy's first dreadnought and only BB ever named after a poet. 🙂

Edited December 26, 2024 by Stauffenberg44

[Wolfswetpaws]

7 minutes ago, Stauffenberg44 said:

Ah you mean very low tiers. Got it. 🙂

Low tier = Tier 1 through Tier 4
Mid tier = Tier 5 through Tier 7
High tier = Tier 8 through Superships.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Wolfswetpaws said:

Low tier = Tier 1 through Tier 4
Mid tier = Tier 5 through Tier 7
High tier = Tier 8 through Superships.

To each his or her own, 'official' or not. But thanks. 😉 

[Wulf_Ace]

its just for the holidays.

Played tier 5 yesterday and got almost all Bots in team, so it depends at what time of the day you play