What little information exists about Navy Field 2's game systems is squirreled away, buried amidst mountains of forum threads or obfuscated by indecipherable Engrish. This guide aims to present the basic information which a player needs to know in order to understand the basics of NF2 gameplay beyond the initial Tier 1 Destroyer derp-fests.

If you've played a match or two, you've probably figured out how to pew pew things with your guns, though like most things in this game, there are complexities to it which will be covered in more detail later. Since your Captain and starting officers have probably leveled up a few times, let's look at how that system works first.

Your Captain can be thought of as a "spec" or "build." It is not uncommon to have many captains, not only to try other nations' ships, but also to build toward a specific class of ships. For example, a dedicated Submarine (SS) captain will want different skills than an Aircraft Carrier (CV) captain. It is possible to play multiple ship types on the same captain, but if these ships don't use similar skills it may be inefficient.

Your Officers work similarly, but you can buy them and move them around more easily than you can level a new captain.

Tip: Buy a bunch of officers right away! Each Expansion Slot starts empty, but you can cheaply add an officer to each slot. You should do this to start leveling officers as soon as possible! You will unlock additional Basic Slots as your captain levels up.


The first four captain skills allow you to add additional officers of the corresponding type into your Basic Slots. Focus on these in order to have better skill in that category - for example, a Battleship (BB) benefits from having additional weapons officers to improve reload times and gun accuracy.

The fifth captain skill appears to affect whether or not you are the Flagship in any given match, and its description suggests other small bonuses as well. I will update this guide if I can figure out exactly what else it does.

Officer skills are mostly self-explanatory, but it's important to note that they are often very specific. For example, gun accuracy only affects your guns - it does nothing for torpedoes or depth charges. Similarly, the launcher skill does not affect guns, and is therefore useless to a ship which only has guns, such as a Battleship (BB). Keep this in mind when leveling your officers!

Sonar skills are only useful to small ships such as Destroyers (DD) which are equipped with sonar for ASW (anti-submarine warfare), as well as Submarines (SS) themselves. Submarine skills such as Dive, again, are only useful if you plan on playing submarines.

Aviation skills are primarily for Aircraft Carriers (CV), but some other ships have solitary recon planes which can benefit from the evasion skill.


Research is fairly self-explanatory, and works similarly to World of Tanks, War Thunder, and other games of this type. Be aware that credits quickly become the primary grind in the game, and you don't have to purchase every component once you've researched it.

To master a ship, simply research every available component and ship in your ship's research tree. You only have to research them, not buy them. Mastered ships grant bonus XP and credits when used in a match, making them useful for grinding credits.

Tip: Save your credits by only buying important upgrades!

Some stats which aren't well-explained:

Hull Reliability is how efficient your engine is when you're heavily damaged. Improving this will allow you to maintain more speed when your ship is crippled.


If you right-click a ship in your dockyard, you can bring up a detailed list of (some of) its stats and weapons. On the weapons tab, you can adjust the distribution of your ammunition loadout. High Explosive is your primary ammo. Smaller and more modern guns are generally considered dual-purpose, and have Anti-Aircraft flak ammo for shooting planes. Larger and older guns usually have Armor Piercing ammo, which is useful against heavily-armored battleships.

Tip: I like to take about 80% HE, with the other 20% AA or AP. HE is what you'll shoot most of the time, and in a protracted match you don't want to run out of ship-to-ship shells while still having 300 AA shells!

Other weapon stats are worth looking at too. If your ship has sonar, you can see its RNG chance of detecting a submarine here (more on that later). Most Destroyers (DD) also have a "weapon" that allows them to automatically absorb any sea mines that they run into - mines can do quite a lot of damage to unwary sailors, but most Destroyers can steam right through them and harmlessly clear them. Note that this means that dropping mines is usually ineffective if you are being pursued by a DD.

You can also add items to your ship here, including armor, enhanced engine speed, and auto-repair crews. Most of these are self-explanatory, but it's easy to overlook this feature. You can add multiple items to a ship by buying additional slots with credits.

Now that your ship and crew are properly set up, it's time to take a look at how basic combat mechanics work. If you're a newbie, you're probably using Automatic Targetting. There is also a manual mode, but it is significantly more complicated. Auto targetting works well however, especially if you know how it works.


Like most naval vessels since the 17th century, the WW1-WW2 era ships in Navy Field 2 have most of their firepower optimized to fire broadside, that is, directly to the left (port) or right (starboard) of your ship. Because most guns are mounted in turrets, you have some freedom in aiming them, but you should try to face your broadside to the enemy in most cases in order to get the maximum amount of firepower on target.

Most ships represented in the game are designed with both fore and aft turrets. Both sets of guns can fire either port or starboard at the same time, but if you want to fire in front of or behind your ship, you will usually not have the benefit of one of your gun batteries. Note that each set of turrets cannot actually swivel 360 degrees - this means you will have to (slowly!) rotate the turret all the way around "the long way" if you want to shoot at something on the opposite side of your ship. Keep this in mind while turning and maneuvering, as your guns may take some time to swivel back on target! Think of them like an owl's head - capable of turning so far to the right that the owl is looking behind itself, but if the owl wants to look over its left shoulder instead, it has to turn its head all the way back the other way first!

Tip: You can press the 'C' key to toggle between using all guns (default), the forward battery, or the rear battery. This is useful, for example, if you are chasing someone or being chased and can only use one of your batteries.

As mentioned above, High Explosive shells are your primary damage-dealer. Aim and shoot, pew pew. Note that long range shots near your maximum range will fire in high ballistic arcs - increasing the time it will take for the shells to land on target, and thus making it even harder to aim. For most targets, I find aiming just short of the target (so it looks like the shells will land in the water just before hitting the ship) to be most effective - aiming at the ship directly will often cause the shells to overshoot.

Tip: Once you've clicked your aiming point and you're satisfied with it, press the 'E' key to focus your guns more precisely on the target. This will result in a much more concentrated and accurate salvo, assuming your aim is any good! Note that additional clicks to adjust your aim will override this, so remember to press 'E' again to update your firing solution!

Depending on your guns, you will have one of two secondary ammo types. Press 'Z' to toggle between them. Anti-Aircraft shells switch your guns over to an anti-air role and allow you to shoot flak at nearby airplanes. Armor Piercing shells are useful against big, armored ships, such as Battleships (BB). If you notice your HE doing very little to a big boat, you can try using your AP if your guns are equipped with it.

Tip: Press 'X' to toggle between Salvo and Gradual fire modes. I find Gradual fire is more useful for swatting planes out of the sky. You can switch back to Salvo when the planes are dealt with and you want to return to shooting boats.


Torpedoes, a noob's best friend! And also the bane of your own teammates, if used unwisely. Torpedoes are a very important part of the game, especially if you're still new. They're equalizers - they allow your puny little Destroyer to punch far above its weight. While your guns are fine for shooting the other low-level Destroyers (DD) you've probably been encountering, you will find them wholly inadequate for engaging Heavy Cruisers (CA) and Battleships (BB). With judicious use of torpedoes, your Tier 2 floating crap-piece can deliver brutal hits to those fancy-schmancy Tier 7 Battleships hanging around.

First, let's look at the available fire settings, which are more complex than guns:

Fuse ('Y' key) is how your torpedo detonates. Proximity torps will detonate just by being near a boat (friend or foe!) so are easier to score hits with, but they deal vastly reduced damage compared to Contact torpedoes, which only detonate upon scoring a direct hit.

Spread ('N' key) determines the pattern your torpedoes fire in. The default Narrow spread fires them all in parallel, and is of limited usefulness. Switch to Wide spread to give your torpedoes a fanned-out distribution which is more likely to catch your target.

Speed is self-explanatory - Slow torpedoes move slowly, and Fast torpedoes move quickly. Slow seems to have more overall range and can sometimes surprise a target who is expecting fast torps.

Like guns, you also have a Salvo or Gradual option. Salvo is useful for concentrated destruction of a slow, high-value target, while gradual fire can be useful to catch a quick target with waves of torpedoes, like giving them their own personal bullet-hell to dodge through.

Tip: For newbies, I recommend Fast, Wide, Contact, Salvo torpedoes. It's an all-purpose spread that will let you get a good feel for them. Use Contact whenever you can, and only use Proxy if you're trying to hit a very difficult target. REMEMBER: Never fire torpedoes at an enemy who has friendlies on the other side of him! Many of your torpedoes will miss the target and friendly-fire your teammates!


Despite many low-level ships having them, these things just aren't very useful. Other Destroyers are immune to them, and they're more likely to hit friendlies than enemies in most cases. Avoid using them, and especially don't panic drop them if you're in a brawl where teammates are present!

They can deal a lot of damage in some circumstances however - if you're the last man standing on your team and trying to skirmish with pursuing enemies, then a few lucky mine hits can really help even the odds.

Once you've had your fill of suicide-derping your Destroyer directly into the nearest mass of enemies, it's time to start looking at how to survive, help the team, and inflict lots of juicy damage in the process. Remember - just because you're in a low-level ship doesn't mean you can't royally ♥♥♥♥-punch a higher-tier Battleship.


Vision! Vision vision vision. Vision is king. Ever wondered why you're getting hammered by accurate incoming barrages which you can't see the source of? Vision. If you want to do well and you want your team to do well, you need to pay attention to what you can see and what you can't. Removing the fog-of-war and providing vision to you and your teammates is critical to success. There are three main ways to do this:

Good ol' fashioned scouting the hard way, of course - you and your teammates' ships can see in a radius around them. Using a nimble Destroyer, Light Cruiser (CL), or even a sneaky Submarine to scout ahead of your team can be very helpful for finding and targetting the enemy. If you start getting shot at, back off, because you've found the enemy - don't suicide into them! Fall back to your teammates and engage the enemy group together.

Airplanes are another method of providing vision. Your teammates will often have attack squadrons and recon planes roaming the battlefield, providing that all-important vision for you to aim at those juicy targets.

Finally, Bases. While airfields and radar stations have special abilities, the main use for any base is the vision it provides! Bases reveal a huge area around them, even if only captured by a single landing craft. This works both ways - if you see that the enemy has captured a base, then if you go anywhere near it they will see you! Being seen is the best way to get obliterated by a Battleship's main guns, so always be aware of where the enemy's vision is likely limited to.

Tip: To capture a base, drive into the red circle surrounding it and right-click. Your ship will start dispatching landing craft toward the base. At 50% capture, some bases will begin providing a special ability, but even a 1% capture provides vision for your team!


In the initial stage of a match, both teams will generally be steaming toward each other. Typically, screening Destroyers will then peel off, firing waves of torpedoes toward the enemy. You can join in on this initial torpedo attack, but be sure to watch out for the enemy doing the same!

Once the initial torpedoes have been exchanged, ships will usually begin getting in gun range of one another. As a newbie, you can help scout and provide vision on the enemy ships while adding your guns to the fight. Try to find a target your teammates are shooting and help take him down. Additionally, if you are in a mid-tier match with Tier 4, 5, or higher ships, you should start pinging your sonar (weapon slot 6) at this point to help catch incoming Submarines. More on Anti-Submarine Warfare in a later chapter.

If you see an opening, you can try to get close to a big ship and dump your torpedoes on him - if your aim is true, he probably won't survive the encounter.

Tip:Torpedoes work best at very close range, where you can aim more easily and give your target less time to dodge. However, torpedoes are useless at point-blank - the warheads do not arm unless they've traveled a short distance first.

If you botch your torpedo run (don't worry, it happens!), you're going to want to get out of dodge. Don't be afraid to overheat your engine - by throttling up past max speed, you engage a temporary "afterburner" speed boost which works on a cooldown. A Destroyer, especially a low-level one, is absolute cannon fodder at close range with a bigger ship, so don't be afraid to retreat and regroup with your teammates while your torpedoes reload. One broadside from a good Battleship will absolutely wreck your ship, so don't pick a fight with one for any longer than it takes to dump your torpedoes and leave!


Eventually, one team is likely to get the upper hand. Assuming you're still alive, if you're on the winning side it's important to use your speedy Destroyer to help hunt down the enemy's stragglers and provide vision for your slower, more heavily-armed teammates. Don't bite off more than you can chew, however! Having the advantage gives many foolish captains the illusion of invincibility, and a cunning Submarine or lingering Battleship can send you to the bottom of the ocean in a heartbeat. When in doubt, regroup with your teammates - support them, and let them support you.

If you're on the losing side but find yourself still alive, you may be able to use the above to your advantage. Use friendly bases to give yourself a vision advantage, drop mines and proxy torpedo salvos to get lucky hits on pursuers, and use your speed to stay ahead of your hunters while you skirmish with them. Sometimes the situation is hopeless if your team did particularly poorly, but other games can really come down to the wire and are won by a lone Destroyer who knows how to isolate and murder over-eager pursuers. Long-distance shooting is key here, where you can use vision to your advantage while staying out of sight of the enemy.


Once you've moved up in the world a bit, you'll probably notice (if you've chosen to try out CLs, CAs, or BBs) that your ships no longer have torpedoes. On the plus side, most ships which don't have torpedoes generally have Very Big Guns, or in the case of American Light Cruisers, Lots and Lots and Lots of Guns. Naturally, this necessitates a change in tactics.

Bigger guns means more range - and a bigger ship means a juicier target for torpedoes. Try to hang back a bit more, and use your teammates' vision to lob shells into the fray. You're tougher and you have more armor which lets you stand up broadside-to-broadside with enemy ships' guns, but you're still just one or two torpedo salvos away from being sunk. Because you're shooting at longer range, it's also harder to watch where you're going, so make sure you're not running into long-range torpedo spreads!

Despite the danger from torpedoes, however, it's important to strike a balance. Don't hang back too far - then you're useless to the team. Always stay in the fight, because the bigger your guns are, the more important it is to keep them firing. When you choose to play a Heavy Cruiser or Battleship, you're also taking on the responsibility for dealing much of the team's damage output, so you need to be hammering away at the enemy with your guns! Nothing is worse than seeing a team flounder and die while a full-health Battleship derps around capping a base in the corner of the map.

Submarines! One of the most complex and difficult aspects of NF2 gameplay is dealing with and using Submarines (SS).

As a newbie, you will probably start encountering enemy Submarines with your Tier 3 or Tier 4 ships. Since most of these are Destroyers, you will be well-equipped to deal with enemy subs, but if you've gone into the Cruiser trees early you may run into problems if an enemy sub decides to pick on you. To understand ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare), however, you need to understand how subs work first.


Playing a SS is one of the most challenging - but also most rewarding - styles of gameplay. There is very little margin for error in the life of a Submarine, and it requires cunning, alertness, quick thinking, and very, very good torpedo aim!

The first thing to know about subs is that they're incredibly frail - one or two solid broadsides, even from a lightly-armed Destroyer will generally put you down. The good news is that subs are small and hard to hit, so if your opponent's aim is poor, you might get lucky and have enough time to escape. You cannot stand up to other ships in a surface fight, so if at all possible, you want to avoid direct confrontations.

Your primary resource is air. This is a timer which dictates how long you can remain underwater before you're forced to surface again. Use your underwater time wisely, because if you overestimate the time you have, you'll find yourself surfacing right in the middle of a pack of enemy Battleships! You will then be Dead. Yes, with a capital 'D'. In general, you have time to dive, find an enemy target, torpedo it, and then make a beeline back to your teammates where you can surface safely. If you try anything beyond that, you will probably find yourself running out of air.

The other major mechanic Submarines use is depth. There are arbitrary, abstract levels of depth, 0 through 10. 0 is surfaced and behaves like any other surface ship. At 0, you can fire your deck gun like any other ship would, and you also regenerate air, but you are just as visible to the enemy as any other ship would be.

Shift+V will make your sub dive one level deeper. At depth 1, you have slightly reduced vision, you begin consuming your air, and you are still visible to the enemy. You can be shot by both guns and torpedoes at depth 1. However, this is also the only depth from which you can fire your own torpedoes, so attacking a target will make you briefly vulnerable before you can dive deeper again. To rise one level of depth, use Shift+F.

Tip: Don't click the arrows on the GUI. Always use the hotkey combination, which is much more responsive. Additionally, you can use Shift+G to perform an emergency surface (only available if you are at depth 3 or deeper) and Shift+B to crash-dive immediately to the lowest depth your sub is capable of. These are useful panic buttons, but have a long, shared cooldown which makes them dangerous to use.

At further levels of depth, from 2 down, you are invisible to all enemies, including other Submarines. You also cannot be hit by surface fire or torpedoes if you are at 2 or lower, so feel free to drive around with impunity! Your vision is severely reduced at this depth, but you can still provide some scouting for your teammates.

The first Submarine you get will probably be limited to around depth 5, but more advanced subs can dive even deeper. For the most part, you can stay at depth 2 where you're invisible but still able to quickly rise to depth 1 to launch your torpedoes. Deeper depths are used to evade depth charges.


Whether you are a Destroyer or a Submarine, you need to understand the mechanics involved in ASW. A cunning Submarine player uses this information to his advantage, while an important part of a Destroyer's job on a team is to defend against enemy subs.

First up is sonar. For ships equipped with it, weapon slot 6 switches to a long-cooldown sonar pulse. Despite what logic would suggest, this is actually an RNG mechanic - most sonar systems have a 60% or 70% chance of successfully detecting a nearby submerged submarine. So, be aware that you can get false negatives - if you know that a submarine is lurking nearby, just wait for the cooldown to expire and do another pulse, and hopefully you'll get a sonar blip this time.

A sonar blip shows the approximate location of the sub for a brief moment, along with its depth bracket (1-5, or 6-10). It will show up every few seconds for the duration of your sonar's effect, and this will allow you to guesstimate its speed and direction. Unless you are a Destroyer equipped with depth charges, however, this is only reconnaisance and early warning - you can't do anything to a submerged sub. SO STOP SHOOTING AT THE BLIP! :)

Tip: Sonar contacts show up for all teammates, so even if you don't have depth charges, it's important to constantly do sonar sweeps for your team if enemy submarines might be near. This will warn your teammates about a sub's surprise attack, and allow friendly Destroyers to begin hunting the sub.

If you do have depth charges, then crack your knuckles, because you just found something tasty to eat. The game does a particularly awful job of explaining how DCs work, and most newbies don't have any idea how to use them correctly as a result. A submarine player can take advantage of this!

The 'R' and 'T' keys cycle through depth charge detonation depth - by default, DCs are set to explode at depth 1. When DCs explode, they deal damage in a large radius around them, at the depth level they're set to. They deal 50% damage to the adjacent depths. So, for example, a DC set to depth 3 will explode for full damage on any sub at depth 3, and half damage to any sub at depth 2 or depth 4. It will not hit a sub at any depth beyond that.

Tip: Since most people leave their DCs set to depth 1, a submarine can often escape a pursuing Destroyer by diving lower. At 3 or lower, a default DC won't hit you. For ASW players, you can take advantage of the adjacent depth rule to help guarantee hits on a sub - you know an enemy sub won't be at depth 1, and once he knows you're using DCs, he will probably leave depth 2 as well. DCs set to depth 4, then, will hit him if he dives to 3, 4 or 5, making a hit very likely.

DCs do massive damage to subs, and if a sub gets hit by all 3 in a salvo it's very likely he will die. Escaping a Destroyer who knows what he's doing is extremely difficult, so the life of a sub depends very much on avoiding encounters with enemy Destroyers whenever possible. Even if a Destroyer can't score a hit with DCs, he can easily chase the submarine until the sub runs out of air and is forced to surface, netting an easy kill with guns.