Navy

The destroyer is one of the many units in the navy.

The navy is one of the three primary branches in the military, along with the army and the air force, tasked with overseeing and executing various maritime services, operations, and duties. Each naval unit serves a specific purpose and is assigned to various roles, including engaging in naval warfare, deterring maritime threats from gaining a foothold on the defender's mainland, providing active protection for escorting fleets overseas, acting as a seagoing airbase for allied aircraft to refuel, neutralizing enemy aircraft, and conducting bombardments against enemy ground units.

Within the navy, this category is further divided into four official subgroups, each specializing in specific watercraft and capabilities:

• Transport - Transport Boat
• Underwater - Submarine
• Escort Fleet - Destroyer and Frigate
• Capital Fleet - Battleship and Aircraft Carrier

Naval units can only be constructed in exclusive cities that already possess a port, which are generally located along a natural coastline. However, capital ships, particularly the battleship and the aircraft carrier, need Shipyard I and Shipyard II, respectively, for construction and maintenance. Additionally, all warships require a certain amount of Oil to maintain efficiency, whereas other ships may necessitate different man-made materials, such as Steel and Aircraft Parts.

• Naval Units and Hierarchy
• Advantages and Disadvantages
• Naval Warfare
• Naval Modifiers
• Types of Navies
• FAQ

Naval Units and Hierarchy

Transport

• Incorporates the Transport Boat.

Transport Chart

Transport Boat Category/Costs Image Naval Category Transport Recruitment Cost None Upkeep Cost $69,000 (per infantry unit) $552,000 (per tank unit) $220,800 (per anti-aircraft unit) $431,250 (per artillery unit) Usages Transport boats are vessels used to transport ground units through the sea. They automatically activate once the ground unit enters the water but deactivate once the ground unit disembarks on land. Extremely vulnerable to submarines, battleships, distant aircraft carrier and artillery bombardment, and attackers, transport boats can also be sunk by destroyers and frigates. However, if the number of troops in the transport boat is sufficiently large and strong, they can potentially destroy destroyers and frigates, albeit inefficiently and with significant losses. For example, a transport boat carrying 6,000 tanks with strong modifiers could potentially destroy a destroyer, but may also face losses in exchange. Ground units embarked on transports experience a reduction in their combat attributes, while upkeeping transports cost 3x more than while the units are on land. The Island Hopping Campaign military operation can sometimes be useful for transport boats as it increases embarkment speed, attack, and movement speed, but it is only practical for cases when invading a ton of island nations at the same time, otherwise, it is mostly a waste of military power. Additionally, this operation also increases ground upkeep by +30%.

Underwater

• Incorporates the Submarine.

Underwater Chart

Submarine Category/Costs Image Naval Category Underwater Recruitment Cost $30,000,000 5,000 Manpower Upkeep Cost $340,000 0.5 Oil Usages The submarine is practical during the beginning stages of the game, as it is generally cheap to upkeep and recruit, and it is proficient in naval combat due to its stealthy capabilities. Foreign submarines will be completely hidden to any individual that are not allied with the country that owns the submarines, unless if the submarine is within vicinity of their own assets, such as their naval vessels, sonar stations, and more. Should the individual be allied with the country that controls the submarine, they are able to see the division's exact position, military experience, quantities, and health. Submarines are highly efficient for sinking large amounts of unprotected transport boats without taking much damage, and they can quickly ambush and destroy unescorted capital ships, specifically the battleship and aircraft carrier. Highly vulnerable to escort ships (destroyers and frigates) and other enemy submarines.

Escort Fleet/Light Flotilla

• Incorporates the Destroyer and Frigate.
• Essential for escorting and protecting capital ships from any susceptible threats.
• Proficient at anti-aircraft and anti-submarine warfare.
• Surface bombardment damage against enemy ground units is relatively moderate.
• Highly vulnerable to enemy capital ships, artillery barrages, and other enemy escort ships.
• Notably cheap to construct and maintain in terms of financial and resource demands.

Escort Fleet/Light Flotilla Chart
Frigate Category/Costs Image Naval Category Escort Fleet Recruitment Cost $4,000,000 2,500 Manpower Upkeep Cost $54,000 0.15 Oil Usages Generally, the frigate is not ideally used in naval warfare, due to its overall weakness in combat and defense, compared to its stronger counterpart, the destroyer. The frigate can sometimes be used as small island or coastal countries that have a minimal economy. Moderately good for engaging in anti-submarine warfare, taking down enemy aircraft, and to a lesser extent, bombarding ground units. Vulnerable to destroyers, nearby artillery, battleships, and ranged aircraft carrier bombardment. Frigates are very cheap to upkeep and recruit, so in some cases, it is a good choice for small nations, specifically islands with one or two cities that cannot generate a moderate economy. Frigates are sometimes used to mass accumulate experience for military admirals, as some players may spam hundreds of frigates and train them simultaneously. Usually, these players are well-aware they will not financially suffer significantly as frigates are extremely cheap to train. The Naval Swarm Tactics military operation increases frigate attack by +50% and movement speed by +25%, while also reducing recruitment cost by -33% and recruitment time by -25%. This makes the operation useful for navies that rely on frigates as their primary fighting force.
Destroyer Category/Costs Image Naval Category Escort Fleet Recruitment Cost $20,000,000 7,500 Manpower Upkeep Cost $250,000 2 Oil Usages The destroyer is a very good ship to use throughout the game as it is generally cheap to upkeep and recruit, and it does not have much weaknesses during the start of the game. One of the best escort ships comprised in a typical naval fleet due to its overall flexibility and versatility. It is very proficient at being a floating anti-aircraft and engaging in anti-submarine warfare. Furthermore, it can also sometimes sink transport boats that are carrying a moderate amount of units. While the destroyer's bombardment damage against ground units may seem underwhelming, the attack modifiers can be significantly amplified using naval technology, as destroyers and frigates are upgraded in every technology path in the naval category. Other boosts that can improve the attack stats of destroyers include doctrines, readiness, experience, and more. Vulnerable to nearby artillery, battleships, and ranged aircraft carrier bombardment.

Capital/Grand Fleet

• Incorporates the Battleship and Aircraft Carrier.
• One of the most powerful and important ships in a naval fleet. It is extremely important and crucial to protect these types of ships during naval warfare as much as possible.
• Famous for its powerful enemy surface bombardment and distant seaborne and airborne strikes.
• Preys on escort fleets, such as frigates and destroyers.
• Primary weakness is submarines, while attackers can inflict substantial damage if no destroyers or frigates are present to protect.

Capital/Grand Fleet Chart
Battleship Category/Costs Image Naval Category Capital Fleet Recruitment Cost $75,000,000 12,500 Manpower 10 Steel Shipyard I Upkeep Cost $1,615,000 8 Oil Usages The battleship is mainly aimed towards the middle or later stages of the game, around 2022 or above, as it requires a Shipyard to construct and they are very expensive to recruit and maintain. Unless if you start as a economic powerhouse (i.e. United States, India, and to a lesser extent, Brazil and perhaps Japan), or secure a substantial amount of Consumer Goods trades, then you typically won't use this ship during the early years of the match. One of the two most powerful and important ships to protect and use in a naval fleet, similar to its counterpart, the aircraft carrier. The battleship is the best ship to use for eliminating escort ships and transport boats rapidly, bombarding ground units with heavy power, and sinking aircraft carriers. Due to its limited attack range, the battleship suffers from ranged combat. The battleship's number one threat is primarily submarines, as submarines are very capable of swiftly targeting and annihilating unguarded capital ships. Other factors that may be risky for battleships include other enemy battleships, aircraft carrier strikes, and in some cases, attackers.
Aircraft Carrier Category/Costs Image Naval Category Capital Fleet Recruitment Cost $250,000,000 25,000 Manpower 25 Steel 10 Aircraft Parts Shiypard I Shipyard II Upkeep Cost $4,200,000 30 Oil Usages Likewise to the battleship, the aircraft carrier is commonly seen and used specifically during the late stages of the game, around 2023/2025 or over, as it requires Shipyard II (which needs Shipyard I first in order to be built), and it is the most expensive ship to both recruit and maintain. Unless if you start as a economic powerhouse (i.e. United States, India, and to a lesser extent, Brazil and perhaps Japan), or secure a substantial amount of Consumer Goods trades, then you typically won't use this ship during the early years of the match. In addition to it being very costly to maintain in terms of resources, carriers consume a huge 30 units of Oil every 5 days, so it is utmost important to have oil to support your carrier while also having enough to maintain other ships or vehicular units on the land, or else a 'Oil Shortage' will commence. Since aircraft carriers are mobile and floating airbases on the sea, allied aircraft can land on carriers and refuel. Additionally, it bolsters airpower projection as it can carry any amount of aircrafts without limits. However, there is no mechanic that can lock the position of an aircraft division onto the carrier's deck, but you can just the 'Equalize Movement' interface. Due to the aircraft carrier possessing the largest attack range out of all units in the game (its colossal size can be compared to that of the British Isles), carriers can heavily strike and damage enemy units from afar without engaging in direct or close combat. Carriers have two major vulnerabilities: submarines and close combat. As explained previously, submarines are highly effective for swiftly ambushing and sinking capital ships. In regards to close combat, carriers are not designed to engage in battles within close proximity of other enemy vessels, as the enemy can simply jeopardize their fleet by ramming their ships into your carrier in hopes of damaging or destroying the carrier division, alongside of your entire naval group, forcing you to repair or build a new one. Other underlying threats include nearby artillery and in some cases, attackers.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Naval units serve as the vanguard for maritime operations, providing great versatility in defending the homeland from air and seaborne threats. They are proficient against aerial, ground units, and other naval fleets, and possess the capability to bombard on land. These units are useful as island countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and Japan, where maritime defense is crucial. However, despite their strengths, naval units also come with certain drawbacks.

Advantages

• Depending on the type of ship, its modifiers, and attack range, naval units have the capability to launch bombardments on ground troops, potentially causing widespread devastation to units within range. However, artillery units, while vulnerable to attack from naval units, have the capacity to counterattack. However, aircraft carriers can outrange bombardment compared to artillery units, while battleships can exchange fire with artillery units without sustaining much damage.
  • Anti aircraft also divides/mitigates the damage delivered by the aircraft carrier by five, meaning units that are within the range of anti aircraft will take less damage by the carrier than units that are not within range.
• All ships besides the submarines are a floating anti aircraft, as they can target and annihilate aircraft within seconds, depending on their modifiers. However, large attacker fleets can cause significant damage to battleships and carriers, if the ships are not actively protected by destroyers or frigate.
• Actively protects the homeland from any form of seaborne threats, as they can sink large amounts of transport boats, notably the submarine and battleship, preventing enemies from establishing a beachhead on your territory.
  • If they do establish a beachhead but you still have naval units, you can just bombard them from there if they lack naval protection at the same time.
• Players who establish naval superiority in warfare effectively control the seas, thereby preventing enemy access to transport boats and potentially aircraft. However, the enemy may still attempt flanking maneuvers using transport aircraft or secretly transporting units through covert sea routes. Conversely, players who fail to secure naval dominance risk losing the war outright or may be compelled to negotiate a treaty with the party that has achieved naval superiority.
• Shipbuilding does not relatively consume much manpower.

Disadvantages

• If your fleet lacks certain classes compared to an enemy with a complete carrier strike group—for example, if you only have escort ships while your enemy has underwater, escort, and capital ships combined—you are likely to be at a disadvantage and may lose control of the naval battle. However, this scenario does not apply universally to all types of naval combat and should be considered as a generalization rather than a strict rule.
• Ships can sometimes lead to a significant financial and resource burden, particularly in terms of Oil, to produce, maintain, and train. Smaller types of ships like destroyers and frigates are relatively inexpensive to operate, while battleships and aircraft carriers are extremely expensive, especially with shipyard construction costs.
  • Since shipyards and capital ships are extremely expensive to procure and maintain, battleships and carriers were not as common during the early years until 2022 to 2025. However, this timeline can vary depending on the country. For instance, the United States could potentially acquire capital ships by 2019 to 2020, whereas European countries might not acquire such ships until 2022 to 2025.
• Some naval units are weak to artillery, meaning that half of your fleet can be obliterated within seconds if they are constantly barraged by coastal batteries.

Naval Warfare

A complex chart of the combat cycle in naval warfare, showing every ships' strengths and weaknesses.

A basic chart of the combat cycle in naval warfare, showing every ships' strengths and weaknesses.

Naval warfare follows through a combat cycle, operating similarly to the concept of Rock paper scissors. So if we apply this analogy to in-game terms, battleships and aircraft carriers (rock) beat destroyers and frigates (scissors), but they are sunk by submarines (paper).

However, the true outcome of naval battles can vary depending on the composition and strength of the fleets involved. For example, a fleet consisting of 50 powerful submarines might overpower a single standard destroyer, or 50 powerful destroyers could potentially defeat a battleship. However, for greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness, it's often preferable to employ a single strong ship to neutralize multiple targets by default (e.g., use one destroyer to sink five submarines), rather than constructing numerous ships to target their weakness (e.g., using 30 destroyers to kill one battleship), which would be considerably more resource-intensive and counterintuitive.

But aside from the analogy and the strength composition scenarios, this is how the combat cycle works in naval warfare:

• Transport ships are sunk by all ships, but submarines and battleships inflict the most damage, while carriers can bombard transport ships from afar.
• Submarines are the best ship for sinking battleships, aircraft carriers, and transport ships, but weak against destroyers and frigates.
• Destroyers and frigates are good at attacking submarines, but weak against battleships and sometimes aircraft carriers.
• Battleships are good at attacking destroyers and frigates, but weak against submarines.
• Aircraft carriers should only be used in long-range combat, as they are decent in bombarding enemy naval fleets from afar. Aircraft carriers should never be used in close-range combat unless if its a dire emergency to sink their fleet or if it's protected by other ships.
  • Some players may decide to jeopardize their fleet by charging their whole fleet into the carrier strike group. Chances are the carrier might sink because carriers are weak in close-range combat, but there's also a possibility that the incoming fleet may completely sink before destroying the carrier or could even destroy your entire fleet.
  • Carriers should also be protected by other ships at all the times to assure their survivability. If left unprotected, a single submarine can destroy a carrier within seconds, without the carrier owner even realizing they lost a highly valuable ship in their navy, thereby wasting their money and resources.
• Frigates are basically the weak version of destroyers.

Naval Modifiers

A strategy on how to make the performance of your ships extremely powerful.

• The Admiral of the Fleet and the Chief of Staff political-military leaders.
• Maximize Military Spending so you can get full readiness.
• Grab a naval military leader and choose the following traits:
  • Aggressive and Defensive: Best traits for the navy, as they strengthen all ships.
  • Submarine Skipper: Fleet of mostly submarines
  • Escort Leader: Fleet of mostly destroyers and frigates.
  • Capital Officer: Fleet of mostly battleships.
  • Naval Aviator: Maximize advantages towards the Aircraft Carrier
  • Other traits, like Galespeed, Frontline Leader, Logistician, etc. can be obtained if there are not any good traits or during situational purposes.
• To accelerate military leader training, you can recruit hundreds of frigates and train them at the same time if you have the money, but it is relatively cheap especially as a big country. However, this process tends to train the military leader at a slow rate sometimes.
• If you can bear the weigh of a heavy financial burden, depending on the size of your navy, then you can begin training your ships to gain military experience, which will increase attack and defense bonuses.
• Capitalize on flanking maneuvers if it's ever possible during direct naval combat. A 1.5x damage boost to your navy during flanking is decent.
• Choose the following naval doctrines:
  • Grand Fleet (Best Naval Doctrine): Maximize advantages towards capital ships, as battleships and carriers are the most powerful ships in the navy, while also providing cost reductions towards the Shipyard.
    • Floating Fortress: Useful for navies that do not have any carriers in their fleet and prefer to focus on short-range and direct contact bombardment, as the battleship delivers the highest firepower among all ships in the navy within its vicinity.
    • Force Projection: Useful for navies that prioritize upgrading the power of long-range bombardment, as the aircraft carrier boasts the largest bombardment range among all ships in the navy.
  • Escort Fleet: Maximize advantages towards escort ships, if one has mainly destroyers or frigates and lack capital ships.
  • Submarine Warfare: Maximize advantages towards submarines, if one only has mostly submarines in their fleet and lack capital and escort ships.
• Research the following naval technology: Naval Protection 3 and Naval Guns 3, then transition to Naval Missiles. Those three technologies, with the latter being the least prioritized between the two formerly mentioned, will significantly bolster your naval capabilities, as the technologies will upgrade the protection/armor for all surface ships and raise the attack percentages for all ships besides the submarine.
  • If you are mainly using submarines as your primary naval force, then go straight for Naval Torpedoes instead.
  • Additionally, Naval Torpedoes and Naval Mobility can be used after obtaining the three technologies listed in the first bullet point.
• The two naval operations - Island Hopping Campaign and Naval Swarm Tactics - are mostly useless and a waste of military power unless if you are invading a ton of islands simultaneously or using frigates as your main fighting fleet.

Types of Navies

Light Flotilla

Should be used early game, especially as an island nation in high-risk area like Japan or the United Kingdom, as it provides an escort and basic landing protection for transport boats.

• 1-3 Submarines
• 3 Destroyers/Frigates (Amount can be decreased or changed to frigates if you cannot afford them.)

Moderate Navy

For small naval battles, or if the enemy has a small fleet of destroyers/submarines.

• 4 Destroyers
• 4+ Submarines
• 1 Battleship (Battleship is not needed if you cannot afford a Shipyard.)

Medium-Large Navy

• 4 Battleships
• 8 Destroyers
• 10+ Submarines

Battleship-Submarine Combo

Battleships and submarines only; escorts are not needed because battleships can kill destroyers and frigates, while submarines can destroy capital ships.

• 10-15+ Battleships
• 20-50+ Submarines
• 1 Aircraft Carrier (Not necessary needed.)

Carrier Strike Group

The standard naval formation to establish a basic carrier strike group.

• 6-8+ Destroyers (Used as a key part of your naval group and to clear enemy submarines.)
• 10+ Battleships (Expensive and durable, used for close-range shore bombardment and to kill pesky destroyers threatening your submarines.)
• 1+ Aircraft carrier (Used for large-scale air, ground, and sea bombardment. Keep this protected with all your ships.)
• 10+ Submarines (Used as scouts and short defenses. Submarines are valuable because of their invisibility, which they can secretly snipe unguarded transport boats.)

Frequently Asked Questions

• What do I do if my enemy has achieved naval supremacy?
  • It's basically game over for you, but may still attempt flanking maneuvers using transport aircraft or secretly transporting units through covert sea routes.
  • You can also try to nuke their navy while they are not paying attention or mass recruit a ton of attackers and charge it into their capital ships, but it is merely a gamble.
  • You can also try to get decent naval modifiers and try to slowly whittle down their superior force, but it may also just be a gamble.
• How do I get the best modifiers, such as technology, doctrines, traits, and military leaders for my navy?
  • Read the 'Modifiers' section.
• What if the enemy has artillery on their coastlines and their bombardment damage is significantly weaking my ships?
  • Use a battleship for massive damage delivery or an aircraft carrier to outrange the artillery, but if they have extremely powerful modifiers along with anti aircraft stationed nearby, the only bet you can do is sacrifice your battleships, but their defensive modifiers may outweigh the battleship damage, and establishing a beachhead may be a challenge without suffering from the artillery barrage.
• How do I get shipyards as soon as possible, and why are they not common early game?
  • Superpowers, such as the United States, China, and India, are the first countries to gain shipyards, while Europe or other smaller countries may lag behind such ships until 2025. This is mainly due to the extremely high cost for money and Steel.
  • The earliest you can get a Shipyard is probably by 2019 or 2021, especially if you have a substantial amount of Consumer Goods trades or being aided by a superpower, or 2022 if you are mass expanding have a accumulated significant wealth.
• What is the best naval composition?
  • Read 'Types of Navies' section.
• Is spamming frigates the best meta for naval swarm strategies?
  • Not necessarily, unless if you acquired powerful modifiers that your frigate fleet is large and powerful that no ship can stop it. Otherwise, 10-20 strong battleships can probably sink around 700 standard frigates within seconds.
• What will happen to my ships if an oil shortage occurs?
  • All ships have their mobility, attack, and defense performances significantly reduced, leading to a decrease in effectiveness during naval warfare.

Trivia

• The navy holds the most amount of units out of all branches in the military.
• Before Shipyards were implemented in the 12/07/2023 Update (December 7, 2023), battleships and aircraft carriers were more common before 2022 or 2025.
  • In some cases, small or moderate countries that were able to secure a substantial amount of Consumer Goods trades, such as the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, etc. were able to acquire destroyers, battleships, and aircraft carriers without going into debt or an Oil shortage.
• In the modernized world, battleships are generally considered obsolete for engaging in contemporary maritime services and duties. However, despite the ship decommissioning in navies worldwide before the year 2019, which is when Rise of Nations begins, battleships are still presented as one of the primary naval units in the game.
• The navy has one of the most expensive units in the military, in terms of both money and resources, which is why constructing and maintaining a large fleet could be a heavy financial burden for countries with a modest economy, or could even harm countries with a strong economy.
• The battleship delivers the highest firepower among all ships in the navy within its vicinity, capable of severely harming ground units within its bombardment range and potentially sinking ships in direct combat. However, in exchange for its immense firepower, it also has the shortest attack range in the navy.
• The aircraft carrier has the largest bombardment range out of all units in the military, with its range being compared to the landmass of the British Isles.
• The destroyer is the first ship to be added in the game, preceding the addition of vessels such as battleships and frigates.

References