Table of Contents:

Introduction: Alpha

Commandments: Bravo

Dragging: Charlie

Playstyles: Delta

Grouping: Echo

Disclaimer: Foxtrot

Thanks: Golf

Alpha

So you have chosen the role of a CV. Congratulations and welcome to the ever watchful brotherhood. A CV is a frightening thing if its role is played well, however, it can also be a weakest point in an enemy team. In this guide, I hope to explain a lot about fighters, from the basics to some advanced stuff. Fighters can gain lots of credits, steady experience, and rage quits from Bomber CVs, as well as a higher win/loss ratio. 

Bravo

Commandments.

So first I would like to start us off with what I like to call "l0tterys Commandments of CV play". These don't only apply to fighter heavy CV play, but CV in general.

I: Never fight a fair fight.

Go for enemies you know you can take out. You do your team little good by fighting a much stronger foe. If you feel that an opponent is too much to handle, get a bigger CV to switch sides. If there isn't a single large CV, then gang up on your enemy. Just don't leave an open gap in the skies. 

II: Scan the battle field. Often. 

With either bombers or fighters, it's important to know what you're going up against. Use your idle time to your advantage. While waiting for your first wave to load, scan the map, not just your hempisphere. Look for targets for bombing. For fighters look for incoming planes, what type, how many, and from what direction. You can buy your team an early advantage by wiping out scouts and bombers, or taking out pesky AA ships. Don't get caught focusing on one ship or plane and being sunk by bombers in the first minute.

III: Be fluid, adaptable, and un-predictable. 

Every battle is a unique situation. Sometimes it is best to blind an opponent, other times it is best to scout. Use your judgment and intuition to guide you. Reacting quicker to changes is the key to owning the sky. Make sure you react faster then an opponent. 

IV: Micromanage Micromanage Micromanage.

One flight of active planes is 100 times better then 6 passive groups. Control your planes at all times. Be aggressive with your planes. I am the first to say CV planes shouldn't be used for scouting, but they should be bold and decisive. Place fighters close to enemy lines, but out of AA range. Control bombers over enemy territory at all times.

V: NEVER Circle of Death. 

Your planes are a waste of time, fuel, credits, and experience if they lock into a Circle of Death. Your fighters that Circle of Death over your lines are also likely to get shot down by friendly AA fire. 

So, now that we have the basics, lets move on to some advanced fighter stuff. As a CV, I started multi-role. Once I hit CV5, I noticed that most of my exp came from plane kills. (I was a terrible bomber =( ) So I moved onto a fighter heavy. Over the years I've developed some nasty tips and tricks that are sure to crush your enemy, as long as your fighters have the guts (and the vets).

Charlie

Dragging.

First off is dragging. A CV that doesn't know how to drag is like a BB that can't sling shot, or an SS without an engineer. You can do your job, it's just a hell of a lot harder to do without. Dragging is done by spam right clicking with your fighters selected. This is like an "over-ride" command for your planes, and constantly pulls your planes to the location. Enemy fighters that aren't being dragged "lock on" to a single plane in your group and will follow that plane. There is a small bug/glitch where dragged fighters can engage enemy planes that are behind yours so in effect you are performing a running maneuver as if you were in a BB. Your fighters have the "range" on enemy fighters and can hit them. Enemy fighters do not and are wiped out. There are 4 main types of dragging that I use. 

1) Spam. 

This is the basic form of dragging. Right click till your finger bleeds or falls off. Best used on slower, more durable enemy planes, scouts, bombers or non-micro'd fighters. 

2) Catch and release.

You spam right click, then release. On the release, your fighters turn back and destroy the enemy fighters. Think of it as counter rushing an enemy BB. Best used against planes that are as fast as yours, or a bit faster. Works well with bombers and scouts as well. 

3) The weave. (thanks to Noober_Noob for telling me about this one.)

This is where you send your fighters into an "S" like sidewinder pattern. By performing this, you constantly move in and out of range of your enemy planes, never giving them the chance to retaliate, and allows a second group of fighters to engage and destroy your enemy. Works best on faster planes, as long as yours have more durability, or multiple fighter groups. 

4) Stationary. This is akin to hovering, but instead of letting your planes circle of death, you spam right underneath them. This allows you to effectively drag without being ran down by a faster, more heavily armed opponent. Best used with slower, more durable planes against faster ones. 

Although I've laid out some basics here don't be afraid to try different styles. What nation you are can affect your dragging style as well. Different nations planes have different stats, advantages and disadvantages, so this effects their play style, so to speak. There are three main play styles.

Delta

Playstyles.

1) Runner. 

High speed, high offensive power. Lower durability. IJN is the primary nation that uses this style. Can be defeated using the "stationary" dragging method. 

2) Toe-to-toe.

Low speed, average offense, high durability. KM is the primary nation that uses this style. Can be defeated using catch and release, drag spam, and weaving styles. However, if you are caught in an engagement you are probably going down.