As we said last time, Rovio has come a long, long way since the Finnish company was merely known as the maker of one of the biggest mobile sensations of all time – Angry Birds. With the company having cranked out countless follow-up titles in that franchise, they’ve now moved on to the MOBA genre with the new game Battle Bay. Like your typical multiplayer online battle arena game, Battle Bay encourages cooperation and communication among teammates, and is a great game if you’re looking to blast some definitely human-controlled enemies, while possibly making some new friends in your allies. But this isn’t your typical fantasy-era MOBA, but rather a five-on-five ship battle that takes place in the open seas. The setting is different, but as we explained in our first strategy guide, a lot of the old standby mechanics still apply.
Our previous Battle Bay strategy guide was more of an “ultimate guide,” as we like to call it, as it covers any and every topic related to the game. But we’re going on a smaller scale here and homing in on three important aspects of gameplay – your ships, your weapons, and your perks. What’s in it for you with each individual ship, weapon, or perk in the game? Read on and you’ll find out.
SHIPS
Shooter
We did say last time that the Shooter is the all-around boat in Battle Bay, meaning the ship you want if you’re looking for something that’s solid across the board, but not necessarily weak in any area. That said, none of its individual stats will stand out, but such is the case with “jack of all trades” characters, vehicles, or whatnot. This is a good ship for those who want to equip as many weapons as possible, as it comes with two weapon slots and one passive effect item slot. But if you’re used to wielding one weapon or item at a time and aren’t much for multitasking, you may stick with only one, or perhaps check out the other ships. (This is, however, arguably the best ship for beginners!)
Some have complained that the Shooter’s ship and turret agility are subpar, and that could indeed affect you if you’re trying to pull off some evasive maneuvers and avoid enemy fire, or if you’re trying to aim at enemy ships. But if you come to think of it, you could do worse, and if agility is a bit of a weak point, speed is a bit of a strong point that stands out, as this is the second-fastest available ship in Battle Bay.
Speeder
The Speeder is everything its name suggests it is – it’s a fast and agile ship that’s also quite easy to operate, especially for beginners. But regardless of your experience level, the downside of using a Speeder is the fact that it’s only allowed to equip one weapon, one control item, and one passive boost item. It’s not the ship of choice for those who like to exert their might on offense, but we did explain in the first strategy guide that this is more of a scout ship. Unfortunately, it’s also the squishiest ship in Battle Bay, with only 500 health points to start with. (The Defender, in contrast, has a whopping 900.)
Another drawback of note to the Speeder is its lack of turret agility. Sure, most players won’t need those two weapon slots anyways, and the speed and ship agility is a nice touch. But turret agility is satisfactory at best, and that makes it hard to aim you weapon while in battle.
Defender
You should remember what we had said above – you could do worse when it comes to agility stats if you’ve got a Shooter. That’s because the Defender is a slow, lumbering ship that won’t do you any favors if you’re escaping enemy fire or trying to turn it around or move the turret. Speed and agility are this ship’s weak points, but as the name of the ship suggests, it’s Battle Bay’s equivalent of a tank-type character, what with its high health and defense stats. If the Shooter is the best ship to use for Battle Bay newbies, the Defender is most advisable for those who have been playing the game for longer than most.
While tanky characters aren’t normally renowned for their offensive abilities, the Defender has some nice offensive potential, as it has two weapon slots with two slot points that allow you to equip higher-end weapons without having to upgrade, as well as one passive item slot. If you’re experienced enough to use such a ship, you can turn the Defender into a real wrecking machine out there.
Enforcer
In terms of size, the Enforcer ranks up there, and it’s also a robust enough ship with a solid number of health points. Its speed is likewise solid but unspectacular, while its agility only ranks second behind the Speeder in terms of steering, and ranking number one in terms of turret movement. All in all, the Enforcer carries a good mix of impressive, above-average stats, though you might not like the fact that it features one weapon slot, one control item slot, and one passive booster slot. This suggests that the Enforcer can’t do as much damage as the ships that can wield two weapons, but the good thing here is the variety in the types of items you can wield in the slots.
Fixer
Last, but not the least in the ship category, is your Fixer ship, which is the game’s equivalent of a support character in traditional MOBAs and RPGs. This is the type of ship for those who want to help the team win in ways other than blasting enemy ships, and it’s the only ship that can carry items with self-healing capabilities, or the ability to heal teammates. Sometimes, the key to winning a difficult battle is having a good Fixer ship in the team of five.
The Fixer has good speed and agility stats, and is, as a whole, second-best in terms of the latter statistical category. You can equip one weapon and one passive booster, plus one healing item. As we mentioned above, a good Fixer can help you ride it out until the battle is done, though this is another one of those boats/ships best used by experienced Battle Bay players.
WEAPONS
Now let’s move on to the weapons that are available to you in Battle Bay, and what you can expect when you use each of them in battle.
Cannon
This is probably the classic, quintessential Battle Bay weapon. It’s arguably the easiest to find out there, and it’s quite reliable, capable of a decent amount of damage from a decent range. Cool down times are also very fast with this weapon. You can start out by using your cannon as your primary weapon, though as you go along, you may want to switch it to your secondary.
Blast Cannon
The Blast Cannon is a second-tier version of the Cannon, capable of doing much more damage, albeit with a couple tradeoffs – shorter range, slower projectile speed, and longer cool down time. This is best as a secondary weapon, as you may end up waiting too long to fire again if you use it as your primary.
Sniper Cannon
The name says it all. This is a version of the Cannon that can take targets out from afar, with a ton of damage unleashed if it hits its mark. It won’t do as much damage as a Blast Cannon, but it’s preferable as a secondary because it has much greater range and a better chance of hitting its mark. Be wary of the high cool down time, as this could be a problem if you end up missing.
Explosive Cannon
And here it is, the mother of all cannons. It’s capable of wreaking havoc on multiple enemy ships due to its Area of Effect damage – if you see the opponent bunched up together, that’s the best time to fire away with this weapon. As we implied, damage stats are quite impressive, but it’s a pest to deal with due to its slowness and high cool down time. Once again, this is best as a secondary.
Standard Mortar
The classic Standard Mortar is capable of damaging ships big-time, and at an impressive range at that. But while this is the simplest among the mortars you can use in Battle Bay, it is a bit tricky to use this and make the most out of it. This is a glacially slow weapon, and if you’ve got a Speeder among the enemy ships, you can be sure of it leaving the scene and avoiding the wrath of the mortar. But the good thing here is that it’s got great range and a solid cool down time of about ten seconds, which is not bad at all for secondaries.
Long Range Mortar
If you’re looking for something that you can fire from a greater distance as a stealth weapon, this is a better pick – expect unreal range and radius from the Long Range Mortar, and the same cool down time as its standard equivalent. As usual, there are tradeoffs, namely lower damage stats, which means it might not be worth it despite the greater range.
Ballpark Mortar
The damage inflicted by this mortar is even less impressive, while the range it covers is the same as the Standard Mortar. But the radius covered by the Ballpark Mortar is wider, making it a good secondary in certain situations. Still, your best bet is the Standard Mortar if you’re looking to use one of the three different mortar types in Battle Bay.
Big Torpedo
The first torpedo type in this game is the Big Torpedo, and it can reliably be used as a primary, depending on the circumstances. (Mainly, it requires two slot points, so it could only work on Defenders.) Still, you’ll have to be prepared for its long cool down time to make up for the ton of damage it could do, at a solid radius. It’s also very slow to launch, making for another potential pitfall of its use as a primary.
Swift Torpedo
The Swift Torpedo is, once again, a self-explanatory weapon. It’s a faster, sleeker version of the standard (Big) torpedo that only requires one slot point. It doesn’t do as much damage, but is nonetheless powerful, with less cool down time and better accuracy than other torpedo types. That makes it, as we see it, the best torpedo to use in Battle Bay.
Triple Torpedo
The Triple Torpedo is actually three torpedoes launching in an arc-shaped path, with each torpedo individually dealing out lots of damage. You can get a wider angle if you fire it farther away from your target, though this can tend to be an inaccurate weapon; practice is needed when using this torpedo and maximizing its usefulness, and that makes it a weapon best-used by more advanced players. Also take note of the long cool down time and the two slot point requirement – it’s a fairly good secondary, but there are better options available.
Grenade Launcher
This is another secondary weapon worth considering due to its long cool down time. Range isn’t that bad at all, and damage is more than decent, but the cool thing about the grenades you launch in the game is that they set your opponents on fire for a good five seconds.
Carronade
This is a more sophisticated option for fans of the Cannon, as it could shoot four fast-moving projectiles that could deal damage on any enemies that cross its path. The damage inflicted by each individual projectile might not be too much, but all in all, it deals out solid damage, and you can use it as a primary, especially since cool down time is quite low. The caveat when using the Carronade is that it can be hard to use, and only an option for close-contact battles. As such, you can consider using it as a secondary, and one that you can use on a situational basis, such as if you’ve got more than one enemy bunched together at a fairly close distance.
Big Bertha
What’s the deal with this weapon? It’s got a cool name indeed, and it does great damage covering a wide area, with range more than satisfactory. But since its cool down time is quite extensive, and since it’s so big that it requires two slot points, it’s best-used as a secondary, and something not to be trifled with for newer, less experienced players.
Missile Launcher
The Missile Launcher fires three missiles off, with solid range and a fair amount of damage dealt out. That might not sound too impressive, and the cool down time, while relatively fast, isn’t as fast to justify its use as a primary, let alone one that you would regularly use. It’s better to use this early on when playing the game, but when you’re dealing with enemies that aren’t bunched up together, you won’t get much mileage out of this one.
Railgun
Need another good choice for a secondary? Try the Railgun, which can deal out lots of damage with high accuracy, thanks to its fast projectiles. There are drawbacks, though, such as its two slot point requirement and long reload time. This makes it best to use in the later parts of the game once you’ve gotten the necessary upgrades to make your ship more formidable in battle.
Mine
The Mine is capable of unloading lots of damage at enemy ships that come into contact with it. But this weapon’s visibility is also its biggest drawback. Once you drop it, everyone can see it, and would likewise be smart and/or quick enough to avoid it. You could use it once in a while as a secondary, but it’s only a good option if you are truly confident about where you’re placing it during the battle.
Flare Gun
Flare Guns don’t deal out big damage in one go, but rather big damage over a period of time. At first, the damage isn’t anything to write home about, but as time passes, that damage could add up and wreak a lot of havoc on enemy ships that it hits. Cool down time, fortunately, is faster than the time it takes for the effect to fully manifest; this means you can fire it repeatedly and repeat that effect on multiple ships, provided you know what you’re doing with this weapon.
Napalm Launcher
The Napalm Launcher may sound cool, but it’s also a rather difficult weapon to use. The weapon works by setting a large radius of water on fire, but the catch here is that it’s only going to damage ships that pass through the fire. All in all, this is a classic example of a weapon whose name is cooler than its actual effect; not only can enemy ships smartly avoid the fire, but the damage dealt out is above-average at best. Look for another weapon if you really want to take ships out quickly and effectively.
Fire Bomb
The Fire Bomb is a higher-end take on the Napalm Launcher, meaning it’s more likely to hit its target, albeit with a tradeoff of lower damage and a longer cool down time. Its radius, however, is more than respectable, and its effect lasts fairly long enough to damage ships significantly. Go with the Fire Bomb as a secondary, should you be down to that weapon and the Napalm Launcher.
PERKS
Like any good game with more than a fair amount of role-playing game mechanics, Battle Bay comes with Perks, which can be equipped on certain items. The operative word here is certain, as not all items come with a Perk slot; in simpler terms, the only way you can equip a Perk is if you’ve got an item with an available Perk slot. But the Perk you want to use also has to be compatible with the item you want to equip it on – that’s the way it’s going to be in most cases.
The best way to get more Perks in Battle Bay is to closely monitor the goings-on in the Market. Usually, the Market will allow you a pick of one Perk or more to purchase with your gold coins, which are the common currency of the game. The Market/shop can be refreshed by watching ad videos, buying VIP subscription (the paid version of Battle Bay, which has all the free edition’s features, plus some members’ only specials), or spending pearls, which isn’t recommended due to the fact that that’s your premium currency.
We’ve heard that Perks can be found inside chests, and while this can be very rare, it is randomly possible if you’re patient enough. Future Battle Bay events may even include Perks as a reward. But for the meantime, it is quite hard to come about them, and once you find a Perk you like, we advise that you stick to it and don’t sell it or get the urge to get your hands on a better Perk to replace the old one you’ve got.
Lastly, before we proceed to the list of perks, we should inform you that your choice of Perk to equip will depend on what you’ve got at your disposal. And while it’s not a wise idea to be too choosy in this department, you should, if you have a choice, go for the Perks that improve your key statistics, such as damage, weapon effect, or hit points. Of course, you’ll also want to go for those Perks that are higher up on the rarity scale – again, this is if you have a choice, which won’t be often.
The old adage applies here – beggars can’t be choosers, and that’s because scoring Perks can be quite the challenge for Battle Bay players.
List Of Battle Bay Perks
Item Range – Improved range for all items
Overboost Duration – Additional time for a speed boost, can only be used on Overboost
Ship Hitpoints – More hit points for any ship
Freeze Duration – Additional time to slow effect duration, with the number of seconds depending on the perk’s rarity
Cannon Damage – Additional damage for cannons, obviously for cannons only
Torpedo Damage – Additional damage for torpedoes, regardless of type
Shield Hitpoints – Extra hit points for all shields that are active
Repairing Boost – Additional repairing effect (in percentage form) to all repairing items
Repairing Cooldown – Additional cool down time for any repairing items