General Gameplay Tips

f No amount of reading can improve your gameplay the same way that constant practice can, but this page can at least try to point you in the right direction and give you some ideas on how to improve your performance in game!

Maneuvering[]

Always keep the enemy guessing -- avoid maneuvering in a consistent pattern.
Use the guidelines from your guns to help steer your ship even while it's off-screen.
Keep an eye on the minimap. Even when your ship is off-screen, you can use it to determine if you're about to run aground on an island, or cross a teammate and potentially cause a teamkilling incident.
Learn to identify the rhythm of an engagement. Estimate your opponent's rate of fire and begin evasive maneuvers the instant before they fire the next salvo.
If possible, turn counter to the direction you think your opponent is leading their shots. For instance, if your opponent thinks you are kiting and will most likely fire long under the assumption that you will continue to run, turn in towards them and watch their shells go flying over your head.

Surviving[]

Watch the "Mistakes Were Made" video below! ;]
Always know where you are relative to the enemy. Never get too close!
Keep one eye on the minimap at all times.
Always play with the camera fully zoomed-out. This will allow you to spot nearby enemies and obstacles much sooner and easier.
Know where to expect the enemy even if you have no friendly scouts up. For example, after playing a given map enough times, you should have a good idea of where to expect to see the first enemies at the start of a match, and keep that particular point on the map at max range.
React appropriately: if you suddenly start taking fire from several different ships, especially if you can't see some or all of them, then you've chosen the wrong course. Reverse immediately.
NEVER SAIL IN A STRAIGHT LINE. Always keep maneuvering.

Earning Credits[]

Though things like Armor and Equipment can be extremely beneficial to your ship, they can be costly. Unless you have a large credit pool to draw from, it's best to avoid investing in these upgrades until around Tier VII. When you do begin purchasing them, keep in mind that you can move them back and forth between ships as much as you want! If you're on a tight budget, consider purchasing only one set and using it for all of your ships.
Similarly, spending on your crew to improve their morale can boost your performance in battle, but the costs involved in doing so mean that it's really something intended as end-game content. Besides, it is not at all difficult to be competitive even without having all of your crew at 200% morale.
Researching upgrades for your ship can get expensive, so do it strategically. Not all upgrades are worth installing, even if they're worth the experience cost to research it. If you're not planning on spending a long time in a particular ship, then it might make sense to simply beeline it to the next ship and ignore any research that doesn't get you there.
If you do plan on being in a ship for a while, or simply have a lower-tier ship with low research costs, consider mastering it. This will grant you a 50% bonus to experience and credits earned when playing that ship, and can be incredibly helpful in building a solid treasury.
Purchasing a credit aide can be a bit of an investment in the short term, but will boost your credit income in the long term.
Diversify your role in battle! Getting a large amount of damage against enemy ships is always a good thing, but to truly maximize your rewards, make sure you're also capturing bases, shooting down aircraft, and damaging subs. Diversifying your role in battle this way will boost your credit and exp income no matter what ship you're in, but the bonuses for certain actions are more pronounced for certain ship classes. For example, DDs and APAs benefit more heavily from base capture than any other ship classes.

Gunnery and Marksmanship[]

If you have a secondary battery, and your target is in range, use it! Keep your secondary guns singing while your main battery reloads.
Especially for larger caliber guns, keep re-aiming your main battery while it reloads.
Remember that the amount of lead you have to give will vary based on your guns' muzzle velocity, as well as the angle at which they're firing. This means you might have to lead even more with your lower-caliber guns than with your higher-caliber guns at their respective maximum ranges, depending on the ship.
Don't fire recklessly! If half of your broadside is facing the wrong way when you're ready to shoot, either hold your fire until the rest of your guns are properly aimed, or select only half of your guns to fire by pressing C to cycle between foreward, aft, and all guns. Firing recklessly can make you a bigger danger to your team than to the enemy!
Make use of the E key to converge your guns just before you fire for greater accuracy.
On larger ships, especially higher-tier BBs, your shell spread can be quite wild. Consider purchasing an enhanced distance gauge from the store to boost your accuracy.

Flak (Anti-Aircraft)[]

Note: These tips assume that you are using Auto FCS

Timing your flak shots can be tricky. You not only have to lead your shots to account for a moving target; you also have to aim and time your shots such that the flak shell explodes directly on the enemy plane, just like a real time-based fuse.
Whenever possible, try to shoot down aircraft as they are moving, rather than circling an area. When aircraft are moving, they are directly over the red circle that helps denote their altitude, meaning you can use this circle to help aim your shots.
If you're still having trouble, try to move parallel to the plane you're trying to shoot down. This will make it easier to lead your shots.
When firing at an aircraft at slightly lower than max altitude, aim much farther away from the plane than you normally would. This will lower the angle of your guns, allowing you to hit targets at a lower altitude.
If torpedo bombers come after you skimming the tops of the waves, and your flak guns are dual-purpose (meaning they fire both HE and AA), switch to HE and click directly next to your ship, setting the angle of your guns to 1 or 0. Line up your guns with the approach path of the incoming bombers. Then, switch back to AA and fire without re-aiming. As long as you do not re-aim while AA is selected, your guns will remain at the same angle, thus enabling you to fire AA at extremely low angles even while using Auto FCS.

Torpedoes[]

However much you think you need to lead the target, lead more.
Pay attention to where your team is. Your torps will be in the water long after you fire them, so even if no one is in the way when you launch, someone might get hit a few seconds later. Take note of where your teammates are when you're about to launch and extrapolate -- ask yourself whether or not they'll be in harm's way once your torps are in the water.
In a similar vein, try to pay attention to what sections of the map might be considered your team's territory, and which might be considered your enemy's. Avoid launching torps in the direction of your own team.