There are currently four nations in the game, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. [Work In Progress]
[]
- +5% fighter damage
- +10% aircraft capacity
- +10% base damage from paratroopers
The US Navy is an excellent all-round nation with no truly "bad" lines, making it a solid choice for beginners. Its BBs are quite powerful and often boast the highest damage and range compared to other nations' BBs. Its CLs, especially at the end-tiers, are arguably the best in the game. USN CVs have poor defensive armament but receive bonus aircraft capacity compared to other nations. American DDs and CAs are both quite fearsome as well. The only lackluster line for the US is that of subs, which have low damage per torp, but benefit from a large number of torp tubes at end-tier.
[]
- Higher Durability Points (DP), all ships
- +1 Defense Level, all ships
- +10% Torpedo Bomber (TB) damage
UK, or the British Royal Navy, has some very specific strengths. Its BB line is quite competitive, boasting great damage and benefiting greatly from the extra DP and defense level of the UK, but it's also a rather bipolar line that requires a special patience to play. The Tier VI Revenge and the Tier IX Nelson are the only BBs at their tier that do not receive scouts, and can therefore be quite frustrating to play. Nonetheless, when not stricken with blindness, they are among the most formidable BBs in the game. The UK SS line is deceptively powerful. Despite having the same damage per torp as the US, British subs typically favor a front-heavy configuration for their torpedo tubes, and therefore wield extremely impressive alpha damage. UK CAs, CLs, and DDs don't tend to stand out compared to other nations', although the latter two classes benefit noticeably from the extra DP and defense power. UK CVs are also on the underwhelming side -- the torpedo bomber damage is great, but in an even match, UK fighters will always lose to 2 of the 3 other nations. The Royal Navy also has some of the fastest end-game ships - the Tribal (T11 DD), Ark Royal (T11 CV), Vanguard (T11 BB) have the highest top speeds of their respective tiers. In addition, the HMS Hood (T8 BB) is the fastest non-T11 battleship in-game as of 10/13/2015.
[]
- +10% Torpedo damage, including TBs
The Japanese line is infamous for its torpedoes. Not only do Japanese torps deal extra damage, Japanese ships also tend to launch a whole lot more of them. The Japanese CL line, for example, is unique in that it's comprised mainly of torpedo boats, culminating with the Tier IX Kitakami, which is absolutely terrifying when driven properly, and is capable of dispensing salvos of 25 torpedoes per side. The end-tier IJN CL, the Mogami, is also one of only two tier XI CLs to carry torpedoes, and its main armament is second only to the US Cleveland. Japanese DDs can be an incredible force for the same reason, with the tier X Shimakaze being the only DD capable of taking out BBs as high as tier IX with a single torp salvo. IJN BBs and CAs are also among the best in the game, but not until around tier VI and VII. The beginnings of these two lines are extremely underwhelming -- arguably the worst in the game. But, once you hit tier VII, the suffering early on becomes more than worth it. IJN CVs are not the best in the game, but they do benefit from enhanced torpedo bomber damage, and tend to wield better defensive armament than their UK and US counterparts. Lastly, IJN subs are a bit of a double-edged sword. Though they boast a large number of torp tubes from very early on, most IJN subs are absolutely massive and easy to hit.
KM (Kriegsmarine, Germany)[]
- +5% fighter damage
- +10% submarine torpedo damage
As with its NF1 counterpart, KM is in a lot of ways the most difficult nation to play. However, it can still be a highly fun and rewarding nation. Its CVs, though large and easy to hit, are extremely well-defended and equipped with some of the best planes in the game. Its subs are extremely fearsome as well, wielding the highest damage per torp of any sub line in the game. German subs also tend to be the smallest and most difficult to hit. As of this writing, KM is also the only nation in the game to possess a tier XI DD, and while not quite as offensively impressive as some of the other nations' tier X DDs (especially the IJN Shimakaze), it is much faster once it's fully upgraded. German CLs aren't the best, especially at lower tiers, but the high tier CLs make a respectable showing. KM's BBs are frequently on the low end of the damage and range spectrum, but this isn't universally true, and German BBs can be formidable. The tier IV and V BBs (Deutschland 1903 and Moltke) are arguably the second best in the game, behind the US. German CAs are among the best in the game, though it should be noted that the tier VII Blucher is the only tier VII CA in the game which lacks a scout and AA.