In Age of Ships: Battleships War, building a powerful fleet isn’t just about upgrading your warships. You also need to arrange your ships into the right formations to take full advantage of passive buffs that can enhance your attack, defense, and overall power. The right formation can make all the difference in this strategy game, by boosting your fleet’s key stats and giving you an edge over your enemies.

In this guide, we’ll explain what fleet formations are and how they work. We’ll also go over the different types of formations available in the game and how to unlock them. Additionally, we’ll touch on ways to upgrade and expand your fleet for maximum impact in battle. 

What Are Fleet Formations?

Formations in Age of Ships: Battleships War are strategic arrangements of your ships that grant passive bonuses to your fleet during combat. When you arrange your ships in certain patterns, you unlock special buffs like increased defense, improved attack, or enhanced HP. These bonuses can give you a significant advantage in battle, making it crucial to not only upgrade your ships but also place them in the best possible formation.

Formations are especially useful in tougher battles, where small boosts to attack or defense can turn the tide in your favor. By choosing the right formation and keeping your fleet balanced, you’ll maximize your chances of victory.

Types of Fleet Formations

There are several formations available in Age of Ships: Battleships War, each offering different buffs to your fleet. Let’s take a look at the different types and what bonuses they provide.

• Line Ahead

This formation is unlocked by default and is triggered when all ships are arranged in a single column. The Line Ahead formation boosts your fleet’s BUR DEF (Burst Defense), making it useful for withstanding high-impact burst attacks from enemies. It’s a solid choice when you’re expecting to face ships with strong Burst skills.

• Line Abreast

This formation is unlocked after completing Chapter 6, Flagship: Kaga. It is triggered when all ships are arranged in a single row. While it doesn’t provide as much versatility as some of the later formations, it’s a straightforward setup that can be useful in certain situations, especially when you need to maintain a wide defensive stance.

• Diamond

The Diamond formation is unlocked by completing Chapter 7, Flagship: Shokaku. When ships are arranged in a diamond shape, this formation increases your fleet’s HP, giving you more durability and allowing your ships to last longer in battle. It’s perfect for battles where you need to tank a lot of damage and outlast your enemies.

• Double Line 

Unlocked by completing Chapter 8, Flagship: Yamato, the Double Line formation arranges your ships in two parallel lines across two columns. This formation boosts the HP of ships in the front row and the BUR ATK (Burst Attack) of all other ships, giving you a balanced mix of defense and offense. Ships in the back line can deal heavy burst damage while those in the front absorb incoming attacks.

• Echelon 

The Echelon formation, unlocked by completing Chapter 9, Flagship: Pennsylvania, is triggered when ships are arranged diagonally. This formation increases the ART ATK (Artillery Attack) of ships in the front and the BUR ATK of ships in the back, providing a focused boost to your firepower. It’s a great formation for aggressive strategies, allowing you to deliver strong attacks from both artillery and burst-focused ships.

• Vee 

Unlocked after completing Chapter 10, Flagship: Lexington, the Vee formation arranges ships in a “V” shape and boosts both ART ATK and BUR ATK of all ships. This formation is highly versatile, giving a balanced increase to both types of attack skills and making it an excellent choice for all-out offensive battles where maximizing your damage output is key.

How to Upgrade and Expand Your Fleet

Creating an effective fleet formation also depends on having a well-upgraded and balanced fleet. While you can find more information in our other guides for this game on our blog, here’s a reminder on how you can grow your fleet in size and power:

• Unlocking New Ships

To build a stronger fleet, you’ll need to unlock new ships by completing campaign chapters or participating in events. Each new ship you unlock can also be added to your Handbook, where you can redeem permanent stat boosts for your entire fleet.

• Upgrading Ships

• • Skills: You can pay Gold in the Wharf menu to upgrade your ship’s individual skills. This boosts their combat performance and keeps your fleet competitive.
  • Leveling Up: Use Gold to level up your ships in the Wharf. Keep in mind that ships can’t exceed your account level, so leveling up your account is key to keeping your ships strong.
  • Converting Ships: By converting ships using duplicate designs, you can boost their Conversion Level, unlocking passive buffs and significantly improving their stats.

• Fleet Slots

As you progress, you’ll unlock additional fleet slots that allow you to deploy more ships in battle. This is key to forming balanced compositions, as you’ll be able to mix different types of ships—such as artillery-focused warships and burst-damage dealers—to create a fleet that can handle various combat scenarios.

For a more detailed breakdown on how to upgrade your ships, check out our Beginner’s Guide for a step-by-step guide on everything from ship skills to upgrades.

Balancing Your Fleet Composition

While formations offer powerful bonuses, a good Age of Ships tip or trick is to balance your fleet’s composition to maximize their effectiveness. Make sure you’re not only focusing on one type of ship. A mix of artillery and burst-damage warships ensures you’re prepared for different enemy strategies. You’ll also want to consider the speed and durability of your ships, as faster ships can attack more frequently, while more durable ships can absorb damage longer.

As you unlock more ships and fleet slots, experimenting with different combinations will help you find the best balance for your playstyle. Remember, each formation provides bonuses that suit different strategies, so don’t be afraid to switch things up depending on the challenge ahead.

By mastering the different formations and keeping your fleet upgraded, you’ll be ready to tackle any challenge that comes your way in Age of Ships: Battleships War. The right formation can boost your fleet’s power significantly, and with a well-balanced fleet composition, you’ll be unstoppable in battle. And for the best experience, play Age of Ships: Battleships War on BlueStacks. With enhanced performance, better controls, and access to powerful tools, BlueStacks gives you the edge you need to dominate the seas!