Starter Fleet Guide:Oak
TF Oak
Difficulty: Easy
Pros at a Glance
* Ease - As one tanky battlegroup with only two ships, it is quite easy to use * Simple - The fleet is incredibly simple. You take the Axfords, you point them, you shoot them * Dense Point defense - Oak has a strong softkill suite and point defense turrets * Durable * Can Penetrate and Damage the majority of ships
Cons at a Glance
* Slow * Easy to Ambush * No Anti-light capability - the Axfords have only one armament, and it is 450mm guns. These do not perform well against light warships * No anti-jamming - the lack of floodlights means Garnet can jam Oak until it enters lethal plasma range.
Community Maintainer: NotSoLoneWolf
Axford Heavy Cruisers: Value Judgement & Moral Failing
TF Oak is a frontline fleet composed of Two Axford-class Heavy Cruisers in formation armed with a primary armament of 450mm guns. with a decent compliment of both softkill and hardkill anti-missile defenses giving this fleet full protection against the majority of threats. These ships prefer a more frontal-approach to threats known as "Bow-tanking", in which total area presented is minimized while allowing for armor angling to protect the majority of the ship save some flat spots.
This fleet prefers to stay at a longer range of around 9.5km in order to keep space between possible threats, this range also allows them to effectively use the ORBIT command to dodge most incoming ballistic fire in retaliation, becoming nearly invulnerable to most capital-grade guns unless the range is closed. The HEADING command is heavily encourage with this fleet in order to make full use of the dodging with a thin frontal profile, as well as allowing all weapons to bear to target.
In order to use this fleet effectively, you want to preferably try and engage isolated targets by maintaining your sight-lines as to not be engaging more than one ship group. Task all guns onto one target instead of splitting them for maximum effectiveness.
It’s also not particularly fast or maneuverable as it can push 27 m/s but only on Flank speed. This means it can’t escape ambushes easily (which means you can catch them in a Beam ambush or a Line Ship Gun ambush). There is also no Secondary Battery or other armament other than the 450mm cannons, which means that the heavy cruiser pair might find it hard to defend itself against an ambushing OSPN Ruttle group with rockets, or Draugrs with Size 3 Torpedo and Hybrid missiles.
Task Force Oak also has a decent point defense network, but it can be overwhelmed. Its softkill is split, with the Killjoy jammer decoys being placed on one ship, and the Command Jammer on the other, meaning that they have to stick together to provide full softkill coverage.
Finally, as Task Force Oak is comprised of Axford cruisers and not Solomon Battleships, OSPN Plasma will strip their armor in a single hit, and open them up to damage by lighter guns. Thus, there are ways to overwhelm Task Force Oak.
To prevent yourself from being overwhelmed as a Task Force Oak player, management of sight lines, map awareness, and team support is essential. You want to be firing the cannons at a single battlegroup and only be engaged or preferably not-engaged by your enemy battlegroup. As I have stated previously, use cover and manage the range of your weapons in relation to the enemy’s weapons. The Spyglass radar on one of the Task Force Oak cruisers is very useful to see what the enemy has at range, so you can make your decisions. Note, however that as a cruiser player, you need to think ahead. Do not go somewhere just because. You must consider what might happen when you get to the place you are going to and why you are going there. As such, you need to monitor the map to see if you can see flanking enemy forces, and find out where your team is so you can be supported in your movements.
Move Task Force Oak properly, she will treat you well and smash your enemies before you. Fail to do that, and you’ll get smashed. That being said, it'll take quite a beating before TF Oak falls, which is why it's considered one of the easiest and best Starter fleets to get into the game with.
Missiles
SGM-299 'Killjoy' Jammer Decoy [PD Prio Fired]
A SGM-200 Tempest Missile with a Wake-Homing Seeker and a Self-Screening Jammer. This Killjoy Jammer Decoy is a defensive decoy meant to decoy anti-radiation seekers such has Home On Jam Seekers and Fixed Anti-Radiation Seekers, as well as blind Active Radar Seekers and Fixed Semi Active Radar Seekers, including when these seekers are present as a backup after the primary seeker has been jammed. Its defensive doctrine is set to only ever fire when a manual PD Priority order is given, by default bound to the Z key, on an incoming missile's radar track. This method of launch will not work on visual tracks, it must be position fired if no radar coverage is present.
This Killjoy jammer decoy is unmatrixed, and as such it is not compatible with other ACMs present on the same ship. The upside is it will not automatically fire and immediately waste all of your decoys if the ship is left on PDMSL: AUTO, instead of you spending one missile per salvo.
SGM-1 Ceremonial Arming Missile
A SGM-100 Balestra Missile with a Wake-Homing Seeker and a size 4 HE Impact warhead. This missile is not intended for offensive usage, or indeed any usage at all during a typical match. Arming missiles exist so that a ship with an arming missile counts as being offensively armed, an important feature in the Control game-mode most multiplayer matches take place within. Thus, firing this missile is not advisable, besides in very niche circumstances.
In-game description (OUTDATED?)
Dual heavy cruisers with all big guns. Task Force Oak is ideal for those who struggle with multi-tasking and would like to focus more on positioning a single formation very well. Manage your range and sightlines to pound isolated enemy formations into dust with overwhelming broadside firepower, while avoiding being ambushed by closer-ranged fleets. Smart commanders will make frequent use of the HDG order to control their ships' facing. Pointing directly towards the enemy is strongly advised to shrug off incoming fire with your armored bow and protect your drive section from damage. When missiles are inbound, activate your defensive comms jammer and move at flank speed away from the threat to buy more time for PDTs to engage. Use decoys to jam and seduce enemy missile salvos.
Maintainer Notes
TF Oak was designed for minimum micro, and it does that - all you need to do is lock target and fire away. But because of that mandate, it packs no detached scouts, jammers, missiles, or any other tools which make it more survivable in open space. As such, while Oak is minimum micro it is maximum decisions. Where is your fleet, which enemies have line of sight on you, is your rear end safe from enemy fire, are your broadsides pointed towards the enemy and ready to go?
The main aspect of Oak is positioning. You can get buzzsawed if the enemy catches you in a spot where they can bring their full force to bear - don't let them do that. Manage your sightlines to be visible to the enemies you wish to engage and stay in cover relative to those you do not. Whenever possible, stick with your allies to benefit from their escorts, ewar, and point defence. Position Oak well and it will carry you far. Good luck, commander!
