Hearts of Iron 4: How to Create a New Fleet - A Comprehensive Guide
Hearts of Iron 4 (HOI4) demands strategic naval power to control the seas and project your nation's influence. Creating and managing effective fleets is crucial for victory. This guide provides a comprehensive walkthrough on building new fleets in HOI4, covering everything from basic creation to advanced fleet composition.
Understanding Naval Design and Shipyards
Before diving into fleet creation, you need to grasp the fundamentals of naval design and shipyard capacity.
Naval Design
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Ship Types: HOI4 features diverse ship types, each with strengths and weaknesses. Cruisers excel at scouting and engaging lighter vessels, while battleships dominate in direct combat. Submarines are ideal for disrupting enemy supply lines, and destroyers provide crucial anti-submarine warfare capabilities. Carriers deploy aircraft for air superiority and strategic bombing. Carefully select ship types based on your strategic goals and resource availability.
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Naval Research: Investing in naval research is paramount. Unlocking improved technologies enhances your ships' stats (speed, armor, firepower), unlocking new ship types and improving your naval doctrines. Prioritize research based on your strategic needs and technological capacity.
Shipyards
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Construction Capacity: The number of shipyards you possess directly impacts your rate of naval construction. More shipyards mean faster production. Prioritize building shipyards early in the game, especially in provinces with high construction efficiency.
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Infrastructure: High infrastructure levels in provinces hosting shipyards boost production efficiency. Invest in infrastructure to maximize your shipbuilding capacity.
Creating a New Fleet: A Step-by-Step Guide
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Open the Naval Tab: Navigate to the "Military" tab and select "Navy."
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Select a Shipyard: Choose a shipyard with sufficient capacity to construct your desired fleet.
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Design Your Ships: Click the "Design" button. Here you'll choose your ship type, select technologies, and allocate resources to improve various stats. Pay close attention to your chosen doctrine – it will impact the effectiveness of your ship types.
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Build Orders: Once you've designed your ships, return to the main naval screen. Click the "Production" tab, select your designed ship, and choose how many to build. Consider your production capacity; building too many ships simultaneously may strain your resources.
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Assigning Ships to Fleets: Once your ships are constructed, you'll need to assign them to fleets. Create new fleets by clicking the "New Fleet" button in the main naval screen. Assign your newly built ships to your newly created fleets.
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Fleet Composition: Strategically organize your fleets. Combine different ship types to maximize their effectiveness. For example, a balanced fleet might include battleships for firepower, cruisers for scouting and support, and destroyers for anti-submarine warfare. Consider creating specialized fleets for different tasks (e.g., a submarine fleet for raiding, a carrier fleet for air superiority).
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Fleet Deployment: Position your fleets strategically based on your war goals and the enemy's naval presence. Protecting your trade routes and controlling key sea zones should be high priorities.
Advanced Fleet Management
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Doctrine: Choosing the right naval doctrine profoundly impacts your fleet's effectiveness. Experiment with different doctrines to find what best suits your playstyle and national strengths.
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Upgrades: Regularly upgrade your ships to maintain a technological edge over your opponents. Outdated ships quickly become liabilities.
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Naval Bases: Investing in naval bases enhances your fleets' capabilities by providing repair facilities, improved morale, and increased range.
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Convoys: Protect your trade routes using convoys. Unprotected convoys are vulnerable to enemy submarines and raiders.
By carefully planning your naval expansion, prioritizing research and development, and strategically managing your fleets, you can establish naval dominance in Hearts of Iron 4. Remember that adaptability is key; adjust your fleet composition and strategies based on the evolving circumstances of the war. Mastering naval warfare is crucial for achieving global supremacy in HOI4.