Rule the Waves 3: Officers

by Fernando Diaz / Articles, Rule the Waves 3 / 22 May 2021

Your fleets are commanded by officers who come with varying abilities and characteristics. Officers are crucial because they directly affect the performance of your ships in battle. They come in four ranks: Commander, Captain, Rear Admiral, and Admiral.

Ranks of Officers in Rule the Waves 3

Commander: The game uses the term “Commander” for convenience and clarity. This rank is equivalent to “Captain Junior Grade” in the US and British Navies. The rank has different names in non-English speaking navies, often translating to “Frigate Captain.” For example, in Germany and France, it’s referred to as “Fregattenkapitän” or “Capitaine de fregate” respectively. A Commander can command either a CL (Light Cruiser) or a division of DD (Destroyers).

Captain: A Captain can command a CA (Heavy Cruiser), B (Battleship), BB (Dreadnought), BC (Battlecruiser), CV (Aircraft Carrier), CVL (Light Aircraft Carrier), and a division of DD.

Rear Admiral: A Rear Admiral can command a division of CL or heavier ships.

Admiral: The highest rank, the game does not specifically detail the command capabilities of an Admiral, but it can be inferred that they can command any vessel or division.

Please note that the game does not provide specific Commanding Officers for destroyers, under the assumption that players may find it tedious to manage officers for dozens of destroyers.

Ability and Performance of Officers

Officers are rated by their ability. This can be brilliant, above average, average, below average, or incompetent. An officer’s ability is initially unknown but becomes revealed after a few years of service. Participating in battles will increase the likelihood of the ability being revealed.

Brilliant or Above Average officers give a slight boost to crew quality during battles, which could elevate the crew’s quality to a higher level or standard. Incompetent or Below Average officers can reduce the crew’s quality during battles, which could potentially lower their performance.

Furthermore, the quality of division commanders can impact the crew quality of all ships under their command and affect the risk of misunderstood orders.

Officer Characteristics

Officers may also have unique ‘characteristics’ affecting their performance during battles. These characteristics are detailed in the guide below.

Rule the Waves 3: Officer Characteristics

Promotion and Assignment of Officers

After about five years at a certain rank, officers may be promoted. However, promotions can slightly alter an officer’s attributes, including losing positive attributes or acquiring a new one. When an officer is promoted, his previous command post becomes available.

New officers will automatically appear at the lowest rank (Commander). You can assign officers to free command slots. If an officer is removed from a command, it can cost some prestige. Officers can also be manually promoted ahead of schedule, but this also costs prestige and carries a higher risk that the officer will lose a positive trait.

If there are still open slots after your turn, the game’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) will fill them either by promoting existing officers or creating new ones. You can handle officer assignments in detail if you wish, but you can also let the AI manage this aspect.

Naval Academy

Once you’ve researched the concept of a naval academy in the game (doctrine screen), you can establish your own Naval Academy. This option provides a larger selection of officers and slightly better quality officers, though at a small cost.

Events Involving Officers

Several events involving officers can occur in the game, which are often linked to the officers’ special abilities. While these events can create challenges, such events also provide opportunities to replace below-average officers.

Fernando Diaz

Fernando is doing what he always did, sharing his honest opinions about games whenever he can. The difference is now he is writing and not talking about it.
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