Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Traps that beginners often fall into.

The most common mistake is bunching ships together in one area. Once one ship is found, neighboring ships can fall in a chain reaction — spread them across the entire grid instead.

On offense, a frequent mistake is firing elsewhere instead of finishing off the area around a hit. Once you score a hit, prioritize tracking the surrounding cells until that ship is sunk.

Placing ships in the same spot with the same orientation every game is also risky. Especially against Admiral difficulty or a human opponent, a pattern quickly becomes a loss. Use Auto Place to erase your habits.