Bram's Naval Warfare Guide

[Bramborough]

No, I don't try to maneuver to stay out of boarding range. Ships just move too clumsily for that to be effective.

Are you micro-ing the ballista ships' targets closely enough? You do still have to do that. Just leaving them on "Fire At Will" doesn't cut it. A major reason is their narrow firing arc, and they won't turn the vessel to keep something in range. So you have to continually cycle through all your ships to ensure they're firing.

On the other hand, no problem to leave your jav/archer screen on Fire-At-Will, as they have a 360deg firing arc.

If you have half your fleet (i.e., 9-11 or so out of 20) composed of ballistae, AND they keep firing effectively throughout the engagement, then a 20-unit fleet of "starter" javelin raider type ships isn't going to inflict 75% losses.