• Welcome to the Kancolle Wiki!
  • If you have any questions regarding site content, account registration, etc., please visit the KanColle Wiki Discord

User:VanillaCupcake/Sandbox/Early Game Ships

From Kancolle Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Introduction

The purpose of this guide is to help newer admirals prepare a basic but effective set of ships to allow them to proceed through the early game and into midgame.
It is divided into two stages - Stage 1 is focused on progress through standard maps up to 5-2, and Stage 2 is preparation for events as well as the rest of standard maps.

Due to prohibitive cost or limited and inconsistent availability, no ship mentioned in this guide is gated behind:

  • Large Ship Construction
  • Event-only limited time drops
  • Limited-time drops in standard maps
  • Drops exclusive to late standard maps (4-5, 5-3 and beyond, late World 7)

About Construction

It may be tempting to spam Construction for rare builds, especially to players who have experience playing other gacha games.
This is unhelpful in the long run, as repeated Construction (especially with large recipes) eats up a ton of resources and valuable Development materials, most of which is better used in leveling and developing equipment.

The recommended way to proceed with Construction is as follows (see Common Recipes for the recipes mentioned):

  • Do not do additional attempts outside of your "Factory" daily quests.
  • Construct using "Battleship Recipe" until you've acquired your first Battleship, then never touch the "Battleship Recipe" ever again.
    • Early access to a Battleship will make victories more likely against more powerful players in PVP Exercises.
  • Construct using "Carrier Recipe" until you've acquired your first Standard Carrier or Light Carrier, then never touch the "Carrier Recipe" ever again.
  • Construct using "Rare Destroyer/Light Cruiser" recipe until you've acquired two of the following ships:
Shimakaze Ship Banner Shimakaze.png
Yukikaze Ship Banner Yukikaze.png
Abukuma Ship Banner Abukuma.png

General Fleet Building Tips

  • It is better to focus on a smaller number of ships
Instead of spreading experience broadly through a large number of ships, its better to narrow down on select ships to raise.
Remember that a fleet can only contain up to 6 ships at a time, and a core of stronger ships will make it easier and more efficient to farm, clear maps, and train up other weaker ships.
  • Shipgirl levels mean little in and of themselves.
Aside from reaching set thresholds for remodel level requirements, Levels do not have much effect - there is little difference between a level 40 Kongou Kai and a level 70 one.
The stats gained from modernization (Firepower Firepower, Torpedo AttackTorpedo, ArmorArmor, Anti-AirAnti-Air) have a huge effect on the performance of your shipgirls.
There is a wide gulf between the performance of a modernized Kongou Kai and an unmodernized one.
  • Duplicate Shipgirls are not recommended early
Throughout the early and midgame it is not worthwhile to raise multiple copies of any girl, since you cannot have more than one of the same ship in a fleet at a time.

Stage 1: Standard Maps

Stage 1 of this guide is centered around the extreme early game, where an admiral is just starting out building their fleet and progressing through the first few worlds.
Most if not all of the ships listed here are readily available and have above average performance at their Kai remodels, allowing the player to progress smoothly and farm drops and experience efficiently.
They also have powerful Kai Ni remodels that require little to no investment of rare resources, meaning that the experience invested here doubles as progress toward their Kai Ni remodels in Stage 2.

You will encounter girls that are not mentioned in this stage. They've been left out because they:

  • Are too rare to reasonably expect a player to have
  • Are worse than recommended ships
  • Require limited resources (Blueprint, Action Report, etc) to perform but are not a priority target for Blueprints or Action Reports.

In the end, you should have a small but well rounded fleet of 5 DD, 2 CL, 1~2 CA(V), 2 CV, 2 CVL, 1 BBV, 1 (F)BB, 1 AV, 2 CLT.
This combination of ships, if Kai and modernized, will allow you to tackle every main world map from 1-1 up to 5-2.

Destroyers (DD) are weak in daytime surface combat, but make up for it via their performance in anti-submarine combat, night battle, and other utility purposes.
They are also frequently very helpful in achieving preferential routing on maps and are sometimes needed to even reach the boss at all.
Early on, you should pick five of these to raise, as five serviceable and modernized Kai destroyers will be required to clear 3-2.

Note that nearly all IJN destroyers are effectively identical at Kai, so the goal here is to pick up and begin leveling those who have stand-out Kai Nis that do not require Blueprints or Action Reports.

Good DDs
Ships Explanation
Ship Banner Shimakaze.pngShip Banner Yukikaze.png These two are unique in that they come online and reach their full potential (or most of their full potential) at only level 20. Their all around stats are excellent and Yukikaze will likely be your first reliable Torpedo Cut-In Destroyer.

However they are both rare and difficult to acquire, so do not fret if they don't show up right away or even at all. Both can be constructed through the rare DD/CL recipe, and also begin dropping in normal maps as early as 2-4.

Ship Banner Yuudachi.pngShip Banner Shigure.png
Ship Banner Kasumi.pngShip Banner Ayanami.png
Top-tier DDs who, when at their final remodel, perform well in multiple roles or exceptionally well in a single role. While their Kai Nis will be out of reach for now due to their level requirement, it's good to get an early start in leveling them.
Ship Banner Michishio.pngShip Banner Hatsushimo.pngShip Banner Hibiki.png Other destroyers who, while strong, are not as good as the above ships.
Other DDs
Ships Explanation
Ship Banner Mutsuki.pngShip Banner Kisaragi.png
Ship Banner Yayoi.pngShip Banner Uzuki.png
Ship Banner Satsuki.pngShip Banner Fumizuki.png
Ship Banner Nagatsuki.pngShip Banner Mochizuki.png
Ship Banner Minazuki.pngShip Banner Mikazuki.png
Ship Banner Kikuzuki.png
The Mutsuki-class has universally poor performance in combat, but their below average resupply cost makes them efficient in expeditions. Keep some and use them to run expeditions only.

Stage 2: Late Standard Maps, Extra Operations, and Event Readiness

Stage 2 roughly follows Stage 1, although it is possible for someone who isn't finished with the basics to make small forays into an event to collect some rewards.

Here the focus expands beyond a small core of effective ships - you want some unique and rare ships that perform specific functions, fill empty niches not covered in Stage 1, and overall you want to increase the number of leveled, remodeled and modernized ships in your fleet to the point that you can put together any type of Combined Fleet. Ships that were mentioned in Stage 1 that you did not train at the time will be revisited in Part 2, and ships with poor Kais that were not mentioned in Part 1 will be visited in Part 2 now that Kai Ni remodel levels are more reasonable to attain. Furthermore, historical bonuses will be mentioned in regards to the girls that frequently have them, especially night battle attackers.

It's important to note that depending on the contents of an event, Easy difficulty may be fully clearable without everything outlined here - but it is best to be fully prepared. Events tend to run for over a month, so if you are not ready when one starts you can use the time to focus your efforts towards what you need to clear the event maps.

You should aim for a minimum of 8 DD, 3 CL, 4 CA/V, 4 CV, 4 CVL, 4 FBB, 1 BBV, 1 AV, 2 CLT, plus a few specialized ships that will be mentioned specifically farther down. With everything outlined in this part of the guide (and an equivalent set of equipment), a player should be able to clear the entirety of any event on at least Easy difficulty, and some early maps might be doable on Medium or even Hard.

At this point directions for where to collect specific key ships is also given out, as it is feasible to begin target farming them. Construction is not recommended anymore as farming gets you a better chance at ships per resources spent - and gets you much needed experience, too.

Destroyers as they reach Kai Ni will begin to differentiate from each other and become more specialized in the kind of roles they can perform. You should aim for a variety of DD who are capable of surface combat, anti-installation duties, anti-submarine warfare, and anti-air. Regarding the earlier mentioned minimum of 8 combat ready DDs, you should aim for a minimum of:

  • 3 Surface Combat DDs
  • 2 Anti-Installation DDs
  • 2 Anti-Submarine Warfare DD
Item Icon Medal.png The Best
Ships Explanation
Ship Banner Kasumi Kai Ni.png Superb. Excellent stats - high night battle attack power and good starting luck. She is also able to equip Tanks and all types of Landing Crafts, making her an effective anti-installation attacker as well. On top of her high stats and ability to take on multiple attacking roles she also has historical damage bonuses in maps more often than any other DD in the game, often making her a key boss killer. She can also equip all types of Command Facilities.

The only real downside is her high remodel level of 75, but it's worth it.

Firepower Surface Combat DDs
Ships Explanation
Ship Banner Shimakaze Kai.png
Ship Banner Yukikaze Kai.png
The difference between them and other destroyers becomes less pronounced or even disappears as other DDs reach their final remodels, but they're still strong and the fact that they require only a small amount of experience to do their job is valuable, allowing you to funnel more EXP into other ships.
Ship Banner Yuudachi Kai Ni.png
Ship Banner Ayanami Kai Ni.png
These two are quite similar to each other: they sport the highest and second highest night battle attack power among DDs, respectively, but they're also very rarely historical ships. Don't let that discourage you, though - they're still amazing picks. Ayanami has a much higher starting luck, but her remodel level is a lot higher too.
Ship Banner Shigure Kai Ni.png Respectable offensive stats, high luck and a fairly low Kai Ni level. While she's not as outright powerful as Yuudachi and Ayanami, she's frequently a historical ship in events. If you're willing to invest more levels into her she is also able to do opening ASW attack with buildable equipment around level 71, making her an effective anti-submarine specialist as well.
Ship Banner Hatsushimo Kai Ni.png Frequently a historical ship and has and high starting luck, but otherwise worse than those above her due to her average stats. However she is able to equip Command Facilities and Landing Crafts, giving her some extra utility and allowing her to function as a second-string anti-installation ship.
Anti-Ground Rocket Anti-Installation DDs
Ships Explanation
Ship Banner Michishio Kai Ni.png Excellent stats, able to equip all types of tanks and landing crafts. Her high stats also allow her to moonlight as a Surface Combat DD.
Ship Banner Verniy.png Offensive stats are not as high as Michishio's, but in return she is frequently a historical ship, especially in European events. She will have higher highs, but lower lows than Michishio - consider sticking with Michishio if you prefer more consistent performance.
Anti-Submarine Warfare Anti-Submarine Warfare DDs
Ships Explanation
Ship Banner Johnston Kai.png Can perform OASW attacks regardless of equipment at all times. However, she is a rare drop from 2-3 only and requires her Kai remodel to be effective, which is at level 55. Highly recommended regardless, as not needing certain gear or level to OASW makes her very flexible.
Ship Banner Shigure Kai Ni.png If Johnston utterly refuses to appear, more levels can be fed into Shigure as a less versatile backup.
Ship Banner Samuel B. Roberts Kai.png Low base stats and requires level 50 to Kai, but can perform OASW attacks regardless of equipment or level as long as she is at least Kai. However she is the only DD with slow speed, which may backfire on you when it comes to routing in maps. Drops in the boss node of 2-3.

The DD below are important to have not for combat, but for various utility outside of combat.

Other DDs
Ships Explanation
Ship Banner Mikazuki Kai.png A Mutsuki-class DD that is uniquely able to equip Landing Crafts at only Kai. Once you get access to Daihatsu Landing Crafts, she's a good boost to your expedition income without tying up your anti-installation attackers.
Ship Banner Uzuki.png A couple important quests are locked behind Quest A34, a composition quest that requires Uzuki as a member of the fleet. Very rare early on, she cannot be constructed and drops only in the boss nodes of 2-5, 3-4, 4-4 and 5-1.

Locations

Quick reference for where to find uncommon or rare ships recommended in this guide. Most recommended is in specially marked in some way idk yet.

under construction while I figure out how to colour letters

Destroyers
Ships Location
Ship Banner Shimakaze.png 2-4:E F L M
4-1:J
Construction: 250Fuel/30Ammunition/200Steel/30Bauxite
Ship Banner Yukikaze.png 3-1: G
3-3: M
4-2: L
5-2: O
Construction: 250Fuel/30Ammunition/200Steel/30Bauxite
Example Example

TODO:
Finish location references.