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Difference between revisions of "User:VanillaCupcake/Sandbox/Early Game Ships"
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<tabber> | <tabber> | ||
|-|Destroyers= | |-|Destroyers= | ||
− | 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. | + | 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. | 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. | ||
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| {{Ship/Banner|Tone|small=true}} || A relatively common CA that has exceptional stats at Kai. She later remodels into a CA(V) and continues to perform well at all stages of the game. | | {{Ship/Banner|Tone|small=true}} || A relatively common CA that has exceptional stats at Kai. She later remodels into a CA(V) and continues to perform well at all stages of the game. | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{Ship/Banner|Myoukou|small=true}} || Another CA with high Kai performance ''and'' a great final remodel. Somewhat uncommon. | + | | {{Ship/Banner|Myoukou|small=true}} || Another CA with high Kai performance ''and'' a great final remodel. Somewhat uncommon, but she's needed anyways for the quest to unlock your 3rd fleet. |
|- | |- | ||
| {{Ship/Banner|Mogami|small=true}} || Remodels into a CA(V) at the very low level of 10. Likely to be your first CA(V). | | {{Ship/Banner|Mogami|small=true}} || Remodels into a CA(V) at the very low level of 10. Likely to be your first CA(V). | ||
− | |||
− | |||
|} | |} | ||
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! style="width:725px"|Explanation | ! style="width:725px"|Explanation | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{Ship/Banner|Chiyoda|small=true}}{{Ship/Banner|Chitose|small=true}} || The only two AV available outside of events and late game maps. They're not great, but they're all you've got. They remodel into CVL at level 15 and onwards, '''but one should be kept as an AV'''. | + | | {{Ship/Banner|Chiyoda|small=true}}{{Ship/Banner|Chitose|small=true}} || The only two AV available outside of events and late game maps. They're not great, but they're all you've got. They remodel into CVL at level 15 and onwards, '''but at least one should be kept as an AV'''. |
|} | |} | ||
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! style="width:725px"|Explanation | ! style="width:725px"|Explanation | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{Ship/Banner|Chitose|small=true}}{{Ship/Banner|Chiyoda|small=true}} || Remember those AV from earlier? They're the strongest of the fast Kai CVL, but they do not reach Kai until level '''35''' and their base CVL form is very weak. | + | | {{Ship/Banner|Chitose|small=true}}{{Ship/Banner|Chiyoda|small=true}} || Remember those AV from earlier? They're the strongest of the fast Kai CVL, but they do not reach Kai until level '''35''' and their base CVL form is very weak. It's best to level them as AV while running World 2 maps and then perform both remodels back to back once they reach level 35. |
|- | |- | ||
− | |{{Ship/Banner|Zuihou|small=true}} || Identical to Shouhou at Kai, but has a very strong Kai Ni. However, she is very rare and does not drop until late in the main game. If you see her at all, it will be as a side result of attempting to craft CV through Construction. Do not aim to craft her specifically. | + | |{{Ship/Banner|Zuihou|small=true}} || Identical to Shouhou at Kai, but has a very strong Kai Ni. However, she is very rare and does not drop until late in the main game. If you see her at all, it will be as a side result of attempting to craft CV through Construction. Do not aim to craft her specifically - she can be target farmed later on. |
|} | |} | ||
Revision as of 08:28, 30 July 2022
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 already played 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:
- 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 Carrier or Light Carrier, then never touch the "Carrier Recipe" ever again. One carrier of any type is needed to do complete a short quest chain that rewards Akagi upon completion.
- Construct using "Rare Destroyer/Light Cruiser" recipe until you've acquired two of the following ships:
Abukuma | |
Shimakaze | |
Yukikaze |
TODO: Figure out how to indent this little table and/or display this in a better looking way
General Fleet Building Tips
- It is better to focus on a smaller number of ships and then branch out, as opposed to spreading experience broadly through a large number of ships. 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, Level does not do a lot - there is not much difference between a level 40 Kongou Kai and a level 70 one.
- Shipgirl Modernization is extremely important - the stats gained from modernization (Firepower, Torpedo, Armor, Anti-Air) have a huge effect on the performance of your girls. There is a wide gulf between the abilities of a modernized Kongou Kai and an unmodernized one.
- 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.
TODO: maybe this section should have icons?
TODO: consider special marking for ships on this page that are rare, and a special tab denoting where they should be farmed
> The second half will be focused on getting enough ships to field any variety of combined fleet and to round out empty niches not covered in part 1 (anti air, anti-installation, OASW, CAVs, etc)
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) 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 5DD, 2CL, 1~2 CA(V), 2 CV, 2 CVL, 1BBV, 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.
Heavier than destroyers, they perform better in daytime combat roles and can fill a wide variety of utility purposes. Many maps in the main game require one to get preferential routing, but there is rarely, if ever, room for more. They are very important for branching in World 2, so you should train two of them so that you can still sortie to these maps while one is repairing.
These CL are, for the time being, primarily here to be rotated in Kuma's place if she is repairing or fatigued. All IJN CL except Kuma are the same at Kai, but these three are chosen specifically because they are the first CL that a player should aim to remodel to Kai Ni later on.
Ships | Explanation |
---|---|
Exactly like the Mutsuki-class destroyers - poor in combat, but efficient for expeditions. Send them on expeditions only. |
= Very similar to CL, and they start as CL, but they trade all utility and shelling firepower for devastating torpedoes and the ability to launch them pre-emptively. However, they are somewhat fragile and are sometimes penalized in map routing. Both CLT listed here should be leveled.
Similar to CL, but they trade some of the utility for more raw firepower and armor. Many very early game fleets will only have room for 2 at most. There are also Aviation Cruisers CA(V), which fit into the same slot in a fleet and trade some offensive power for the ability to carry Seaplane Bombers and Seaplane Fighters, an ability that will be important later. For now, level two of them at the very most (but at least one).
They can carry seaplanes and equip minisubs, allowing them to perform an opening torpedo. However, their stats are generally poor. Their key use early on is routing, particularly allowing you to achieve optimal routing in World 2. There are only two available to you at the start, and you should collect both.
Heavy ships whose primary roles are heavy pre-emptive strikes and securing air superiority. They're quite rare at first and you aren't allowed to bring many to one map, in most cases. Thankfully, the game gives you Akagi for free. For now, try to acquire and level one only (alongside Akagi). Some are better than others, but the differences between them are not large and you should take whoever you can get.
They're like Standard Carriers, but with less of everything (including deployment cost). Map routing is kinder to them and sometimes requires them. Note that this is the first point at which ship speed comes into account in this guide. Every ship mentioned prior to this point is Fast, but from here on out some will be Slow. Most standard maps don't penalize slow ships, but 2-5 does and it's important for new admirals to start clearing 2-5 monthly as quickly as possible in order to begin acquiring medals (and by extension, remodel blueprints). You should level two of them - one fast, one slow.
Heavily armoured and with high daytime firepower, they're also very expensive to sortie and repair. They come in three flavours: Battleship (BB), Aviation Battleship (BBV), and Fast Battleship (FBB). Unlike with CVL, their speed will not be important at this stage as it is not recommended to take Battleships to 2-5. Most standard maps will not let you bring many, so only train two, with at least one being an Aviation Battleship for 1-5 farming.
Ships | Explanation |
---|---|
Great BBV at Kai, with solid stats and plane capacities. They start as BB and remodel to BBV at only level 10. Drops in the boss nodes of 2-2 and onwards. |
Ships | Explanation |
---|---|
The most common BB drops. Worse than the others in almost every way. Use them if they're your first battleship, but bench them once you get any other (F)BB(V). |
(this section needs a better name and better formatting, I'll fix it later)
PART 2: An Event is coming up and you want to do it
This comes mostly or entirely after Part 1, although it is possible for someone who is not done with the basics to make small forays into an event to collect some rewards.
The goal here is to pick up some unique rare ships that perform specific functions and to increase the number of leveled and modernized ships to the point that a player can put together any type of Combined Fleet. Ships that were mentioned in Part 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.
Additionally, now that you have a collection of strong modernized ships, leveling and training will be more efficient and we'll be able to start leveling some ships up to their Kai Ni remodels. Some Blueprint remodels, too.
Furthermore, historical bonuses will be mentioned in regards to the girls that frequently have them, especially night battle attackers.
You should aim for a minimum of 10 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.
TODO: Considering adding SS(V) and DE to this part
At this point directions for where to collect specific key ships, if they're hard to find, is also given out, as it is feasible to begin target farming them. Construction is 100% not recommended at this point as farming gets you a better chance at ships per resources spent and gets you additional 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 10 ready DDs, you should aim for a minimum of:
- 3 Surface Combat DDs
- 2 Anti-Installation DDs
- 1 Anti-Submarine Warfare DD
- 1 Anti-Air DD
Following up on the CL mentioned in Part 1. Abukuma takes center stage here and will likely be your first blueprint target: Sendai and Isuzu are also K2'd for night battle gear and OASW/AACI, respectively. Kuma takes a backseat as her lead over other IJN ships disappears at this point. TODO: write more about CLs when polishing this up
Heavy Cruisers are often, but not always interchangeable with CAV in maps. Compared to CAV they often have superior base stats, but are unable to carry Seaplane Bombers and Seaplane Fighters. Sometimes they can be used where CAV cannot, and sometimes CAV can be used where CA cannot. For the most part, they're restricted to performing only as beatsticks - with the exception of Maya, who has formidable anti-air presence. I recommend training Maya and at least one surface combat CA.
As you gain access to more equipment, maps, and events, CAV in their usage begin to branch out from CA. While their stats are typically lower on average, they gain access to equipment that CA don't - anti-installation rockets, Seaplane Bombers and Seaplane Fighters. All CAV start out as CA and must be remodeled to Kai (Mogami-class) or Kai Ni (Tone-class) before they become CAV. I recommend trying to get two. The Mogami-class at Kai are much weaker than Tone, but do not require a blueprint to function as a CAV.
Ships | Explanation |
---|---|
Mogami is the best of the Mogami-class Kai CAV - she's extremely available, has a very low remodel level of 10, and the highest plane capacity. There is little reason to not use her as one of your CAV. | |
Mogami is the second best of the Mogami-class Kai CAV, and she comes with the rare and beloved 20.3cm No.3 Twin Gun at only Kai - but she's the most difficult to get. She can not be constructed, and only drops from the boss nodes of some very inconvenient maps. | |
They have the same stats as Mogami, but need level 35 for Kai and have a lower aircraft capacity. Like Mikuma, their drop locations are both inaccessible and difficult to farm. |
Ships | Explanation |
---|---|
CAV that retain a CA's higher combat stats. She also comes with a copy of the perpetually useful 20.3cm No.3 Twin Gun.
Warning: She requires the use of a Blueprint to remodel to Kai Ni. As blueprints are very short in supply during the early game and there are many high priority blueprint targets, do not remodel her to CAV unless something you are doing requires 2 CAV and you are unable to get your hands on Mikuma, Suzuya, or Kumano. |
TODO: look into feasibility of a player completing 5-3 at this stage in the game - Suzuya Kai Ni can get a Kyoufuu Kai out of it
Seaplane Tenders
Not much to say here - other better AV are still out of reach, so you have to stick with your Chitose/Chiyoda. Having one at A remodel and modernized to max is good enough.
Much more accessible now, and Akagi and Kaga take somewhat of a back seat to the much more useful Kai Ni remodels of the other four who are highly recommended not just because of their superior stats, but because they grant access to very powerful and important aircraft.
Due to their abilities and because of the excellent equipment they grant, I recommend getting all four of the following CV to Kai Ni if possible - plus, some Carrier Task Force maps call for up to four CV to be brought.
WARNING:The quests centered around these ships that grant access to powerful aircraft do so by converting equipment that you already have obtained into newer models. These equipment conversion quests are unique in that they copy over all Improvements from Akashi's Improvement Arsenal, and taking advantage of this quirk is currently the only way to get Improvements onto these newer model aircraft. Make sure the source aircraft are upgraded to +MAX through Akashi before completing the these quests:
Important Quests
Quest info | Rewards | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
F13 機種転換
Model Conversion |
0 |
0 |
0 |
50 | ||
Scrap 2 Tenzan while your Secretary is a carrier equipped with Type 97 Torpedo Bomber (Tomonaga Squadron)!
|
||||||
Notes | Requires: B25 Only 1 Type 97 Torpedo Bomber (Tomonaga Squadron) will be converted into the reward. ※It is highly recommended to improve the Type 97 Torpedo Bomber (Tomonaga Squadron) to first.
| |||||
| ||||||
F14 機種転換
Model Conversion |
0 |
0 |
0 |
50 | ||
Scrap 2 Suisei while your Secretary is a carrier equipped with Type 99 Dive Bomber (Egusa Squadron)!
|
||||||
Notes | Requires: B25 Only 1 Type 99 Dive Bomber (Egusa Squadron) will be converted into the reward. ※It is highly recommended to improve the Type 99 Dive Bomber (Egusa Squadron) to first.
| |||||
| ||||||
F15 機種転換
Model Conversion |
0 |
0 |
0 |
50 | ||
Scrap 2 Reppuu while your Secretary is a carrier equipped with Zero Fighter Type 52 Model C (601 Air Group)!
|
||||||
Notes | Requires: B28 Only 1 Zero Fighter Type 52 Model C (601 Air Group) will be converted into the reward. ※It is highly recommended to improve the Zero Fighter Model 52C (601 Air Group) to first.
| |||||
|
F22
F24
F25
F26
F27
F28
F29
F30
TODO: make the above warning prettier
Both cranes additionally require Prototype Flight Deck Catapults to remodel, which are obtained by clearing a rather large chain of quests. (TODO: elaborate on this probably)
TODO: look at feasibility of a player completing bm07 at this stage in the game, as it is required for a second catapult which is in turn required for Iwamoto and a second Crane K2.
CVL fulfill the exact same role as in Part 1, but unlike CV here they have no cool quests that grant them access to cool equipment. Furthermore, the distinction between Fast and Slow CVL becomes more important here, as events are typically rougher on routing based around speed. The recommended number of CVL to have at this stage in the game is at least three, with at least two being Fast.
Much to do here. It's possible for events to call for as many as 4 FBB in one fleet, and quests for the earlier mentioned Shoukaku Kai Ni and Zuikaku Kai Ni require both Ise Kai and Hyuuga Kai. You do not need to Kai Ni them all - Kai and max modernized is fine for most. Since standard maps are very restrictive on how many battleships you can use in a fleet, I recommend leveling many of them in PVP.
Difficult to utilize because of their fragility, but can sometimes be used for special "sub tank" setups or to freely do certain unlock steps in event maps. Getting any one to Kai and modernized is enough.
Ships | Explanation |
---|---|
Mostly quite similar in stats, but I-168 is weaker than the rest. |
Very small ships. They're ASW specialists - but they're also slow, fragile, and horrible at surface combat. I recommend grabbing one and getting her to Kai in the event of dedicated anti-submarine maps.