Sandbox/expedition

General Expeditions

#	Key Resource	Time					+	Total Gross Resources per Hour		Sparkling Load
2		0:30		200	60		200	230	1	8+ for GS
3		0:30	90	90	120		180	300		9+ for GS
5		1:30	133	133	13	13	266	318
5 GS		1:30	200	200	20	20	400	477		3 1⁄3
6		0:40				120		360
6 GS		0:40				200		600		6
21		2:20	137	116			253	253
21 GS		2:20	206	174			380	380		1.7 or 2.1
37		2:45		138	98		138	236
37 GS		2:45		207	147		207	354		1.5 or 1.8 or 2.2
38		2:55	144		69		144	213
38 GS		2:55	216		104		216	320		1.4 or 1.7 or 2.1

Discussion of Expeditions

• Great Success rates (GSR) stand at ~16 ²⁄₃% (i.e. 1/6) per sparkled ship, the base GS rate for expeditions with 4 and 5 sparkled ships is therefore approximately ²⁄₃ (66 ²⁄₃%), ⁵⁄₆ (83 ¹⁄₃%). The rate for 6 ships should theoretically be 1, but instances of 6 sparkled ships not returning a GS have been reported, leading it to be theorized that there is a cap on the GSR.
  • For expeditions that utilize drums (i.e. the short expeditions 21, 37, 38, and the long expeditions 24 and 40), carrying over the minimum number required will also increase the GSR

Short Expeditions: 2, 3, and 6

These three expeditions form the core "short expedition" group, with 2 and 6 being the more important expeditions of the three

• Expeditions 2, 3, and 6 possess extremely high turnover rates, and as such possess an high sparkling load
  • Expedition 2 is a great ammo expedition that also brings in steel, but its main resource is in the form of buckets, which are brough in at an average rate of 1 for every 2 expeditions, regardless of sparkling
  • Expedition 3's low ship count results in a low base GSR, and its high turnover rates mean that sparkling enough ships to ensure a high GSR is not only time-consuming and inefficient, but will result in net losses of fuel and ammo in exchange for a greater amount of steel. It is nonetheless one of the best early-game steel expeditions for those without access to 3-2, or the submarines with which to sortie there
  • Expedition 6 is the gold standard (aluminium standard?) of bauxite expeditions, and is the primary source of bauxite for any player; for this reason, it may be well-suited for sparkling in situations of critical shortage
  • While expedition 6 gives the "highest" gross resources per hour, this is all in bauxite, which has varying utility.

"Fuel and Ammo": 5 and 21

Expeditions 5 and 21 represent the two expeditions which grant the highest combined rate of fuel and ammo in the game

• Expedition 5 is overall the best expedition in the game, effectively dominating expedition 21 by bringing in fuel and ammunition at high rates, while also providing a small trickle of bauxite.
  • It also costs only fuel, which means that almost any DD can be used
  • Expedition 5's only real drawback is its relatively high sparkling load. As it is a 4 ship expedition, adding on a 5th sparkled ship (like a submarine) for a higher GSR (~83%) is highly recommended
    • Even given a GSR of 80%, expedition 5 still achieves 380 gross resources per hour, equal to a 100% GSR on expedition 21

• Expedition 21, is on its own somewhat less efficient than expedition 5, but it has a slightly lighter sparkling load; with 5 ships and drum canisters, it can easily attain a near-100% GSR
  • Used in conjunction with expedition 5 brings in a very strong 406/374 fuel/ammo per hour
  • Given

Tokyo Express Expeditions: 37 and 38

Expedition 37 and 38 are known as the Tokyo Express expeditions, and last just under 3 hours, serving to bring in steel and either fuel or ammo. Nonetheless, they are important expeditions for the weekly quests (which grant an improvement screw).

While still being overall strong expeditions, both 37 and 38 are relatively poor expeditions for resources when compared to 5 and 21.

• In terms of gross resources gained, a GS 38 brings in only 2 more resources per hour than even an unsparkled 5, and both 37 and 38 bring in significantly less than a sparkled expedition 21
  • This is due to not only bringing in less resources than them, but also their focus being on fuel or ammo, and steel (generally the least important resource), instead of fuel and ammo.
  • On the other hand, they possess key advantages in their relatively light sparkle load and being much less reliant on constant monitoring than expedition 5 does.

• Expedition 37 is the single-best ammo and steel expedition in the game, but does not bring in any fuel
  • Expedition 2's base rate brings in almost as much ammo per hour as a GS 37, and provides all-important buckets

• Expedition 38 is the single-best fuel expedition in the game, but like Expedition 37, is let down by its secondary resource being a lacklustre 104 steel per hour, expedition 38 is only useful when used in conjunction with expeditions 5 and 21 together
  • A combination of the three expeditions brings in 622 fuel per hour, the highest possible expeditionary fuel income, at the cost of not bringing in any buckets and very little bauxite

Key assumptions and limitations:

• The table assumes that expedition timings are run optimally (i.e. with continuous monitoring)
• The table lists gross, not net, resource gain.
• Gross Resources Weightage is derived from natural regeneration rates, in which Fuel, Ammo, and Steel are weighed equally, and Bauxite is given triple weightage.
  • In practical gameplay, Fuel (used for repairs and sorties) is much more important than Ammunition (only for sortie), while steel is the least important resource (only for repairs),
  • Bauxite usage varies greatly depending on the current demands of the fleet (a carrier or LBAS-dependent event will consume bauxite rapidly, while less CV-heavy events will consume far less)
• The chart does not take into account resources spent sparkling

Common Expedition Combinations

As one of the three expeditions is usually committed towards either expedition 2 for buckets or expedition 6 for bauxite, most combinations here will cover the options for the remaining two expeditions.

Combination	Overall Resource Focus					+	Total Gross Resources per Hour
5 GS 21 GS		406	374	20	20	780	860
21 GS 38 GS		422	174	104	0	596	700
5 GS 38 GS		416	200	124	20	616	800
37 GS 38 GS		216	207	251	0	423	674
5 GS 21 GS 38 GS		622	374	123	20	996	1180

Forming Expedition Compositions

The following can be seen from the above table

• For extra sparkling chance, expedition 5 can be run with five sparkled ships instead of the minimum of 4.
• Assuming perfect efficiency, expedition 5 effectively dominates expedition 21.
  • This means that expedition 21 should not be run unless expedition 5 is also being run
• Stacking expeditions 5, 21, and 38 for an all-out fuel focus

Bucket Expeditions

#	Key (Non-Bucket) Resource	Time					Average Time Per Bucket (lower is better)
2		0:30		200	60		1H
4		0:50		72			1H 40M
9		4:00	87				No Buckets
9 GS		4:00	130				2H 40M
10		1:30	33			19	3H
13 GS		90	113				5H 20M

Sortie Resource Farming

This portion of the review will discuss maps in which resources may be farmed.

• 2-2: Runs have a 25% chance of averaging 10 bauxite per 1.5 nodes and a 75% chance of averaging 25 bauxite for 2 nodes
  • This works out to an average of 21 bauxite per run of 1.9 nodes
• 2-3: Orel cruising collects about 45 fuel and 12 ammo for a single sub, and is discussed further on its page
• 3-2: Kis Island is an excellent place to farm steel with submarines, averaging 100 steel per successful run
  • Farming here requires either a single high-evasion/armor submarine (to ensure that attacks are aimed a target with high evasion), or failing which, a larger fleet of submarines to eliminate enemies, preferably 4

Overnight/Long Expeditions

#	Key Resources	Time					+	Total Gross Resources
9 GS		4:00	525				525	525	1.5
11 GS		5:00				375		1125	1
12 GS		8:00	75	325	300	75	400	925
13 GS		4:00	360	450			810	810	1
15 GS		12:00			450	600		2250
16 GS		15:00	750	750	300	300	1500	2700
24 GS		8:20	750			225	750	1425	1
35 GS		7:00			360	420		1620
36 GS		9:00	750		300	300	750	1950	1
40 GS		6:50	450	450		150	900	1350	1