User:Hibari/Akashi Improvement Guide for Newfaces

Disclaimer: I've been playing since 2013 and have cleared every single event on full difficulty, so while I'm not infallible think twice before sperging at me. Reasonable comments are welcome. Thank you.

This is a straight-to-the-point guide for less experienced admirals, meant to focus on upgrades with long-term usefulness and to avoid wasting screws on equipment that will be ditched later on.
It's pretty simple, really.
Also, keep in mind that some quests require +10 gear and turn it into something better: do those whenever possible.

Last updated by Hibari on March 8, 2021.

• Small-caliber guns

The 10cm twin HA mount + AAFD (requires: Akizuki-class) has good firepower, excellent AA and enables a strong AACI, thus being a versatile weapon for both AAW and ASuW, and has long been considered a priority for improvements.

However, admirals should keep in mind that American AACI obscures the old-style Japanese one, and that at second remodel Japanese DD are much more effective in ASuW when fitted with the proper 12.7cm gun instead (which should be upgraded later on).

While these options are not readily available to newfaces and the 10cm is still definitely worth getting, consider whether it still deserves the screw expenditure.

• Medium-caliber guns

The 20.3cm/3 mount (requires: Mikuma) is excellent for cruises, heavy ones in particular, and should be upgraded in multiple copies.

• Large-caliber guns

What to improve here really depends on which battleships are available, keeping in mind that those improvements can be very expensive, perhaps excessively so for newfaces.

Needless to say, tossing a few screws at subpar guns because you don't have or can't afford the good ones is a bad idea.

Thus, it is better to just wait until the high-end ones are acquired and improve them once that happens.

However, improving the basic 35.6cm twin mount (requires: Fusou) costs a single screw and the mount can eventually turned into an useful kai version later on, so it can be considered.

• Secondary guns

Not needed. The Italian OTO 152mm triple gun mount is the best of the bunch, but is rare and still not worth your screws.

• Fighters

Upgrade the Type 53 Iwamoto (requires: Zuikaku) as soon as possible, period.

Getting a F6F-5 to +10 is a good investment but Saratoga is generally not accessible to newfaces.

The Type 52C (601 air) can be upgraded into a stronger yet unimprovable fighter via a quest, and retains previous improvement bonuses after this upgrade: thus, make sure to max it (requires: Unryuu, Taihou) before doing the quest.

As a side note, the Type 21 skilled (requires: Akagi, Kaga) has more range than other fighters and thus had a role as a land-based plane in some events.

• Dive bombers

The Type 62 Iwai (requires: Zuikaku) is an excellent fighter-bomber with AA resistance.

The Type 99 Egusa (requires: Souryuu) is useful as well, and can be upgraded into an excellent Suisei later on.

• Torpedo bombers

The Type 97 Tomonaga (requires: Hiryuu) is useful, and can be upgraded into an excellent Tenzan 12 later on.

The Type 97 (931 air) is a mediocre bomber with ASW stat. However, after maxing it (requires: Taiyou, Shinyou) it's possible to convert it into a night bomber, should those be needed.

• Recon planes

The Prototype Keiun recon can be upgraded into a jet fighter-bomber, but the plane itself is worthless during the process, which requires a Ne-type engine and an armored Shoukaku-class as helper ship.

• Land-based aircraft

The Hayabusa Type 3A (requires: Akitsumaru, Taiyou, Kamoi) is an excellent fighter and should be maxed out.

The bombers worth upgrading are not for newfaces.

• Torpedoes

Any sextuple (requires: Shimakaze, Hatsuzuki) and many quintuple oxygen torpedoes (requires: Shimakaze) are well worth upgrading.

The basic quadruple oxygen torpedo (requires: Ooi, Kitakami) isn't much, but it's cheap to improve and having a +10 one will prove valuable once Take is acquired, so could be considered.

The late-war quadruples are quite powerful, but rare.

• RADAR

Just don't.

The Type 13 kai is cute, but there's better use for your screws.

• ASW gear

Type 3 depth charge projectors (requires: Isuzu, Kuroshio, etc.) are an excellent choice, not to mention cheap.

Type 4 passive SONAR (requires: Isuzu, Katori, etc.) are also very good candidates (up to +6 for obvious reasons).

• Shells

Hard to go wrong here!

A few of both the Type 3 (requires: Kongou-class) and the Type 91/1 AP shells should be upgraded, reminding that they "eat themselves".

• AA gear

The 12cm 30-tube Rocket Launcher (requires: Ise-class) is junk, but it be upgraded into a stupendous AA weapon, so don't ignore it.

The Type 94 Fire Director is an option but not a priority.

• Bulges, turbines and engines

lol

• Searchlight

You need a searchlight (requires: Akigumo, Aoba, Ayanami, etc.) in night battles. Max one.

The large 150cm one is unnecessary.

• Seaplanes

Improving those increases LoS, so thy generally aren't worth it unless you're failing LoS check all the time.

The Type 98 night scout (requires: Sendai) can be a good choice for this since its base LoS is low.

However, should seaplane fighters be required, they can be obtained by upgrading the basic Type 0 recon.

Also, any available seaplane fighter newfaces might have is a good candidate for improvement.

• Small craft

The simple Daihatsu is vital to logistics and up to 12 can be used in three fleets, I don't need to say more.

Making Tokudaihatsu is an option for later on exclusively, but turning a few Daihatsu into land attack craft w/T89 (requires: Akitsumaru, Satsuki, Abukuma) is a good idea.

Said craft can also be further upgraded into Type 2 amphibious tanks, increasing the fleet's effectiveness during landing operations.

• Food

Combat rations (requires: Naganami, Agano) are useless but cost 0 screws to improve, so they can be used to get a free one from the daily improvement quest.