Combat

Combat stages

Stage	Notes
Detection	Requires planes or high detection stat. Success increases hit rate and evasion. Failure decreases hit rate, evasion, and leaves you unable to participate in air combat phase.
Air Combat
Supporting Fire	Map 5, requires sortie support expedition.
Opening Torpedo Salvo	Requires midget subs or submarines over level 10
Shelling, 1st Round (Range Order)	Any carrier using bombers to attack during this phase must not have taken more than light damage in order to participate in the phase.
Shelling, 2nd Round (Lineup Order)	Only occurs when one or both sides has a battleship, or the enemy contains one of the special ship classes: 鬼, 姫, 戦鬼, or 戦姫.
Torpedo Salvo	Must not have taken more than light damage to participate.
Night Combat	Attacks occur in lineup order from top to bottom, alternating between sides.

Effects of ship damage

Amount of damage on a ship will affect its performance.

Minor damage (小破) or less	No effect on performance
Moderate damage (中破)	Attack power, accuracy, and evasion are slightly decreased
Heavy damage (大破)	Attack power, accuracy, and evasion are significantly decreased

Factors involved in damage calculation

MAIN FORMULA (work in progress):

Damage =	Basic attack power x Pre-cap modifiers	x	critical modifier	-	enemy armor	x	random number between 2/3 ~ 4/3
	x
	Remaining ammo modifier
if it isn't damaged by this formula, or becomes very little damage, it becomes scratch damage, maximum about 10% of enemy current HP (needs verification)

Note: if [Basic attack power x Pre-cap modifiers] exceeds a certain cap, it will be modifed -- see below

Basic Attack Power for the formula above Aerial combat Basic attack power = (attack type modifier, see below) × [(Aircraft's divebomb or torp stat) × √(number of planes) + 25] Dive Bombers/Seaplane bombers: attack type modifier = 1 Torpedo Bombers: attack type modifier = 0.8 or 1.5 with a 50/50 chance according to wikiwiki Additional notes on bombing in the textdump below.... Shelling for all vessels except carriers Basic attack power = Firepower + 5 Shelling for carrier-type vessels Basic attack power = (Firepower + Torpedo) × 1.5 + aircraft divebomb stat × 2 + 55 Torpedo/Preemptive Torpedo Basic attack power = Torpedo + 5 Anti-sub warfare Basic attack power = (ASW stat when naked / 5, rounded down) + ASW stat of equipment × 2 + 25 Note: This applies to DDs and CLs during the day; CVL anti-sub attacks and night anti-sub attacks are still under investigation. Night Battle Basic attack power = Firepower + Torpedo

Attack type modifier is categorized as follow: (this is the scaling on type of planes) Dive Bombers/Seaplane bombers are fixed at 100%. Torpedo Fighters' scaling is at 80% (0.8) or 150% (1.5). According to wikiwiki, it's a 50/50 regarding which scaling is used. 種別倍率 × (機体の雷装or爆装 × √搭載数 + 25) Scaling of planes * (Total 雷装/爆装 * √(Plane Capacity) + 25) In the wikiwiki, the portion here: ※ 以上の計算式は「制空権確保」時のものであるため、それ以外の状況では異なる可能性がある。 航空戦でのダメージは各スロットの機体性能と搭載数から個々に計算されており、空母の火力値は攻撃力に影響しない。 搭載数はリアルタイムに反映されており、雷撃・爆撃の前に艦載機が撃ち落とされた場合は、そのぶん攻撃力が減少する。 航空戦ではキャップ前補正（陣形補正、交戦形態補正、損傷補正）を受けない。 防御側の対空はダメージに直接は影響しない。ただし敵艦載機を撃ち落とすことによって搭載数を減少させたり、回避率に影響している可能性はある。 装甲の堅い敵に艦攻が有効なのは、倍率150%の攻撃があるためである。ただしこの倍率は80%の場合もあり、攻撃力は安定しない。 航空戦では互いの艦上戦闘機による制空権の判定が行われ、（被）撃墜数などに大きく影響する。 制空権の影響を大きく受けるのが艦攻で、艦爆は比較的受ける影響が少ないと言われている。 Apparently this is calculation's accuracy can only be justified when you managed to get air superiority, aka "制空権確保". As we all know, damage during "Air Combat" phase is only affected by plane capacity and the type of planes you have. The "Firepower" stats doesn't affect anything during this phase. Seems like AA also does not affect the damage during Air Combat directly, just that it is possible that the more planes you shoot down, the higher chance you get to evade the bombings. Then there's the part whereby it informs us that it's effective against ships with high armor due to the possibility of having a 1.5(150%) scaling during the bombing. And as we all know, air superiority is also determined by how many planes were shot down and the side without air superiority will be doing considerably less damage on bombing. (Wording doesn't include torpedo, so I'm not sure whether they're including both bombing and torpedo as one category)

Formation modifier (counts as a pre-cap modifier)

Formation	Modifier	Modifier when attacking subs
Line Ahead	100%	45%
Double Line	80%	60%
Diamond	70%	90%
Echelon	60%	75%
Line Abreast	60%	100%

Night battle and air combat are not affected by formation choice.

Engagement form modifer (counts as a pre-cap modifier)

Form	Modifier
Parallel Engagement (同航戦)	100%
Head-on Engagement (反航戦)	80%
Crossing the T (Advantage) (T字戦有利)	120%
Crossing the T (Disadvantage) (T字戦不利)	60%

• Night battle and air combat are not affected by engagement form.
• The engagement form attack modifier affects both your fleet and the enemy fleet.
• Crossing the T (Disadvantage) can be avoided by equipping a 彩雲 Saiun (Carrier-based recon plane).
• Note that T adavantage/disadvantage is applied to BOTH side somehow. Possibly a bug or design flaw.

Side note: Ill​ustration of engagement forms

Parallel Engagement

The course of the player's fleet and the enemy fleet are the same.

Fleet A	→	→	→	→	→	→
Fleet B	→	→	→	→	→	→

Head-on Engagement

The course of the player's fleet and the enemy fleet are opposite each other.

Fleet A	→	→	→	→	→	→
Fleet B	←	←	←	←	←	←

Crossing the T

The course of the player's fleet and the enemy fleet are perpendicular to each other (that's 90 degrees, which results in a T figure).  A fleet is in disadvantage if it is coming from 「｜」direction, and is in advantage it is is coming from 「―」direction.

(Historically, the point of this was for the 「―」fleet to bring as many guns to bear on the enemy while limiting the firepower of the enemy that can only use guns mounted forward.)

→	→	→	→	→	→
		↑
		↑
		↑
		↑
		↑

Night combat

• Night battle damage depends on either the Firepower or Torpedo (or both!) stats for attack power, depending on the specific attack type.  Consequently, DDs, CLs, CLTs and CAs have drastically increase strength at night.
• Any vessel at night must not have taken more than moderate (orange) damage before attacking in order to participate in night battle.
• Main Gun = Red guns or 10cm High-angle Gun
• Secondary (Sub) Gun = Yellow guns / 12.7cm High-angle Gun / 8cm High-angle Gun
• Auxiliary equipment (e.g radar, turbine, special ammunition, pure AA equipment(green), and mini-sub) will not affect the combination.

Table of night battle attack types

Type	Main	Secondary	Torpedo	Notes
Cut-In			2+	Torpedo Attack
	3+			Shelling
	2	1+
	1-2		1	Combined Attack
Double Attack	2	0	0
	1	1+	0
	0	2+	0-1	Secondary Gun Double-Attack, Torpedo doesn't fire
Single Attack	Results from failing to meet equipment requirements, or other attacks random chance at failing.  Fires with gun or torpedo in highest equipment slot.
Anti-Submarine	Any enemy submarines will force Destroyers and Light Cruisers to target them.  Cut-In and Double Attacks are ignored.

Cut-in equipment setups

NOTE: These are only a few examples.  See the above table.

3 main guns		2 main guns		1 main gun
						Just 2 torpedos
		+		+
		1 sub gun		1 torpedo		Onealso equippable
Noorequipped

Double-attack equipment setups

NOTE: These are only a few examples.  See the above table.

1 main gun		2 main guns		2 or more sub guns
+
1 or more sub guns
Noequipped		Noorequipped		Onealso equippable

Night battle special attack modifier (counts as a pre-cap modifier)

Cut-in attack

Weapon Type	Modifier
2 torpedoes	2 consecutive attacks at 150%
1 main gun, 1 torpedo	2 consecutive attacks at 130%
3 main guns	200%
2 main guns, 1 secondary gun	175%

Double attack

2 consecutive attacks at 120%. Always procs, compared to cut-ins which proc only by chance and is affected by the luck stat. (Japanese wikis confirm that Yukikaze has a greater chance of doing cut-ins than Shimakaze)

Ship's health modifier (counts as a pre-cap modifier)

Damage	Modifier
Minor damage (小破) or less	100%
Moderate damage (中破)	70%
Heavy damage (大破)	40%

Modifier does not affect aerial attacks.

Attack power cap (applies after all pre-cap modifiers)

Conditions for the attack power cap to activate: [Basic attack power x Pre-cap modifiers] exceeds 150 for day battle, 300 for night battle, and 100 for anti-sub attacks.
This is the attack power cap, and it's represented below by [math]\displaystyle{ x }[/math]:

[math]\displaystyle{ \text {Attack Power After Caps} = x + \sqrt {\text {Pre Caps Attack Power} - x} }[/math]

What we can draw from this is that during the day, firepower or torpedo stats above 150 have the possibility of breaking the cap immediately and thus becoming nerfed.  Best to use that extra red gun on Yamato or torp on Kitakami Kai 2 on something else.

Critical modifier

Attack Type	Modifier
Normal Attack	100%
Critical Hit	150%

It should be noted that the critical message always appears when damage dealt is greater than or equal to 40. (If, on the other hand, the critical message appeared when the damage dealt was less than 40, then it was a critical hit.)

Remaining ammo modifier

Remaining Ammunition	Modifier
5 or more ammo bar	100%
4 ammo bar	80%
3 ammo bar	60%
2 ammo bar	40%
1 ammo bar	20%
0 ammo bar	Scratch Damage

• Amount of ammunition also affects aircraft carrier damage.
• Ships which are low on fuel and/or ammo remaining have higher chance of getting heavily damaged.
• When entering night battle, the amount of ammunition on a vessel is same as after the day battle.
• On the 5th round of the battle (nodes i guess) damage are minimized and on 6th round there will be no chance of winning, therefore the recommended boss node battle will be 4th round.
• To prevent the the loss of firepower, avoid night battles and whirlpools on the way.

Victory conditions

Perfect S

• No damage taken, all enemy ships sunk.

S (Victory)

• All enemy ships sunk.

A (Victory)

• No friendly ships sunk and required number of enemy ships sunk.
  • Sink 4 of 6, 3 of 5, 2 of 4, 2 of 3, or 1 of 2.

B (Tactical Victory)

• Enemy flagship sunk.
• No damage taken, and enemy took over a certain amount of damage.
• Damage gauge at least twice enemy damage gauge.
• Friendly ship sunk, specified number of enemy ships sunk, and damage gauge twice enemy gauge.
• Friendly ship sunk, enemy flagship sunk, and damage gauge twice enemy gauge.

C (Tactical Defeat)

• Didn't clear any of the conditions for A or B, but enemy took over a certain amount of damage.
• Damage gauge higher than enemy gauge, but not reaching twice as much.
• Friendly ship sunk, damage gauge higher than enemy, but not twice as much.

D (Defeat)

• Enemy took less than a certain amount of damage.
  • Both sides taking 0 damage is also D.
• Damage gauge lower than enemy gauge.
• Friendly ship sunk, not all enemy ships sunk, and gauge lower than enemy gauge.

E (Defeat)

• Over a certain number of friendly ships sunk.
• Friendly ship sunk while not meeting any victory conditions.
• No damage done to enemy, while taking over a certain amount.