Vanguard Formation
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Vanguard Formation is an Event Exclusive Formation that introduced in the Fall 2017 Event. This formation provides position specific benefits (and drawbacks).
In general, the formation drastically decreases the likelihood your flag, second, and third ship are targeted, while increasing the evasion of your other four ships.
As of current, this formation has only been available during events, but can be used in normal maps within the event period.
Regarding the Formation
The Vanguard Formation is based on the formation which Shouji Nishimura used as his fleet entered into the Surigao Strait.
The Formation in Detail
The Vanguard Formation has a series of benefits and drawbacks specific to several major factors depending on the type and position of the ship.
At present, the following details are known regarding the Vanguard Formation:
Vanguard Formation Modifiers
| Fleet's Position | Surface Shell Modifier | Anti-sub Power Modifier | Anti-air Modifier [1] | Torpedo Modifier | Day Torpedo Hit Rate | Evasion Modifier [2] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanguard Formation Ship Slots 1-3 |
50% | 100% | 110% | 100% | High | 15%' for Non-DDs 25% for DDs |
| Vanguard Formation Ship Slots 4-7 |
100% | 60% | 110% | 100% | High | 15% for Non-DDs for Slot 4 25% for DDs for Slot 4 30% for Non-DDs for Slot 5-7 45%+ for DDs for Slot 5-7 |
- ↑ Source:[1] AA data
- ↑ Source: Xe-UCH's Twitter Current results are based on an estimation of what was collected during the event. Results may change once more information is gathered.
- Please keep in mind that the data is still under research and is subject to change.
In addition to this, the vanguard formation also affects enemy targeting: protecting the first 3 ships (or less depending on how many ships are in your fleet) while granting the other (now more targeted) ships an evasion increase.
As of current results have been noted as followed:
Vanguard Formation Targeting Chances For Single Fleets
| Fleet's Position in Single Fleet | Chance of being Targeted [1] |
|---|---|
| Slot 1 | 0.43% |
| Slot 2 | 9.13% |
| Slot 3 | 8.26% |
| Slot 4 | 26.96% |
| Slot 5 | 27.37% |
| Slot 6 | 27.83% |
Vanguard Formation Targeting Chances For Striking Force Fleets
| Fleet's Position in Striking Force Fleet | Chance of being Targeted [1] |
|---|---|
| Slot 1 | 0.99% |
| Slot 2 | 6.60% |
| Slot 3 | 6.27% |
| Slot 4 | 22.77% |
| Slot 5 | 23.43% |
| Slot 6 | 21.78% |
| Slot 7 | 18.15% |
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Source: Syoukuretin's Twitter Results are based on an estimation of what was collected during the event. Results may change once more information is gathered.
Current Conclusions
The formation appears to be most useful in allowing fleets to better evade attacks; this comes in especially useful in night battle nodes, where there are fewer methods of preventing enemies from attacking, placing an emphasis on being able to survive enemy attacks.
One thing which is reasonable to assume is that Support Expedition Fleets, like with other formations, suffer the offensive penalties of this formation.
One identified the weakness of the Vanguard Formation is that the fourth ship is at the highest risk of taking damage out of anyone in battle as she does not receive the evasion modifiers the fifth to seventh ships do. So it is recommended to consider the position of your fleet when considering the Vanguard formation.
Due to the nature of how powerful the Vanguard formation is since it has the ability to make going through tougher normal maps relatively easily (Namely maps such as 2-5 North Path, 3-5 South Path, and 5-3) the formation has only been limited to access for players during event time. Anyone who plans to use to complete tougher maps while the Vanguard Formation is available should take advantage of it while you have access to this formation.