Remodel Blueprint
Blueprints are items used for remodeling certain ships, usually under the rationale of these ships' unique circumstances in history.
In addition to the difficulty of obtaining blueprints, ships that are upgraded in this manner tend to carry very rare and powerful stock equipment, making prioritizing certain remodels important.
How to Obtain
The only way to obtain a blueprint is by exchanging four medals, found in your inventory (the fourth panel from the left in the overhead menu). The following are ways to obtain medals:
Extra Operations
There are currently five extra operations in the game, accessible in World 1, World 2, World 3, World 4, and World 5. Clearing an extra operation yields one medal in addition to bountiful HQ experience; take note, however, that clearing 1-6 does not yield a medal, and instead rewards a present box.
- The boss's health gauge will reset on the first of each month for each operation.
- Extra Operations are intended to be significantly more challenging than other sorties in their respective worlds; sortieing to 2-5 immediately after clearing 2-4 is not recommended for this reason. 5-5's outstanding difficulty and potential ship requirements limit most players from clearing it.
- This is the only consistent way to obtain medals.
Events
Medals are often rewarded in event maps, usually in the later stages. This isn't a reliable way to obtain them, but veteran players can acquire an additional blueprint during the event's duration through these medals.
- The 2015 Winter and Spring events each yielded 5 medals for clearing all the maps on Hard; expect future events to follow a similar trend.
Other
The only other way to obtain a medal is through quest B33.
Blueprint Requirements
The following ships require a blueprint for one or more of their remodels:
- Abukuma
- Amagi
- Bismarck (Fully remodeling her to Drei requires two blueprints; she is the only ship with such a hefty demand)
- Chikuma
- Choukai
- Fusou
- Italia
- Katsuragi
- Roma
- Ryuuhou
- Shoukaku
- Tone
- Unryuu
- Yamashiro
- Zuikaku
The total number of blueprints required for all of these remodels is 16. That amounts to 64 medals!
Many blueprint remodels are considered indispensable in difficult circumstances like events. A list of their perks follows (Ships marked with (E) can not be obtained through normal sorties and must be found through certain event drops)::
- The only CAV aside from the Mogami-Class; their stats are superior, making them desired ships for branching or as general-use CA(V).
- Their stock equipment consists of a 20.3cm(no.3) Twin Gun Mount, Zuiun (634 Air Group), and Type 21 Air RADAR each.
- This remodel rectifies the primary issue that confronts aviation battleships: firepower. With Nagato-tier output, slightly enhanced durability, and an incredible 23 plane slot, these two have very useful remodels.
- Both of these battleships can be used together with a CV or 2 CVL in a Surface Task Force for dominant air-power during events.
- Their stock equipment includes a Prototype 41cm Triple Cannon (Useful on all battleships, Upgradeable as of February 29th, 2016), Zuiun Model 12 (The highest-air-power seaplane bombers in the game), and 41cm Twin Gun Mount each. Fusou's unique gear is a 12cm 30-tube Rocket Launcher, which is nearly useless, while Yamashiro comes with a Searchlight, which again has little use. Their gear should be more useful than that provided by the Tone class, but the CAVs' stats probably put them ahead slightly. Their priority, then, is about tied.
Choukai (Kai Ni):
- Arguably the highest-performing CA in the game.
- Her stock equipment includes a 20.3cm(no.2) Twin Gun Mount, Skilled Lookouts, Searchlight, and Type 22 Surface RADAR Kai 4. The radar is of particular significance.
Bismarck (Only obtainable through LSC, Zwei/Drei):
- She gains a torpedo stat when remodeled to Drei and gains the ability to equip torpedo, thus enabling torpedo cut-in. There are only 3 ships (Kitakami, Ooi, Myoukou) that are capable of higher theoretical damage for night battle when equipped for torpedo CI.
- Her Zwei stock equipment includes a 38cm Twin Gun Mount, 3.7cm FlaK M42, and 2cm Flakvierling 38.
- Her Drei stock equipment includes two 38cm Twin Gun Mount Kai (Very nice, accurate guns that can be further improved), a 3.7cm FlaK M42, and a Ar196 Kai.
Unryuu(E):
- The first of the Unryuu-class, who all require blueprints and all come with excellent planes. She is listed separately for two reasons: one, she is needed for the Skilled Carrier-based Aircraft Maintenance Personnel (SCAMP), and two, she is needed for a quest that yields Reppuu (601 Air Group) at the cost of two ordinary Reppuu.
- In terms of stats, the Unryuu class is very lackluster; their health and plane-count are the lowest among carriers, though they somewhat compensate with their low running cost.
- She has been a recurring drop in events, but she has not been available outside events thus far.
- Her Kai stock equipment includes a Zero Fighter Type 52 Type C (601 Air Group), Suisei (601 Air Group), Tenzan (601 Air Group), and Saiun (Iridescent Cloud). The Suisei 601 is better than Suisei Model 12A (the best dive bomber that is able to be developed), although it is not at the level of Suisei (Egusa Squadron).
- The other two Unryuu-class carriers. Their stats are similar to Unryuu's, but they are still useful CV for cheap farming purposes, ship-locking, aesthetics, and stock planes.
- Amagi Kai's stock equipment is identical to Unryuu's with one exception: she comes with a 12cm 30-tube Rocket Launcher instead of Saiun.
- Katsuragi Kai's stock equipment includes a Zero Fighter Type 52 Type C (601 Air Group), Ryuusei (601 Air Group), 25mm Twin Autocannon Mount, and 12cm 30-tube Rocket Launcher. Of particular note is the Ryuusei, an outstanding torpedo bomber with slightly higher accuracy than Ryuusei Kai.
- They both boast completely exclusive equipment, improved stats when compared to the Kongou-class, and the quirk of having Very Long range by default.
- If choosing between the two ships, the most significant difference is Italia's 30 Luck and Roma's +3 firepower.
- Their Kai stock equipment includes a 381mm / 50 Triple Gun Mount Kai, OTO 152mm triple extended machine gun, and 90mm Single High Angled Gun each. The 381mm mount kai is a very imposing FBB main gun that can be improved like the 38cm Twin Gun Mount Kai, while the 90mm Single High Angled Gun can be used in conjunction with a high-angle gun to enable Anti-Air Cut-Ins, outshining Maya's 25mm Triple Autocannon Mount (Concentrated Deployment).
Ryuuhou (Kai only):
- The only light carrier in this list. Her stats are very lackluster, and she has nothing in the way of incredible stock equipment. She is remodeled primary for aesthetic purposes.
- Ryuuhou's stock equipment included a Type 21 Zero Fighter and Type 97 Torpedo Bomber.
- Ryuuhou Kai's stock equipment includes a Type 52 Zero Fighter, Type 97 Torpedo Bomber (931 Air Group), and 12cm 30-tube Rocket Launcher. The torpedo bomber is somewhat notable for being exclusive to Ryuuhou Kai and its ASW stat, though it can be replaced by Akitsumaru Kai's stock equipment.
- However as CVL must have a bomber to attack anything (including ASW), Type 97 (931 Air) is still the second-best (behind Tenzan (931 Air Group)) for a CVL to equip when maximizing ASW stats.