The Enemy Combined Fleet is a new mechanic introduced in the October 5th, 2016 Update. It involves a battle where the player's fleet faces off against two Abyssal Fleets that form an opposing Combined Fleet. As of this time, the mechanic is featured in the boss node of 6-5, and is has your fleet challenge 12 Abyssal units in one battle. Currently, only a Single Fleet vs. Combined fleet scenario exists.
Understanding Enemy Combined Fleets
As was previously mentioned, an Enemy Combined Fleet has your fleet face off against an enemy Abyssal Fleet that consists of two fleets: A Main Fleet and an Escort Fleet. While the only example of a combined fleet featured so far is from 6-5, information so far suggests that the Enemy Combined Fleet follows a set of rules similar to those involving a Regular Combined Fleet that the player can use during event maps.
So far, Enemy Carrier Task Force Fleets are the only type of Enemy Combined Fleet implemented in the game. No Enemy Surface Task Force has been introduced as of yet, and it is unknown if any mechanics will change based on the type of enemy combined fleet. Additionally, the current scenario only features a Single fleet vs. a Combined Fleet. However, using these mechanics, we can come to understand the basic rules behind how a battle works in this scenario.
Currently, LBAS phase, Air Strike phase, and the Pre-emptive Torpedo Phase remain the same as in regular fleet situations (in terms of the order they play out, with the exception being that they will target anyone from both the main and escort fleet). However, upon reaching the shelling phase, the mechanics change drastically in terms of shelling order, as your fleet will have to battle a main fleet as well as an escort fleet. The following chart below explains the steps as follows:
Single Fleet Vs. Enemy Carrier Task Force Fleet
| Phase Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Escort Fleet Shelling | After the Pre-emptive Torpedo Phase and the confrontation notification, your fleet will fire upon theEnemy Escort Fleet in the same fashion as 1st Phase Shelling in a regular fleet combat situation. Your Fleet will attack in order, based on their range, from longest to shortest. If all ships from the Enemy Escort Fleet are defeated during the shelling, Torpedo Salvo will be fired immediately. |
| Torpedo Salvo | Follows after Escort Shelling. Your fleet will fire torpedos at any surviving enemy ships from both the escort fleet and main fleet. |
| 1st Main Fleet Fleet Shelling | Following the Torpedo Salvo, your Fleet will proceed to shell Enemy Main Fleet during this phase, again based on the fleet's range, going from longest to shortest. If any Enemy Escort Ships have survived the previous shelling and torpedo salvo, they can be targeted during this phase as well. |
| 2nd Main Fleet Fleet Shelling | After the 1st Main Fleet Fleet Shelling, your Fleet will proceed to shell Enemy Main Fleet based on the fleet's composition order, going from top to bottom. If any Enemy Escort Ships have survived the previous rounds, they can be targeted during this phase as well. Once complete, the day battle is over. |
Night Battle with Enemy Combined Fleets
If the enemy combined fleet hasn't been defeated in the day battle, you can choose to purse them and enter night battle. During the night battle phase. Most of the rules that pertain to night battle remain the same with one small exception.
The Enemy Escort Fleet has a unique set of rules that'll determine if they will participate in battle or not, depending on one factor.
- If the Enemy Escort Fleet Flagship has survived day battle, the Enemy Escort Fleet will participate in Night Battle, otherwise, if the Enemy Escort Fleet Flagship has been defeated, the escort fleet will not participate in night battle.
If the Enemy Escort Fleet is present, this will cause your fleet to choose between attacking the main and escort fleet. Otherwise, the battle will play out just like a standard night battle.
Tips
- When dealing with an enemy combined fleet, it is highly recommend to take out Enemy Escort Fleet as soon as possible to allow for more opportunities for your fleet to target the main fleet.
- Depending on the situation that may be presented to you, if LBAS is available, it's recommend to use it to help clean out the majority of the enemy fleets to leave room to focus your attacks on the main fleet.