Sandbox/Fall 2019 E-4

Sandbox Rules

This sandbox is to be used to construct an event guide for the above mentioned event map. These guides are to all of the following requirements:

List of branching unlocking requirements (If there are multiple requirements, compositions for each path along with the below requirements will be needed to discuss the unlocking requirements in question)

A list of working compositions that work: (These must have possible alternatives for players who may or may not have all ships needed for a specific path)

The Path said composition will take (To explain what path the composition will take)

A summary or description of what kind of obstacles a composition will face.

A description of the boss node, what it consist and a descriptive guide on what the player should consider for a course of action to successfully win the battle.

(Optional) Tips to farm to take path to collect certain ships (This will also require a composition, path, and possible description.

Editors are to construct thier own version of thier guide and complete them in a timely fashion.

No other editors are to allowed to edit over other editor's work without the full consent of the editor and his approval to do so.

Several version will be constructed through this page and will be reviewed and approved by the staff/ collaboration committee before being moved for the Fall 2019 Event which it'll be reviewed and updated once more before it can be released.

Overall there will be 3 version of the guide that will be constructed which will include:

Preliminary Guide
Polished Guide
Finalized Guide

With each approval of each version the guide, the said guide will be updated to the main page and construction of the next version will begin.

All guides outside of the approved version will be removed and work will begin from the approved version to make it better for the next version until the finalized version is made.

Minhfongboy

Historical: Battle of the Sunda Strait
Shiplock: (Shiplock #4)

POSSIBLE HISTORICAL WARNING: BATTLE OF SUNDA STRAIT (Fleet with Kamikaze, Mutsuki and Fubuki sisters) FOR ALL THE COMPS BELOW !!
Part 1: TP Gauge
- TCF 2CA(V) 4DD + 1CL 2CA(V) 3DD going KLMNP
  - TP Phase, bring many DLC as much as possible
  - LBAS: 4 LBAA sent to boss both bases
Part 2: Debuffing
- Chip the boss HP Bar down to final form: STF 2CL 3CA(V) 1CVL + 1CL 1CA 1CLT 3DD going FGJMNRS
  - Must be done first !! As debuff only works in the Final Form !!
  - 85 air power recommended. Consider having one ship in the escort equipped with full OASW to deal with the submarine on the way
  - Other comps in Part 3 can also be used here, although this one is the most optimal comp. Watch out of shiplocks though.
- A+ rank node P twice: TCF 2CA(V) 4DD + 1CL 2CA(V) 3DD going KLMNP
- S rank node E: CTF 2CVL 1CL 3CA(V) + 1CL 2CA(V) 3DD going ACE
  - 230 air power recommended
- Perfect airbase defence and score AS
  - Abyssal sky fortresses warning, requires rocket-launcher interceptors from last events (600+ air with 2 RL Interceptors should be enough)
Part 3: Finishing off the boss
- STF 2CL 3CA(V) 1CVL + 1CL 1CA(V) 1CLT 3DD
- STF 1CL 4CA(V) 1CVL + 1CL 1CA(V) 1CLT 3DD
- STF 1CL 4CA(V) 1CVL + 1CL 2CA(V) 1CLT 2DD
  - Routes FGJMNRS
  - Even with debuff activated, it's still highly recommended to use boss support and historical ships to increase damage as much as possible. In the Final Form, boss gets much higher armor. You may need to engage the night battle to settle with her
  - As a result, this is a good time to consider some ships with TCI
  - 280 air power recommended (AS+ possible), around 160 is enough for AS only
- LBAS: 4 LBAA sent to boss both bases

Totaku's Proposal

Preparation

For this map, you will be utilizing ships from the battle of Sunda for this map which will consist of a large group of ships, most which are not all relevant to the Solomon Sea Operations and can be safely used here. You may want to carefully weigh up your options before sending them into this map. In addition to this, you will be using all 3 combined fleets to complete the task this map will challenge you with.

Do note that you can also take advantage of special routing on this map to possibly save on using some Heavy Cruisers (CA) in favor of bringing a Fast Battleship (FBB) and a second Light Carrier (CVL) if you consider using Akashi or Akitsushima. Before partaking in the map, consider the following questions:

Do you have or wish to use Akitsushima or Akashi on this map to bring in a stronger fleet?
Do you have any Fast Battleships you can consider using on this map that are not the Kongou-class?
Do you plan to use Ryuujou (if you have her) or conserve her for a later map?
- If you choose to conserve, do you have another CVL to use in her place?
Do you still have a sizeable amount of CAs remaining in your fleet, approximately 8-10 or more? (You will need at most up to 5 CA for this map)
Do you have some Saiuns or Rocket Interceptors to help you get an AS in the Land Base Air Raid Defense node?
If you answered no to the Rocket Interceptors, can your fighters and Saiun can still successfully achieve the AS requirements (188 for Normal, 512 on Hard)? Do remember that your calculated airpower is only 50% of the displayed value with no rocket interceptors.

If you agreed to the first option, you can consider taking advantage of a route and a way to conserve your CAs toward the EO segment of the event. If you have other FBBs besides the Kongous, consider using one of them to save the Kongou-class for the Solomon campaign. If you have a CVL you can use in place of Ryuujou, consider them over of Ryuujou so you can conserve for a possible historical ship for EOs. Otherwise, if you really need her then consider using her in this map.

Finally, if you have a lower amount of CAs than what is listed, you might want to weigh your options very carefully as you might be forced to lower the difficulty due to your lack of ships. Having a lack of historical ships for certain EO segments may hinder your progress on certain difficulty levels. Plan carefully and decide when it's a good time to drop difficulty.

Finally, if you have a lower amount of CAs than what is listed, you may want to consider weighing your options carefully as you may be forced to lower the difficulty at some point due to lack of ships you may have to EO and more importantly the possible chance that you may lack in historical ships for certain EO segments. Plan your attack carefully and decide when it is a good time to drop in difficulty.

If you do not have rocket interceptors, and can still achieve AS through other means. You can attempt the difficulty level you desire, but if you are struggling, you may need to weigh your options and drop down in difficulty in order to successfully complete the operation. This applies to players especially on Hard mode.

Historical Bonus

Within this operation, many ships associated with the battle of the Sudan Strait will be vital towards completing this operation. However, at the same time many of these ships are also relevant to the Solomon Campaign. While it'll be safe to select some, be careful how many you bring in as they may be relevant to the EOs. Below are the known bonuses that exist on this map:

1.1x Bonus

Akitsumaru, Yura, Natori, Satsuki, Minazuki, Murakumo, Akatsuki, Hatsuyuki, Shirayuki, Fumizuki, Asakaze

1.2x Bonus

Mogami, Mikuma , Fubuki, Shikinami

1.2x Bonus for P and S node (after clearing first gauge)

Ryuujou, Atago, Takao and bonus ships only

Out of all the ships present with historical buff, the safest ones you can consider for E-4 include Murakumo, Mogami, Mikuma , Shikinami, Natori, Fumizuki, Satsuki, and Asakaze as they have no connection to the Solomons after this map. However you can add in some of the other ships mentioned above in the list as needed or use alternatives, just keep in mind that you need to plan carefully who to bring in order to prevent a forced drop in difficulty.

Step 1: Successfully Complete the Transport Operation

The first phase will consist of a transport Operation which you'll need to deplete the transport gauge to complete said operation. You will be using a Transport Combined Fleet to complete the Objective. For this comp, you will be using a majority of CA(V)/ CLs and DDs. This composition can be summarized in one single comp.

Fleet Recommendation

Transport Combined Fleet: 1 CAV, 1CL/CA(V), 4 DD + 1 CL, 3-4 DD, 1-2 CA(V)

Path: K-L-M-N-P

Depending on how willing you are to conserve heavy cruisers, you can opt for replacing planned CA with a CL for the main fleet and a DD for the Escort fleet.
Main Fleet should be armed with as many drums and Daihatsu as possible while maintaining a suitable LOS.
You will encounter 1 Sub Fleet and 2 Surface Battles.
It's recommended to have 1-2 OASW ships in your escort fleet.
Surface fleets will consists of CAs, CLs and DDs. On higher difficulties, they can pose a threat with stronger ships along with their torpedos.
Node M contain a very strong fleet in higher difficulties which you may need the assistance of a Land Base Air Squadron or even in-route support to help pass this node.
It's highly recommended to bring a Fleet Command Facility to help prevent yourself from retreating from the map early on if some of your ships take heavy damage.

Most of the battles should be easy to clear if you remember all the mentioned info above. Outside of Node M which may require additional help the rest of the path should be easy.

If the map presents some difficulty, in-route support may help, but isn't entirely necessary.

Recommended LBAS

LBAS 1: 4 Land Base Bombers
LBAS 2: 4 Land Base Bombers
- Can consider using them to target both on Node P or one on Node M and one on Node P

The Boss will consist of a Heavy Cruiser Ne-class Kai along with CLs and DDs. Any Land Base Air Squadron sent there can help wipe out most of the enemy ships here to help you secure an A rank at the very least. The rest should be achievable through your ships and depending on how much transport equips you bring can help you clear the Transport phase more quickly. Remember that you will only need an A Rank at minimum to deplete the TP gauge. Once the TP gauge is depleted, this part of the operation will be complete and the path for the Batativa Princess will be open.

Step 2: Battle the Batavia Princess until the final kill

In this phase, you will be using a Surface Task Force to fight against the Batavia Princess in Node S. For this phase there are a number of compositions that can come in very handy for how you want to path your way to the boss. Most of these compositions will involve the use of CAs and CLs, unless you decide to use Akashi or Akitsushima on this map to take a slightly different route while being able to bring in Fast Battleship and an extra light carrier in your fleet. Below is a list of the composition that players have used that are among the most commonly referred to in this map:

In the list below all comps will face a total of 1 Submarine Node, 2 Surface Battle, and 1 Air Attack.

Composition: 1-2CL / 2-4CA(V) / 0-2 DD / 1CVL + 1CL / 1-2CA / 0-1CLT / 3DD
Path: F-G-J-M-N-R-S
Bringing 1-2 OASW in the fleet is recommended to improve you success rate against the subs on higher difficulties.
Surface fleets will consists of CAs, CLs and DDs. On higher difficulties, they can pose a threat with stronger ships along with their firepower.
Since your main fleet will go first, hope they can wipe out the majority of the enemy ships so your escort fleet can survive.
With a single carrier, it's recommended to have her has decent air power on lower difficulties or go as far as becoming a fighter mule to help improve your chances of surviving the Air Attack node.
This comp will also use a large amount of CAs. So please be careful who you lock in this comp if you play on Normal or Hard.

Composition: Akitsushima or Akashi / 1 FBB / 1-2 CVL / 2-3 CA(V) / 0-1 CL + 0-1CVL / 1CL / 3DD / 1-2CA(V)
Path: F-G-I-J-M-N-R-S
This comp will allow you to bring a FBB and a 2nd CVL in your fleet, giving your extra carrier power and a 2nd round of shelling for most node along the way.
If you bring Akitsushima, you can use her as a seaplane fighter mule to allow extra fighter power so you carriers can be more combat focused.
Bringing 1-2 OASW in the fleet is recommended to improve you success rate against the subs on higher difficulties.
Surface fleets will consists of CAs, CLs and DDs. On higher difficulties, they can pose a threat with stronger ships along with their firepower.
Since your main fleet will go first, hope they can wipe out the majority of the enemy ships so your escort fleet can survive.
This comp works well for effectively saving from using too many CA(V)s in your fleet so you can save some of them for the final operation.
If desired and you have the proper equipment, you can also consider putting a CVL in escort and arming her with night plane/battle equipment so she can deliver a hard hitting blow in night battle.

Recommended LBAS

LBAS 1: 4 Land Base Bombers
LBAS 2: 4 Land Base Bombers
- LBAS Distance of 7 Required

This will be good up until the final kill which if you're playing on normal or higher, you may need to switch your LBAS around a bit for final kill.

The Batavia Princess will come in a combined fleet with some Heavy Cruisers, Light Cruisers and Destroyers mixed within the fleet. Hard mode will especially challenge players by having a Ne-class Heavy Cruiser Kai as part of the main fleet. Using the combination of your LBAS full of bombers and historical ships in your fleet you can wipe out most of the enemy ships without issue leaving only the Princess (and Ne-class Kai on Hard) to be the only main threats in the fleet. Since there is no air power to content with you can take out with your fleet under AS+ with the exception of the final kill on normal and hard. (Please refer to Step 4 of the guide for further explanation). Once you get the Batavia Princess down to final kill, you will need to make a decision on if you'll complete the debuff process, or proceed to continue attacking the boss until you defeat her as her armor and the threat of her fleet will increase for the final kill. If your playing on Easy or lower, it's quite possible to complete the fight without doing the debuff.

If you plan to do the debuff please look at the complete guide for Step 3.
If you plan to just go straight to killing the boss, please skip Step 3 and refer to Step 4.

Step 3: Complete the Debuff Process

Once the Batavia Princess is down to her final kill phase you can complete the debuffing phase which will further buff your fleet and weaken the Princess further making it easier to defeat her. To complete this step you will need to complete a series of steps depending on the difficulty listed below.

Hard: Score 2 A+ Ranks in Node P, Score an S Rank on Node E, score AS in a Land Base Air Raid Defense.
Medium: Score an A+ Ranks in Node P, Score an S Rank on Node E, score AS in a Land Base Air Raid Defense.
Easy: Score an A+ Ranks in Node P
Casual: Score an A+ Ranks in Node P (pending confirmation}

Depending on the difficulty, you will likely need to complete these step to get the Debuff to make the princess weaker. At lower difficulties, you can possibly skip the debuff step entirely and just kill the princess from the final step.

Once the debuff is complete, all ships will get a 1.1x additional buff if they attack the Batavia Princess.

Step 3a: Return with a Transport Combined Fleet Heavy Cruiser Ne-Class Kai (Node P) for an A rank

Recommended Fleet: Transport Combined Fleet: Same as Step 1's composition

LBAS Setup: Same as Step 1's set up for both LBAS

You will need to do this process twice on hard, otherwise only once on all other difficulties.

The process of completing this step is the same as doing Step 1. The only difference is that the enemy fleets along the way along with the boss will have improved enemy ships that will make things slightly harder, but otherwise winning these battles should still be about the same way. Remember that you only need to take out 4 enemy ships at the boss node to count as an A rank.

Once the process is completed a chime will play once you return to port and game sounds (SFX) are enabled.

Step 3b: Defeat the Carrier fleet (Node E) with a Carrier Task Force

For this step you will be using your a Carrier Task Force which will require you to make some changes to your comp along with starting from the starting point from the far east. This part of the debuff requirement will be simple to do and will only need you to reach Node E and eliminate a carrier fleet. Below is the recommended composition:

Recommended Composition: Carrier Task Force - 2 CVL, 2-4 CA(V), 0-2 CL + 1 CL, 3-4 DD, 1-2CA(V)

Path: A-C-E

Recommended LBAS

LBAS 1: 3-4 Land Base Bombers, 1 Fighter
LBAS 2: 4 Land Base Bombers

- Distance of 3 (Node C) and Distance of 4 (Node E) or more required.
- Can consider using them to target both on Node E or one on Node C and one on Node E

For Medium and Hard mode only:

You will encounter 2 surface battles along the way
First battle will be a torpedo squadron, which you may want to send an LBAS to to minimize the chance of your fleet taking damage from the enemy fleets' torpedo strike at the end of the escort fleets' turn.
Second Battle will have the simple light carriers, with some CAs, CLs and DDs. Use your LBAS to wipe out most of the enemy ships and finish off the rest of the fleet to get the S rank victory you need.

Overall, this step requires you to simply eliminate the enemies on node E. Spreading out your LBAS along C and E is the most effective method. Using this set up and sending LBAS 1 to E and LBAS 2 to C should get you the desired results easily.

Once you complete this step, you will hear a chime upon returning to port if game sounds (SFX) are enabled.

Step 3c: Successfully Protect your Landbase during an enemy Air Raid (Achieve AS)

Recommended LBAS

LBAS 1: 2-4 Interceptors, 1-2 Rocket Interceptors or 1 Saiun
LBAS 2: 2-4 Interceptors, 1-2 Rocket Interceptors or 1 Saiun

For maximum air defense against high-altitude bombers, you'll need 3 rocket interceptors
For Medium and Hard mode only

This step can be done at any time during or after Steps 3a and 3b. To be able to get AS you will need most of the stronger incerceptors or well modified interceptors in your land base. If you obtained rocket interceptors from the last event, you can use those to improve your AA vs. the Abyssal Sky Fortresses to make AA more achievable. You should only need 1-2 rocket interceptors minimum.

If for some reason you do not have your rocket interceptors, you can resort to Saiuns to help edge your land base's AA performance towards reaching AS. Although on Hard mode, the only way to achieve AS if you lack in rocket interceptors is to hope you can reach 512+ Air Power and replay the Map until you roll the 3 Airfield Princess composition on Hard to see if you can get AS. It's also important to remember your air power will be cut in half without rocket interceptors, so if you for one reason or another you cannot achieve 512 Air power, you will need to consider dropping in difficulty unless you want to gamble on trying to defeat the Batavia Princess without debuffing her which is definitely not recommended on harder difficulties.

On Medium difficulty, AS should be achievable with all interceptors / fighters in your land base with at least 188 Air Power.

Once you complete this step, you will hear a chime upon returning to port if game sounds (SFX) are enabled.

Step 4: Finish the Batavia Princess

If you have completed all of step 3's requirements, then at this point it is time to proceed with the final kill. If for some reason you chose to skip that, you are still welcome to take the Princess out if you know what your doing or are on a lower difficulty. This part of the guide will focus more on the higher difficulties as most of easy mode can be summarized in the step 2 process since the Princess doesn't change her composition drastically in the final kill. As before, here are the following comps you can consider along with one additional one:

Composition: 1-2CL / 2-4CA(V) / 0-2 DD / 1CVL + 1CL / 1-2CA / 0-1CLT / 3DD
Path: F-G-J-M-N-R-S
Bringing 1-2 OASW in the fleet is recommended to improve your success rate against the subs on higher difficulties.
Surface fleets will consists of CAs, CLs and DDs. On higher difficulties, they can pose a threat with stronger ships along with their firepower.
Since your Main Fleet will go first, hope they can wipe out the majority of the enemy ships so your escort fleet can survive.
With a Single Carrier, it's recommended to make sure she has decent air power on lower difficulties or go as far as becoming a fighter mule to help improve your chances of surviving the Air Attack node.
This comp will also use a large amount of CAs, be careful who you lock in this comp if you play on Normal or Hard.

Composition: Akitsushima or Akashi / 1 FBB / 1-2 CVL / 2-3 CA(V) / 0-1 CL + 0-1CVL / 1CL / 3DD / 1-2CA(V)
Path: F-G-I-J-M-N-R-S
This comp will allow you to bring a FBB and a second CVL in your fleet, giving your extra carrier power and a second round of shelling for most node along the way.
If you bring Akitsushima, you can use her as a seaplane fighter mule to allow extra fighter power so you carriers can be more combat focused.
Bringing 1-2 OASW in the fleet is recommended to improve your success rate against the subs on higher difficulties.
Surface fleets will consists of CAs, CLs and DDs. On higher difficulties, they can pose a threat with stronger ships along with their firepower.
Since your Main Fleet will go first, hope they can wipe out the majority of the enemy ships so your escort fleet can survive.
This comp works well for effectively saving from using too many CA(V)s in your fleet so you can save some of them for the final operation.
If desired and have the proper equipment, you can also consider putting a CVL in escort and arming her with night plane/battle equipment so she can deliver a hard hitting blow in night battle.

Composition: AO / 2 BB / (F)BB(V) / CVL / CVL or CA + CL / 2 DD / 2 CAV / CLT or CVL
Path: F-G-K-L-M-N-R-S
This comp will take you along the longest path with lots of battles.
This is the absolute last ditch final resort if you do not have the time or patience to tackle the boss through the other methods.
You will likely be bringing Nagato and Mutsu (in their Kai 2 form) as part of this resort. You'll be depending on their special attacks to clear the way.
You will be bringing an Oiler with 2 Underway Replenishments to restore the Fuel and Ammo you will be losing over the trip.
You will go through a total of 2 Sub Battles, 3 Surface Battles, and 1 Air Battle before the boss.
The main concern from these battles is losing out on Fuel and Ammo over the duration of the trip prior to reaching the boss making the fights harder the deeper you progress into each battle due to the Fuel and Ammo penalty you'll receive.
At the boss, using the Nagato/Mutsu special attacks can give a possible edge in battle.
As a reminder: DO NOT RESORT TO THIS UNLESS YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE NO CHOICE AS YOU WILL BE LOCKING AWAY CRITICAL SHIPS THAT MAY HELP IN LATER MAPS!!

Recommended LBAS

LBAS 1: 1 Fighter, 3 Land Base Bombers
LBAS 2: 4 Land Base Bombers
- Distance of 7 Required

In the final phase, the Batavia Princess will now have more powerful ships along side of her which will include a Light Carrier on higher difficulties. If you carefully planned your fleet out and bring some good historical ship members in this map then you can easily turn the tides in this battle without resorting to more drastic measures. Using ships like Mogami and Mikuma are recommended since this will be the only map they'll be viable for. If you manage to save Atago and Takao to use here they can also assist efficiently (but could be relevant for later [TBD]). Ryuujou (who might also be relevant to EO maps) can also be a possible heavy damage dealer if you arm her with a Night Carrier set up and use her in escort. Other members suchs as Natori,Shikinami or Fubuki can also effectively work here (though penitating the princess's armor on final kill on hard may be difficult to achive compared to historical CAs).

Using your combination of historical ships along with the debuff should easily make short work of the princess. But do note that if you play on Hard difficulty, there might be a slight struggle due to the Heavy Cruiser Ne-Class Kai being a strong meat shield and protecting the Batavia Princess from most hits. However if the Princess is weak enough a well placed double attack from your CAs is all you'll probably need to win.

It's highly recommended to have a boss support fleet to tackle the boss's other ships so you can concentrate more on the Princess herself.

Once the princess has been defeated, the operation will be considered complete.