Kantai Collection

[Icarus]

Good luck! I hope you have enough resources, as I burned a ton of it on my clear.
Say hi to BB Water Demon and CV Hime for me. :V

(I'm currently regenerating all of my spent resources, and speedlevelling Zuikaku to 50+ in preparation for a mass of quest log attempts… although I am considering doing a bunch of LSC attempts for chuckles…)

[Devdan]

Finally got Shimakaze the other day. That only took a month.

I've never gotten GREAT SUCCESS on an expedition. I had an entire team of level 20-30's sparkling, so I figured I'll throw expedition 5 at them, maybe I'll get it. Instead, failure. Expeditions are stupid.

[Blackbird]

Great Success chance isn't 100%. As I understand it, the game essentially rolls a check for each ship that's on the expedition. When you have 6 ships, the odds add up to 99% or so. If you have an expedition that requires fewer ships like Exp. 5, then the chance for Great Success is still possible, but less certain because there aren't as many rolls. It's strange, but that's how it works.

Glad you finally got Shimakaze, she's pretty solid! Surprisingly tanky for a DD (because she can dodge a lot). Going to try to finish E6, but I don't know if I'll have time to sit down and do it.

[BrianC]

Telling from that one screen, I'm guessing this game is heavy on the fanservice?

[Blackbird]

Sort of? There's pretty frequent damaged clothing, but no actual nudity, so it comes across as pretty tame (imo).

[Blackbird]

One last push to clear the event before it's over. I made some last minute preparations: Built enough Reppuu/Shiden Kai for my CVLs, powerleveled Sendai to Kai 2 so I could get all the night battle equipment, and promoted Littorio to Kai/Italia for use as a strong escort flagship.

Man, this last map is just brutal though. I'm HQ level 80 now, so I briefly tried it on Hard. Surprisingly, I was able to reach the boss okay, but it became apparent that the boss was basically indestructible given my current units. There's just too many meatshields in the way before I can start damaging the boss. On Normal it's managable and I've got 3 kills in so far, but it's dicey. Sometimes BB/CV hime get random crits, even through the relevant defenses. Hopefully I can finish it after work.

[Icarus]

The last map on any event on Hard generally requires not only the best ships in their respective classes, but those ships to have the best equipment, and be at level 80 or higher. It's just not possible to clear at speed otherwise because of the many mechanics that are in play.

The other problem with E-6 Hard's boss this time around is that she has a ridiculous armour rating, and can only be harmed to any extent by Type 91 AP Shells, and hard-hitting night-combat crits. The trouble with that is that BBs are generally very inaccurate when using Type 91 APs, or occasionally do scratch damage when they do hit. While a majority of my runs were full kills, it took about 15-20 attempts to get the final kill both because the boss's final form is even more well-armoured, and she had a CV Hime escort that liked to pick off my power hitters.

A few tips:
- Put whoever's carrying your Searchlight in the second fleet in the flagship position, preferably a BB. While this means that she won't have a Type 91 AP equipped, it's better than gimping one of your other ships, and making her a potential critical damage target for the enemy.
- Put all your heavy hitters in the second fleet last, and equip for either pure double-attack or nuclear torpedo cut-in. You won't stand a chance in Hell otherwise.
- AACI is recommended.

[Blackbird]

Current composition:

Mutsu 46cm 46cm Proto AP 91 Seaplane
Kongou 41cm 41cm Radar Seaplane [I'd include more AP if I had them]
Kirishima 41cm 41cm Radar Seaplane
Maya Kai Main, 90mm HA Gun (AAFD built in), 12cm Rockets (+8AA), Air Radar
Hiyou Reppu Shiden Kaix2 Hybrid Fighter/Bomber
Junyou Reppu Shiden Kaix2 Hybrid Fighter/Bomber

Escort

Italia 41cm 41cm AP 91 Seaplane [381mm Kai x2 is available, worth using with the accuracy penalty?]
Yukikaze 2x Torp Searchlight
Haruna 41cm 41cm AP 91 Seaplane
Suzuya CAV Main x2 Night Scout Radar
Sendai Kai2 15.5cm Main x2 Seaplane
Shimakaze 10CM HA x2 Star Shell [Didn't opt for torps here as Shimakaze's luck is lower]

My CLTs aren't Kai 2 yet, which kinda sucks, because they can't have both a preemptive shot and torpedo cut-ins until then. Their crit isn't solid without Kai 2/Lookouts either. Basically trying to make the best of it with what I've got =P. Would be nice if Ooyodo was Kai'd so she could replace Sendai and carry the night gear/scout planes, but she's not quite there yet, then I could probably replace the CAV with another unit?

Any changes you'd make? Since I don't have very many ships at Kai 2, there aren't a lot of lucky ships to do cut ins, so I've been playing with the idea of setting up Italia and Haruna for AP shell crits. Yukikaze of course busts out some crazy torp crits now and then.

[Icarus]

Are you aware of the "overweight penalty to accuracy"? Basically, ships should only really equip guns that were made for their class, otherwise they'll suffer an accuracy debuff (invisible) that could be critical in endgame maps.

So basically, following that:

- I'd drop both of the 46cm [main] from Mutsu and fit her with 2x 41cm [main], which has the added bonus of being the Nagato-class fit-guns, and will give her a little accuracy buff.
- Drop one (or both) of the 41cms from both Kongou and Kirishima, and replace a with 35.6cm [main] - same as above, fit-guns improve accuracy.
- If you have BBVs of reasonable level, use them instead of the first fleet FBBs, as the Zuiun can help your CVL fighters gain air superiority, as well as assist in opening airstrikes.
- Equip Italia with her fit-guns, the 381mm/50, Kai preferred. If her level is reasonably high, then the accuracy debuff is largely negated.
- Give Italia the Searchlight in place of the AP Shell -> give that AP Shell to one of your BBs in the first fleet, since it'll help with their opening shelling. It'll also ensure that Yukikaze isn't targeted during night battles, which usually ends in a retreat since she's so squishy.
- Put Maya in fleet #1 flagship to give her increased luck (which may help with AACI) and evasion.
- If you have good CAs, drop Haruna at the least (and give her AP Shell to one of the BBs in the first fleet), and maybe Suzuya as well.
- CVLs look fine. I'd forgo equipping a Saiun as Red T might actually help you survive the preboss node (worked for me).
- Give the Lookout to Shimakaze - Yukikaze has high enough luck to make her cut-in with a reasonably high frequency.
- If you do keep Haruna, give her the Starshell and Night Scout, just in case her high luck increases proc rate (which it seems to).

So you end up with:

Code: Select all

Fleet #1:
1. Maya - 20.3cm, 90mm HA, 12cm30, Air Radar
2. Kongou [or BBV] - 2x 35.6cm [main], Type 91 AP, Type 0 Recon
3. Kirishima [or BBV] - 2x 35.6cm [main], Type 91 AP, Type 0 Recon
4. Mutsu - 2x 41cm [main], Type 91 AP, Type 0 Recon
5. Hiyou - Reppuu, 2x Shiden Kai2, Type 62 Zero F/B
6. Jun'you - Reppuu, 2x Shiden Kai2, Type 62 Zero F/B

Fleet #2:
1. Italia - 2x 381mm/50 [main], Searchlight, Type 0 Recon
2. Haruna [or CA] - 2x 35.6cm [main], Star Shell, Night Scout
3. Sendai - 2x 15.5cm [main], Type 0 Recon [double attack] OR Quad/Quint O2 Torp [torpedo cut-in]
4. Suzuya [or CA] - 2x 20.3cm [main], Radar [surface preferred], Zuiun
5. Shimakaze - 2x Quad/Quint O2 Torps, Skilled Lookouts
6. Yukikaze - 3x Quad/Quint O2 Torps [power setup] OR 2x O2 Torps, Surface Radar [accuracy setup]

Also note that if you have Kaga, Akagi, Hiryuu or Souryuu up to a good level, you can actually replace both CVLs with just one CV, but for guaranteed Air Superiority, you do need to take at least 2BBV in the first fleet - this does allow you to go with more attack power in the first fleet, and reduces the chances of one of the squishy CVLs getting one-shotted. E-6 isn't map-locked, so you can use any of the ships you've used before, so you can either experiment a little until you have a reasonably consistent composition, or run a rotation.

Good luck! Spam for buckets while you run it, because you'll need them. :3

[Blackbird]

Buckets are the one thing I've got plenty of, still have 300+. I'll run out of resources before buckets.

As far as the overweight penalty, I was under the impression that the penalty wasn't significant unless you carried more than 2 guns? I was also under the impression that only 46cm guns caused weight penalty. Furthermore, wouldn't 41cm be the fit gun for Kongou-class Kai, since they receive them as stock equipment on promotion? Would be awesome to see how this mechanic works in detail if there's a chart somewhere, hidden mechanics are a pain.

My BBVs are pretty solid, I can swap them in. Placing Search and Star Shell on BBs makes a lot of sense, it's gotta be better than a stock radar since I don't have enough AP shells to go around. Will try moving around unit slots, too.

Italia is ~lvl 40. Is that solid enough for the 381 Kais you think?

Also curious: What makes CAs so powerful offensively? I've often heard that they're more damaging than BBs, but I'm not sure why that is when BBs have higher weapon and base firepower. Is their crit rate really high? Beside Maya who's on AA duty, I've got Kumano and Suzuya at lv ~40 kai, with Tone, Chikuma, and Myouko all around lv 35 kai (mostly modernized except AA). Worth swapping in?

I'll see if I can get away with 1 CV, but in my early testing I found that I couldn't get AS without 2 CVLs. I might be able to get away with it if I add BBVs.

[Icarus]

As far as the overweight penalty, I was under the impression that the penalty wasn't significant unless you carried more than 2 guns? I was also under the impression that only 46cm guns caused weight penalty. Furthermore, wouldn't 41cm be the fit gun for Kongou-class Kai, since they receive them as stock equipment on promotion? Would be awesome to see how this mechanic works in detail if there's a chart somewhere, hidden mechanics are a pain.

It's not significant on regular maps, but on any event map - particularly Combined Fleet maps - it is extremely important to observe it. There are no optimal high-damage setups that use three guns anyway, but even two oversized guns can impact on your ship's damage efficiency enough to cause issues in attempts. If you note in all of my compositions, I haven't used a single 46cm or higher - I actually have two 46cms, a Prototype 46cm, and two Prototype 51cms, but using them would cause my ships to miss far more than is acceptable for Hard attempts.
Also, while Kongou-class do come with 41cm, overloading them with too many of them still reduces their accuracy. One 41cm and one 35.6cm should be enough, but no more.

Italia is ~lvl 40. Is that solid enough for the 381 Kais you think?

Should be enough. If you feel that she's still missing a lot, drop her down to 35.6cms instead.

Also curious: What makes CAs so powerful offensively? I've often heard that they're more damaging than BBs, but I'm not sure why that is when BBs have higher weapon and base firepower. Is their crit rate really high? Beside Maya who's on AA duty, I've got Kumano and Suzuya at lv ~40 kai, with Tone, Chikuma, and Myouko all around lv 35 kai (mostly modernized except AA). Worth swapping in?

During the day, BBs have the damage advantage if you have them set up with 2x main guns and a seaplane. At night however, the damage calculation is different: firepower and torpedo stats are added together, along with other unseen stats that dramatically increase the overall power of DD, CL, CLT and CA. Note that CAVs aren't included in this: they do have increased attack power at night, but it's nowhere near as dramatic as CAs.
http://kancolle.wikia.com/wiki/Combat#Night_Combat
I've had CAs and CLTs equipped for double-attacks put out nearly 650HP damage at night on a trash mob - and in some cases, on event bosses too, particularly BB Hime at Node I - which is higher than any single torpedo cut-in I've seen so far (about 550HP tops), and way higher than anything a BB can put out at night. And considering that you're likely to travel through a night node anyway, and how strong the boss is, setting up for the best night-time damage output possible is preferable.

[Blackbird]

Bleh! Well, despite our best efforts, we couldn't quite make it. After a few solid initial clears, RNG screwed us hard and all of our final attempts ended with CV Hime aimbotting our ships. She can crit a full health heavy BB to red in one shot, how is that fair >_<. Went through 20k resources just trying to clear this one map. In retrospect, given how RNG the map ended up being, perhaps it would have been better to use support expeditions less early on. I had intended to try to clear the map with fewer but more successful attempts. However, since most of the runs ended with ships getting 1 shot, perhaps it would have ultimately been better to invest less resources into each run, just to try to roll the proverbial dice more times, even if each attempt would have less chance for success. Of course, it would have been even better to have perhaps 30 or 40k fuel and ammo going in - we really just got beat by a huge resource check to see if we could keep chipping the boss down. I don't think it would have been different even on Easy... since CV Hime is equally strong in firepower on all settings. So close, too!



At least there was a silver lining. Italia helped us to find her sister. Don't know if Italia increases the drop chance or if I'm just super lucky, because there was no way in heck I was farming this map, even if I did clear it! Got Sakawa from the boss, too.

Next time I'll have to hoard even more fuel =P.

The event was fun, but I wish it ran a little longer (or was smaller in scope). There was too much to do in such a short timeframe, so I felt really pressed to try to finish things and couldn't take my time as I would have liked.

[Icarus]

お疲れ様です、ＴＴＫさん！

After a few solid initial clears, RNG screwed us hard and all of our final attempts ended with CV Hime aimbotting our ships. She can crit a full health heavy BB to red in one shot, how is that fair >_<.

That's why I prioritised Maya's development over everything else before the event, simply because I felt that she'd be a huge factor in clearing anything involving high-powered enemy aircraft - she does have the second-highest AA stat behind Akizuki, after all, but is far stronger and more resilient than Akizuki is, so is therefore more helpful in chipping/killing enemy ships. Maya is also easier to obtain. :3
And I was correct: in every single full-clear, Maya's AACI did enough damage to CV Hime's fighters and bombers to ensure that CV Hime was either severely crippled combat-wise, or taken out of the fight completely.

And, as I said last week, E-6 is a massive resource killer, both natural resources and instant repairs. To even stand a chance of clearing it, you'd need at least 80k in all resources, plus at least 400 instant repairs, and add more of everything if your equipment and levels aren't up to scratch. A lot of the attempts can be cheesed out by using the Fleet Command Facility, which you get from Ooyodo Kai - you can quite often progress on if only one ship gets hit to red, and get a full clear. However, in my case, I put my trust in Maya - after the first try with taking the FCF equipped on Choukai went quite wrong - and she never let me down.

At least the game was kind enough to give you Roma, lol. A lot of players still haven't seen her even after days of farming. You've done well. :>

So is it celebratory LSC time yet?! :O

EDIT: Patch notes for after-event maintenance. http://kancolle.wikia.com/wiki/Recent_Updates
Note the "CL fit-gun bonus added" as part of the notes - this means attempting to squeeze 20.3cms on them will gimp their accuracy. 15.5cm [main] and [secondary] all the way. :3
New expeditions too.

[Blackbird]

Yeah, guess my AACI wasn't strong enough to weaken her shelling power. The opening airstrike was usually fine (of the runs I lost, only one was to the opening strike itself), I just needed to be shooting down more planes just so her subsequent attacks were weaker. My AACI power was the best it could have been though, the only way to improve it further would have been to get Maya to Kai 2. Maybe I could have done that, but I spent my time in the event leveling other ships who contributed in different ways.

Actually, what happens if you have multiple ships with AACI enabled? Can you stack them, or will it just pick one?

In retrospect, Fleet Command would have been extremely useful for all those runs where only one unit got sniped, but I don't have Ooyodo at Kai quite yet. Next time I will, though, she's almost there.

No yolo-LSC for me this event, I have no resources to do that, lol.

CL fit bonus is added? I should be fine then... I switched all my CLs to 15.5cm guns a while ago because I favored the accuracy bonus. Kind of glad I picked up those 15.2cm guns this event too, from the patch notes, it sounds like they might get a buff?

New expedition... want to place bets on an Akitsushima-only unique expedition? That's one of the features I could think of that would merit her being the clear reward for a difficult event like this.

[Icarus]

Actually, what happens if you have multiple ships with AACI enabled? Can you stack them, or will it just pick one?

From testing, it only triggers AACI on one ship, while the others will just fire on incoming bombers as normal.
It's still a good idea to get as many AACI weapons as possible to ensure that your fleet AA is as high as it can be, especially in a multiple-DD fleet, where your chances to trigger AACI will be much higher due to the number of ships present.

In retrospect, Fleet Command would have been extremely useful for all those runs where only one unit got sniped, but I don't have Ooyodo at Kai quite yet. Next time I will, though, she's almost there.

I'd recommend getting Ooyodo to Kai and beyond, not just for the FCF, but because she's the best four-slot CL available. Yuubari is great, but is a glass cannon, and causes more trouble than she's worth, lol.

CL fit bonus is added? I should be fine then... I switched all my CLs to 15.5cm guns a while ago because I favored the accuracy bonus. Kind of glad I picked up those 15.2cm guns this event too, from the patch notes, it sounds like they might get a buff?

They're adding the 15.2cms into Akashi's Development I believe, so you can improve them using screws. Great, more things to spend screws on. :<
As long as they add a couple of extra quests down the line to give us a few more screws, then that's fine lol.

The biggest issue for me isn't screws - because they're pretty easy to get - but blueprints. I need seven of them in order to catch up in fleet development - so not including the medals you get from events, that's usually one whole blueprint a month - and the problem for now is who to prioritise giving blueprint upgrades to. >_>



High-level admiral problems. <_<

New expedition... want to place bets on an Akitsushima-only unique expedition? That's one of the features I could think of that would merit her being the clear reward for a difficult event like this.

That would be… interesting.
According to the comments on the Expeditions page at the wiki, Expedition 40 is rumored to require a lv50 CL (as flag), 2AV 2DD 1xx. Don't take my word for it though, we'll find out in due course.

[Blackbird]

Yeah, another reason I'm bummed about the event is that I missed the two medals from the last map that I was hoping to get. Threw a wrench in my plans there. I've pretty much resolved to promote my ships in the order they need the blueprints. I reasoned that, by the time I actually reach the level 75/80 that some of the other blueprint ships need, it will be a month or two down the line and I'll have a few more to go around. I didn't have time to go looking for Unryuu either, so on the plus side, that's one less to worry about for now =P.

The ships that are most likely to need promotion soon are Roma and Katsuragi, and of those two, Katsuragi is probably the better option, since I've already got Italia going and Katsuragi is a bit mediocre before promotion.

Imo, of the ships you want to promote, Bismarck seems like a priority over Littorio+Roma. I think Bismarck is stronger overall (given that she adds torpedo night damage...) and also cheaper to deploy. If you were bringing just one escort BB to an event, it'd probably be Bismarck, right? She's kind of all or nothing though, either sink the 2 blueprints and go all the way to Drei or leave it alone.

As for Katsuragi, that might be medium or high, depending on whether you have Unryuu, Amagi, etc. promoted already.

Fusou class are a pretty strong promo in general, because they come with really good equipment that can be used on other ships as well (proto guns and great seaplane bombers).

Edit: Takanami got an umbrella for this update, haha.

[Icarus]

I dunno, out of the six that need blueprints, I'd probably prioritise the BBVs over the FBBs. The Kongou-class are all 82+ and Nagato-class at 72+ and they've performed admirably this event, so I don't think I need any more FBBs. However I felt that I was lacking in the BBV department, especially when attempting E-6 Hard and had to rely on Maya to assist in the air defense, so Fusou and Yamashiro will probably take priority first. Ise and Hyuuga are okay, and actually have a higher single seaplane slot (14) than a Kai Fusou/Yamashiro (10, 24 at Kai2), but they're kind of weak compared to the other BBs.

Unryuu and Amagi have been blueprinted for months and are lv80+, lol.

I don't think I need to hurry development now, since I have almost all of the ships I need, so Fusou and Yamashiro will get the first blueprints. I do hear rumours that Shoukaku and Zuikaku will be getting Kai2 eventually, which will be interesting as they're already very strong as AA CVs - hopefully they won't need blueprints…

[Blackbird]

Thinking about it now, Fusou-class Kai Ni are the strongest BBVs at the moment, so if you already have good FBBs, that's a pretty solid reason to prioritize them.

Another hilarious side-effect of the event - trying to work through my "Isuzu backlog" of ships that I need to promote before using for modernization, haha.

[Devdan]

I love that I randomly did 1-5 with an underleveled fleet and S ranked the boss node, so I figured I might as well deplete the life bar, and did it again. Tried for a 3rd time to finish it off, failed. Tried probably 10 more times, with higher level ships, failed every time. Now my HQ is level 40 and it's no longer even possible. This game makes a whole lot of sense.

Also, I've gotten Tatsuta like 5 times but still no Tenryuu. I'm still sitting at 2/4 Kongou too. I'll never finish these stupid fleet composition quests.

[Icarus]

Some thoughts from the most recent patch:

• Akatsuki Kai2 has some nice equipment, with the downside that it'll take forever to level her to Kai2. (Another free Triple O2 Torpedo though, mmmmm…)
• No one knows what kind of bonuses the new Type 96 150cm Searchlight gives, although it is speculated they provide a much larger bonus than a regular Searchlight. However, you have to consume both standard Searchlights and a Skilled Lookout in Akashi's Improvement in order to get it, so there's no way I'm going to take that risk until Skilled Lookouts become easier to get. (Skilled Lookouts are also plenty useful.)
• Upgrading 15.2cm [secondary] to 15.2cm Twin [main] looks desirable at first, however it requires one Type 22 Surface Radar as an upgrade, and those are kind of annoying to come by. Also, the only reason you'd likely use them is for the +3 ACC, in terms of firepower the 15.5cm [main] and [secondary] guns are superior in every way. The other thing is, you can get 15.2cm Twin [main] relatively easily from the Agano-class CL. (I have four which I don't use. >_>)
• The new sortie mission for a Type 93 Passive Sonar is actually worth it, and comically, if you haven't done the previous one yet, you can actually get two of them, since the previous sortie mission to 1-5 also required you took Destroyer Division 6 (Akatsuki, Inazuma, Ikazuchi and Verniy).

Aircraft upgrading via Akashi's Improvement when?

Also, there's a recent tweet from the devs regarding the next Kai2, which will be a CA. Many are currently theorising that it'll be either Kako or Aoba, judging by the cryptic clue they posted. Hopefully they'll be relatively low-level requirement Kai2 as Furutaka (65) and Kinugasa (55) were. More freebie 20.3cm no.3 guns are always appreciated, haha.

[Blackbird]

The 15.2cm main guns can also be upgraded to 15.2cm kai variants as well. Not sure if I'd want to use them though - they're very accurate, but they do a lot less damage than the other available options. I felt like my damage output was a bit underwhelming.

The new searchlight seems useful, but quite difficult to get. Skilled Lookouts aren't easy to come by, so unless you farmed Takanami in the event, you're unlikely to have more than 1 or 2. Funny that we were talking about exactly that earlier =P.

[Icarus]

Funny that we were talking about exactly that earlier =P.

Told you they'd be useful in some form or another, if not for combat, then for some form of equipment improvement. I'm going to hold off on going for one though, as both Searchlights and Skilled Lookouts are pretty hard to get (both unbuildable), and unless the new Searchlight provides some pretty hardcore bonuses, it's better to stick to the normal Searchlights instead.

Looking forward to the new Kai2 CA though, if only to have another low-consumption Kai2 CA for map clearances.

Also 2-5 and 3-5 are a lot more annoying than I remember.

[Shepardus]

Akatsuki has a Kai2 now? Does that mean she's a real lady?

[Icarus]

Akatsuki has a Kai2 now? Does that mean she's a real lady?

She can try all she wants, she'll never become a real lady. Forever a loli. :3

Also, first admiral milestone achieved: got a ship to level99. :O



Kind of fitting it'd be a submarine given that they're the workhorses of my fleet (I have 4x Iku and 5x of every other sub not including Yuu and Shioi), but it's a surprise that it's Yuu that got there first, considering I have a lv98 Iku in the fleet - I haven't sortied her for a long time though as I modernised her and her repair times are pretty high if she gets critted…

[Icarus]

Some new stuff in today's patch:

• Kako Kai2 comes with 2x 20.3cm no.2 and another Searchlight, and is a lv65 upgrade without a blueprint, so she's a good place to go for quick and easy 20.3cm no.2 guns. (protip: use PvP to quickly level CAs.) (I also really like the art for the Kai2, appears to be the same artist as Furutaka's.)
- Alternatively, if you have the time, Kinugasa Kai2 (lv55) gives you one 20.3cm no.3.
• Stat increases to Isuzu, Furutaka, Kinugasa and Verniy's Kai2 forms. Looking at it, it's primarily luck and evasion that's been boosted.
• Radars can be upgraded! I have a billion Type 21 Airs, hopefully they can be used as mod fodder to improve them.
• World 4-5 is now available, which is based on the Spring 2015 Event, possibly E-5 or a single-fleet version of E-6. Haven't taken a look at it yet, but having a 490HP Harbour Princess waiting at the end doesn't give me much hope for quick clears, especially as each *-5 map gets considerably harder the further you go. WG42 and Type 3 AA setups all the way…

As for me:

• Working on sub-cheesing 5-3 to get it over and done with with the minimum of issues. The main problem with running 6SS is that you only have a 16% chance to go to the boss node from the pre-boss node, and using any comp which includes 2DD (which is a guaranteed boss attempt) means having to deal with BBs during the night battles. This way is hugely luck-dependent, but isn't as draining on resources as a fast fleet is. Currently 1 of 5 full clears down.
• Leisurely working through my "Isuzu backlog" of ships to modernise for gear. So far, I have 3x Hayashimo, 3x Kiyoshimo, 3x Makigumo, 2x Hamakaze, Takanami and a Yuugumo to deal with. >_>
• Despite acquiring Zuikaku during the event, I still haven't got round to clearing the quest bottleneck yet, lol. Both Shoukaku and Zuikaku are approaching 60+ though, so they'll be ready for the harder maps in due course.

[Icarus]

Summer Event 2015 is scheduled to start around early August, no exact dates as of yet. Can't really say if it's going to be a cakewalk event or another painful one like AL/MI.
http://kancolle.wikia.com/wiki/Summer_2015_Event

What is known/theorised so far:
• A Torpedo Squadron will be important - DD, CL, CA most likely.
• There's going to be another Kai2 CL coming soon.

As usual, preparation is important. Speaking of which:



I think I'm coming along quite nicely. Just need to bucketspam for a while, but I can't resist fighting my way through the n-5 maps and doing the resource-intensive weeklies for improvement materials. >_>

EDIT: 5-3 has been finally defeated after a week of grinding it! Submarines all the way.

[LtC]

After hearing so much about this and having some spare time I decided to finally give this a try, if anything I'd at least get some practice with Japanese names. I've been playing for about a day now and I didn't really have much trouble getting past the first world but this is where I feel like I hit a wall. My main problem is fuel and ammunition, and the fact that I'm just not strong enough to deal with the heavier enemy ships. I tried to build a battleship myself but I got a heavy cruiser instead.

Any tips on what I should focus on doing now? Trying to build ships really cuts down on how much I can sortie. Right now I figured I would grind 1-5 for exp and ships. I managed to get Chiyoda from there already and I'm trying to upgrade her to a light carrier.

Here's what I currently have:


Here are some other ships that I have:

Spoiler

I've been trying to cut on using heavy cruisers too much since they eat up too many resources, but I'm really not sure if I have any on bench that I should be leveling.

[Icarus]

Looking at it, I wouldn't worry about building anything heavy if you don't have the 2nd, 3rd and fourth fleets unlocked, as you need them in order to start generating resources.

First things first, go to your Quests panel:



And start working through them. You already have 6+ ships in your first fleet, so you should be able to unlock the 2nd fleet and Expeditions.
A comprehensive list of quests and their requirements are here: http://kancolle.wikia.com/wiki/Quests
And Expeditions you can do: http://kancolle.wikia.com/wiki/Expedition

For now, focus on building resources through Expeditions, and don't worry about crafting anything huge. You can usually get by with one or two CA (heavy cruiser), and most of the time, you get all the ships you could ever want as drops. It's only when you start working through the business end of World 2 and onwards that the need for air power (via CV/CVL) and anti-air capabilities becomes apparent. However you get Akagi for free in a quest later on anyway, and CVL drop in abundance.

So in short:
1. Do all the quests you can, and unlock #2, #3 and #4 fleets along the way.
2. Level what you have.
3. Don't build anything, save all your resources.
4. Expeditions! (2-4-10 if you want buckets, 5-13-21 if you want ammo/fuel).

[LtC]

Thanks! I was doing quests since the beginning but I was working on other quests so I had completely overlooked the one that unlocked 2nd fleet. Everything is definitely more manageable now with expeditions. I would have overlooked the Akagi quest as well if you didn't mention it. Got the quest done on my first attempt. Now I just need Sendai for 3rd fleet.

I also managed to get my first submarine (I-168) but I suppose I shouldn't bother leveling her unless I get more submarines. Looks like you'll have to get gear yourself elsewhere for submarines. What should I go for? Are there any ships I should level up just to remodel them for useful weapons (not just for subs)?

Now that I have 2 carriers I'm actually starting to kick some ass, now if only RNG will let me get to 2-1 boss node (I actually had to check from the JP wiki if the roll was random or rigged).

[Icarus]

I also managed to get my first submarine (I-168) but I suppose I shouldn't bother leveling her unless I get more submarines. Looks like you'll have to get gear yourself elsewhere for submarines. What should I go for? Are there any ships I should level up just to remodel them for useful weapons (not just for subs)?

Having Imuya (I-168) is actually a bit of a bonus as you can use her as a meat shield in some maps. Since you have Chiyoda, get her remodelled once so you can get the Ko-hyoteki mini-submarine equipment, which will allow SS and CLT to fire opening torpedoes.

High powered CA are a must, but most of them are Kai2'ed at 55 or higher. But for now, getting them to Kai1 is good to start. Maya is the CA that remodels at the lowest level (18 iirc) and if you keep her as a mainstay, she becomes even better at Kai2, having the second highest anti air stat in the game. Levelling Tone and Chikuma is also important as they become strong CAV (aviation cruisers) later on, and they have many uses - that doesn't happen until about 75 though, so if you need CAV now, pick up Mogami and her sisters.

Any CV and CVL are worth it, as is the Sendai-class CL, particularly Sendai herself as she gives night battle equipment. Don't focus too much on getting BB (battleships) until you hit a good place for both fleet strength and map progress. And if you come across them, keep two each of Kitakami, Ooi and Kiso, the CLT trio (torpedo cruisers). You'll thank me later.

As for DD (destroyers), the best ones to focus on are Ayanami, Fubuki, Yuudachi, Shigure, Hatsushimo, Yukikaze, Shimakaze, Hibiki/Verniy and Murakumo. The Mutsuki-class are also great to have as pure expedition-only DD as they have the lowest consumption out of all DDs.

In terms of equipment, you'll likely get most of the good stuff from remodelled ships. If anything, focus on getting a radar or two - Air radars are gained easily from Isuzu, while surface radars appear from Hamakaze, Yuugumo-class and others. Stuff for your carriers is important too, and the really good stuff is crafted mainly, like Reppuu, Ryuusei Kai and Saiun. If you need to, aim for those.

I think that's about it. Take your time, don't waste resources crafting anything besides equipment, and do your daily/weekly quests and expeditions, and you should be up to a good place pretty quickly. :3