【Evrien's Event Guide - How to Get Ready in a Month】

So, the officials announced the winter event to be held early February, leaving us with about a month to prepare our fleets for the next shitstorm. For the experienced players this is nothing new. However for the recently joined and mild-experienced, this might not be so straightforward. In this post I'm going to go over what to look out for in the next 30 days or so to get yourself ready.

+++【1. What do we know so far?】+++

Next to nothing. We don't really have anything worth referencing to except for the official announcement. Let's take a look at what was being said in the tweet:

"二月上旬までの作戦開始を睨んで、現在「艦これ」冬イベント：期間限定海域の作戦準備を進めています。本作戦は中規模の作戦展開となる予定です。各艦隊は戦備の充実と、艦隊練度の向上に努めて頂けますと幸いです。"

Key points:
-Early Feb will be when the operation begins
-This operation is "medium-scaled"
-It requires "sufficiently prepared fleets on all fronts"

Ok, so we don't know which historical operation this will be - which is pretty big because we don't know what kind of ships are involved. However, we do know that it is "medium-scaled," meaning we can expect something between the Fall event (Kon Operations) and the Spring 2014 Event (Recon System). Don't get so afraid just yet - it's not gonna be another AL/MI event - that's marked as "large-scaled" so rest easy for now. This may also mean that we are looking at 4 or 5 maps (extra included) for the event. As for the 3rd point, it is telling us that once again we have to prepare ALL classes of ships and neglect none. How do we do that? It brings me to the next section.

+++【2. What ships do we need?】+++

3 things: First, you need every imaginable fleet configuration you can think of. The standard kinds are BB-led (4BB2CV, 3BB2CV1CA, 3BB1CV1CA1CAV, etc. etc.), Medium-large-size-led (2CA2CL2CVL, 2CA2CAV2CVL, 3CA1CL1CVL1DD, etc. etc.), and DD-led (6DD, 5DD1CL, 4DD2CL, etc. etc.). If we are looking at another combined-fleet based event we'd have to consider a 12 ship-fleet, too. But for now, know the popular types of ships for events.

Second, what are these popular types of ships? To list them all:

【Water-based Assault】: BB, BBV, CA, CAV - large ships that can do pretty heavy damage via shelling during daytime. These are your standard core.
【Aerial-based Assault】: CV, CVL - Planes are involved for attack. Noteworthy is that CVs are considered "large ships" whereas CVLs are "medium/small ships." Either way, you can expect to need them.
【Guidance Ships】: Akitsumaru - For some reason she's played interesting roles in guiding ships for the past 2 events. We can expect some performance from her this time, too.
【Escort Ships】: CL, DD - Small ships whose talents lie mainly during nighttime.

Third, and probably your most concerned question: What ships do we need to train?

I'll be speaking mainly to admirals who are at least semi-experienced (HQ lvl 60+) here. If you are below 60, reference this section as well - you may find something useful.

Ok, for standards, if you can - get all Kai Ni ships to Kai Ni, and if their Kai Ni levels are below 65 get them to 65 (I'll explain why 65 in a second). Also, if a ship has obtained Kai Ni form since last event, expect her (or her equips) to play a huge role this coming event. Let's take a look at why this is the case:

Case 1: Tone & Chikuma, Hiryuu & Soryuu, Kai Ni before Summer 2014 Event (AL/MI Operations). For those who can recall, LoS is heavily played here, and these ships played vital roles in history (Tone's recon plane fucked up the intel and Hiryuu fought her way 'till the end).

Case 2: Fusou, Myoko, Haguro, Kai Ni before Fall 2014 Event (Kon Operations). In history these ships participated in Battle of Biak, and in game we saw a CA-heavy E1 & E3 and Fusou coming in for E3/E4.

It is also possible to guess what event's coming up based on what ships are Kai Ni'd recently. So who do we have that got Kai Ni'd since Fall event?

-Ushio (Nov 14): Average-performing as Kai Ni. New equips aren't that outstanding.
-Yamashiro (Nov 20): Like her sister may play big roles as BBVs. Her Zuiun 12 is pretty decent.
-Furutaka (Dec 1): Average-performing as Kai Ni, but two good cannons and stat boost is better than nothing. Recommended to put her with Kinugasa as 2nd-level CA candidates.
-Ashigara (Dec 26): Pretty decent overall, got the 2nd-best armor, firepower, and torpedoes of all CA/CAV. Also she comes with 3 Type-2 20.3cm cannons.
-Fubuki (Jan 9): Very high avoidability and AA, second only to Akizuki. The new 3x 61cm Oxygen torpedoes gives additional avoidability which is pretty cool.

Out of these 5, I'd say train them in:
Yamashiro→Ashigara→Fubuki→Furutaka→Ushio

Of course, feel free to switch the orders up based on your fleet's need.
But these aren't all that's needed to train - in fact don't get too fixated on them just yet. If you don't have the past Kai Ni ships Kai Ni'd, don't move onto these 5 before you get those ones ready.

My personal recommendation for Kai Ni Ships that are desirable:
BB/BBV: Kongou sisters, Fusou Sisters, 1 Yamato class should be enough for a medium-sized fleet if you have one at combat-ready level (65+), Bismarck is good but not really needed, however if you want a BB that can do torpedoes and night cut-in she's the one
CV: Hiryuu & Soryuu - they are a must. They get great stat boosts and awesome equips.
CVL: Chitose Sisters, Junyou, (RJ if you are inclined)
CA/CAV: Haguro & Myoko are a must, Tone sisters are a must
CL/CLT: Sendai & Jintsuu, and while Ooyodo isn't kai ni her stats are very decent. Kitagami and Ooi are a must, Kiso recommended but not needed
DD: Yuudachi, Shigure, Verniy (Hibiki), Ayanami, Fubuki, and Yukikaze & Shimakaze who've got very good stats despite not kai ni

+++【3. How do we train these ships?】+++

Given that we have a month ahead, I'd say you can grind 3 ships to Kai Ni casually, 5-7 if you play a bit serious, and up to 11 if you are willing to say fuck you to life. But in any case, you'd want some sort of a way to train them. Here are how to train ships efficiently:

World 3-2: BB/BBV, CV, CVL, CA/CAV
This is the most standard training map there is. Just do the first node North and come back. Have a Maruyu at the end of your fleet to absorb enemy attacks and let your other ships clear the enemies during shelling phases. The ship you want to train should be at flagship, and you want to give it a recon so it double fires during daytime. A CV/CVL is needed to obtain aerial supremacy for the recon planes, and you don't really need to have them attack as they can easily KS' your flagship for the MVP. However if you are training Fusou/Yamashiro you don't need CV/CVL - they can send out Zuiuns to attack during aerial and get that supremacy you need. Also, remember to take out recons for all other ships not the flagship so they don't do double-fire to steal MVP.
(Config: Training Flagship + 3 helping ships + 1 CVL + 1 SS)

World 4-3: CL/CLT, DD (1 at a time)
By having 1 CA and no more than 1 DD in your fleet, you are guaranteed to pass through 2 sub nodes. Get the ASW equips out and let's go bomb some fish. Only thing to watch out for is that you have a 60% chance of encountering TA-node during first branching. But the training efficiency is very good for ASW-ships. Ooyodo trains here especially fast and easy to get MVP because she has 4 slots.
(Config: 2ASW ships + 1CA + 1BBV + 2CVL)

World 1-5: CL/CLT, DD (1 ship at a time, only if you are below HQ 80)
This is arguably the fastest way to train ASW ships if you are below HQ 80, and you don't get damaged easily. The key is to only do the 1st node of 1-5 where only 1 sub is present. Equip your ship with the best ASW (type-3 sonar and detonators) and her to repeat 1st node indefinitely. Your ship won't get fatigued because each time you get S + MVP + Flagship your ship's fatigue is +14, and returning to HQ is -15, with a net loss of 1. But that is recoverable once after 3 minutes (and you would've gotten more runs during that), making it virtually a loop training regime. However once you reach HQ 80, the 1st node sub will fire a torpedo before shelling begins, and may easily damage your ship.

World 5-4: CV/CVLs
There's the one-node methods and the all-the-way method. For the one-node-only, the config is 1CV(your training ship)+1CV(a helper)+1CVL(another helper) + 3SS. All helpers & subs are on rotation for efficiency. For the all-the-way method, simply construct a fleet that will carry you to boss node via top route, but some bauxite and buckets are needed.

Alternatively, you may seek some safe EXP from daily PvPs, which saves you some buckets if you are running low on them. The ideal level to train them to is 65 (if you are semi-experienced), and 50 (if you are below semi-experienced).

Now for those who want to ask: Why 65? The answer is 65 is the first point of growth curve where most Kanmusus reach maturity in their performance. Beyond 65 their performance becomes more matching of their levels, and you can expect them to deliver higher damage while sustaining less. But that's not all the reason I have for choosing 65: 65 is also where sparkling your ship begins to do something visibly for their performance and when they can actually start to dodge. While this may be somewhat subjective, but I make 65 the "entrance ticket" to an event for my ships.

+++【4. How do I stock up on resources?】+++

I will divide up the resources into 3 sections for this one.

『1 - Fuel & Ammo』: This goes without saying. Fuel and Ammo are what your ships need to go into a map - it's their meal. Don't deny a ship her meal and expect her to perform well. There are many ways to get resources but to keep them is a question. First, do the dailies and weeklies that award resources. Second, go on expeditions. Here's how I organize my daily expeditions:

#2 + #37 + #38: If I want to increase my ammo and fuel together
#2 + #21 + #38: If I want to stock up mainly on fuel
#2 + #21 + #37: If I want to stock up mainly on ammo

Notice how I have #2 up there no matter what. Yeah, it's very efficient to get ammo (100/0.5 hour = 200/hour = 400/2 hours = 800/4 hours), and most importantly it gives bucket. I now have over a thousand buckets stocked up thanks to this habit of mine. It's also a quick way to get rid of daily expedition quests.

『2 - Steel & Bauxite』: The reason why I split Steel and Bauxite from Fuel and Ammo is because you don't use these 2 on a regular basis (unless you are constructing ships or fighting aerial battles), meaning their growth is more lax and you can follow a different pace. For steel, you don't really need to concern much - if you aren't a dumbass to send out BBs and get them rekt every day or an obsessive-compulsive LSC addict (cough cough a certain someone who doesn't have Amatsukaze), you don't need to worry much. For Bauxite, follow my 3 simple rule of thumb:

1. Carriers stay away from maps/PVPs that have high AA
2. No PVP with carriers if opponent has Akizuki
3. Do all quests that award bauxite

And on a side note - Akizuki seems to only hunt down dive and torpedo bombers (red and blue planes), and does nothing to fighters (green planes). That's why you see her shooting down planes and you may still lose aerial supremacy. If you absolutely must send out carriers against Akizuki, put only fighters.

『3 - Buckets』: Almost every event I see people who've got tons of fuel/ammo/baux/steel ending up having to resign because their buckets run dry. Remember: For buckets there is never "too many" - until you hit 3000 (the max stock) don't stop on #2 expedition. Many quests give buckets every day too (modernization quest, construction, even sortie quests). The key is to save your lightly damaged ships for regular repair or AFK repair - don't waste buckets on them. And if you do #2 dogmatically, you should be able to get about 15~20 buckets a day. #4 is also a very good choice for buckets too if you are running very low.

Evrien's recommended resource stock for this event:

Fuel: 60,000+
Ammo: 65,000+
Steel: 50,000+
Bauxite: 30,000~35,000+
Buckets: 400+

This is designed so that even if you hit low during event you can still recover some with natural regen, and your fleet can finish at least all the non-extra maps.

+++【5. What equips do I need?】+++

Once again, there are 3 sections for this question to be answered:

『1. Battle-related』: We are talking about cannons, planes, torpedoes, etc. etc. Things that will hurt the enemies, and hurt them good. That is to say, the better these equips are, the easier your time will be through the event. So let's go through what you need to stock up. If you need formulas for development, find them here: http://kancolle.wikia.com/wiki/Development

-Cannons: 46cm cannons are all-time favs of BBs. They not only give an awesome +26 firepower each, but also will increase your fire range to "super long" if you have one equipped. This is what makes Yamato class deadly as they always fire first. 20.3cm Type 2 and 3 are mainly obtained from Kai Ni ships. Since CA/CAVs don't really get awesome 46cm cannons, having a Type 2/3 20.3cm is a lot better than having just a plain old 20.3cm. Get those Kai Ni out there!

-Planes: Planes are what carriers need for a living. There are 3 types of planes, and you can expect to develop better ones as your HQ level grows. How do we distinguish these planes and what they do? Simple: The green planes are fighters, meaning they hunt down other planes that might do damage to your ships and get that aerial supremacy you need. RULE OF THUMB: Equip the largest slot of your carrier with the best fighter (i.e. Kaga's 46 slot with Reppu Kai if you have one). The red planes are dive bombers, and blue planes are torpedo bombers. If you are not sure how to decide, consider their damage-dealing factors. Red planes are known for their consistent performance, usually sticking at around 100% damage. Blue planes are more versatile and may deal critical damages more easily, but the output is more unstable, ranging from 80%~130% damage. Also, different kinds of enemy targets may require you to change dive/torpedo bombers (i.e. certain land-based units are immune from torpedo bombers).

-Torpedoes: I'm not really sure how to go into this one, but let's just say for the most part you aren't gonna need torpedoes during an event. Because the slot you use to put torpedoes in may serve a better purpose when it's equipped with a radar/recon/etc. However, torpedoes are good for nighttime cut-ins. For ships with high luck (Yukikaze, Shigure, Kitagami, Prinz Eugen, etc.) you can equip torpedoes in hope to get a cut-in hit out there.

-Bullets: There are 2 kinds of special bullets we are talking about here - Type 3 (Sanshiki) and Type 91 AP. For those who are new: Type 3 is a kind of chemical bullet that will release chemical mixtures at high temperature in air, basically burning the enemy pilots alive. They are historically equipped to ships like Kongou sisters, who fired them at land-based airfield units like Henderson Airfield (Guadalcanal) to render the runway useless. When you see land unit enemies, you know it's time to blast some of those blazing goo onto them. Sanshiki deals awesome damage to them. Type 91 AP is as the name suggest for Armor-Piercing. When you are facing high-armor ships like BB Princess, having this little jewel will undoubtedly boost your damage-dealing abilities. A thing to note is that Type 91 AP can be combined with 2 cannons for daytime and nighttime cut-ins.

-ASW: ASW stands for Anti-Sub Warfare, and we are talking about equips like Sonar and Depth Charges. The best kind is Type-3, with Type-3 Sonar giving +10 ASW and Type-3 Depth Charges giving +8 ASW, but combining them (i.e. 2 sonar + 1 charge) gives extra damage to enemy subs.

-Night battle trinity: If you've seen Zak's E4 video (http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm24971443), you will know that YOU GET A BONUS in night battles if you have certain equips. There are 3 equips that make night battles easier for you. The first is the night recon, obtainable from Sendai Kai Ni. The second is star shell (or flashbang), and the third is search light. Night recon, if activated, boosts your entire team's performance. Star shell gives higher accuracy. Search light lowers enemy Cut-in rate and increases your own, but makes the enemy concentrate fire on the one equipped with it.

Evrien's recommended stock:
-Cannons: Enough to go around for every map. Because even if ships do get locked, their equips don't. You can re-use equips in-between maps. The ideal number of 46cm is 6 and minimum you should have is 3, but don't feel that you're pressured to develop them as they are very costly. 41cm will be enough for the most part.

-Planes: 6 Reppus, 8 Ryuusei (or Kai), and 8 Suisei (or Type 12).

-Torpedoes: I think we all have a pretty good stock of 61cm 4-pack oxygen torps so it's not really noteworthy

-Bullets: 4 Sanshiki and 4 AP should do.

-ASW: Variable, depending on if we'll see a sub-heavy map. Usually I'd keep 6 Type-3 charges and sonars just in case.

-Night: By Kai-ni'ing Sendai you get all 3, so it's pretty much a given to remodel her. Having one each should be enough.

『2. Recon-related』

Recon, or LoS value, is put into play in Spring 2014 event, and has been a major factor of getting into boss node ever since. A ship equipped with a recon will also gain daytime double-firing or even cut-in if aerial advantage is achieved. I think we all have a pretty good stockpile of Type-0 water recons so I'm not gonna go deep into it. Ask your peers and reference to wikia if you don't know how to engage the recon system.

Another noteworthy equipment that gives LoS is the scout plane Saiun (the yellow plane). Saiun should be equipped to the smallest slot of your carrier, and when equipped with one you won't encounter T-disadvantage. A good formula to develop Saiun is 30-60-10-130, which may also give a bunch of other good fighters and bombers. I'd personally recommend keeping 4 Saiuns if you can.

『3. Damage Control』

Otherwise known as DameCon, these one-time-use equips can prevent your heavily damaged ship from sinking once. This means if your ship got heavily damaged, you can still choose to keep advancing without worrying about sinking her if she has a DameCon equipped. There are 2 kinds of DameCon: Regular and Goddess. The former merely revives the ship back to the health it retained before sinking, while the latter completely heals the ship after reviving it. DameCons can be purchased from item store or obtained from quests and events. It's always a good idea to stock up on them (as many as you can) and not use them unless you absolutely must. And from experience, I can tell you that it doesn't feel good when it activates, because you will still see some of the sinking animation.

Some Q&A with DameCon:

Q1: My ship got hit to red in node A, and I advance with her to node B. She gets hit and sinks in node B, but was rescued back by DameCon. Is she safe for the rest of node B?
A1: Yes, that means she won't get sunk in any part of this particular node (B) anymore, including aerial phase, shelling phase, torpedo phases, night battle, etc. The protection only wears off the moment you click "advance" and the fleet heads for node C, where she once again faces sinking if she does not have another DameCon ready.

Q2: How can I purchase DameCons?
A2: With real money, as you do when you purchase HQ slots, etc.

Q3: I'm in the middle of my sortie and one of my ship got hit to red, but I forgot if I had equipped a DameCon onto her. Should I advance?
A3: No, I'd advise you to play it safe. However if you have KCV (KanColleViewer) you can look at your ship's equipments.

+++【6. Some tips】+++

#1 - Don't rush into event maps like a dumbass. Wait a day. Let the experienced players who've got ships to spare explore the maps for you. You don't wanna get your best ships locked up if there's a ship-locking mechanism (ask your peers if you don't know what a event ship-locking is).

#2 - Don't give up early. Some event maps may seem impossible, but there's always a way around. If you give up and put all your resources into LSC, you may end up regretting later. If I were to say, stay away from LSC for the entire duration of the event.

#3 - Don't get fixated on getting specific ships before completing the event. Event-exclusive ships ALWAYS return another time, but completing an event map is a limited-time opportunity.

#4 - Don't be afraid to ask for help: We've all been through each other's stage at some point, so don't feel like you are alone in this.

#5 - Most importantly: Have fun. Don't get desperate and try anything dumb - think about if risking your ship's life is worth trying to clear the map. And I assure you that if you advance via heavily damaged, your ship WILL get sunk. The enemy AI is programmed to go after the ship with the heaviest damage. Opportunism is bad.

That's all from me for now. Feel free to ask questions in the comments.

CLs and DDs only, with a LoS check if the west route is taken. East or west is completely random. 2 Obs and 1 T33 can meet the LoS requirement.

Line Abreast in all nodes, except east route's preboss which mixes in CLs and DDs. Double Line there.
West preboss has Line Ahead enemy subs with 1-2 preemp torps, so pray to RNG I guess.

Using more than 1 CL will cause an extra battle (the east preboss) if you take the west route.



Clearing gives a bunch of random stuff, but Hard gives a Reppu 601.