Intended as a scaled-down, tier-less, early-game version of the full Tier Guide for new commanders, the listings here will focus on specific early-game concerns and only include units from W1 to W4, as that is where most newbies struggle and where most of the relevant droppable units can be found.
While the entries all use the Kai chibi and cover their Kai versions, all of these are worth getting and raising even as a new player. The non-Kai aren't as good as the Kai, of course, but they will be good enough to handily do their jobs throughout the early-game (W1 to W9); if they weren't, they wouldn't be here.
- USS Cassin Kai USS Downes Kai
-
Skill:
- When HP falls under 20%, heals 25% of max HP once per battle
- 60% chance to activate every 20 seconds, increase own Reload by 40% for 10 seconds (Kai)
-
Recommended Loadouts:
- [General Purpose] 138.6mm; 533mm quintuple conventional torpedoes; 40mm Quad Bofors; Toolbox; Toolbox
- [Poverty] 120mm twin; 533mm quadruple conventional torpedoes; 40mm Quad Bofors; Toolbox; Toolbox
-
Availability:
- 1-3, 1-4; 2-1, 2-2, 2-3; 3-2, 3-3, 3-4; 4-3, 4-4.
-
Post-early-game relevance:
- High, both as a 0LB bubblewrap for cheap early-game map farming and as a MLB Kai mini-tank for Hardmode locks and later-game map farming.
- Desc:
Packing a lot of Firepower for destroyers and blessed with a decent Reload buff to go along the excellent self-heal, Cassin and Downes may not have the monstrous burst damage output of their IJN counterparts but they can and will outlast them many times over while still being able to assist with AA.
As it is for Phoenix, they are best used in mobbing fleets.
-
Skill:
- Grant +15% Torpedo to the entire vanguard.
- Upon launching a torpedo spread, 30% chance to launch a second one.
- Every 20s, 30% chance to lower an enemy's Reload by -30% and Damage by -15% for 10s (targets humanoid ships first). (Kai)
-
Recommended Loadouts:
- [Manual Only (ie. as you should use her)] 120mm Main Gun single; 610mm quadruple conventional torpedoes; 40mm Quad Bofors; Oxytorp; Oxytorp
- [General Purpose] 120mm twin; 533mm quintuple conventional torpedoes; 40mm Quad Bofors; Toolbox; Oxytorp
- [Poverty] 120mm twin; 533mm quadruple conventional torpedoes; 20mm Twin Oerlikon; Toolbox; Toolbox
-
Availability:
- 3-3, 3-4; 4-3.
-
Post-early-game relevance:
- Very high. As one of the extremely rare sources of vanguard-wide torpedo buffs she is one of the best friends your Torp-Cruisers (and Torp-CA especially, Ibuki in primis) could possibly have, and she's a very accomplished torpedo platform herself; just don't expect her to destroy anything while the torps are down. IJN DD like her (ie. most of them) ddon't really ddo that.
-
Desc:
Widely available early on and blessed with both excellent skills and a very solid statline, Kagerou has a place in every torp-heavy frontline (torp-CA in particular, as they typically do not have access to torpedo buffs).
Her Kai is more of a slight upgrade than a massive change, with her skill being middling at best, but the extra stats are appreciated nonetheless.
-
Skill:
- Once per fight and upon falling below 20% HP, restore 25% HP and +30% FP for 15s.
-
Recommended Loadouts:
- [General Purpose] Prototype Triple 152mm Main Gun; 138.6mm; 40mm Quad Bofors; Toolbox; PR Hydraulic Gear
- [Poverty] Twin 150mm tbtsk c/36; 120mm twin; 40mm Quad Bofors; Toolbox; Toolbox
-
Availability: 4-1.
-
Post-early-game relevance:
- Very high. Phoenix offers exceptional healer-free staying power at a bargain and that's relevant throughout the game, although if the going gets tough (or you want to clear faster), you'll want to tag in Minneapolis instead.
-
Desc:
Sturdy, cost-effective and perfectly capable of carrying a fleet through multiple battles with no healing support, Phoenix is a supremely reliable workhorse for any fleet; whether it's farming or a cheeky way to skimp on healers to ramp up the backline damage, she'll get it done.
-
Skill:
- Grant +15% Firepower to CL/CA.
- Upon battle start and on a 30% chance every 15s, creates a smokescreen (+40% Evasion Rate while inside) for 5s.
-
Recommended Loadouts:
- [General Purpose] Prototype Triple 152mm Main Gunn; 533mm quintuple conventional torpedo; 40mm Quad Bofors; Toolbox; Oxytorp
- [Poverty] Twin 150mm tbtsk c/36; 533mm quadruple conventional torpedo; 40mm Quad Bofors; Toolbox; Toolbox
-
Availability:
- 1-4; 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4; 3-1, 3-2; 4-1, 4-2, 4-3.
-
Post-early-game relevance:
- Average, as London Kai takes over her buffing duties while being considerably tougher and a lot more powerful. She does remain very cheap, though, and fits snugly in those CL hardmode locks.
-
Desc:
A very solid statline, a bargain basement price tag, a Firepower buff for cruisers, a smokescreen that won't accomplish much (but is better than Belfast's) and a smile to melt your heart.
What's not to like?
-
Skill:
- Increases Firepower of the entire vanguard by 15%.
- Upon Main Gun fire, 30% chance to deal +100% damage; upon destroying an enemy unit, gain 1 stack of +1.5% Acc up to a total of 8 stacks. (Kai)
- Once retrofitted, can mount DD guns instead of torpedoes. Efficiency stays 160%. DO THIS. (Kai)
-
Recommended Loadouts:
- [General Purpose] Prototype Triple 203mm AA Gun (vs Light), Twin 203mm Main Zaragun (vs Medium), Prototype Triple 203mm Main Gun SKC (vs Heavy); 138.6mm; 40mm Quad Bofors; Research Hydraulic Gear; Toolbox
- [Poverty] 203mm SKC (AP) or 203mm HE dual (HE); QF 120mm dual; 40mm Quad Bofors; Toolbox; Hydraulic Gear or Naval Camo
-
Availability:
- 2-1; 4-2.
-
Post-early-game relevance:
- Yes.
-
Desc:
Stock London isn't particularly worth writing home about. Like most HMS CA she has good weaponry and a good skill bolted onto a fragile frame, and the purple CA (11 Oil) price tag is nasty... especially when Leander Kai would do most of her job for much cheaper (8 Oil).
If you can hang on until her retrofit though, and you should, you get one of the absolute best CAs in the game - consistent, useful and powerful (in this order), London Kai augments any fleet she's in and shreds adds like few others can while enjoying okay survivability.
-
Skill:
- Every 30s, spawns 2 orbiting shields that last 8 shots or 15s; if broken, all nearby enemies take minor damage.
- Upon taking damage, 8% chance to halve that damage.
-
Recommended Loadouts:
- [General Purpose] Prototype Triple 203mm AA Gun (vs Light), Twin 203mm Main Zaragun (vs Medium), Prototype Triple 203mm Main Gun SKC (vs Heavy); 138.6mm; 40mm Quad Bofors; Research Hydraulic Gear; Toolbox
- [Poverty] 203mm SKC (AP) or 203mm HE dual (HE); QF 120mm dual; 40mm Quad Bofors; Toolbox; Hydraulic Gear or Naval Camo
-
Availability:
- The game gives you one on day 2.
-
Post-early-game relevance:
- None, collection aside. You'll have better by then.
-
Desc:
The CA you'll use the most early on, thanks to her high staying power and her simply being a gunboat.
Her poor damage output brings her down in the long run, though, and is usually dropped in favour of more powerful CA.
-
Skill:
- +15% FP to all CL/CA in the fleet.
-
Recommended Loadouts:
- [General Purpose] Prototype Triple 203mm AA Gun (vs Light), Twin 203mm Main Zaragun (vs Medium), Prototype Triple 203mm Main Gun SKC (vs Heavy); 138.6mm; 40mm Quad Bofors; Research Hydraulic Gear; Toolbox
- [Poverty] 203mm SKC (AP) or 203mm HE dual (HE); QF 120mm dual; 40mm Quad Bofors; Toolbox; Hydraulic Gear or Naval Camo
-
Availability:
- 3-1, 4-4.
-
Post-early-game relevance:
- None, collection aside. Wichita and London Kai exist and are vastly superior.
-
Desc:
What you use when you don't have Wichita but still want a powerful, buff-capable CA.
She will be phased out eventually, alas, but she's good while she's there and you can still use her to augment a second fleet.
-
Skill:
- When sortied w/ Indianapolis, gain +15% Firepower, AA and Evasion. Do not do this.
- 25% chance every 20s, +15% damage resistance to the entire fleet for 8s. (Kai)
-
Recommended Loadouts:
- [General Purpose] Prototype Triple 203mm AA Gun (vs Light), Twin 203mm Main Zaragun (vs Medium), Prototype Triple 203mm Main Gun SKC (vs Heavy); 138.6mm; 40mm Quad Bofors; Research Hydraulic Gear; Toolbox
- [Poverty] 203mm SKC (AP) or 203mm HE dual (HE); QF 120mm dual; 40mm Quad Bofors; Toolbox; Hydraulic Gear or Naval Camo
-
Availability:
- You get her as part of the new player 'tutorial' rewards. Yay!
-
Post-early-game relevance:
- High; mainly as a boss fleet tank, since her excellent staying power and average CA damage output are a better fit for those singular long engagaments more than the several shorter ones she'd face in a mob fleet (where self-healers or heals can ensure better vanguard survivability).
-
Desc:
Exceptional HP, twice the base Evasion other CAs get once you get her the appropriate retrofit nodes, good Firepower and high AA: in a similar fashion to Cleveland, her stats alone justify her rating and the skills are just window dressing, with the Indianapolis-related buff in particular being wholly irrelevant (as her sister is way too weak to be worth consideration).
She won't hit as often as Wichita or as hard as Chicago, but she's cheap, damn hard to kill and consistent.
-
Skill:
- Upon firing the Main Gun, 30% chance to have it deal +100% Damage. (Has an internal cooldown of 5s; do not give her the 203Mle as the gun will reload in under 5s.)
-
Recommended Loadouts:
- [General Purpose] Prototype 203mm Type 3 Mounted Gun (vs Light), Twin 203mm Main Zaragun (vs Medium), Prototype Triple 203mm Main Gun SKC (vs Heavy); 138.6mm; 40mm Quad Bofors; Research Hydraulic Gear; Toolbox
- [Poverty] 203mm SKC (AP) or 203mm HE dual (HE); QF 120mm dual; 40mm Quad Bofors; Toolbox; Hydraulic Gear or Naval Camo
-
Availability:
- 3-1; 4-3, 4-4.
-
Post-early-game relevance:
- Average. Her DPS only gets better as better gear becomes available to you, but she'll remain very squishy; an excellent and cheap pick regardless, provided you can keep her alive (and you're not lacking in options to do that).
-
Desc:
The quintessential Glass Cannon, Chicago is deceptively fragile (being one of the poster girls for 'CAs not necessarily being tanks') and unassumingly devastating due to the maths involved in her skill - if she procs on her first salvo, the buff affects the second one too, meaning that that all in all her actual double damage procrate is 49%!
Give her a decent gun and stick someone in front to take hits for her and she'll cut through the opposition like butter at a very modest 10 Oil price tag.
- IJN Furutaka Kai & IJN Kako Kai
-
Skill:
- 60% chance every 20s, gain +40% Firepower for 10s.
- Every torpedo launch has a 30.0% chance to launch another spread. (Kai)
-
Recommended Loadouts:
- [General Purpose] Prototype Triple 203mm AA Gun (HE) or Prototype Triple 203mm Main Gun SKC (AP); 533mm quintuple conventional torpedoes; 40mm Quad Bofors; Research Hydraulic Gear; Oxytorp
- [Poverty] 203mm Mounted Main Gun (HE) or 203mm SKC (AP); 533mm quintuple conventional torpedoes; 40mm Quad Bofors; Toolbox; Hydraulic Gear or Naval Camo
-
Availability:
- 3-3; 4-4.
-
Post-early-game relevance:
- Subjective. Do you like what Takao does? If so, they'll be relevant; if not, skip away.
-
Desc:
Think Takao, except a bit frailer and marginally less powerful with their skills but much more reliable and inexpensive.
Often unfairly overlooked but there's few better Torp-CAs, especially at their cost.
-
Skill:
- 50% chance on Main Gun fire to heal the vanguard by 10% of their max HP.
-
Recommended Loadouts:
- [General Purpose] 406MK6 (vs Light) or Prototype Triple 410mm Mounted Gun (vs Medium/Heavy); 128SKC; Twin 40mm Bofors STAAG; Type 1 Shell; SHS Shell
- [Poverty] 406MK6; 128SKC; 40mm Quad Bofors; Type 91 Shell; Autoloaders (mobs)
-
Availability:
- 2-2.
-
Post-early-game relevance:
- High; she's the only healer BB in the game, after all, and has her place in a fleet justified the moment you feel the need for a little healing on top of the usual BB DPS.
- Desc:
One of the first healers you'll have access too and probably one of the first proper battleships as well; her DD secondary guns will keep your backline safe-ish from incoming fireships and her heal, while unreliable, will keep your vanguard alive and kicking for longer than no heal at all.
It's also worth remembering that you only need as much healing as the damage you're taking; Shouhou or Unicorn do heal better, yes, but if your vanguard doesn't risk dying that much anyway there is little reason to pick them.
- USS Nevada Kai USS Oklahoma Kai
-
Skill:
- Upon taking damage, 8% chance to halve that damage.
- Upon main gun fire, 30% chance to double the volley damage. (Kai)
-
Recommended Loadouts:
- [General Purpose] 406MK6 (vs Light) or Prototype Triple 410mm Mounted Gun (vs Medium/Heavy); 128SKC; Twin 40mm Bofors STAAG; Type 1 Shell; SHS Shell
- [Poverty] 406MK6; 128SKC; 40mm Quad Bofors; Type 91 Shell; Autoloader (mobs) or SG Radar (boss)
-
Availability:
- Yes.
-
Post-early-game relevance:
- High. They're often overlooked, perhaps because they're grays or perhaps because they're not very flashy, but they put out major league DPS while being the absolute cheapest in their hull class.
-
Desc:
Similar in form, statline and function to their bigger, blacker cousin - AA aside - these cowgirls operate at a fraction of South Dakota's cost while providing similarly good results, courtesy of their better Efficiency and uncharacteristically high Accuracy. Bit RNG still, but there's nobody cheaper than them in their class.
-
Skill:
- Every 20s, 60% chance to launch a focused barrage.
- The 12 SHELLS deal 120 bdmg with 70/100/90 mods. Their damage is modified by 100% of the unit's FP.
- Every 20s, 60% chance to launch a focused barrage.
-
Recommended Loadouts:
- [General Purpose] 406MK6 (vs Light) or Prototype Triple 410mm Mounted Gun (vs Medium/Heavy); 128SKC; Twin 40mm Bofors STAAG; Type 1 Shell; SG Radar
- [Poverty] 406MK6; 128SKC; 40mm Quad Bofors; Type 91 Shell; Autoloader (mobs) or SG Radar (boss)
-
Availability:
- 2-2.
-
Post-early-game relevance:
- Average. There are a lot of BBarragers out there, either more powerful or more useful than she is and not a lot more expensive, so you'll probably phase her out; she does remain the cheapest of the bunch, however, and a solid pick regardless.
-
Desc:
Your first proper BBarrager, Pennsylvania has an okay statline and very nice barrage for both mobbing and bossing fleets (but preferably mobbing); since said barrage is timed you don't need to worry about giving her a fast gun to proc it often, with the added benefit of it being able to dispatch enemies on its own so you can point the main guns towards something else.
-
Skill:
- +20% FP to self.
-
Recommended Loadouts:
- [General Purpose] 406MK6 (vs Light) or Prototype Triple 410mm Mounted Gun (vs Medium/Heavy); Triple 155mm Mounted Gun; Twin 40mm Bofors STAAG; Type 1 Shell; SHS Shell
- [Poverty] 406MK6; Twin 150mm Main Gun (TbtsK C/36); 40mm Quad Bofors; Type 91 Shell; Autoloader (mobs) or SG Radar (boss)
-
Availability:
- Visitor Dyed In Red (War Archives event); A-1, A-2, A-3.
-
Post-early-game relevance:
- Low. The value of CL secondaries decreases steadily over time as more and more BB with it become available to you, and while a lot of Firepower doesn't really go amiss it's also all these two are offering; there's no shortage of nasty damage dealers out there, and most of them have more to their name than just that.
-
Desc:
Your first good bearers of CL secondaries, owing to their high Firepower and Main Gun Efficiency (once partially retrofitted, that is; just DO NOT take the last two nodes). All they do is stop fireships well and craterise hard targets; it ain't much, but it's honest work and do you really need more for now?
-
Skill:
- Increases experience gained by CV/L by 15%
- Increases Reload for CVL by 15%, does not stack with other command skills that have similar effect. (Kai)
- Has a 6/2/0 loadout.
-
Recommended Loadouts:
- [General Purpose] F6F Hellcat; F6F Hellcat; Fairey Firefly; Hydraulic Catapult; Homing Beacon
- [Poverty] F4U Corsair; F4U Corsair; Fairey Fulmar; Hydraulic Catapult; Hydraulic Catapult
-
Availability:
- Basically everywhere from W3 onwards.
-
Post-early-game relevance:
- Average until W12 and Very High afterwards. Her complement of 6 fighters and 2 dive bombers is tailor-made to make enemy plane formations' lives hell, but there are barely any (if at all) planes on the stretch leading to W12 and her surface DPS is somewhat lacking; nevertheless, she's a very cheap way to bolster your Air Control value and her lighter payloads will still do work against adds.
-
Desc:
Once considered a liability due to the much reviled F/F/B loadout and an exp boost as a primary skill, Langley Kai's fortunes changed drastically with the advent of Air Superiority mechanics; not only do those fighters contribute almost or over twice the amount other types of planes do, but they're also extraordinarily cost-effective as well as slightly more readily available than usual. If stacking ACV is what you need but you'd rather not focus on carriers or you need some air superiority on the quick, look no further.
-
Skill:
- 15% chance upon airstrike launch, next airstrike becomes available immediately.
- 25% chance of inflicting double damage with airstrike. (Kai)
- Has a 0/6/2 loadout.
-
Recommended Loadouts:
- [General Purpose] Ryusei; SB2C Helldiver; SB2C Helldiver; Hydraulic Catapult; Homing Beacon
- [Poverty] Tenzan; SB2C Helldiver or JU87 Stuka; SB2C Helldiver or JU87 Stuka; Hydraulic Catapult; Homing Beacon
-
Availability:
- Basically everywhere from 3-1 onwards.
-
Post-early-game relevance:
- High until W12 and Low afterwards. This is for the same reasons that have Langley become more relevant later on; her plane loadout is excellent against surface targets and woefully inadequate at tackling the massed plane swarms of the latest worlds, making her a liability rather than an asset.
-
Desc:
Also referred to as RNGer for obvious reasons, and infamous because of her potentially infinite damage, you need luck on your side to get the most out of her; even without the procs, though, few carriers get close to the sheer damage output she can unleash thanks to her 8 sea-attacking planes and high Efficiencies, and none of them can manage it at her rock-bottom 9 Oil cost.
Beware her near-total lack of anti-air presence, though; without Fighters or AA guns to speak of, there's very little she can do about enemy planes.
-
Skill:
- On launching an airstrike, heals the escort fleet by 8% of their HP.
- On launching an airstrike, grant +15% Aviation to all CV/L for 8s. (Kai)
- Has a 0/3/3 loadout.
-
Recommended Loadouts:
- [General Purpose] SB2C Helldiver; Ryusei; Twin 40mm STAAG; Hydraulic Catapult; Homing Beacon
- [Poverty] SB2C Helldiver or JU87 Stuka; Tenzan; 40mm Quad Bofors; Hydraulic Catapult; Hydraulic Catapult
-
Availability:
- 2-2, 2-3, 2-4.
-
Post-early-game relevance:
- High before W12 and Average afterwards. While her plane loadout allows her some rather impressive DPS for a CVL, it also proves to be her downfall as it is sorely lacking in plane-stopping power, which the plane-infested latest worlds strongly encourage.
-
Desc:
Your first real healer and probably also one of your first real CVL options. A nasty beatstick of an airstrip, she provides lots of fire and regular support for your vanguard; her lack of fighters will not be a problem until much later on, so enjoy the explosions for now (or raise Unicorn if you happen to have her and want something more future-proof).