Board Thread:Questions and Answers/@comment-27789289-20160306121058/@comment-65.16.26.159-20160311125654

There isn't really anything to lose by going after 3-5 and 4-5. A blueprint is far more valuable than the modest resources and buckets spent, even when RNG is trolling you. I'll supplement my take on 3-5 south above by saying that high firepower destroyers help immensely, as well, since they can more reliably help with damaging and sinking ships during shelling. Of those you listed above, Yuudachi, Kasumi, Akatsuki and Murakumo are above the destroyer baseline value. The last kill isn't significantly harder; the second node gains a light carrier, so having an AACI destroyer can help, but isn't an absolute necessity. Just give them your best equipment, sparkle if you feel you need it, and roll the RNG dice.

4-5 can be a bit more brutal, but I honestly prefer it to 3-5 because the brutality is in what you encounter, rather than the ships you're forced to take. I tend to take the long way around, because that night battle shortcut has never treated me kindly. You basically have two options going that way, a somewhat lighter, CA-focused fleet and going all out with BBs. I have again had little luck with CA survival (see, what I'm working on above), so I go with BBs. The pre-boss node that way looks scary, but due to its formation is (usually) not that damaging. The boss can and will instantly taiha whatever she wants, along with her Ru-class friend, but falls easily to CAs and BBs with a type 3 shell. On average it costs me about 4K fuel and 3K ammo to complete 4-5.