User blog:Admiral Mikado/Extra Operations for Dummies: 3-5

World 3-5 【Extra Operation】 北方AL海域 Aleutian Islands Campaign


This map is yet another Extra Operation in case you haven't noticed yet, so yes, it does reward you with medals, ranking points and other things upon clearing. It also resets at the start of each month. Shocking, isn't it?

You need to clear 3-4 in order to unlock this map. I think I'm seeing a pattern here...

Sinking the flagship at the boss node reduces the boss gauge by 25%. For the mathematically inept people among you, it means you have to sink the boss 4 times in order to clear the map. Clearing this map rewards you with 1 medal & 150 ranking points.

There are basically two major boss routes plus a few variations, each with their own advantages and problems. And both of them are somewhat annoying on the Last Dance i.e. when you need only one more boss kill.

Once again a certain amount of LOS ( 索敵) is required to get to the boss node, but this time the requirement is so low you can basically ignore it. For details, refer to Line of Sight.

Fleet Setup


Recommended Fleet Setups: 1 BB(V) 3 CA(V) 2 CV ||| 3 CA(V) 3 CV ||| 1 BB(V) 1 CA(V) 2 CLT 2 CV

There are several different fleet setups, but they basically work the same. I personally prefer 1 BB(V) 3 CA(V) 2 CV.

The north route doesn't pull any punches. Elite/Flagship Ta, Black Wock Shooter, Flagship Wo with Takoyakis, Hoppo. You name it, it has it. While you have to bring heavy ships, you can use at most a total of three battleships and/or carriers (e.g. 3 BB(V) or 2 BB(V) 1 CV(L) or 1 BB(V) 2 CV(L) or 3 CV(L)). If you bring four or more you won't be able to get to the boss node.

(Aviation) Battleships


Two main guns, a seaplane and a Type 3 Shell. The last one is pretty important because it helps deal with bombers during air strikes and allows you to deal significant damage to Hoppo.

Heavy Cruisers / Avation Cruisers


Similar to the battleship setup. Two main guns, a seaplane and a Type 3 Shell.



If you have Maya Kai-2 you can give her an Anti-Air Cut-In setup to help shoot down even more enemy bombers. Using such a setup limits her Artillery Spotting to Cut-Ins, which are garbage unless it's an AP Shell Cut-In, so you might as well ditch the seaplane and replace it with a 25mm Triple Autocannon Mount (Concentrated Deployment) for extra AA and an even better AACI. She'll still be able to do Double Attacks at night.

Standard Carriers


Give them your best fighters, you'll need them to deal with all those enemy planes, especially when fighting against Hoppo. Three fighters and one bomber per carriers should be enough, depending on how much fighter power you need and want. Saiun isn't really necessary because you can easily sink the boss even with Red T, and on the normal nodes a Red T might increase your chances of survival.

Node Guide
Node A: There's a Ta-class Battleship, but only an Elite version, so she shouldn't pose that much of a threat. The other ships aren't worth mentioning. Line Ahead all the way.

Node C: Here's where things can get tricky. Depending on your luck and HQ Level you can face anything from two Flagship Wo (one of them with takos) to those two plus Black Wo Shooter, which is why fighter power is so important on this route. There's also a Flagship Ta. Thankfully they're always in Diamond formation, so their damage is comparatively low, but they're still very much capable of wrecking your ships. The AACI and your Type 3 Shells should reduce the threat of the opening air strike significantly, so the biggest problem is most likely going to be surviving those carriers' shelling. I prefer Line Ahead here, but Double Line should work too.

Node F: Welcome to the node where most sorties are going to end. Even with enough fighter power, AACI and Sanshiki you're still at the mercy of Hoppo. While the hamburgers are an annoyance at worst, Hoppo will make you go home, whether you like it or not. You should have listened to her. Her opening air strike is extremely dangerous, and so is her shelling. If your ships manage to survive her hits you're good to go. If not, well...

If you're lucky the combination of fighter planes, AACI and Sanshiki manages to shoot down all her planes, which turns her into a sitting duck. Yes, she won't even shell. Anyway, you can pick whatever against her. Line Ahead, Double Line, Diamond, whichever you think works the best.


 * Fun fact: If you get an S-Rank against her she might drop Akashi or Maruyu among other rare ships, so it could be worth sinking the entire fleet. Especially when one or more of your ships got heavily damaged by her. You have to retreat anyway, so you might as well take revenge in night battle and sink everyone for a chance to get at least something out of it.

Node K: Simply put, the boss battle is a joke. The flagship is Light Cruiser Tsu-Class who can die in a fire for all I care and is accompanied by two transporters, a Flagship Ta and two destroyers. Should be easy enough.

Fleet Setup


Recommended Fleet Setup: 1 CL 5 DD

I can imagine some of you aren't fond of wasting their resources on such an expensive route or simply don't like the idea of getting wrecked by an adorable little girl who displays an unhealthy obsession with fighter planes.

Well, you're in luck, because this fleet might be just the right thing for you.

One battle less compared to the north route, no enemy battleships on normal nodes and no carriers (except on the Last Dance, but more on that later).

You can replace one DD with a CAV or AV with seaplane bombers for Artillery Spotting, but doing so introduces to the risk of ending up at node A or E, which you do not want.

Friendly reminder: sparkling your ships is recommended. It'll save you a lot of pain in the long run.

Light Cruisers


Two guns for a Double Attack setup and a radar in the remaining slot(s). Equipping a Night Scout is pointless because you need Air Superiority/Supremacy for it to trigger, which you can't get.



If you have Abukuma Kai-2 you can give her a midget sub instead of a radar for an opening torpedo strike that can take out a ship. She basically works like a Torpedo Cruiser, but still counts as a Light Cruiser, so you won't get sent to node A. The problem here of course is that Abukuma is somewhat rare and needs Lv.75 as well as a blueprint for her Kai-2. It's worth it though.

Destroyers


Two main guns and a radar for a Double Attack setup on most ships, or two torpedoes and a radar for a Cut-In setup if her Luck is high enough.

On the Last Dance the pre-boss node has a Flagship Nu-class CVL that can be surprisingly dangerous, so at least one of your destroyers should have an Anti-Air Cut-In setup to deal with the planes.

Node Guide
Node B: Welcome to the node where most of your sorties will end prematurely. Since there are only cruisers and destroyers, you get only one shelling phase, and woe betide you if you let any of them launch a torpedo...

You can go Line Ahead and try to kill before getting killed, or use Double Line or Line Abreast for the evasion boost and hope the torpedoes miss. Which isn't that likely because the enemy fleet is in Line Ahead.

Node G: The pre-final pattern isn't that bad because the ships are in Diamond formation, which significantly nerfs their damage and torpedo accuracy. The problem here is that on the Last Dance this node has a Flagship Nu-class CVL, which means the enemy fleet automatically gets Air Supremacy and the Ri-class Heavy Cruisers can trigger Artillery Spotting. Thankfully they're in Diamond formation, so most of the time they'll just deal scratch damage, but don't count on it. Line Ahead or Double Line, the choice is yours.

Node K: This time the boss battle can be quite the challenge. The destroyers should go down easily, the battleship not so much. The transporters aren't exactly dangerous, but they soak up damage like it's nothing. Depending on how much damage your fleet suffers they might even be able to take out some ships with their closing torpedo strike, and then you just have to clean up the rest in night battle. Line Ahead, of couse.

B32: Rush the Battleship Force to the Northern Sea

 * Sortie 2 Battleships (Aviation Battleships do not count), 1 Light Carrier (no Standard Carriers allowed), and 3 additional ships to World 3-5 and obtain an S-Rank at the boss



Recommended Fleet Setup: 2 BB 3 CA(V) 1 CVL