Winter 2017 Event/E-3

User Submitted Fleet compositions
Transport Phase
 * 6 SS(V)
 * This fleet requires F33 LoS at 5.5 or higher to reach Node I. If the fleet was not carrying Saiun (Disassembled for Transport), they will be redirected to Node H from F instead.
 * 1CL 3DD 2CAV  (EASY MODE ONLY) 
 * The CAV will be the ship who will be carrying the Saiun (Disassembled for Transport) for this stage.
 * It is recommended that you bring 2 CAVs, equipped with multiple Seaplane Bombers/Seaplane Fighters to avoid getting Air Denial (AD)/Air Incapability (AI), and gain Air Parity (AP) instead so that the enemy doesn't gain the ability to use Artillery Spotting attacks against your fleet, especially in node D and node I.
 * It is recommended to use both Pre-boss and Boss node support expeditions for safety. Please remember to especially have the Pre-boss support expedition fleet members to be all sparkled for high trigger rate.
 * It is recommended to use both Pre-boss and Boss node support expeditions for safety. Please remember to especially have the Pre-boss support expedition fleet members to be all sparkled for high trigger rate.

Boss Phase
 * Surface Task Force
 * Main: 4 FBB, 2 CVL. Escort: 1 CL, 1 CLT, 1 CA, 1 FBB, 2 DD
 * Main: 4 FBB, 2 CVL. Escort: 1 CL, 2 CLT, 1 CA, 2 DD
 * These compositions can also be used for debuffing due to node S being a route selection node, allowing it to take the fleet to Node J if desired.
 * For Easy and Medium mode, you are allowed to use Slow Ships in your fleet to go node L to M. However in Hard mode using Slow Ships will cause you to go L to O instead.
 * For Easy and Medium mode, you are allowed to use Slow Ships in your fleet to go node L to M. However in Hard mode using Slow Ships will cause you to go L to O instead.


 * Carrier Task Force
 * Carrier Task Force fleets are currently not highly recommended due to the longer route to reach the boss node.

Transport Phase
E-3 has a transport gauge that needs to be depleted before players can proceed against the map's true boss. The mechanics of this transport gauge however is different from previous transport missions:

1. Upon selecting a difficulty level, a new crafting quest will become available. This crafting quest will involve having a certain number of Development Material and a required aircraft in the player's inventory, and then scrapping a Type 0 Reconnaissance Seaplane, which will consume both the aircraft and the development materials to create a Saiun (Disassembled for Transport) item. The exact requirements of the quest differ depending on the chosen difficulty level.

Easy difficulty:

Medium and Hard difficulty:

The quest can only be performed twice before it disappears, however it will reappear if the player loses a disassembled Saiun.

2. The disassembled Saiuns must then be equipped on any of the following ship types:
 * Aircraft-carrying Submarines (SSV)
 * Light Aircraft Carriers (CVL)
 * Fleet Carriers (CV)
 * Seaplane Tenders (AV)
 * Amphibious Assault Ship (LHA)
 * Repair Ship (AR)
 * Aviation Cruiser (CAV)

3. Once the fleet sorties to E-3 they must reach Node E, the designated transport drop-off point, where any disassembled Saiuns being carried will be consumed.

4. The fleet must then attain at least an A-Rank victory against the boss node at Node I, which if successful will deplete the TP gauge. If a victory against the boss is not secured, the player retreats, or the fleet is routed to a dead-end, the TP gauge will remain untouched and the disassembled Saiuns will be wasted.

Note that the disassembled Saiuns are not consumed if the fleet retreats before reaching Node E. Also, while players can still sortie to E-3 without carrying any disassembled Saiuns, they will be unable to clear the TP gauge while doing so. Finally, any disassembled Saiuns will be deleted if players change their difficulty level.

Once two disassembled Saiuns have been delivered, the transport gauge is removed and replaced with a boss health gauge, along with a secondary starting point appearing and and two airbases for Land-Base Aerial Support becoming available for use.

Boss HP Phase
There are three special boss mechanisms on this map.

Boss Hidden Debuff

 * This may be performed after the TP gauge has been cleared.
 * Obtain 1 S rank at J node (A rank unconfirmed) and 1 S rank at I node (A rank will not work).
 * J node contains installations, which are weak to Type 3 Shells, WG42 and/or AP Shells.
 * The mission completion sound will play upon returning to base after the requirements have been met.
 * Currently effects of this mechanic are unconfirmed and is being investigated. Lowering of the boss's escort Aircraft Carrier Princesses' armor is suspected.
 * The map can feasibly be cleared without activating this debuff.

Final Phase Unlock

 * This applies to Medium and Hard only.
 * If the Final Phase Mission Debuff (see below) is not completed, the boss will not immediately enter the final form even if the remaining gauge is at or under the max hp of the boss. Sinking the boss Abyssal Twin Princesses in their pre-final form will not clear the map, irregardless of the remaining gauge HP.
 * To trigger the final form of Abyssal Twin Princesses, first they must be sunk in their pre-final state and the gauge must be fully depleted after the kill.
 * In the next boss encounter, the damaged form of the boss will be present. If she is sunk then the map will be cleared.
 * However, if the boss is not sunk in that encounter, in the next encounter they will revert to the pre-final form and will need to be sunk again to re-unlock the final form.
 * In other words, without completing the Final Phase Mission Debuff, the boss must be sunk twice consecutively in order to clear the map.
 * For easy, the boss will change to the final phase form as soon as the gauge is in range of being destroyed.

Final Phase Mission Debuff
Once the last kill phase (the bosses' health gauge has dropped to or below the bosses' individual health) has been reached, a new mission will appear which can be completed to initiate a debuff on Abyssal Twin Princesses.




 * The mission completion sound will play upon returning to the home port screen after finishing the mission (i.e. after accepting the mission clear rewards).
 * Completing this quest will put the Abyssal Twin Princesses at the Boss Node U in their debuffed final form until the map is cleared.
 * The debuff lowers Abyssal Twin Princesses' defense power (not to be confused with armor) by 23.

Transport Phase

 * Both required disassembled Saiuns can be carried at once, making it possible to clear the TP gauge in a single run.
 * An all-submarine fleet is not only inexpensive to run, but also offers the best chance of success at clearing the transport gauge due to only one or two nodes en route being capable of attacking submarines (Node A and some formations on D), thus allowing them to pass through mostly intact.
 * If using an all-submarine fleet to clear the transport gauge, using Boss Support Expedition is necessary to attain the A-Rank necessary to deplete the gauge.

Boss HP Phase

 * In order to S-rank I node for the hidden debuff, sending boss shelling support expeditions and land-based airstrikes to support a fleet of submarines is recommended.
 * Equip torpedo cut-in setups to high luck submarines, while having lowest luck submarines carry scouting equipment to meet the LoS requirement.
 * The boss Abyssal Twin Princesses has high HP and high armor (800, 218 pre-final on hard respectively) and is escorted by up to two Aircraft Carrier Princesses, so a heavy focus on night battle damage in the escort fleet is recommended.
 * While the boss's stats are high, using a Surface Task Force composition will enable fleets to reach the boss node with over 50% fuel and ammo, resulting in high evasion and damage output. Carrier task forces can reach the boss with no ammo penalty, but will incur higher fuel penalties.
 * Sending both land bases to strike the boss node is recommended.
 * As with previous instances, LBAS bombing deals bonus damage to Aircraft Carrier Princess. Bringing one to medium damage in a single hit is not uncommon.
 * LBAS can also help to obtain air superiority at the boss node, especially with the carrier-light surface task forces.
 * However, the AA of the boss is relatively high, so plane slots being depleted is fairly common. Including at least 1 fighter in each base will help reduce losses. (Exact air power requirements are under investigation.)

Submarine Leveling

 * Repeatedly sortieing to node C is a quick and efficient way to level submarines, because the node automatically ends with no damage taken and a S rank.
 * For leveling submarines in preparation for the transport phase, Hard difficulty gives the most exp with no increase in risk compared to Medium or Easy.
 * Sortieing two (or more) fast speed submarines will take the route CDEF, which will result in a net gain of ammo if the transport phase is already done. However, the exp rate is lower than the above method.
 * On Hard, the Nu-class flagships that sometimes appear on D can deal minor damage to submarines. However, reaching taiha on maximum armor submarines is uncommon.
 * The remaining two battles are air raid nodes, which are automatic S ranks.

LBAA leveling

 * D node is a decent place for gaining ranks on land base planes.
 * 2+ Fast SS(V) routes C→D
 * Due to the Nu-class light carriers on D node, some fighters are needed to keep losses low.