Now that you have familiarised your with the basics of the game, it may finally be time to move up to something more complex. The following will be a quick explanation on equipment basics, made as easily understandable as possible. Of course, if you require more in depth information, there is always the really good fan wiki, but for the average player those numbers may be unnecessary and overwhelming.
Checking the Details tab of your girls and you will immediately see their Equipment loadout, to which we will explain each one by one.
Guns
DMG – This is rather straightforward. The first number denotes the base damage each shot does, while the second is how many shots are fired per volley
Firing Angle – The angle in which the gun fires. In this example, the gun is only able to fire in a 40 degree radius. Destroyer guns have a 360 degree radius so they can essentially fire targets behind them.
Spread Range – This is the distance between each volley. You want this number to be as low as possible so that they are more focused and tight. While a high number here means you will be able to hit more targets, more often that you are going to be missing those shots.
Firepower – How bonus this weapon grants to your shipgirl’s Power.
Fire Rate – Essentially how fast your guns are able to fire. You want to bring this number down as much as you can and that can be done by Enhancing the weapon. The shipgirl’s reload stat will affect this as well.
Range – Self explanatory.
Ammo – There are three ammo types in this game, namely Normal, High Explosive (HE) and Armour Piercing (AP). Whenever possible, opt for guns that have HE and AP ammo, since the former shreds smaller ships while the latter punches a hole in larger ships and also goes through targets to hit others.
Torpedos
Most of what has been explained for guns apply here as well. You are only limited to three choices at the moment, so go for whatever is the highest rarity in your inventory.
Anti-air Guns
These are not really your concern until at least Chapter 12 in the game. As with torpedos, just equip whatever AA guns you have that are the best, and you should not have any trouble with enemy aircraft.
Dive Bombers/Fighters
Pay no heed to the DMG number and instead focus on the Tiers (T1, T2 and T3). The bombs are what deal damage to vessels, while the cannons decide your anti-air capabilities. Note that this specific fighter is capable of dropping payload, although this does not apply for all. As such fighters without bombs are incapable of damaging vessels directly.
Torpedo Bombers
Torpedo Bombers come in two variants, the first one shown here which is known as the ‘Torpedo-Common’. When torpedos from this aircraft are dropped, they travel in a straight line. Meanwhile, the ‘Torpedo-Sakura’ variant has homing capabilities, although if the target is too fast, there is a chance of missing completely.
Auxiliary Equipment
There are way too many of these to list individual, but they are for the most part self-explanatory as well. You essentially want a mix of offensive and defensive add-on so play around to see what fits the shipgirl type and the enemies you are facing. An SG radar is highly recommended for each fleet as they lower the odds of you being ambushed.