Early Ship Recommendations Guide
Author(s):
Current Version: 1.1.4 | Last Updated: November 24th, 2023
Introduction
Here are some good ships players can get extremely early on in Azur Lane!
See the Shop Priority Guide for more detailed shop information.
Starter Ships
You only need to level 1 starter ship; no need to focus on all 3 at the start of the game. They are all fairly equal in strength.
| Ship | Location | Description |
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Map Drop |
Great DD option, especially once fully maxed. Retrofit as soon as possible! |
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Map Drop |
Great DD option, especially once fully maxed. Retrofit as soon as possible! |
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Map Drop |
Great DD option, especially once fully maxed. Retrofit as soon as possible! |
Guild Shop
See also: Guild Shop (Shop Priority Guide)
Notes:
You can refresh the Guild Shop using Guild Coins, DO NOT USE GEMS TO REFRESH SHOPS! Retrofit all ships EXCEPT Helena, whenever possible. Helena Retrofit is lower priority compared to other retrofits listed.
| Ship | Location | Description |
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Unicorn is the best healer in the game. Retrofit as soon as possible! |
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Helena is a decent damage-dealer early on, and her support capabilities are top-tier for bosses. |
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Portland is a great tank for mid-late game. Retrofit as soon as possible! |
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She is your best easily-accessible BB. |
Medal Shop
See also: Medal Shop (Shop Priority Guide)
Notes:
The other ships not listed here are mainly for collection purposes, or are sidegrades to cheaper ships listed in this guide. Get one of the below ships from Beginner Rewards, and the other from Medal Shop. Duplicates are fine since they save bulins!
| Ship | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|
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Amazing damage-oriented CV. |
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Great flagship-oriented BC, suitable for any content. Unique Augment is a great improvement over base Hood, but it is not necessary until much later in the game. |
Core Data Shop
See also: Core Data Shop (Shop Priority Guide)
| Ship | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|
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Post-Retrofit: Amazing support-oriented CV with great damage. |
Map Drops
Notes:
Only the earliest drop location is listed. Go to the ship's wiki page for multiple drop locations. Retrofit all ships EXCEPT Yamashiro and Fusou, whenever possible.
Notable Map Drop Ships |
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| Ship | Location | Description | |
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Easily accessible CL with a great price-to-performance ratio. |
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Post-Retrofit: Frail, but have great damage.
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Have an amazing price-to-performance ratio, especially early-mid game. |
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Post-Retrofit: Has a great barrage and good main gun damage.
Without retrofit, she is meh.
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Has an amazing price-to-performance ratio, especially early-mid game. |
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Has great AA for a carrier, as well as decent damage for the price. |
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Great damage-oriented CVs, with the drawback that they both need to be in the same fleet |
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Amazing mobbing CV with great damage and consistent damage output compared to other CVs.
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Post-Retrofit: Has amazing AA along with solid damage.
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Great support-oriented CV with great damage as well. |
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Research (PR/DR) Ships
Main Article: Research Guide