You picked the ship. Now grind it smart.
One card per project, ranked by what's worth owning: Must-have ships, Next best, and what not to bother chasing, plus the patrons worth leveling. The companion to the Bureau Picker, for after you've committed.
Every project runs 12 segments. Each segment names a specific small pool of ships and commanders, and they are not all your project's nation. The three feeds do not advance you equally:
Why "Must-have" is ranked the way it is: the best ships to own pull double duty in a stage, sitting in the fleet pool (passive bonus) and the trial pool (the fast feed) at once, and recurring across stages. That includes pure passive anchors like a premium CV that sits in many fleet lists but is never a trial. A few projects also hinge on one off-nation premium (Des Moines wants the French Flandre in all 12 segments; Bourgogne wants the Soviet Kronshtadt in 6). Most projects are simpler: you climb your own nation's line up the tiers, and many trial slots accept any ship of a given tier, so a deep port clears them.
All eight mapped (five from your in-game captures). Each project's own cruiser line climbs the trial feed; a few segments accept any ship of a tier.
AP bow-tank gun cruiser
Must-haveFlandre VII ×12 (French) · Cleveland VII ×2 · Baltimore VII ×2
Don't bother unless you own itFrench/Soviet one-offs (De Grasse, Richelieu, Charles Martel, Udaloi). Clear those with the any-Tier slot.
Level these patronsNorman Scott R14 · Willis Lee R15 · Thomas Kinkaid R15
Bonus if you have themSa Zhenbing R14, Emile Guepratte R13, Anton Gurin R15.
Off-nation must-have: Flandre (all 12)HE fire-starter, radar
Must-haveCleveland VII ×2 · Helena VI ×2
Don't bother unless you own itFrench/Soviet/German one-offs (Émile Bertin, De Grasse, Leningrad, Z-39, Kutuzov).
Level these patronsThomas Kinkaid R15 · Willis Lee R15 · William Halsey R14
Bonus if you have themNorman Scott R12, Gunther Lutjens R14, Nikolai Kuznetsov R15.
Smoke-and-AP citadel hunter
Must-haveNo big repeat. The reused ×2 set: Edinburgh VII, Fiji VI, Benson VI, Vanguard VII, Fletcher VII, Cossack VI.
Don't bother unless you own itKM/IT one-offs (Königsberg, Nürnberg, Z-39, Zara, Hipper). One stage even asks for the Worcester Legendary.
Level these patronsBruce Fraser R14 · Reginald Tyrwhitt R15 · William Tennant R15
Bonus if you have themKarl von Müller R12, Thomas Kinkaid R15, Luigi Sansonetti R14.
240mm kiter, MBRB
Must-haveAlgérie VI ×3 · Charles Martel VII ×2 · Saint-Louis VIII ×2
Don't bother unless you own itJP/USA/Pan-Asia one-offs (Furutaka, Aoba, Suzuya, Ibuki, New Orleans, Loyang). Any-Tier slot covers them.
Level these patronsAndré Lemonnier R15 · André Roux R15 · Louis du Fournet R12
Bonus if you have themNorman Scott R12, Raizō Tanaka R14, Sa Zhenbing R15.
SAP smoker, stealth torps
Must-haveZara VI ×2 · Amalfi VII ×2 · Brindisi VIII ×2
Don't bother unless you own itJP/USA one-offs (Mutsuki, Mahan, Akatsuki, Myōkō, Maya, Baltimore, Fletcher, Yūgumo).
Level these patronsFrancesco Mimbelli R14 · Raizō Tanaka R15 · William Halsey R14
Bonus if you have themTakeo Kurita R14, Luigi Sansonetti R11, Arleigh Burke R12.
Smoke-and-torp ambusher
Must-haveChumphon VI ×2 · Sejong VIII ×2
Don't bother unless you own itUSN/RN/IT one-offs (Omaha, Leander, Trento, Zara, Atlanta, Baltimore, Drake, Seattle).
Level these patronsDing Ruchang R14 · Deng Shichang R12 · Chen Shaokuan R11
Bonus if you have themSa Zhenbing R9, Thomas Kinkaid R15.
A couple of low-tier opening stages aren't captured, so a few Tier III-V Next best ships may be missing. Must-haves are complete.Airstrike, battlecruiser guns
Must-haveEendracht VI ×2 · Haarlem VII ×2 · Johan de Witt VIII ×2
Don't bother unless you own itJP/KM one-offs (Yahagi, Furutaka, Aoba, Shiratsuyu, Mogami, Ibuki, Nürnberg, Yorck, Roon).
Level these patronsJohan Furstner R14 · Karl von Müller R15 · Karel Doorman R12
Bonus if you have themIsoroku Yamamoto R14, Takeo Kurita R11, Günther Lütjens R11.
Burst-fire brawler
Must-haveCataluña VII ×2 · plus the reused VII ships Admiral Hipper, Vittorio Veneto, Albemarle, Roma ×2 (off-nation)
Don't bother unless you own itLow-tier IT/UK one-offs (Montecuccoli, Iron Duke, Giulio Cesare, Trento, Queen Elizabeth).
Level these patronsAngelo Iachino R12 · Bruce Fraser R12 · William Tennant R14
Bonus if you have themLuigi Sansonetti R15, Casto Méndez Núñez R8, Pascual Cervera R14.
A couple of low-tier opening stages aren't captured, so a few Tier III-V Next best ships may be missing. Must-haves are complete.All eight mapped. The Pan-European DDs (Halland, Gdańsk) repeat their national line hard; Daring spreads wide and leans on patrons.
Balanced hybrid gunboat
Must-haveBenson VI ×3 · Fletcher VII ×2 · Furutaka IV ×2
Don't bother unless you own itIJN/USSR/KM one-offs (Minekaze, Akatsuki, Kagerō, Leningrad, Tashkent, Z-39, Z-23, Hipper).
Level these patronsArleigh Burke R15 · Norman Scott R14 · Albert Gleaves R15
Bonus if you have themGunther Lutjens R13, Vladimir Trubetskoy R15, Takeo Kurita R11.
Pure deepwater torpboat
Must-haveAoba V ×4 · Fusō V ×4 · Furutaka, Myōkō, Nagato ×3
Don't bother unless you own itRN/MN one-offs (Orion, Iron Duke, Leander, King George V, Vanguard, Jaguar, Émile Bertin).
Level these patronsRaizo Tanaka R15 · Gunichi Mikawa R14 · Takeo Takagi R14
Bonus if you have themReginald Tyrwhitt R13, Philippe Auboyneau R10, William Tennant R15.
Pocket cruiser, armored DD
Must-haveReused ×3: Gnevny V, Budyonny V, Minsk VI, Izmail V, Shchors VI, Tashkent VII.
Don't bother unless you own itIJN/KM one-offs (Kongō, Furutaka, Akatsuki, Myōkō, Bayern, Gneisenau, Mogami).
Level these patronsVladimir Trubetskoy R15 · Stepan Makarov R14 · Anton Gurin R15
Bonus if you have themErich Bey R12, Takeo Takagi R15, Raizo Tanaka R11.
Open-water gunboat sprinter
Must-haveLe Fantasque VII ×2 · the rest of the feed is spread one stage each
Don't bother unless you own itUSSR/KM/IT one-offs (Gnevny, Gaede, Minsk, Maass, Z-39, Z-23, Abruzzi, Hipper, Tashkent).
Level these patronsLouis Violette R14 · Philippe Auboyneau R15 · André Roux R15
Bonus if you have themAndré Lemonnier R14, Karl von Müller R14, Stepan Makarov R10.
Short-cycle smoker, heal
Must-haveNone. Every stage names different ships, so no single ship pays off twice. Lean on patrons and any-Tier slots.
Don't bother unless you own itThe broad MN/IT/USN one-offs (Montecuccoli, Cavour, Zara, Wichita, Maine).
Level these patronsReginald Tyrwhitt R15 · John Jellicoe R15 · Phillip Vian R14
Bonus if you have themBruce Fraser R12, Louis du Fournet R14, Luigi Sansonetti R15, Stig Ericson R10.
Long-Sonar DD-hunter
Must-haveMaass VI ×2 · Z-23 VII ×2 · Z-46 VIII ×2
Don't bother unless you own itFR/UK one-offs (Renown, Guépard, Jervis, KGV, Lightning, Le Fantasque, Nelson, Flandre, Mogador).
Level these patronsOtto Ciliax R15 · Erich Bey R12 · Reinhard Scheer R9
Bonus if you have themÉmile Guépratte R14, Reginald Tyrwhitt R14, Robert Jaujard R12, Maximilian von Spee R14.
A couple of low-tier opening stages aren't captured, so a few Tier III-V Next best ships may be missing. Must-haves are complete.Long-torp boat, anti-CV
Must-haveSkåne VI ×6 · Östergötland VII ×6 · Småland VIII ×6 · Västerås V ×4
Don't bother unless you own itThe per-stage opponents (New Mexico, Scharnhorst, Benson, Kansas, Vladivostok, Massachusetts, F. der Große). Any-Tier slot covers them.
Level these patronsConrad Helfrich R12 · Stig Ericson R15 · Jerzy Świrski R15
Bonus if you have themMaximilian von Spee R15, Anton Gurin R9, Reginald Tyrwhitt R14, Arleigh Burke R12.
Radar destroyer
Must-haveGrom VI ×2 · Split VII ×2 · Lambros Katsonis VIII ×2
Don't bother unless you own itFR/KM one-offs (Émile Bertin, Guépard, Nürnberg, Le Fantasque, Charles Martel, Saint-Louis, Z-46, Roon).
Level these patronsJerzy Świrski R15 · Stig Ericson R14 · Conrad Helfrich R4
Bonus if you have themLouis Violette R11, André Lemonnier R12, Maximilian von Spee R12, Günther Lütjens R14.
All seven mapped. Bourgogne is the clearest "buy one off-nation ship" case; the rest climb their own BB line up the tiers.
460mm AP sniper
Must-haveMyōkō VI ×2 · Nagato VI ×2 · Amagi VII ×2 · Colorado VI ×2 (USN)
Don't bother unless you own itThe deep one-off fleet ships; none is worth buying for a single slot.
Level these patronsTakeo Kurita R15 · Isoroku Yamamoto R15 · Nobutake Kondo R14
Bonus if you have themBruce Fraser R11, William Halsey R10, Phillip Vian R14.
AP-DPM generalist
Must-haveIowa VII ×2 · then Colorado, North Carolina, Hipper, Vanguard ×2
Don't bother unless you own itIJN/KM/RN one-offs (Furutaka, Aoba, Nagato, Amagi, Mogami, Bismarck, Tirpitz, King George V).
Level these patronsWilliam Sims R15 · Willis Lee R15 · Norman Scott R13
Bonus if you have themCharles Madden R15, Nobutake Kondo R12, Denis Boyd R13, Franz von Hipper R14.
HE-spam arsonist
Must-haveKing George V VI ×3 · Vanguard VII ×2 · Kongō IV ×2
Don't bother unless you own itIJN/KM/MN one-offs (Nagato, Amagi, Bismarck, Hipper, Gneisenau, Richelieu, Charles Martel, Gascogne).
Level these patronsBruce Fraser R14 · Charles Madden R15 · Andrew Cunningham R15
Bonus if you have themRobert Jaujard R15, Nobutake Kondo R14.
Secondary brawler
Must-haveBismarck VII ×2 · reused ×3: T-22, Königsberg, Gneisenau, König, Yorck, Maass.
Don't bother unless you own itRN/MN/USSR one-offs (Emerald, Queen Elizabeth, Fiji, Jervis, Edinburgh, Richelieu, Lyon).
Level these patronsKarl von Müller R14 · Günther Lütjens R15 · Maximilian von Spee R15
Bonus if you have themAndré Lemonnier R11, Robert Jaujard R13, Andrew Cunningham R14.
Fast MBRB kiter
Must-haveKronshtadt VIII ×6 (Soviet)
Don't bother unless you own itThe broad USN/IT/RN one-offs (Orion, Bretagne, Makarov, Fusō, Fiji, Nelson, Sov. Soyuz).
Level these patronsLouis du Fournet R14 · Robert Jaujard R15 · Louis Violette R14
Bonus if you have themAndré Lemonnier R15, Takeo Kurita R14.
Off-nation must-have: KronshtadtAirstrike hybrid
Must-haveConnecticut VI ×2 · Nebraska VII ×2 · Delaware VIII ×2
Don't bother unless you own itUK/JP one-offs (London, Myōkō, Nagato, Amagi, Shōkaku, Vanguard, Temeraire, Azuma, Ibuki, Drake).
Level these patronsNorman Scott R12 · Joseph Reeves R14 · Bruce Fraser R11
Bonus if you have themNobutake Kondo R11, Gunichi Mikawa R15, William Tennant R15.
A couple of low-tier opening stages aren't captured, so a few Tier III-V Next best ships may be missing. Must-haves are complete.SAP smoke-brawler
Must-haveVittorio Veneto VII ×3 · F. Caracciolo VI ×2 · Lepanto VIII ×2
Don't bother unless you own itKM/FR/UK one-offs (Bayern, Nürnberg, Yorck, Prinz Eugen, Odin, Roon, Strasbourg, Richelieu, KGV, Albemarle).
Level these patronsAngelo Iachino R15 · Paolo Di Revel R15 · Inigo Campioni R12
Bonus if you have themMaximilian von Spee R12, Robert Jaujard R14, Bruce Fraser R15.
A couple of low-tier opening stages aren't captured, so a few Tier III-V Next best ships may be missing. Must-haves are complete.Manfred's captures are still in progress, so this one stays pending for now. The four CV projects in the next section (not on the Picker) show the pattern: a premium CV anchors the fleet feed.
Armored CV, AP rockets
Pending. Captures in progress; send the stages and this card fills in.
These rotated through the Bureau and have full breakdowns. Not on the current Picker, but here if anyone is mid-grind. The four CVs show the passive-anchor pattern: a premium CV parked in port carries the fleet feed.
Super-heavy cruiser
Must-havePensacola V ×2 · Iowa VII ×2
Don't bother unless you own itIJN/KM one-offs (Furutaka, Kongō, Aoba, Myōkō, Akatsuki, Gneisenau, Maass, Yorck).
Level these patronsWilliam Halsey R14 · Willis Lee R15 · Norman Scott R15
Bonus if you have themErich Bey R13, Isoroku Yamamoto R15.
SAP heavy cruiser
Must-haveZara VI ×3 · Amalfi VII ×3
Don't bother unless you own itKM/MN/USSR/RN one-offs (Derfflinger, Kirov, Z-39, Maass, Guépard, De Grasse, Chapayev, Plymouth).
Level these patronsLuigi Sansonetti R15 · Francesco Mimbelli R15 · Angelo Iachino R14
Bonus if you have themInigo Campioni R13, Karl von Müller R15, Stepan Makarov R14.
IJN heavy cruiser
Must-haveMyōkō VI ×3 · Mogami VII ×3 · Ibuki, Maine, Wichita ×2
Don't bother unless you own itUSSR/Pan-Asia/USN one-offs (Izmail, Anshan, New Mexico, Iowa, Seattle, Sov. Soyuz, Småland).
Level these patronsIsoroku Yamamoto R15 · Heihachiro Togo R14 · Gunichi Mikawa R15
Bonus if you have themNikolai Kuznetsov R14, Chen Shaokuan R15, Norman Scott R8.
USN supercarrier
Must-haveSaipan VII ×8 (fleet anchor) · Ranger V ×4
Don't bother unless you own itRN/KM/USSR one-offs (Hood, Sinop, Graf Zeppelin, F. der Große, Vladivostok).
Level these patronsErnest King R15 · Arleigh Burke R14 · Thomas Kinkaid R13
Bonus if you have themWillis Lee R10, Denis Boyd R15, Emile Guepratte R15.
Passive anchor: Saipan (8 fleet stages)Tier VII premium-style CV
Must-haveLexington VII ×5 · Ranger V ×4 · Cleveland, Baltimore ×2
Don't bother unless you own itKM/IT/MN one-offs (P.E. Friedrich, Prinz Eugen, Andrea Doria, Vittorio Veneto, Le Fantasque, Riga).
Level these patronsArleigh Burke R14 · Thomas Kinkaid R15 · Ernest King R15
Bonus if you have themStepan Makarov R12, Maximilian von Spee R14, Louis Violette R15, Paolo Di Revel R13.
IJN supercarrier
Must-haveKaga VII ×6 (fleet anchor) · Ryūjō V ×3
Don't bother unless you own itKM one-offs (Prinz Eugen, Graf Zeppelin, Gneisenau, Bismarck, Roon, Z-46, Hipper).
Level these patronsTamon Yamaguchi R15 · Nobutake Kondo R15 · Isoroku Yamamoto R13
Bonus if you have themMaximilian von Spee R14, Raizo Tanaka R9.
Passive anchor: Kaga (6 fleet stages)Tier VII premium-style CV
Must-haveRyūjō V ×3 · Shōkaku VII ×3
Don't bother unless you own itUSSR/RN/KM/USN one-offs (Pensacola, König, Gaede, Flint, Tallinn, Vanguard, Z-23, Riga).
Level these patronsTamon Yamaguchi R15 · Gunichi Mikawa R14 · Takeo Takagi R15
Bonus if you have themAndrew Cunningham R12, Anton Gurin R14, Gunther Lutjens R15, William Halsey R13.
Choose which Legendary to chase, by class and playstyle.
Choose a bureau by the ships and captains you own; see which project is closest.
The daily and weekly playbook, from account level 1 to Legendary tier.
Pick a tech-tree line by playstyle, with the commander that fits.