Azur Lane: break down the list of ship levels

You may have seen our recent list of the best ships you can play in the hit mobile game Azur Lane, as well as some references to the release of Azur Lane: Crosswave for PlayStation 4. But as dedicated gamers may know. being, there's a lot more to where this came from, with a number of “shipgirls” available to choose from.

So in order to let you know who ranks where, we've broken down the full list of available ships by tier. They range from grade D to grade S, although your choices may vary.

Grade D is a decent enough ship to start with, but they're not really strong enough to cut it in the long run. Meanwhile, the S-grade is the top-of-the-line ship you can ask for, in terms of firepower, evasion, defense, and strength. So if you have to make a choice, S grade is the best solution. And the other levels are also worth experimenting with.

Let's break down each level, as well as their respective categories. We have included their name, what kind of class they are, their position and what nation they serve.

Level D

Izuzu- Light Cruiser - Vanguard (Empire Sakura)

Zeppy - Aircraft carrier - Backline (Ironblood)

Chaser - Light Aircraft Carrier - Backline (Royal Navy)

The hunter might appeal to you, even at level D. (Screenshot via Idea Factory)

Again, you can use these when you're just starting out, but don't expect them to help you get through the game as a whole. You will replace them fairly quickly.

Level C

Curacoa Retrofit – Light Cruiser – Vanguard (Royal Navy)

Newcastle Retrofit – Light Cruiser – Vanguard (Royal Navy)

Kagerou Renovation - Destroyer, Vanguard (Sakura Empire)

Tanikaze – Destroyer, Vanguard (Empire Sakura)

Sendai Retrofit – Light Cruiser, Vanguard (Sakura Empire)

Curlew Retrofit – Light Cruiser, Vanguard (Royal Navy)

Hiryuu- Aircraft Carrier, Backline (Sakura Empire)

Souryuu- aircraft carrier, Backline (Sakura Empire)

London - Heavy Cruiser, Vanguard (Royal Navy)

Wichita- Heavy Cruiser, Vanguard (Eagle Union)

Arizona- Battleship, Backline (Eagle Union)

Fumiruiru- Porte-avions, Backline (Utawarerumono)

Anniversary Kizuna Ai- Aircraft carrier, Backline (Kizuna Ai)

Aircraft carrier Akagi, Backline (Empire Sakura)

Zuikaku- aircraft carrier, Backline (Sakura Empire)

Shoukaku- aircraft carrier, Backline (Sakura Empire)

Shangri-La- Aircraft carrier, Backline (Eagle Union)

Taihou - Aircraft carrier, Backline (Sakura Empire)

Prinz Eugen- Heavy Cruiser, Vanguard (Ironblood)

Belfast - Light Cruiser, Vanguard (Royal Navy)

Kawakaze- Destroyer, Vanguard (Sakura Empire)

Sirius- Light Cruiser, Vanguard (Royal Navy)

Aside from the previously recommended Prinz Eugen, most of these vessels will likely need a mid-term replacement, due to their lack of power. Still, some players may want to give them a shot if they're looking for a challenge.

Also, side note. You may have noticed some ships that bear the name Retrofit. These can in fact be "modernized" to achieve an increase in scarcity. For collectors, they can be a real solid addition to the crew.

With Hiryuu in your arsenal, level C isn't too bad. (Screenshot via Idea Factory)

Level B

Hyuuga Retrofit – Aviation Battleship, Backline (Sakura Empire)

Shouhou - Light aircraft carrier, Backline (Sakura Empire)

Ark Royal - Aircraft carrier, Backline (Royal Navy)

Kizuna AI- Destroyer, Vanguard (Kizuna AI)

Cleveland- Light Cruiser, Vanguard (Eagle Union)

Columbia- Light Cruiser, Elite (Eagle Union)

Nicholas Retrofit – Destroyer, Vanguard (Eagle Union)

Z1 Retrofit - Destroyer, Vanguard (Ironblood)

Javelot – Destroyer, Vanguard (Royal Navy)

Little Bel - Light Cruiser, Vanguard (Royal Navy)

Aurora - Light Cruiser, Vanguard (Royal Navy)

Queen Elizabeth- Battleship, Backline (Royal Navy)

U-81- Submarine, support (Ironblood)

I-19- Submarine, Support (Sakura Empire)

Kaga-Backline aircraft carrier (Sakura Empire)

Izumo- Battleship, Backline (Empire Sakura)

Caroline du Nord - Battleship, Backline (Eagle Union)

Stylish Kizuna AI - Heavy Cruiser, Vanguard (Kizuna AI)

Ibuki- Heavy Cruiser, Vanguard (Empire Sakura)

Yellowfin - Submarine, Support (Eagle Union)

Level B ships are a better addition to your crew compared to Levels C and D. That said, they will eventually run out of steam a bit later on, unless you really know how to do it in combat.

Save room for Shouhou. (Screenshot via Idea Factory)

A level

Portland Retrofit- Heavy Cruiser, Vanguard (Eagle Union)

Saratoga Retrofit - Aircraft Carrier, Backline (Eagle Union)

Laffey Retrofit – Destroyer, Vanguard (Eagle Union)

Z23 Retrofit - Destroyer, Vanguard (Ironblood)

Vestal - Repair vessel, Backline (Eagle Union)

Jintsuu Renovation - Light Cruiser, Vanguard (Sakura Empire)

Mogami Retrofit – Heavy Cruiser, Vanguard (Sakura Empire)

Jean Bart - Battleship, Backline (Vichya Dominion)

Tirpitz- Battleship, Backline (Ironblood)

Washington - battleship, backline (Eagle Union)

Capot – Battle Cruiser, Backline (Royal Navy)

U-101 - Submarine, support (Ironblood)

I-168- Submarine, support (Sakura Empire)

Amagi- Battle Cruiser, Backline (Sakura Empire)

King George V- Battleship, Backline (Royal Navy)

Bismarck – Battleship, Backline (Ironblood)

Saint Louis- Heavy Cruiser, Vanguard (Iris Libre)

Montpelier- Light Cruiser, Vanguard (Eagle Union)

Neptune- Light Cruiser, Vanguard (Royal Navy)

Eldridge- Destroyer, Vanguard (Eagle Union)

Illustrious- Aircraft carrier, Backline (Royal Navy)

Swiftsure- Light Cruiser, Vanguard (Royal Navy)

Graf Zeppelin - Aircraft carrier, Backline (Ironblood)

Bunker Hill - Aircraft Carrier, Backline (Eagle Union)

Mikasa- Battleship, Backline (Empire Sakura)

Kitakaze- Destroyer, Vanguard (Empire Sakura)

While not quite "god-level" like the S-level ships, the A-level models will make your team proud with their balance of firepower, defense and speed. You can't go wrong with any of these items.

The U-101 is kind of an A-level maiden. (Screenshot via Idea Factory)

Level S

Yat Sen Retrofit - Light Cruiser, Vanguard (Eastern Radiance)

Ning Hai Retrofit - Light Cruiser, Vanguard (Eastern Radiance)

Ping Hai Retrofit - Light Cruiser, Vanguard (Eastern Radiance)

Ayanami- Destroyer, Vanguard (Sakura Empire)

Unicorn - Light Aircraft Carrier, Backline (Royal Navy)

Helena - Light Cruiser, Vanguard (Eagle Union)

Duke of York- Battleship, Backline (Royal Navy)

Minneapolis- Heavy Cruiser, Vanguard (Eagle Union)

I-13- Sous-marin Carrier, Backline (Sakura Empire)

U-47- Submarine, support (Ironblood)

Centaur - Light Aircraft Carrier, Backline (Royal Navy)

Essex - Aircraft Carrier, Backline (Eagle Union)

Company - Aircraft carrier, Backline (Eagle Union)

Warspite Retrofit – Battleship, Backline (Royal Navy)

Monarch- Battleship, Backline (Royal Navy)

Roon- Heavy Cruiser, Vanguard (Ironblood)

San Diego Retrofit – Light Cruiser, Vanguard (Eagle Union)

Yukikaze- Destroyer, Vanguard (Sakura Empire)

Akashi- Ship de réparation, Backline (Empire Sakura)

Nagato- Battleship, Backline (Sakura Empire)

Gascogne- Battleship, Backline (Vichya Dominion)

Georgia - Battleship, Backline (Eagle Union)

Seattle- Light Cruiser, Vanguard (Eagle Union)

Frederick the Great- Battleship, Backline (Ironblood)

Azuma- Large Cruiser, Vanguard (Sakura Empire)

Minneapolis is among the best of the bunch. (Screenshot via Idea Factory)

Level S is simply the best of the best. Add them to your fleet without hesitation and they will last a long time. Some are quite rare (like the Friedrich der Grosse), but all the more so when it comes to winning.