My in-depth suggestion on how to balance the Graf Zeppelin in order to make it fun and competitive and not OP in random, ranked and competitive. Expand to read more.

Goal = Viable fighter air control without copying Shokaku setup. More ammo and more planes but less HP and DPS.

Torpedo bombers offer anti-bb capability with dive bomber but still limited anti-dd or cruiser punch if desperate. Dive bomber can still offer scouting capability without sacrificing main source of dps and air control. Auto bombing should offer reliable hits for new players (around 30% or so) but choosing to use Manual attacks offers a risk reward to hit or miss with all bombs.

Module 1.
2 Fighter waves of 5 each (with AS). 29 total planes
3 Torpedo bomber waves of 3 each (reverse triangle spread pattern) 24 total planes
1 Dive Bomber wave of 8 each (with AS) 19 total planes

Module 2.
3 Fighter waves of 5 each (with AS) 41 total planes
2 Torpedo bomber waves of 3 each (reverse triangle spread pattern) 15 total planes
1 Dive bomber wave of 8 each (with AS) 16 total planes

Fighters.
Boost HP from 1991 to 2050. (With Air Group Modification 2 & Aircraft Servicing Expert)
Increase ammo count from 67 to 80 (more strafes).

Stuka bomber.
Boost HP from 1659 to 1800.
Set Torpedo damage to 7500, base torp speed at 33knots, range 4 knots. Possibly increase flood change of torpedo.

Set AP auto drops to size of Bismarck, manual to size of Kaga DB drop (hyper accurate). Manual AP drop under DF same size as auto AP.

Set Torpedo spread to same width as Sapian. Reverse Triangle drop pattern, 2 on front, 1 at rear in middle. Torps with auto drop converge to single point. Auto has gentle divergence. Under defensive fire, wide torp spread.

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