Azur Lane continues to captivate players with its diverse roster of historically inspired shipgirls, including powerful “META” ships representing alternate forms with unique abilities and enhanced strength. Among these elite vessels, Taihou META stands out as an imposing Aircraft Carrier capable of dominating aerial combat and providing significant utility in critical battles. This comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know about Taihou META, including her detailed skill breakdown, optimal equipment recommendations, fleet strategies, and battle tips to unlock her full potential.

If you’re new to the game, check out our Beginner’s Guide for Azur Lane for a comprehensive introduction!

Taihou META: Overview and Role

Taihou META is a powerful variant of the original Taihou, belonging to the special META faction. Renowned for her devastating airstrikes and unique battle mechanics, Taihou META excels at clearing enemy waves, disrupting enemy formations, and inflicting heavy damage, particularly against high-level bosses and Siren enemies.

Class: Aircraft Carrier Faction: META Rarity: Super Rare (SR)

Taihou META thrives as a primary damage dealer and versatile aerial support unit. Her skills allow for consistent offensive pressure, strategic debuffs, and potent area-of-effect attacks.

Taihou META: Skill Breakdown

Understanding Taihou META’s skills is key to maximizing her impact in battle:

1. Spiritshadow Procession

• When Taihou META launches an airstrike, she simultaneously deploys an additional powerful airstrike and summons a “Spiritshadow” to assist in combat.
• This summoned unit deals significant additional damage, scaling effectively with her Aviation stat.

2. Scarlet Denouement

• Increases Taihou META’s Aviation (AVI) and Reload (RLD) stats by up to 10%.
• After completing an airstrike while above 40% HP, Taihou META sacrifices a small portion of her HP, but in return, she gains another AVI boost.
• This effect can stack up to three times, allowing her to progressively increase her damage output at the cost of HP.

3. Otherworldly Domain

• Every 10 seconds, Taihou META launches a special barrage that inflicts damage and applies a Burn debuff to enemies.
• Targets affected by this debuff suffer a 5% reduction in Firepower (FP) for 8 seconds, weakening enemy offensive capabilities.

4. Flickering Light – Taihou

• Specifically enhances Taihou META’s damage by up to 8% when engaging humanoid Siren or Boss fleets during Operation Siren.
• An excellent skill tailored to challenging endgame content, significantly boosting her performance against tough opponents.

Recommended Equipment for Taihou META

Optimal equipment selection greatly enhances Taihou META’s combat capabilities:

Dive Bombers:

• SB2C Helldiver (High damage, strong AoE capabilities)
• Suisei Model 12A (Balanced stats, effective damage output)

Torpedo Bombers:

• Barracuda (Reliable, excellent damage against single targets)
• Ryuusei (Strong multi-target damage, complements her airstrikes)

Fighters:

• F6F Hellcat or F4U Corsair (Solid anti-air defense, balances offensive and defensive capabilities)

Auxiliary Equipment:

• Steam Catapult (Boosts Aviation, enhances aircraft damage output significantly)
• Homing Beacon (Improves airstrike accuracy, ensuring critical targets are effectively hit)

Limit Break Enhancements

Taihou META becomes increasingly powerful with each Limit Break:

First Limit Break:

• Unlocks “Flickering Light – Taihou,” adds a Dive Bomber slot, and improves Dive Bomber efficiency by 5%.

Second Limit Break:

• Adds one hangar slot, one Torpedo Bomber slot, and increases Fighter efficiency by 10%.

Third Limit Break:

• Upgrades “Flickering Light – Taihou,” adds an extra aircraft slot, and further boosts Torpedo Bomber efficiency by 15%.

Optimal Fleet Compositions and Strategies

Integrating Taihou META into effective fleets is crucial for fully utilizing her strengths:

Recommended Fleet Composition:

Main Fleet (Backline):

• Taihou META (Primary damage dealer and aerial support)
• Shinano or Enterprise (Enhances air superiority and complements airstrikes)
• Unicorn or Perseus (Additional healing and survivability to compensate Taihou META’s HP loss)

Vanguard Fleet (Frontline):

• Durable frontline tanks like Anchorage or Drake
• Strong DPS cruisers like Baltimore, Prinz Eugen, or Helena (Retrofit) to amplify damage output.

Battle Strategies:

• Deploy Taihou META strategically, timing airstrikes to maximize her “Spiritshadow Procession” and stacking “Scarlet Denouement” carefully without compromising survivability.
• Combine her airstrikes with allies’ supportive skills to swiftly neutralize high-priority targets and bosses.
• Utilize healers or defensive support ships in the fleet to offset Taihou META’s self-inflicted HP loss, ensuring consistent high performance in prolonged engagements.

Taihou META represents a formidable presence in Azur Lane, boasting unparalleled aerial offensive capabilities and powerful debuff skills. By carefully managing her unique mechanics, selecting the optimal equipment, and strategically integrating her into tailored fleet compositions, commanders can significantly elevate their battle effectiveness. Utilize her effectively, and Taihou META will become an invaluable asset for dominating even the toughest content Azur Lane has to offer.

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