User blog comment:FlammeumDraco333/Tales From the Not so Blocky Seas/@comment-13740085-20160209203640/@comment-24903406-20160213232648

The way I see it, there are two ways of getting away from the Kirov:

Keep Kirov until level 40. Buy a Battleship Arkhangelsk from the store (I've had mine for months now), play it nonstop and gain 2 million REXP total and use it to level up your Kirov to level 45-47, therefore skipping the Gangut AND the Imperatritsa Mariya.

I left my Kirov solemnly at level 47, and got the Stalingrad. Though you have the option to choose either the Stalingrad or Kronshtadt classes. All of this was done playing the Russian mission hardcore... btw. But seeing you bought the O-class yesterday, I'm guessing you won't be able to get the Arkhangelsk.

Or you will have to stick with either the Gangut or IM classes and grind it out slowly to the Stalingrad or Kronshtadt. I've heard both ships are terrible, but the Gangut seems to not suck as much as the IM does.

Good luck though.