WARNING: This guide is aimed at beginners, so expert players please do not be shocked when
you read some of the things you will be readin :)

*UPDATED*
<Updated to include all of the changes and/or different viewpoints of issues discussed>

Now, most of you have at one point or another complained about the Agano. I find
that to be a bit harsh on the lovely ship that I currently occupy. :) So here is, in one
place, the best Agano configuration that I was able to come up with, mostly by
taking parts of advice from other people, and then trying it out on my own.

1) The Configuration
1 x Agano CL (well, obviously :))
1 x CL Aiming FCS I
1 x CL Power Plant I - Heavy
3 x 2x7.9 B D (4 binds of ammo (HE normal) per gun for a total of 160 shells)
1 x 24" Type 90 Launcher x4 (with 12 torpedoes)
NO Armour

2) The Explanation:

CL Aiming FCS I:
It's really the only one available to you, but please choose Aiming over Auto. Why?
Well, asides from the obvious accuracy advantage, the Aiming allows you to
converge your shots all at one spot, unlike the Auto which leaves all lines parallel to
each other. Might take some learning, but trust me, it's worth it.

CL Power Plant I - Heavy:
Though Light would give you more space and more overheat time (thus easier to
dodge torps), you really need the fast overall cruising speed to be able to get away
from the thick of the fight - remeber, that line of DDs wont hold forever.

3 x 2x7.9 B D:
Simply to put, these are the most powerful guns that you can put on the Agano.
People say that the 3x 3x6.1s are good as well, but I find that they dish out a great
deal less damage even with Heavy shells (250 on average per shell, compared to
650 on average with the 7.9's) Now then, the problem really lies in space - the
Agano has 120, and any other variant other than the B D leaves you with very little
space to put shells on. Therefore, equip the BD, and if you are THAT keen on range,
get the Light shells (which will do about 550 per shell on average).
<NEW NOTES> Now, I've heard people say that you MUST use the light shells. To be honest,
it's also important to remember that lvl 30-ish gunners do NOT have good spread on long
ranges, so the chances of hitting something very far away drop astronomically. More on the
role of normal/light explained further on.

1 x 24" Type 90 Launcher x4:
USE ONLY IN EXTREME CIRCUMSTANCES. Most people will buy the Agano just after
they came out of their Tsukikei (well, not almost since you need the money) - and
will therefore have their gunners several levels ahead of their torp man in most
cases. Thus, do not rely on your torps too much, and try and remember that your
torp men are not as good as other people's. Try to use wide spread and fast torps
for maximum effect. I know the temptation to rush and use torps again after the
huge pause with Tsukikei will be tempting, but you have to restrain yourself since
the Agano is an awful front-line ship. In short, to recap, use only when a pesky DD
comes close to you.

NO ARMOUR:
People think this is stupid, but it all has its meaning, and will be explained a bit more
in the strategy when it comes to using the Agano, but bear with me for now - the
Agano will, I repeat, WILL NOT be engaging in front-line combat - you do NOT need
armour, you need speed.
<NEW NOTES>
People have stated that you must have some deck/belt in case you find yourself under fire.
It is in the end your choice whether you want to feel safe, or if you want to run away.
Personally, I have always made it a priority to run away from any engagement that
threatened to bring fire upon me, because IJN armour and Agano's hide are both as thin as
rice paper.

3) The Strategy:
General Battles:
Dont mash the F button the moment the light turns green - there is no reason really,
you are not here to TW, and you are not built for front-line combat. Instead, take a
leisurely northern/southern course, and take time to adjust your manual aiming.
Adjust for convergence at maximum range and give yourelf a salvo or two in order to
make sure that you have the reload time memorised. By the time you hit mid-map,
the TWs will have already released their first load, and the DDs will be taking the
onslaught of those first torpedoes. This is where you kick in. Find groups of enemy
ships if possible, if not, solitary ships not surrounded by allies. Only in extreme
circumstances engage ships that are close to your allies. Time your shots carefully,
as they take a while to reload, but in general be aware of the fact that you MUST
stay at all times behind the line of friendly ships. Usually it's best if you reach the far
north, then turn directly south and proceed with a speed of 10-15 knots, therefore
giving you a stable shooting platform with which to pummel the enemy. Remember
that you do not need to kill enemy ships to get XP, so sailing by and dishing out 2-3k
damage per destroyer is more than adequate. Damage 10 destroyers like that and
you are already talking about 20-30k of shell-induced damage. Should the line
break, turn tail and run, but do so at an angle so that your front guns may still fire at
the enemy and thus slow him down. Remember, you are a GREAT support ship, but
an awful front liner.
<NEW NOTES>
Now, some people have suggested to use light HE over normal HE. Again, as explained, I
personally believe that normal HE will do more damage per shell landed, giving you more
ATK, more XP (you only have 6 shells to deal with on a relatively bad spread!). Reason for
this is that your spread will be awful the moment you enter the Agano, therefore you
cannot expect to have a high hit rate on far ranges. Instead, cruise behind your DDs and
shoot the enemy DDs. Enemy DDs will be in your range, while the Allied DDs will take enemy
DD fire. In CL games, stick behind bigger targets such as CA/CL2, wait for CL rushes, and
then pummel away!
Scout Plane:
Should you use HE light, the scout plane is a MUST. You will not see where your shells
land, nor will you be able to spot enemy ships and targets. Furthermore, seeing how the
amount of BBs and CAs has shot up astronomically since the game has gone retail, team-wise
it is good to have scouts and relay information back to your buddies - who will certainly
remember you when that pesky Z99 comes knocking on your door. In general, keep the scout
around should you need to see the overall situation on the battlefield. Scouts = useful!

Hope this helps some people :)