I’m exactly where you thought I’d be in your writing above, stuck at Fleet Battles 2nd hard battle.
This won't last too long. Right now you're starved for the things you need to upgrade your ships, but even 2 star ships can defeat those battles if they're level 80 with ability upgraded.
Most of where & why you're stuck is about those ships, but even though you **can** sim some nodes to get gear and you **can** sim the Clone Sergeant's ARC-170 to get ship blueprints, I strongly recommend playing the battles out by hand. You're going to have to play the newer, harder battles out by hand, so getting used to your ships and how they work and what abilities work best in what situations is all good learning for you.
Remember not to waste your energy. If you get stuck for the day with energy left, play some Stage1/Normal battles just for the gear and ship credits. it's not as important as ship blueprints, but it's better than just letting the energy go to waste when it maxes out in your bank. (I think your limit is 119 right now.)
