World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Ranger

Also called: 突击者 Beta
HE bomber carrierRepeated HE dive-bombs chip everything; pick soft targets and keep squadrons alive.
Playstyle
  • Stay a full map cell behind the brawl line, far enough back that a rotated DD or radar cruiser cannot threaten the hull
  • Launch from positions where the recall path stays inside your team's AA umbrella
  • Avoid: Trading a full squadron for one high-value kill
Key characteristics
Big squadronsStrong AATough flight deckHigh HP poolBurny secondariesSlow acceleration
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Community Data

Ranger Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Ranger is the Tier V American bomber carrier. HE dive bombers are her main battery, hitting for up to 4,600 per drop, so match impact comes from repeated bombing runs on broadside and angled targets rather than a single torpedo strike. Air torpedoes are a secondary option. AA (587 AA DPS at 4.2 km) is heavy enough to make her the team's air-defense anchor; CV strikes route around her, not through. Standout traits: best high HP pool in T5 CVs (44,900 HP).

Positioning

Stay a full map cell behind the brawl line, far enough back that a rotated DD or radar cruiser cannot threaten the hull. Launch from positions where the recall path stays inside your team's AA umbrella, not over open water where intercepting fighters can finish off limping squadrons. Longer trip back, fewer waves per match. You are spotted at 13 km and run at 29.5 kn, so that distance plus your speed is the whole margin for noticing a DD has slipped past and getting out. A 1,010 m turning circle is wide for her cohort, so a committed turn gives up a lot of water; plan course changes a salvo ahead.

Potato Avoidance

Trading a full squadron for one high-value kill

Match impact comes from cycling waves across multiple targets, not committing a dive into layered AA for one battleship. When a target's AA is heavy, route around and find a softer pick rather than burning planes through the wall. Reserves refill in 32 s per aircraft at best, the quickest in the cohort, so you can spend planes others cannot - but your thinnest-skinned squadron flies at 1,700 HP and decides how much of each wave comes home.

Signature Traits

ELITE AIRCRAFT
  • Tough flight deck · 22500 HP
  • Fast squadron restore · 32 s
High HP pool

44900 HP, best of T5 CVs.

ELITE SECONDARIES
  • Burny secondaries · 9%
  • Punch-through secondaries · 21 mm
Top-tier AA

587 AA DPS, best of T5 CVs (median 378).

WEAK MOBILITY
  • Slow acceleration
  • Bleeds speed in turns · 53 hp
Acquisition

How to get Ranger

Ranger is available in the Bomber Carriers branch of the U.S. Tech Tree for 6,000,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 1,290,000 credits.

Show U.S.A. tech-tree branch diagram
U.S. Tech Tree

Ranger sits in the Bomber Carriers branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full U.S. tree.

U.S. aircraft carriers are all-rounders, effective with both dive bombers and torpedo bombers. However, they have a bias toward their powerful high-explosive bombs over torpedoes.
Advantages
Powerful HE dive bombers, Large hangars
Disadvantages
Poor torpedo performance

Builds

Pair with a commander whose unique skill complements her main armament; check the build tool for current recommendations.

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Cohort position

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Where Ranger sits among Tier V CVs (7 ships). Notable standouts are shown first; the rest of the cohort-ranked stats are in the expand below. Acquisition variants (Black Friday, Founders Edition) are counted once with their base ship, not as separate peers.

BestHit points44,900 HP (1/8) BestSecondary fire chance9% (1/7) BestSecondary HE pen21 mm (1 of 3 tied) BestAA DPS587 (1/8) BestAA threat1,588 (1/8) BestAir torpedo stealth1.1 km (1 of 3 tied) BestSquadron restore time32 s (1 of 2 tied) BestDeck HP22,500 HP (1/8) Top 25%Deck armor51 mm (2/8) Bottom 25%Stealth profile13.03 km / 9.12 km (7/8 / 7/8) Bottom 25%Turning circle1,010 m (7/8) Bottom 25%Engine power53,500 hp (7/8) Bottom 25%AA range4.2 km (7/8) Bottom 25%Bomb damage4,600 (7/8) WorstSecondary DPM (per side)96,000 (7/7) WorstAcceleration36.8 s (8/8) WorstTurn-speed retention53 hp/m (8/8) WorstPower-to-weight2.69 hp/t (8/8)
See 18 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Ranger -- here's where she sits on every other ranked stat in the cohort. Stats tagged NORM are tied across more than half the cohort, so the value is the cohort default rather than a standout.

Max speed29.5 kt(6/8) Rudder shift11.5 s(5/8) Secondary dispersion bracket45(3/7) Secondary HE alpha1,800(3/7) Displacement19,907 t(6/8) Flak per wave (expected)950(3/6) Max armor51 mm(6/8) Citadel belt51 mm(5/8) Bow armor19 mm(4/8) Stern armor19 mm(4/8) Bomb fire chance24%(6/7) Bomb penetration42.7 mm(4/7) Air torpedo damage5,500(4/8) Air torpedo range3.5 km(5/8) Air torpedo speed49 kn(5/8) Plane HP1,700 HP(5/8) NormSecondary range4.5 km(4 of 7 tied at this value) NormSquadron size18(5 of 8 tied at this value)
Survivability
Hit PointsInitial: 43,700 → 44,900
Displacement19,907 t
Hull dimensions
ƒLength x beam at the waterline, with the hull's draft where the client carries one. Ships whose client entry holds only the 260 x 20 m placeholder use a curated real-world figure instead, and any ship we have no trustworthy size for omits this row rather than print the placeholder. Length matters when dodging torpedoes; beam and draft shape how hard the ship is to hit.
234.4 x 33.4 m, draft 6.8 m
Armor range6–51 mm
Plate armor thicknesses6, 10, 13, 16, 19, 21, 25, 30, 38, 51 mm
Armor material/layer entries41
Fire resistance
ƒDoes not reduce the damage a burning fire does per second: replay-measured burn ticks run at the full rate on every ship. By elimination it lowers how often hits set you on fire; ignition-rate replay data is consistent with that but too confounded by attacker mix to measure the reduction directly.
Initial: 20% → 23.3%
Fire duration60 s
Fire damage
ƒEach fire ticks 0.4% of max HP per second for the full 60 s, so one unattended fire burns 24% of the pool (10,776 HP on this ship). 4 fire points can burn at once. Verified against measured burn ticks in replay data.
0.4% of HP per second
Flood duration30 s
Flood damage
ƒA flood ticks 0.25% of max HP per second for the 30 s duration, so one unattended flood costs 7.5% of the pool (3,368 HP on this ship). Verified against measured flood ticks in replay data.
0.25% of HP per second
Torp Reduction
ƒReduces torpedo hit damage. Replay data shows no effect on floods: flood ticks run at the full rate and flood frequency does not decline with protection.
0%
Steering gear HP
ƒDurability of the steering gears. As this pool drops, hits are likelier to jam the rudder; unlike most modules the steering can be knocked out and repaired but is never permanently destroyed.
13,500
Repairable: penetration50%
Repairable: citadel10%
Repairable: steering gear50%
Squadrons
Total plane capacity58
Flight deck HP22,500
Hangar HP22,500
Dive bomber
Plane HP1,700
Cruising speed116 kt
OrdnanceHE bomb, 4,600 dmg
Fire chance24%
Bomb penetration42.7 mm
Hangar max16
Hangar restore+1 every 36 s, start 12
Recovery time36 s
Torpedo bomber
Plane HP1,700
Cruising speed105 kt
Ordnancetorpedo, 5,267 dmg
Flooding chance45%
Torpedo arming time3.33 s
Torpedo arming distance79 m
Hangar max16
Hangar restore+1 every 39 s, start 12
Recovery time39 s
Dive bomber
Plane HP1,820
Cruising speed116 kt
OrdnanceHE bomb, 4,600 dmg
Fire chance24%
Bomb penetration42.7 mm
Hangar max18
Hangar restore+1 every 32 s, start 14
Recovery time32 s
Torpedo bomber
Plane HP1,800
Cruising speed112 kt
Ordnancetorpedo, 5,500 dmg
Flooding chance45%
Torpedo arming time3 s
Torpedo arming distance76 m
Hangar max16
Hangar restore+1 every 39 s, start 12
Recovery time39 s
Squadron consumables
Patrol Fighters
Charges3
Duration60 s
Reload10 s
Evasive Maneuver
Charges2
Duration10 s
Reload150 s
Damage reduction-50%
Return to Carrier
EffectAll aircraft return to carrier.
AA Defense
AA mount pointsInitial: 30 → 52
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 3.1 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.
4.2 km
40 mm Bofors Mk2 (upgraded hull only)5×4 40mm
20 mm Oerlikon Mk4 (upgraded hull only)47×1 20mm
28 mm Mk2 mod. 2 (stock hull only)6×4 28mm
12.7 mm Browning M2 mod. 2 (stock hull only)24×1 13mm
127 mm Mk19 mod. 6 (DP)
ƒDual-purpose: your secondaries doing double duty against aircraft. The same mounts appear on the Secondary Battery card - shared guns, not extra hardware.
8×1 127mm
Far aura
Guns127 mm Mk19 mod. 6 (DP)
Continuous DPS
ƒEffective DPS in in-game units (raw aura damage × 3.5 × hit probability, summed per contributing aura) - matches the Close-range AA DPS headline's currency. Includes 88 from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.
88
Range4.2 km
Medium aura
Guns40 mm Bofors Mk2
Continuous DPS
ƒEffective DPS: 42 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 1 hit probability = 147 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.
147
Range3.5 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 88 + Medium 147 = 235
235
Near aura
Guns20 mm Oerlikon Mk4
Continuous DPS
ƒEffective DPS: 106 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.95 hit probability = 352 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.
352
Range2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 88 + Medium 147 + Near 352 = 587
587
Flak bursts
Bursts
ƒEach ~2 s wave fires 2 quick salvos of 2 clouds ahead of the attacking squadron, plus 1 stray cloud farther out that appear off-beat between waves - up to 5 clouds per wave × 190 damage each. Planes that fly into a cloud take its damage; clouds dissipate before the next wave lands. Defensive AA Fire, where fitted, multiplies the salvo repeats within each wave.
2 salvos × 2 clouds + 1 outer
Cloud damage
ƒDamage a plane takes for flying into one flak cloud, before any reductions.
190
Cloud spawn chance
ƒEvery potential cloud spawns - the full pattern, every wave. Often called flak 'hit chance', but spawned clouds always damage planes that fly into them - the roll is on spawning.
100%
Wave rate
ƒA flak wave spawns roughly every 2 s - timed frame-by-frame from gameplay footage and consistent across ships.
every ~2 s
Fired by
ƒFlak keeps firing while at least one secondary battery mount is operational - even losing every other AA mount does not stop it.
Secondary battery
Flak zone
ƒThe activation band: flak fires while attacking planes are inside it. Clouds are placed ahead of the planes' path, so bursts can land short of 2.5 km or past 4.2 km - once planes get inside the band, new waves stop. AA range bonuses push the outer edge out; the 2.5 km inner edge does not move.
2.5-4.2 km
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts8
Firing range4.5 km
Shell Grouping (σ)1
127 mm Mk19 mod. 6 (DP)
ƒDual-purpose: the same mounts also fire at aircraft, so they appear on the AA Defense card too - shared guns, not extra hardware.
8×1 127mm
Caliber127 mm
Reload time4.5 s
HE Damage1,800
Muzzle Velocity657 m/s
Fire Chance9%
Armor Pen21 mm
Secondary dispersion type
ƒMax dispersion = range (km) × 45 + 30. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.
Improved (~20%)
Max secondary dispersion @ 4.5 km
ƒ4.5 km × 45 + 30 = 232.5 m.
232.5 m
Maneuverability
Engine power53,500 hp
Maximum speed29.5 kt
Turning circle radius1010 m
Rudder shift time11.5 s
Engine power-boost threshold7 kt
Engine spool-up time23 s
Reverse spool-up time11.5 s
Reverse speed
ƒtop speed / 4 + 4.9 = 29.5 / 4 + 4.9 = 12.3 kt. The community reverse-speed model from the WoWs ShipBuilder project, the same source as the acceleration model on this card. Base value; speed modifiers scale it. Not shown on the in-game card.
12.3 kt
Crash stop
ƒSeconds from top speed to a dead stop after ordering full reverse: reverse power winds in over the reverse spool-up while water drag does most of the braking. Same community-model simulation as the acceleration times, using the ship's own reverse-power ratio from in-game data. The full curve is on the acceleration chart.
44.7 s
Engine boost threshold (reverse)
ƒSpeed below which the engine's built-in power boost applies in reverse. Matches the in-game maneuverability card's reverse threshold (Vampire II reads 10.5 here and the card shows 11; the card rounds half up).
9.8 kt
Acceleration 0-90%
ƒTime to reach 90% of top speed (26.6 kt of 29.5 kt), from our in-house acceleration model.
36.8 s
Acceleration 0-99%
ƒTime to reach 99% of top speed (29.2 kt of 29.5 kt). 99% rather than 100% because true top speed is asymptotic (thrust meets drag), so the last fraction of a knot is never quite gained.
59.6 s
Concealment
Detectability by sea13 km
Detectability by air8.4 km
Detect when firing (air)
ƒAir detectability plus the gun-firing bloom (0 km, which tracks main-battery caliber x 0.020). Matches the in-game 'Detect Firing Air' value on every captured ship.
9.12 km
Detect when on fire (sea)
ƒBase sea detectability + 2.0 km while burning; matches the in-game 'Detect Fire Sea' value on every captured ship.
15 km
Detect when on fire (air)
ƒBase air detectability + 3.0 km while burning; matches the in-game 'Detect Fire Air' value on every captured ship.
11.4 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Automatic Damage Control Party∞ charges · 90 s reload · 60 s active
Automatic Fighter4 charges · 40 s reload · 150 s active · 5 km patrol radius
ƒDerived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): 167×301000=5 km
· 4 squadron size
Module options (1)

Stats above use the fully-upgraded modules. These are the research-tree alternatives; trade-offs are flagged.

HullUpgrade
  • Hit points43,700 → 44,900
  • Rudder shift20.8 → 14.9 s
  • AA mounts30 → 52
  • Close-range AA DPS92 → 148
  • Maximum AA range3.1 → 3.5 km

See all derived stats

Show

All values are ship base stats with modifications and upgrade changes denoted inline.

Numbers the spec table cannot show directly: alpha-strike math, DPM, dispersion, AP penetration. Click the formula chip on any row to reveal how it is calculated.

AA defense

AA DPS at max range88
Only families that reach 4.2 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: 40mm Bofors Mk2 5x4 -> 147 DPS @ 3.5 km; 20mm Oerlikon MK4 47x1 -> 352 DPS @ 2 km; 5in25 Mk19 Mod6 8x1 -> 88 DPS @ 4.2 km.
Maximum AA range4.2 km
Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 3.1 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.
AA DPS layered by range88 DPS @ 4.2 km, 235 DPS @ 3.5 km, 587 DPS @ 2 km
Cumulative AA DPS at each family range threshold. Inner ranges stack the outer families, so a target closing the distance hits stronger AA bubbles as it crosses each band.
AA DPS at point-blank587
Sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (2 km).
AA threat index1588
SUM over AA auras of (aura DPS x aura range km). A plane crossing the AA bubble is exposed to each aura for a time proportional to that aura's range, so long-reach DPS is worth more than the same DPS in a short bubble. Units: DPS*km; used to rank overall AA threat across the cohort.
Near aura range2 km

Secondary battery dispersion

Secondary dispersion typeImproved (~20%)
Max dispersion = range (km) × 45 + 30. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.
Max secondary dispersion @ 4.5 km232.5 m
4.5 km × 45 + 30 = 232.5 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)96,000
Sum across all secondary families of (per-side barrels × 60 / reload_s × alpha), where per-side barrels = mounts × barrels-per-mount / 2 (the guns that bear on one broadside target). Per-family: 8×1 127 mm (4/side) × 60/4.5 × 1800 = 96,000. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).
Max HE alpha1800
Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1800 from the 127 mm family.
Max HE fire chance9%
Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 9% from the 127 mm family.
Max HE pen21 mm
Maximum HE armor penetration across secondary HE families (caliber × 1/6 for most nations; 1/4 for German/UK BBs). Shells whose pen falls under a plate's armor thickness shatter for 0 hull damage though fire chance still applies. Best on this ship: 21 mm from the 127 mm family.

Armor Beta

Hull HP 43,70044,900 with hull upgrade, distributed across 5 hull zones, each with its own plate thicknesses, saturation cap, and pen thresholds. HP caps are estimated from the standard WoWs damage-allocation model.

Bow & stern19 mm

Overmatched by 90+ AP guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.

Belt / citadel51 mm

Thin belt: battleship AP citadels straight through it broadside. Rely on angle, speed and concealment, never sit flat.

Farming6 mm

Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 23%, fires burn 60s. Range-by-range in the Compare tool →

Section Plates HP cap Threats Tactic
Bow19 mm primary (range 16–30 mm)≈ 2,245 (~5% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Moltke, Graf Spee)Angle bounces 203mm19 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Bow-tank fits behind this exterior plate. Saturation is FAST here; the cap is often only a few thousand HP.
Hull (midship)30 mm primary (range 19–51 mm)≈ 33,675 (~75% of HP)
Overmatch not possible in its bracketAngle bounces 410mm30 mm: HE pens from 203mm+
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern19 mm≈ 2,245 (~5% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Moltke, Graf Spee)Angle bounces 203mm19 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel51 mm primary (range 13–51 mm)no cap
Citadel pen: full damageOver-pen: ×0.10 damage
Effectively no cap; citadel pool sits at ~165k HP on every ship. An AP citadel penetration deals the shell's full damage, the biggest single hit available; only over-penetrations are damped, to ×0.10.
Superstructure6 mm primary (range 6–51 mm)no cap
Any HE ≥16 mm pens at full damage
Any HE ≥16 mm pens at full damage. HE-spam target, and the section saturates fast (often only a few thousand HP).

Saturation cap = HP a section can absorb before further damage to it is reduced (the "bow-tank" effect). Citadel pool is ~165k on every ship (effectively no cap); damage is gated by pen/over-pen multipliers instead. Superstructure saturates fast but HE always pens regardless of the plate thickness. Rudder (and other module HPs) are a separate pool from ship HP: damaging a module doesn't drain ship HP. Incapacitated modules like the rudder and engine are restored by DCP, but secondary and AA mounts destroyed at 0 HP stay out for the rest of the battle.

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Ship Charts

Balance History

Balance updates affecting Ranger. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.

Nerf ×11Buff ×15Rework ×3Airstrike ×3Torpedo ×12
2024-06-27

Ministry of Balance: Aerial Adjustments

  • Torpedo.
  • Stock torpedo bomber restoration time increased from 30 to 39 s.
  • Stock torpedo bomber base speed reduced from 111 to 105 kts.
  • Upgraded torpedo bomber restoration time increased from 30 to 39 s.
  • Upgraded torpedo bomber base speed reduced from 123 to 112 kts.
  • Stock dive bomber restoration time increased from 26 to 36 s.
  • Stock dive bomber base speed reduced from 128 to 116 kts.
  • Upgraded dive bomber restoration time increased from 24 to 32 s.
  • Upgraded dive bomber base speed reduced from 128 to 116 kts.
Read the full official post
2024-05-24

Ministry of Balance: Carriers 2.0 – First Wave

  • Aiming speed increased (aiming circle shrinks faster).
  • Aiming time reduced from 8 to 7 seconds.
  • Dive bomber accuracy (likelihood of an individual bomb hitting the inner circle) increased from 25 to 50%.
  • Bombs per aircraft increased from 1 to 3.
  • Number of aircraft in squadron increased from 6 to 8.
  • Maximum HP per aircraft reduced from 2,500 to 1,700 (squadron HP reduced from 15,000 to 13,600).
  • Base speed increased from 97 to 128 knots.
  • Maximum flight range set to 33 kilometers.
  • Maximum hangar aircraft increased from 10 to 16.
  • Starting hangar aircraft increased from 10 to 12.
  • +4 more official change lines in the source post.
Read the full official post
2022-12-09

Ministry of Balance Reports: Carrier Changes

  • This ship has had her ups and downs, and right now, she’s at the bottom of the damage board for Tier V carriers. We’ve decided to help her out with improvements to her torpedo aircraft:
  • Stock torpedo damage increased from 6,033 to 6,367.
  • Upgraded torpedo damage increased from 6,400 to 6,600.
  • Upgraded torpedo arming time decreased from 3.66 to 3 seconds.
  • Upgraded torpedo speed increased from 47 to 49 knots.
Read the full official post
2022-09-29

Halloween Update: New Friends, Old Foes

  • Surface detectability range changed from 12 to 13 km; air detectability range changed from 8.4 to 9.1 km.
  • Stock dive bomber HP changed from 2,450 to 2,500; stock torpedo bomber HP changed from 2,350 to 2,420.
  • Upgraded dive bomber HP changed from 2,600 to 2,650; upgraded torpedo bomber HP changed from 2,450 to 2,525.
Read the full official post
2021-09-30

Halloween Update: Double the Fun, Double the Trouble

  • Detectability range by sea increased from 10 to 12 km.
  • Detectability range by air increased from 7.7 to 8.4 km.
Read the full official post
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

Every custom exterior Ranger can equip, from in-game data.

  • Ranger default exterior
    DefaultThe ship’s standard exterior

Primary official WG sources

Filtered to official World of Warships: Legends pages where this ship is a focus, reward, line member, or high-context variant mention.