World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Serov

Also called: 谢罗夫 · Серов · Serow Beta
Skip-bomber carrierSkip HE bombs into hulls; hunt distracted targets, avoid AA.
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
Fire bombsHeavy bombsLong air-torp rangeFast for the classThick bow plateLight air torpedoes
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Community Data

Serov Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Serov is the Tier V Soviet skip-bomber carrier. Her HE skip bombs ricochet across the water into hulls for up to 6,100 per drop, best against lightly-armored or distracted ships and the tall superstructure of battleships. The air torpedoes are slow and light on damage, so the bombs carry the kit, and thin-skinned planes mean she keeps clear of AA-heavy ships.

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 12.9 km and run at 35.5 kn, so that distance plus your speed is the whole margin for noticing a DD has slipped past and getting out. The helm answers quickly (9.6 s), so she can break an incoming salvo that slower hulls have to eat.

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. Replacing a lost aircraft takes 150 s at best, and your most fragile squadron flies at 1,400 HP, so a wave sent into a wall of AA thins the reserve for the rest of the match.

Signature Traits

ELITE AIRCRAFT
  • Heavy bombs · 6100 damage
  • Long air-torp range · 6 km
ELITE MOBILITY
  • Fast for the class · 35.5 kt
  • Nimble for the tonnage · 9.23 hp
  • Sharp rudder · 9.6 s
Thick bow plate

30 mm bow, best of T5 CVs. Harder for same-tier AP to overmatch.

MIXED AIRCRAFT
  • Light air torpedoes · 3333 damage
  • Small squadrons · 12 planes
Acquisition

How to get Serov

Serov is available in the Strike Carriers branch of the U.S.S.R. Tech Tree for 6,400,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 1,610,000 credits.

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

Serov sits in the Strike Carriers branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full U.S.S.R. tree.

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 Serov 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.

BestMax speed35.5 kt (1/8) BestRudder shift9.6 s (1/8) BestDisplacement13,500 t (1/8) BestPower-to-weight9.23 hp/t (1/8) BestBow armor30 mm (1/8) BestBomb damage6,100 (1/8) BestAir torpedo range6 km (1/8) Top 25%Turning circle880 m (3/8) Top 25%Acceleration30.7 s (3/8) Top 25%Engine power124,600 hp (2/8) Top 25%Turn-speed retention141.6 hp/m (2/8) Top 25%AA DPS443 (3/8) Top 25%Max armor120 mm (2/8) Top 25%Citadel belt120 mm (2/8) Top 25%Deck armor50 mm (3/8) Bottom 25%Squadron restore time150 s (7/8) WorstSecondary HE alpha1,200 (1 of 2 tied) WorstSecondary fire chance4% (7/7) WorstSecondary HE pen14 mm (7/7) WorstAir torpedo damage3,333 (8/8) WorstSquadron size12 (8/8) WorstPlane HP1,400 HP (1 of 2 tied)
See 14 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Serov -- 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.

Hit points39,500 HP(6/8) Concealment12.9 km(6/8) Air detection9.03 km(6/8) Secondary DPM (per side)144,000(4/7) AA range4.5 km(5/8) AA threat1,127(4/8) Stern armor19 mm(4/8) Bomb fire chance25%(5/7) Bomb penetration25 mm(6/7) Air torpedo speed41 kn(6/8) Air torpedo stealth1.3 km(5/8) Deck HP19,750 HP(5/8) NormSecondary dispersion bracket57(4 of 7 tied at this value) NormSecondary range4.5 km(4 of 7 tied at this value)
Survivability
Hit PointsInitial: 38,600 → 39,500
Displacement13,500 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.
213.3 x 28 m, draft 6.8 m
Armor range10–120 mm
Plate armor thicknesses10, 16, 19, 21, 30, 50, 75, 100, 120 mm
Armor material/layer entries40
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 (9,480 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 (2,962 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.
11,900
Repairable: penetration50%
Repairable: citadel10%
Repairable: steering gear50%
Squadrons
Total plane capacity58
Flight deck HP19,750
Hangar HP19,750
Skip bomber
Plane HP1,400
Cruising speed120 kt
OrdnanceHE skip bomb, 5,500 dmg
Fire chance22%
Bomb penetration25 mm
Hangar max12
Hangar restore+3 every 150 s, start 12
Recovery time150 s
Torpedo bomber
Plane HP1,600
Cruising speed115 kt
Ordnancetorpedo, 3,067 dmg
Flooding chance33%
Torpedo arming time6 s
Torpedo arming distance127 m
Hangar max12
Hangar restore+3 every 150 s, start 12
Recovery time150 s
Skip bomber
Plane HP1,500
Cruising speed130 kt
OrdnanceHE skip bomb, 6,100 dmg
Fire chance25%
Bomb penetration25 mm
Hangar max12
Hangar restore+3 every 150 s, start 12
Recovery time150 s
Torpedo bomber
Plane HP1,650
Cruising speed125 kt
Ordnancetorpedo, 3,333 dmg
Flooding chance33%
Torpedo arming time6 s
Torpedo arming distance127 m
Hangar max12
Hangar restore+3 every 150 s, start 12
Recovery time150 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 points24
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 4.5 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.
4.5 km
37 mm 46-KInitial: 37 mm V-11 (4×2) → 37 mm 46-K (4×4)
12.7 mm DShKM-2BInitial: 12.7 mm DSHK (20×1) → 12.7 mm DShKM-2B (20×2)
85 mm/52 92-K (DP)
ƒDual-purpose: your secondaries doing double duty against aircraft. The same mounts appear on the Secondary Battery card - shared guns, not extra hardware.
8×2 85mm
Far aura
Guns85 mm/52 92-K (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 112 from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.
112
Range4.5 km
Medium aura
Guns37 mm 46-K
Continuous DPS
ƒEffective DPS: 28 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 1 hit probability = 98 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.
98
Range3.5 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 112 + Medium 98 = 210
210
Near aura
Guns12.7 mm DShKM-2B
Continuous DPS
ƒEffective DPS: 70 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.95 hit probability = 233 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.
Initial: 173 → 233
Range1.2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 112 + Medium 98 + Near 233 = 443
443
Flak bursts
Bursts
ƒEach ~2 s wave fires 2 quick salvos of 3 clouds ahead of the attacking squadron, plus 1 stray cloud farther out that appear off-beat between waves - up to 7 clouds per wave × 170 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 × 3 clouds + 1 outer
Cloud damage
ƒDamage a plane takes for flying into one flak cloud, before any reductions.
170
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 4.5 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.
2.5-4.5 km
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts8
Firing range4.5 km
Shell Grouping (σ)1
85 mm/52 92-K (DP)
ƒDual-purpose: the same mounts also fire at aircraft, so they appear on the AA Defense card too - shared guns, not extra hardware.
8×2 85mm
Caliber85 mm
Reload time4 s
HE Damage1,200
Muzzle Velocity792 m/s
Fire Chance4%
Armor Pen14 mm
Secondary dispersion type
ƒMax dispersion = range (km) × 57 + 30. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.
Standard
Max secondary dispersion @ 4.5 km
ƒ4.5 km × 57 + 30 = 286.5 m.
286.5 m
Maneuverability
Engine power124,600 hp
Maximum speed35.5 kt
Turning circle radius880 m
Rudder shift time9.6 s
Engine power-boost threshold7 kt
Engine spool-up time23 s
Reverse spool-up time11.5 s
Reverse speed
ƒtop speed / 4 + 4.9 = 35.5 / 4 + 4.9 = 13.8 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.
13.8 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.
32.6 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).
10.6 kt
Acceleration 0-90%
ƒTime to reach 90% of top speed (31.9 kt of 35.5 kt), from our in-house acceleration model.
30.7 s
Acceleration 0-99%
ƒTime to reach 99% of top speed (35.1 kt of 35.5 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.
47.1 s
Concealment
Detectability by sea12.9 km
Detectability by air9.03 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.
9.03 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.
14.9 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.
12.03 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Automatic Damage Control Party∞ charges · 90 s reload · 60 s active
Automatic Fighter4 charges · 40 s reload · 90 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.

HullTrade-off
  • Hit points38,600 → 39,500
  • Rudder shift17.4 → 12.4 s
  • Close-range AA DPS74 → 98
  • Maximum AA range4.5 → 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 range112
Only families that reach 4.5 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: 37mm 46k 4x4 -> 98 DPS @ 3.5 km; 2DSHKM 2BU 20x2 -> 233 DPS @ 1.2 km; 100mm B 54 CV 8x2 -> 112 DPS @ 4.5 km.
Maximum AA range4.5 km
Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 4.5 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.
AA DPS layered by range112 DPS @ 4.5 km, 210 DPS @ 3.5 km, 443 DPS @ 1.2 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-blank443
Sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (1.2 km).
AA threat index1127
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 range1.2 km

Secondary battery dispersion

Secondary dispersion typeStandard
Max dispersion = range (km) × 57 + 30. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.
Max secondary dispersion @ 4.5 km286.5 m
4.5 km × 57 + 30 = 286.5 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)144,000
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: 8×2 85 mm (8/side) × 60/4 × 1200 = 144,000. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).
Max HE alpha1200
Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1200 from the 85 mm family.
Max HE fire chance4%
Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 4% from the 85 mm family.
Max HE pen14 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: 14 mm from the 85 mm family.

Armor Beta

Hull HP 38,60039,500 with hull upgrade, distributed across 5 hull zones, each with its own plate thicknesses, saturation cap, and pen thresholds. HP caps are the exact in-game values, not estimated.

Bow & stern30 mm

Nothing in its bracket overmatches it. Angled, every AP shell in matchmaking bounces.

Belt / citadel100 mm

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

Farming10 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
Bow30 mm700 (2% of HP)
Overmatch not possible in its bracketAngle bounces 410mm30 mm: HE pens from 203mm+
Bow-tank fits behind this exterior plate. Saturation is FAST here; the cap is often only a few thousand HP.
Hull (midship)16 mm primary (range 16–30 mm)29,600 (75% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Moltke, Graf Spee)Angle bounces 203mm16 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern19 mm primary (range 19–30 mm)800 (2% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Moltke, Graf Spee)Angle bounces 203mm19 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel100 mm primary (range 19–120 mm)≈ 165,500 (effectively 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.
Superstructure10 mm primary (range 10–50 mm)400 (1% of HP)
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).
Secondary mount (85 mm mount)separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP800 per-mount HPDestroyed at 0 HPPer-mount HP for the heaviest secondary on this ship. A mount destroyed at 0 HP is out for the rest of the battle; DCP does not repair destroyed mounts. Smaller (lighter-caliber) secondaries typically share the same HP value.
AA mount (37 mm mount)separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP200 per-mount HPDestroyed at 0 HPPer-mount HP for the heaviest AA on this ship. An AA mount destroyed at 0 HP stops shooting down planes for the rest of the battle; DCP does not repair destroyed mounts. HE shells specifically target AA mounts since the small-caliber HP pool falls fast.
Rudder (module)separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP11,900 module HPIncapacitated at 0 HPWhen module HP reaches 0 the rudder locks at its current angle until DCP repairs it. Repair via Damage Control Party.

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 Serov. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.

Nerf ×8Buff ×7Rework ×1Airstrike ×3Torpedo ×5
2024-06-27

Ministry of Balance: Aerial Adjustments

  • Torpedo.
  • Stock torpedo bomber restoration time increased from 105 to 150 s.
  • Upgraded torpedo bomber restoration time increased from 105 to 150 s.
  • Stock skip bomber restoration time increased from 105 to 150 s.
  • Upgraded skip bomber restoration time increased from 105 to 150 s.
Read the full official post
2024-05-24

Ministry of Balance: Carriers 2.0 – First Wave

  • Maximum HP per aircraft reduced from 1,500 to 1,400 (squadron HP reduced from 9,000 to 8,400).
  • Maximum flight range set to 24 kilometers.
  • Bomb damage reduced from 6,100 to 5,500.
  • Bomb fire-setting chances reduced from 25 to 22%.
  • Aircraft restoration time increased from 60 to 105 seconds.
  • Aircraft restored increased from 1 to 3.
  • Upgraded Skip Bombers:
  • Maximum HP per aircraft reduced from 1,600 to 1,500 (squadron HP reduced from 9,600 to 9,000).
  • Maximum flight range set to 25 kilometers.
  • Aircraft restoration time increased from 70 to 105 seconds.
  • +4 more official change lines in the source post.
Read the full official post
2022-12-09

Ministry of Balance Reports: Carrier Changes

  • Stock & upgraded skip bomb fire-setting chances decreased from 35% to 25%.
  • Stock & upgraded skip bomb raw HE penetration decreased from 32 to 25 mm.
Read the full official post
2022-09-29

Halloween Update: New Friends, Old Foes

  • Surface detectability range changed from 14.1 to 12.9 km; air detectability range changed from 11.3 to 9 km.
Read the full official post
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

  • Serov 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.