GamingDiver / WoWs Legends Ships / Vanguard

World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Vanguard

Also called: 前卫 Beta

U.K. · Tier VII · Battleship · Tech Tree: Flamethrowing Battleships

AP-DPM battleshipPunish every broadside with main-battery throughput; keep the guns reloading on targets.

Playstyle

Hold 14-17 km on a flank with firing arcs into rotating cruisers and broadside BBs
Avoid: Idle reloads

Key characteristics

2 sigma accuracyHeavy HE shellsHigh HE / fire outputImproved HE penHigh AP DPMSlow heal cycle

On this page

Community stats
Playstyle
How to get Vanguard
Builds
Cohort position
Stats and specs
Armor
Charts
Balance history
Exteriors

Community Data

Vanguard Community Stats

Log in to GamingDiver and upload your data to see Community Data for Vanguard: community win rate, damage, survival, spotting, and your own comparison.

Playstyle

Overview

Vanguard is a Tier VII British AP-DPM battleship (333,333 AP DPM): her main battery throughput is cohort-best, so the kit pays out by punishing every broadside she catches rather than waiting for a perfect alpha salvo. Keep the guns reloading on targets, not on cover. She also puts out cohort-best HE (173,333 HE DPM), making her a dual-threat gunship: keep AP up against broadsides and citadels, and switch to HE against bow-in ships, superstructures, and the thin or angled targets AP over-penetrates or bounces off. She also packs the super-heal (1.6%/s, for 20 s, every 120 s, 2 charges): each Repair Party charge returns dramatically more HP than a standard heal, so her durability comes from sustain alongside the lead trait. HE pen sits at the 1/4 caliber ratio instead of the standard 1/6, so HE spam is a real damage option here. Standout traits: best fires per minute in T7 BBs (11.7) and best AA reach in T7 BBs (5.2 km).

Positioning

Hold 14-17 km on a flank with firing arcs into rotating cruisers and broadside BBs. The kit's value is salvo cycle count, so prioritize a position where the next reload always has a target; bow on between salvos and trade angles rather than holding broadside for a single shot. The helm answers quickly (9.8 s), so she can break an incoming salvo that slower hulls have to eat.

Potato Avoidance

Idle reloads

The kit pays for itself when the guns are cycling on targets; an 18-second window between salvos because no broadside is available is the kit doing nothing. Pre-rotate turrets toward likely-broadside ships before you need the shot.

Signature Traits

Improved HE penetration

HE pen at the 1/4 caliber ratio instead of the standard 1/6. HE-spam is a real damage option here, not just a fire-starter, shared by 15/49 T7 BBs.

ELITE MAIN BATTERY ↗

HE DPM machine · 173333 HE
AP DPM machine · 333333 AP
High fire pressure · 11.73 fires

Long-reach AA ↗

5.2 km AA reach, best of T7 BBs.

Repairs citadel hits ↗

33% of citadel damage heals back, top decile of T7 BBs. Most peers recover a tenth of it.

Sharp rudder ↗

9.8 s rudder shift, top decile of T7 BBs. Snappy weave.

Slow heal cycle ↗

120 s Repair Party reload, worst of T7 BBs. Heals come off cooldown slower than peers.

Acquisition

How to get Vanguard

Vanguard is available in the Flamethrowing Battleships branch of the U.K. Tech Tree for 18,000,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 4,500,000 credits.

Show U.K. tech-tree branch diagram

U.K. Tech Tree

Vanguard sits in the Flamethrowing Battleships branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full U.K. tree.

7 ships in highlighted branch · scroll to inspect all U.K. lines.

U.K.IIIIIIIVVVIVIIVIII★

Destroyer

Cruiser

Cruiser Split

Battleship

Battleship Split

Carrier

Tier VRenownPBSB547 Tier VIIVanguardPBSB508 Tier VIIIDrakePBSC209 Tier VIIIDuncanPBSB209 Tier VIIAlbemarlePBSC208 Tier VIIHawkePBSB208 Tier VISurreyPBSC207 Tier VIRookePBSB207 Tier VDevonshirePBSC206 Tier IVHawkinsPBSC205 Tier IVTigerPBSB205 Tier IIIHermesPBSA204 Tier VIIITemerairePBSB112 Tier ★DaringPBSD110 Tier ★MinotaurPBSC110 Tier ★ConquerorPBSB110 Tier VIIIJutlandPBSD109 Tier VIIINeptunePBSC109 Tier VIILightningPBSD108 Tier VIIEdinburghPBSC108 Tier VIIImplacablePBSA108 Tier VIJervisPBSD107 Tier VIFijiPBSC107 Tier VIKing George VPBSB107 Tier VIcarusPBSD106 Tier VLeanderPBSC106 Tier VQueen ElizabethPBSB106 Tier VFuriousPBSA106 Tier IVAcastaPBSD105 Tier IVEmeraldPBSC105 Tier IVIron DukePBSB105 Tier IIIWakefulPBSD104 Tier IIIDanaePBSC104 Tier IIIOrionPBSB104 Tier IIValkyriePBSD103 Tier IICaledonPBSC103 Tier IWeymouthPBSC102

Builds

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

Open in Build Tool →

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Cohort position

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Where Vanguard sits among Tier VII BBs (48 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.

BestRudder shift9.8 s (1/49) BestMain battery reload18 s (1 of 2 tied) BestFires per minute11.73 (1/48) BestHE DPM173,333 (1/48) BestAP DPM333,333 (1/49) BestEffective HE DPM (incl. fire)260,344 (1/48) BestAA range5.2 km (1 of 3 tied) Top 10%Repair heal rate1.6 %/s (4/49) Top 25%Traverse-to-turn ratio5.77 × (8/49) Top 25%Sigma2 (7/49) Top 25%AP velocity836 m/s (13/49) Top 25%AA threat2,094 (10/49) Bottom 25%Secondary DPM (per side)136,732 (45/49) Bottom 25%AP fuse timer0.01 s (43/49) Bottom 25%Engine power130,000 hp (39/49) Bottom 25%Turn-speed retention152.9 hp/m (41/49) Bottom 25%Displacement51,420 t (43/49) Bottom 25%Power-to-weight2.53 hp/t (45/49) Bottom 10%Acceleration37.9 s (47/49) WorstNo torpedoes (33 of 49 in cohort) WorstRepair charges2 (1 of 7 tied)

See 27 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Vanguard -- 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 points67,000 HP(20/49) Max speed30 kt(29/49) Concealment15.21 km(15/49) Smoke fire bloom13.93 km(15/49) Air detection12.17 km(14/49) Turning circle850 m(27/49) Main battery caliber381 mm(31/49) Main battery range17.01 km(27/49) AP shell damage12,500(22/49) Main dispersion209.7 m(19/49) Secondary HE alpha1,900(23/46) Secondary fire chance8%(29/46) Secondary HE pen22 mm(34/46) HE velocity836 m/s(15/48) AP arming threshold64 mm(19/49) AP pen at 10 km556 mm(32/49) Secondary range5 km(35/49) AA DPS569(18/49) Flak per wave (expected)1,155(37/49) Max armor356 mm(27/49) Citadel belt356 mm(15/48) NormSecondary dispersion bracket57(34 of 49 tied at this value) NormSecondary sigma1(48 of 49 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(47 of 49 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(46 of 49 tied at this value) NormBow armor32 mm(36 of 48 tied at this value) NormStern armor32 mm(35 of 48 tied at this value)

Peers in this cohort

Compare Tier VII Battleships

Show all 48 peers

Stats & specs

Customize in the Build Tool →

Survivability

Hit PointsInitial: 61,500 → 67,000

Displacement51,420 t

Hull dimensions

Length 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.

248.2 x 32.9 m (published figure)

Armor range16–356 mm

Plate armor thicknesses16, 19, 25, 32, 37, 38, 44, 50, 64, 100, 102, 114, 125, 150, 212, 229, 235, 305, 310, 343, 356 mm

Armor material/layer entries56

Fire resistance

Does 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: 33.3% → 36.6%

Fire duration60 s

Fire damage

Each fire ticks 0.3% of max HP per second for the full 60 s, so one unattended fire burns 18% of the pool (12,060 HP on this ship). 4 fire points can burn at once. Verified against measured burn ticks in replay data.

0.3% of HP per second

Flood duration40 s

Flood damage

A flood ticks 0.5% of max HP per second for the 40 s duration, so one unattended flood costs 20% of the pool (13,400 HP on this ship). Verified against measured flood ticks in replay data.

0.5% of HP per second

Torp Reduction

Reduces 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.

25%

Magazine HP

Per-turret powder-magazine HP, a separate pool from the ship's. Penetrating hits wear it down and the turret is likelier to be knocked out as it falls, so a larger pool keeps the guns firing through punishment that silences a peer's.

35,900

Steering gear HP

Durability 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.

20,100

Effective HP

Base 67,000 HP plus everything Repair Party can restore: 1.6%/s x 20 s = 21,440 HP per charge, x2 charges = 42,880 HP. Ceiling, not a prediction: a charge only restores damage actually taken, and only the regeneratable share of it. Across 1,826 players in our replay corpus the median ship realized about half of this, mostly because half the charges go unspent — when Repair Party IS pressed it returns ~97% of the per-charge figure above.

109,880

Repairable: penetration60%

Repairable: citadel33%

Repairable: steering gear50%

Main Battery

ModuleArtillery: 381 mm/42 Mk I

Mounts / barrels4 mounts / 8 barrels

Reload time20 s

Firing range (base)15.5 km

Firing range (top fire control)17 km

Turret traverse6 °/s

Turret armor343 mm

Turret traverse arcs

How far each mount can train, in degrees to either side of the mount's own facing, read from in-game data. A rear turret with ±150° leaves a 60° blind wedge over the bow; one-sided arcs are wing mounts that cover a single side. The data does not say which way each mount faces, so the arcs are listed per mount without bow/stern angles.

2x ±140°, ±138°, ±146°

Guns to bear

How far off the bow (or stern) the ship must angle before every main turret can fire: the widest blind wedge among the rear-facing (or forward-facing) mounts, from each mount's trainable arc. Mount facing is inferred from turret stations and verified against known layouts, including Izumo's aft-facing forward turret.

42° off bow / 40° off stern

See the firing-arcs diagram ↓

AP pen max range450 mm

HE fire DPM vs T7 BB78332

Effective HE DPM vs T7 BB234332

Shell Grouping (σ)2

Max Horiz Disp

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model:

σ_{H} = (\frac{R}{30} \cdot \frac{idealRadius - minRadius}{idealDistance} + minRadius) \cdot 30

= (\frac{17014.8}{30} \cdot \frac{10.8 - 2}{1000} + 2) \cdot 30 = 209.7 m

209.7 m at 17 km

Max Vert Disp

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range:

σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot radiusOnMax

= 209.7 \cdot 0.6 = 125.8 m

125.8 m at 17 km

Med Horiz Disp

50%-hit horizontal radius:

σ_{H, 50} = σ_{H} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}

= 209.7 \cdot \frac{0.6}{2} = 62.9 m

62.9 m at 17 km

Med Vert Disp

50%-hit vertical radius:

σ_{V, 50} = σ_{V} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}

= 125.8 \cdot \frac{0.6}{2} = 37.8 m

37.8 m at 17 km

Turret turn time

180 degrees / 6 deg/s traverse speed = 30 s.

30 s

Shells/min

Zero upgrades: 8 broadside guns x 60 / 20 s base reload = 24. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 8 broadside guns x 60 / 18 s all-upgrades reload = 26.7.

Initial: 24 → 26.7

HE shells

HE Damage6,500

HE Velocity836 m/s

Fire Chance44%

HE penetration

95 mm ≈ 381 mm caliber / 4 (improved HE penetration: German BBs, Yamato-class, and a handful of others).

95 mm

HE full-salvo alpha

6,500 HE damage x 8 broadside guns = 52,000.

52,000

HE DPM

Zero upgrades: 52,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 20 s base reload = 156,000. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 52,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 18 s all-upgrades reload = 173,333.

Initial: 156,000 → 173,333

Fires/min

Zero upgrades: 24 shells/min x 44% fire chance = 10.56. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 26.7 shells/min x 44% fire chance = 11.73.

Initial: 10.56 → 11.73

AP shells

AP Damage12,500

AP Velocity836 m/s

Min Ricochet45 deg

Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg

Fuse Timer0.015 s

Fuse Threshold64 mm

AP overmatch

floor(381 mm caliber / 14.3) = 26 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

26 mm

AP Pen Close

Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity:

P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v_{0}^{1.38}

= 10^{- 7} \cdot 2400 \cdot 879^{0.69} \cdot {0.381}^{- 1.07} \cdot 836^{1.38} = 780.9 mm

. Matches the in-game spec card.

780.9 mm point-blank

AP Pen Far

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (17 km), where the shell has slowed to 560.5 m/s:

P = 10^{- 7} \cdot 2400 \cdot 879^{0.69} \cdot {0.381}^{- 1.07} \cdot {560.5}^{1.38} = 449.8 mm

449.8 mm at 17 km

AP full-salvo alpha

12,500 AP damage x 8 broadside guns = 100,000.

100,000

AP DPM

Zero upgrades: 100,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 20 s base reload = 300,000. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 100,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 18 s all-upgrades reload = 333,333.

Initial: 300,000 → 333,333

AP AOE Radius

AP shell over-penetration splash radius; scales with shell mass. Wickes 102mm = 3, standard 152mm CL ~ 20, Iowa 406mm ~ 270, Yamato 460mm = 400, Incomparable 650mm = 550 (max). Larger value = bigger splash damage area when AP over-pens.

120

AA Defense

AA mount points22

Maximum AA range

Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 3.5 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.

5.2 km

40 mm Bofors Mk VI10×6 40mm

40 mm STAAG (upgraded hull only)1×2 40mm

40 mm Bofors Mk VII (upgraded hull only)11×1 40mm

40 mm Bofors Mk V (stock hull only)1×2 40mm

20 mm Oerlikon Mk V (stock hull only)11×2 20mm

134 mm/50 Mk I (DP)

Dual-purpose: your secondaries doing double duty against aircraft. The same mounts appear on the Secondary Battery card - shared guns, not extra hardware.

8×2 134mm

Guns134 mm/50 Mk I (DP)

Continuous DPS

Effective 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 60 from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.

Range5.2 km

Guns40 mm Bofors Mk VI + 40 mm Bofors Mk VII + 40 mm STAAG

Continuous DPS

Effective DPS: 194 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.75 hit probability = 509 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.

Initial: 381 → 509

Range3.5 km

Total DPS in Aura

Far 60 + Medium 509 = 569

569

Bursts

Each ~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 × 220 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

Damage a plane takes for flying into one flak cloud, before any reductions.

220

Cloud spawn chance

Each cloud in the pattern rolls this chance to spawn, so waves average fewer clouds than the maximum. Often called flak 'hit chance', but spawned clouds always damage planes that fly into them - the roll is on spawning.

75%

Wave rate

A flak wave spawns roughly every 2 s - timed frame-by-frame from gameplay footage and consistent across ships.

every ~2 s

Fired by

Flak 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

The 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 5.2 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.

2.5-5.2 km

See the AA layers diagram ↓

Secondary Battery

Mounts8

Firing range5.0 km

Shell Grouping (σ)1

134 mm/50 Mk I (DP)

Dual-purpose: the same mounts also fire at aircraft, so they appear on the AA Defense card too - shared guns, not extra hardware.

8×2 134mm

Caliber134 mm

Reload time6.67 s

HE Damage1,900

Muzzle Velocity792 m/s

Fire Chance8%

Armor Pen22 mm

Secondary dispersion type

Max 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 @ 5 km

5 km × 57 + 30 = 315 m.

315 m

Maneuverability

Engine power130,000 hp

Maximum speed30 kt

Turning circle radius850 m

Rudder shift time9.8 s

Engine power-boost threshold7 kt

Engine spool-up time23 s

Reverse spool-up time11.5 s

Reverse speed

top speed / 4 + 4.9 = 30 / 4 + 4.9 = 12.4 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.

12.4 kt

Crash stop

Seconds 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.

46.5 s

Engine boost threshold (reverse)

Speed 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).

8.8 kt

Acceleration 0-90%

Time to reach 90% of top speed (27.0 kt of 30 kt), from our in-house acceleration model.

37.9 s

Acceleration 0-99%

Time to reach 99% of top speed (29.7 kt of 30 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.

61.7 s

Traverse-to-turn ratio

How many degrees the turret can swing for each degree the hull turns. Turn rate

ω_{hull} = \frac{180}{π} \cdot \frac{V_{max} (m/s)}{R_{turn}} = \frac{180}{π} \cdot \frac{30.0 \cdot 0.5144}{850} = 1.04 ° / s

, so

ratio = \frac{ω_{turret}}{ω_{hull}} = \frac{6}{1.04} = 5.8 \times

. Below 5 the turrets drag in a turning fight; 25+ keeps up with any rudder.

5.8× slow

See the full acceleration curve ↓

Concealment

Detectability by sea15.21 km

Detectability by air12.17 km

Smoke firing penalty13.93 km

Detect when firing (sea)

Equal to the ship's main battery range (never below base detectability): firing makes you visible to everyone you can reach. Matches the in-game 'Detect Firing Sea' value on all 8 unmodified captures, and range-modified captures track the modified range.

17.01 km

Detect when firing (air)

Air detectability plus the gun-firing bloom (7.62 km, which tracks main-battery caliber x 0.020). Matches the in-game 'Detect Firing Air' value on every captured ship.

19.79 km

Detect when on fire (sea)

Base sea detectability + 2.0 km while burning; matches the in-game 'Detect Fire Sea' value on every captured ship.

17.21 km

Detect when on fire (air)

Base air detectability + 3.0 km while burning; matches the in-game 'Detect Fire Air' value on every captured ship.

15.17 km

Guaranteed Detect2 km

✦

Consumables

Damage Control Party∞ charges · 80 s reload · 15 s active

Repair Party2 charges · 120 s reload · 20 s active · 21,440 HP (32% of max HP) total heal (per charge)
ƒ
Heal per second (1.6%) x effective active time (20 s) = up to 32% of max HP restored per charge.
· 42,880 HP (64% of max HP) total heal (all charges)
ƒ
32% per charge x 2 charges = up to 64% of max HP if the whole Repair Party loadout is used.
· 1,072 HP/s (1.6% of max HP) heal per second
ƒ
1.6% of max HP (67,000 HP) per second = 1,072 HP/s. WoWS heals a flat percent of MAX HP each second, so this rate holds at any health level.

Defensive AA Fire3 charges · 140 s reload · 25 s active · ×2 flak burst boost
ƒ
Repeats the flak burst pattern ×2 within each wave - more clouds in the air over the wave, at the same spots.

Secondary Battery Booster3 charges · 160 s reload · 30 s active · +100% grouping · -50% dispersion

Module options (2)

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

HullUpgrade

Hit points61,500 → 67,000
Rudder shift17.7 → 12.7 s
Close-range AA DPS183 → 194

Fire controlUpgrade

Main battery range15,468 → 17014.8 m

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.

Main battery formulas

Shell Grouping (σ)2

Max Horiz Disp209.7 m at 17 km

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model:  $σ_{H} = (\frac{R}{30} \cdot \frac{idealRadius - minRadius}{idealDistance} + minRadius) \cdot 30$   $= (\frac{17014.8}{30} \cdot \frac{10.8 - 2}{1000} + 2) \cdot 30 = 209.7 m$

Shell scatter width @ 5 km104 m

Horizontal scatter at a fixed 5 km, from the same verified dispersion model as the rows below - a knife-fight-range anchor comparable across ships.

Shell scatter width @ 10 km148 m

How wide your shells scatter at 10 km, from the same dispersion model as the max-range figure above. Picking a fixed range makes this number directly comparable from ship to ship: max-range dispersion makes a longer-range gun look worse even when it's tighter at any common range. The interactive Dispersion tab on the Charts card plots the full curve from 0 to max range.

Shell scatter width @ 15 km192 m

Horizontal scatter at a fixed 15 km, from the same verified dispersion model - the long-range anchor. Only shown when the ship's guns reach 15 km.

Max Vert Disp125.8 m at 17 km

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: $σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot radiusOnMax$ $= 209.7 \cdot 0.6 = 125.8 m$

Shell scatter height @ 10 km76.6 m

How tall the same scatter ellipse is at 10 km. Comparable from ship to ship for the same reason as the width value above. The height/width ratio is a piecewise-linear curve through three points from the ship's own dispersion data:  $radiusOnZero = 0.2$  at 0 m,  $radiusOnDelim = 0.5$  at  $delim \cdot R_{m a x} = 0.5 \cdot 17014.8 = 8507$  m, and  $radiusOnMax = 0.6$  at 17014.8 m. Above the kink:  $k = 0.5 + (0.6 - 0.5) \cdot \frac{10000 - 8507}{17014.8 - 8507} = 0.5175$ , so  $σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot k = 148 \cdot 0.5175 = 76.6 m$ .

Med Horiz Disp62.9 m at 17 km

50%-hit horizontal radius: $σ_{H, 50} = σ_{H} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}$ $= 209.7 \cdot \frac{0.6}{2} = 62.9 m$

Med Vert Disp37.8 m at 17 km

50%-hit vertical radius: $σ_{V, 50} = σ_{V} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}$ $= 125.8 \cdot \frac{0.6}{2} = 37.8 m$

AP Pen Close780.9 mm point-blank

Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity:  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v_{0}^{1.38}$   $= 10^{- 7} \cdot 2400 \cdot 879^{0.69} \cdot {0.381}^{- 1.07} \cdot 836^{1.38} = 780.9 mm$ . Matches the in-game spec card.

AP Pen Far449.8 mm at 17 km

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (17 km), where the shell has slowed to 560.5 m/s:  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot 2400 \cdot 879^{0.69} \cdot {0.381}^{- 1.07} \cdot {560.5}^{1.38} = 449.8 mm$ .

AP pen 5 km657 mm

AP penetration at a fixed 5 km, read off the same PC-validated ballistic curve as AP Pen Close/Far: the shell's impact velocity at that range fed through the canonical community AP formula  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v^{1.38}$ . Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.

AP pen 10 km556 mm

AP penetration at a fixed 10 km, read off the same PC-validated ballistic curve as AP Pen Close/Far: the shell's impact velocity at that range fed through the canonical community AP formula  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v^{1.38}$ . Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.

AP pen 15 km476 mm

AP penetration at a fixed 15 km, read off the same PC-validated ballistic curve as AP Pen Close/Far: the shell's impact velocity at that range fed through the canonical community AP formula  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v^{1.38}$ . Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.

HE flight time @ 10 km4.92 s

How long an HE shell takes to reach a target at a fixed 10 km, from the same numerically integrated trajectory the Charts card plots. The shell slows under quadratic air drag,  $a_{drag} = k ρ v^{2}$ , where  $ρ$  is air density from a standard-atmosphere profile and  $k$  bundles the shell's drag coefficient, caliber and mass:  $k = \frac{π C_{d} d^{2}}{8 m} = \frac{π \cdot 0.3163 \cdot {0.381}^{2}}{8 \cdot 879} = 2.05 \times 10^{- 5}$ . That runs from a 836 m/s muzzle velocity in 0.02 s steps under gravity 9.8 m/s² until the shell lands, then divides by 2.77: the game clock runs faster than real time, and that factor was measured against stopwatch runs in the Training Room. Lower is better, since a faster shell is harder to dodge and needs less lead.

AP flight time @ 10 km4.92 s

How long an AP shell takes to reach a target at a fixed 10 km, from the same numerically integrated trajectory the Charts card plots. The shell slows under quadratic air drag,  $a_{drag} = k ρ v^{2}$ , where  $ρ$  is air density from a standard-atmosphere profile and  $k$  bundles the shell's drag coefficient, caliber and mass:  $k = \frac{π C_{d} d^{2}}{8 m} = \frac{π \cdot 0.3163 \cdot {0.381}^{2}}{8 \cdot 879} = 2.05 \times 10^{- 5}$ . That runs from a 836 m/s muzzle velocity in 0.02 s steps under gravity 9.8 m/s² until the shell lands, then divides by 2.77: the game clock runs faster than real time, and that factor was measured against stopwatch runs in the Training Room. Lower is better, since a faster shell is harder to dodge and needs less lead.

HE penetration95 mm

95 mm ≈ 381 mm caliber / 4 (improved HE penetration: German BBs, Yamato-class, and a handful of others).

Improved HE PenYes

This ship's HE shells use a 1/4 (~0.25) caliber-to-pen ratio instead of the standard 1/6 (~0.167) - 0.249 in this case. Lets HE pen ~95mm armor instead of ~63mm. Hits every German cruiser (150mm CL, 203mm CA) and BB (350mm+), British heavy cruisers / Lion / Nelson, a handful of other premiums.

AP overmatch26 mm

floor(381 mm caliber / 14.3) = 26 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

AP AOE Radius120

AP shell over-penetration splash radius; scales with shell mass. Wickes 102mm = 3, standard 152mm CL ~ 20, Iowa 406mm ~ 270, Yamato 460mm = 400, Incomparable 650mm = 550 (max). Larger value = bigger splash damage area when AP over-pens.

Broadside guns used for alpha8

All 8 barrels bear on the broadside.

Turret turn time30 s

180 degrees / 6 deg/s traverse speed = 30 s.

HE full-salvo alpha52,000

6,500 HE damage x 8 broadside guns = 52,000.

AP full-salvo alpha100,000

12,500 AP damage x 8 broadside guns = 100,000.

HE DPMInitial: 156,000 → 173,333

Zero upgrades: 52,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 20 s base reload = 156,000. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 52,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 18 s all-upgrades reload = 173,333.

AP DPMInitial: 300,000 → 333,333

Zero upgrades: 100,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 20 s base reload = 300,000. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 100,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 18 s all-upgrades reload = 333,333.

Shells/minInitial: 24 → 26.7

Zero upgrades: 8 broadside guns x 60 / 20 s base reload = 24. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 8 broadside guns x 60 / 18 s all-upgrades reload = 26.7.

Fires/minInitial: 10.56 → 11.73

Zero upgrades: 24 shells/min x 44% fire chance = 10.56. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 26.7 shells/min x 44% fire chance = 11.73.

AA defense

AA DPS at max range60

Only families that reach 5.2 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: 40mm Bofors MK VI 10x6 -> 231 DPS @ 3.5 km; STAAG MarkV 1x2 -> 23 DPS @ 3.5 km; 40mm Bofors Mark VII single 11x1 -> 255 DPS @ 3.5 km; 5 25in 50 RP10 Mk Istar 8x2 -> 60 DPS @ 5.2 km.

Maximum AA range5.2 km

Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 3.5 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.

AA DPS layered by range60 DPS @ 5.2 km, 569 DPS @ 3.5 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-blank569

Sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (3.5 km).

AA threat index2094

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.

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 @ 5 km315 m

5 km × 57 + 30 = 315 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)136,732

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: 8×2 134 mm (8/side) × 60/6.67 × 1900 = 136,732. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).

Max HE alpha1900

Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1900 from the 134 mm family.

Max HE fire chance8%

Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 8% from the 134 mm family.

Max HE pen22 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: 22 mm from the 134 mm family.

Armor Beta

Hull HP 61,500 → 67,000 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 & stern32 mm

Overmatched by AP from only MusashiARP Musashi. Angled, everything else bounces.

Belt / citadel356 mm

Citadels come from a flat broadside at close range; held past ~30° of angle, AP shatters or bounces.

Farming19 mm

Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 37%, fires burn 60s. Range-by-range in the Compare tool →

Section	Plates	HP cap	Threats	Tactic
Bow	32 mm primary (range 32–310 mm)	5,500 (8% of HP)	Overmatched by 460mm+ AP (Aki, Musashi)Angle bounces 410mm32 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)	19 mm primary (range 16–356 mm)	53,800 (80% of HP)	Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Scharnhorst, Scharnhorst '43)Angle bounces 203mm19 mm: HE pens from 127mm+	Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern	32 mm primary (range 32–310 mm)	4,200 (6% of HP)	Overmatched by 460mm+ AP (Aki, Musashi)Angle bounces 410mm32 mm: HE pens from 203mm+	Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel	356 mm primary (range 19–356 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.
Turret (module, per magazine)	separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP	35,900 magazine HP	Turret knocked out	Per-turret powder-magazine HP, a separate pool that does not drain ship HP. As it is worn down the turret is likelier to be knocked out, and a smaller pool gets there faster.
Secondary mount (134 mm mount)	separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP	800 per-mount HP	Destroyed at 0 HP	Per-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 (40 mm mount)	separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP	200 per-mount HP	Destroyed at 0 HP	Per-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.
Engine (module, research)	engine coefficient (unconfirmed)	-0.050 research estimate	Largest on BB/BC; zero on destroyers	Engine durability isn't a per-ship value in the game data. This small negative coefficient is non-zero only on battleships, battlecruisers, and the heaviest cruisers, and is exactly zero on every destroyer, so it scales with hull displacement rather than any commander skill. Most likely an engine drag or power term in the same family as the deceleration stats; its exact meaning is not yet confirmed.
Rudder (module)	separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP	21,500 module HP	Incapacitated at 0 HP	When 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.

Open in Charting Tool

Ship Charts

Balance History

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

Nerf ×5Buff ×16Main Battery ×8Consumable ×2

2026-07-30

Ministry of Balance: Anniversary Tune-Up

Main battery reload time reduced from 25 to 20 seconds.
Third rear gun horizontal shooting angles increased from 136° to 138° on each side.
Fourth rear gun horizontal shooting angles increased from 136° to 146° on each side.
HE shell damage increased from 5,800 to 6,500.
Shell AoE damage increased from 4,110 to 5,110.
Fire-starting chances increased from 42% to 44%.
Stock hull rudder-shift time reduced from 18.14 to 13.54 seconds.
Upgraded hull rudder-shift time reduced from 13.41 to 9.75 seconds.
Stock hull ship HP reduced from 63,300 to 61,500:
Engine HP reduced from 71,700 to 67,000.
+4 more official change lines in the source post.

Read the full official post

2025-06-26

Ministry of Balance: Declaration of Changes

Main Battery Reload Booster consumable number of charges increased from 1 to 2.

Read the full official post

2023-01-12

Ministry of Balance Reports: Big Small Changes!

Finally, let's start the new year with a time-honored tradition - a Vanguard buff! This change makes the ship more consistent with the rest of the British battleship Tech Tree while marginally improving her overall performance.
Main battery HE shell penetration increased from 64 to 95 mm.

Read the full official post

2023-01-12

January Update: Fighting Spirit

Finally, we're upholding the tradition of buffing Vanguard again with the addition of improved HE penetration to her shells.

Read the full official post

2021-08-26

September update: the Redinforcements

Shell grouping increased by 2.5%, radius of maximum dispersion for main guns decreased by 10%. Rudder shift time decreased for both hulls from 19.7s and 14.7s to 18.1s and 13.4s respectively.

Read the full official post

2021-01-28

Update: February 2021

HP restored to citadel by Repair Party increased from 16% to 25%.
Shell grouping improved by about 2.6%, and in so many words, it's just a slight buff to the accuracy.
Repair party modified - it now restores the same amount of HP but over 10 seconds instead of 28.

Read the full official post

Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

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.

2020-03-09 · Patch notes Update: March 2020 Patch notes 2020-05-14 · Patch notes Update: May 2020 Patch notes 2021-01-28 · Patch notes Update: February 2021 Patch notes 2021-08-26 · Patch notes September update: the Redinforcements Patch notes 2021-12-16 · Patch notes Holiday Update: Chilling With the Beasts Patch notes 2023-01-12 · Patch notes January Update: Fighting Spirit Patch notes

Vanguard

Vanguard Community Stats

Vanguard Community Stats

Playstyle

Overview

Positioning

Potato Avoidance

Signature Traits →

How to get Vanguard

Builds

Cohort position

Peers in this cohort

Stats & specs

See all derived stats

Main battery formulas

AA defense

Secondary battery dispersion

Secondary battery firepower

Armor Beta

Ship Charts

Balance History

Ministry of Balance: Anniversary Tune-Up

Ministry of Balance: Declaration of Changes

Ministry of Balance Reports: Big Small Changes!

January Update: Fighting Spirit

September update: the Redinforcements

Update: February 2021

Skins & permanent camouflages

Primary official WG sources

Signature Traits