Aurora Build & Guide | WoWs Legends

Playstyle

Overview

Aurora is a Tier II Soviet light cruiser with 152mm guns at 11.3 km, 7.7-second reload. Her damage profile is HE fires and sustained DPM rather than picking AP citadels. Standout traits: best high-arc AP shells in T2 CAs (57°) and top-decile armor plate in T2 CAs (152 mm).

Positioning

Hold under 10 km with islands tight enough to break vision on demand. The HE pressure rewards a steady firing arc more than rotation play; pick a corner of the map you can hold and work fires from there.

Potato Avoidance

Open-water broadside trading

Her 152mm shells citadel cruisers on the wrong frame, and her 22,500-HP hull does not recover from a punished salvo. Pick rotations and angles deliberately; the chip-damage role pays better than the trade-blow role on a cruiser of this profile.

Signature Traits

High-arc AP shells

57.0° impact angle at max range, best of T2 CAs. Lobs over island cover.

Heavy armor

152.0 mm max plate, top decile of T2 CAs.

Overmatch specialist

Caliber-driven overmatch reaches armor thicknesses most cohort peers can't crack. Punish bow-tankers.

High-arc howitzer

Steep impact angle. Shells lob over island cover into targets you can't see directly.

All-Weather

No stat falls into the cohort's bottom decile across T2 CAs. Stable baseline in every category, no glaring weakness to play around.

Acquisition

How to get Aurora

Aurora is a Premium ship and not available to unlock in the Tech Tree. Acquisition path: Premium/Event.

Premium/EventAvailability usually depends on store rotations, event reruns, collaborations, coupons, or special offers.

Builds Beta

AL Avrora, AL Chapayev, and AL Tallinn are useful Soviet cruiser commander directions. Inspirations usually support accuracy, reload, concealment, agility, or survivability so the ship can keep influencing fights without giving up easy citadels.

Open in Build Tool →

Commanders frequently paired with this ship AL Avrora AL Chapayev AL Tallinn

Have a build you swear by? Open it in the Build Tool and hit Save build to share it here.

Cohort position

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Where Aurora sits among Tier II CAs (19 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.

Top 25%Main dispersion100.1 m (3/19) Top 25%Acceleration6.9 s (5/19) Top 25%Max armor152 mm (3/19) Bottom 25%Max speed19 kt (17/19) Bottom 25%Concealment10 km (17/19) Bottom 25%Traverse-to-turn ratio3.57 × (16/19) Bottom 25%HE velocity753 m/s (15/18) Bottom 25%AP fuse timer0.01 s (15/18) Bottom 25%Engine power11,971 hp (16/19) Bottom 25%Turn-speed retention29.9 hp/m (16/19) Bottom 25%Power-to-weight1.78 hp/t (17/19) WorstAir detection6 km (19/19) WorstNo secondaries (8 of 19 in cohort) WorstNo torpedoes (14 of 19 in cohort) WorstEnd plates10 mm (1 of 8 tied / 1 of 7 tied)

See 22 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Aurora -- 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 points22,500 HP(10/19) Rudder shift8.4 s(11/19) Main battery caliber152 mm(7/19) Main battery range11.35 km(6/19) Main battery reload7.7 s(9/19) Sigma2(9/19) HE shell damage2,100(9/18) HE fire chance8%(9/18) Fires per minute3.74(11/18) HE DPM98,182(9/18) AP shell damage2,700(11/18) AP DPM126,234(8/18) AP velocity792.5 m/s(13/18) AP arming threshold25 mm(11/18) Displacement6,722 t(11/19) AA DPS9(11/19) AA range3 km(8/19) AA threat28(8/13) Citadel belt70 mm(12/19) Deck armor51 mm(11/19) NormAP ricochet start45°(17 of 18 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(17 of 18 tied at this value)

Peers in this cohort

Show all 18 peers

Stats & specs

Customize in the Build Tool →Shell ballistics chart More tools in the WoWS Legends Data Lab

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

Survivability

Hit Points22,500

Displacement6,722 t

Armor range6–152 mm

Plate armor thicknesses6, 9, 10, 25, 51, 70, 152 mm

Armor material/layer entries36

Fire resistance3.3%

Fire duration30 s

Torp Reduction0%

Magazine HP

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The magazine is the module a detonation comes from. Penetrating hits to it raise the detonation chance from 1% toward 30% as its HP is worn down, so a larger magazine pool rides out citadel hits longer before a detonation becomes likely.

11,300

Steering gear HP

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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.

6,800

Main Battery

ModuleArtillery: 152 mm/45 Canet naval gun

Mounts / barrels14 mounts / 14 barrels

Reload time8.6 s

Firing range11.3 km

Turret traverse5 °/s

Shell Grouping (σ)

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Shell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.

2

Max Horiz Disp

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Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (11348/30·(8−0.5)/1000 + 0.5)·30 = 100.1 m

100.1 m

Max Vert Disp

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Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 100.1 × 0.6 = 60.1 m

60.1 m

Med Horiz Disp

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50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 100.1 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 32 m

32 m

Med Vert Disp

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50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 60.1 × 0.319 (σ=2) = 19.2 m

19.2 m

Turret turn time

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180 degrees / 5 deg/s traverse speed = 36 s.

36 s

Base shells/min

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6 broadside guns x 60 / 8.6 s base reload = 41.9.

41.9

HE shells

HE Damage2,100

HE Velocity753 m/s

Fire Chance8%

HE penetration

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25 mm ≈ 152 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).

25 mm

HE full-salvo alpha

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2,100 HE damage x 6 broadside guns = 12,600.

12,600

Base HE DPM

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12,600 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 8.6 s base reload = 87,907.

87,907

Base fires/min

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6 HE shells x 60 / 8.6 s reload x 8% fire chance = 3.35.

3.35

AP shells

AP Damage2,700

AP Velocity792.5 m/s

Min Ricochet45 deg

Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg

Fuse Timer0.01 s

Fuse Threshold25 mm

AP overmatch

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floor(152 mm caliber / 14.3) = 10 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

10 mm

AP Pen Close

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Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: 1e-7 × Krupp × mass^0.69 × caliber_m^-1.07 × v0^1.38 = 1e-7 × 1445 × 41.4^0.69 × 0.152^-1.07 × 792.5^1.38 = 141.8 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.

141.8 mm

AP Pen Far

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Same formula at the ship's max firing range (13.2 km), where the shell has slowed to 229.1 m/s: 1e-7 × 1445 × 41.4^0.69 × 0.152^-1.07 × 229.1^1.38 = 25.6 mm.

25.6 mm

AP full-salvo alpha

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2,700 AP damage x 6 broadside guns = 16,200.

16,200

Base AP DPM

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16,200 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 8.6 s base reload = 113,023.

113,023

AP AOE Radius

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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.

10

AA Defense

AA mount points6

Close-range AA DPS

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Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (3×3.5×0.9) = 9. Covers AA-only mounts plus dual-purpose secondaries (Bismarck 105mm, USN 5"/38 cruiser secondaries) and dual-purpose main batteries (Sumner-class 5"/38, Akizuki-line 100mm). Formula validated against in-game captures on California, Sumner, Manfred von Richthofen, Dante Alighieri (exact) and within +/-17% on the remaining verified ships.

9

Maximum AA range

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Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.

3 km

76.2 mm Lender gun6×1 76mm

DPS3

Range3 km

Maneuverability

Engine moduleEngine: 11,971 hp

Engine power11,971 hp

Maximum speed19 kt

Turning circle radius400 m

Engine power multiplier speed threshold7 kt

Traverse-to-turn ratio3.6× drags

Concealment

Detectability by sea10 km

Detectability by air6 km

Smoke firing penalty4.45 km

Detect after firing main guns10 km

Detect Fire Sea12 km

Detect Fire Air9 km

Guaranteed Detect2 km

✦

Consumables

Damage Control Party∞ charges · 60 s reload · 5 s active

Module options (1)

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

HullUpgrade

Turret traverse5 → 3 °/s

See all derived stats

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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

Shell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.

Max Horiz Disp100.1 m

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (11348/30·(8−0.5)/1000 + 0.5)·30 = 100.1 m

Max Vert Disp60.1 m

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 100.1 × 0.6 = 60.1 m

Med Horiz Disp32 m

50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 100.1 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 32 m

Med Vert Disp19.2 m

50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 60.1 × 0.319 (σ=2) = 19.2 m

AP Pen Close141.8 mm

Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: 1e-7 × Krupp × mass^0.69 × caliber_m^-1.07 × v0^1.38 = 1e-7 × 1445 × 41.4^0.69 × 0.152^-1.07 × 792.5^1.38 = 141.8 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.

AP Pen Far25.6 mm

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (13.2 km), where the shell has slowed to 229.1 m/s: 1e-7 × 1445 × 41.4^0.69 × 0.152^-1.07 × 229.1^1.38 = 25.6 mm.

HE penetration25 mm

25 mm ≈ 152 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).

AP overmatch10 mm

floor(152 mm caliber / 14.3) = 10 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

AP AOE Radius10

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 alpha6

Barrels that can bear on one beam (6 of 14); casemate/wing mounts only fire one side.

Turret turn time36 s

180 degrees / 5 deg/s traverse speed = 36 s.

HE full-salvo alpha12,600

2,100 HE damage x 6 broadside guns = 12,600.

AP full-salvo alpha16,200

2,700 AP damage x 6 broadside guns = 16,200.

Base HE DPM87,907

12,600 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 8.6 s base reload = 87,907.

Base AP DPM113,023

16,200 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 8.6 s base reload = 113,023.

Base shells/min41.9

6 broadside guns x 60 / 8.6 s base reload = 41.9.

Base fires/min3.35

6 HE shells x 60 / 8.6 s reload x 8% fire chance = 3.35.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS9

Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (3×3.5×0.9) = 9. Covers AA-only mounts plus dual-purpose secondaries (Bismarck 105mm, USN 5"/38 cruiser secondaries) and dual-purpose main batteries (Sumner-class 5"/38, Akizuki-line 100mm). Formula validated against in-game captures on California, Sumner, Manfred von Richthofen, Dante Alighieri (exact) and within +/-17% on the remaining verified ships.

Maximum AA range3 km

Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.

AA threat index28

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.

Armor

Hull HP 22,500, 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.

Section	Plates	HP cap	Threats	Tactic
Bow	10 mm primary (range 6–10 mm)	1,500 (7% of HP)	Overmatched by 150mm+ (Celebes, Königsberg)Angle bounces 127mm10 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)	25 mm primary (range 6–25 mm)	16,900 (75% of HP)	Overmatch not possible at T IIIAngle bounces 356mm25 mm: HE pens from 150mm+	Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern	10 mm primary (range 6–70 mm)	1,400 (6% of HP)	Overmatched by 150mm+ (Celebes, Königsberg)Angle bounces 127mm10 mm: HE pens from 127mm+	Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel	70 mm primary (range 6–70 mm)	≈ 165,500 (effectively no cap)	Citadel pen ×0.10 damageOver-pen: ×0.10 damage	Effectively no cap; citadel pool sits at ~165k HP on every ship. Damage is gated by pen/over-pen multipliers instead (×0.10 direct pen, ×0.10 over-pen).
Superstructure	6 mm primary (range 6–152 mm)	600 (3% 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).
Turret (module, per magazine)	separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP	11,300 magazine HP	Magazine detonation1–30% chance · below ~75% HP	Per-turret powder-magazine HP. Detonation chance scales from 1% (no mag damage) to 30% (full mag damage); this range is the in-game value. Detonation can't roll while the ship is above ~75% HP (the standard detonation-protection threshold, not a per-ship stat). Smaller magazines saturate to the 30% ceiling faster.
AA mount (76 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.
Rudder (module)	separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP	6,800 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.

Shell ballistics chart

AP penetration, impact velocity, flight time and impact angle vs range. Click to load the interactive chart.

Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

DefaultThe ship’s standard exterior

Aurora

Aurora Community Stats