World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Bismarck B

Also called: 俾斯麦 B Beta
Germany · Tier VII · Battleship · Premium · Bismarck Variant
Secondary battleshipClose inside secondary range and let the auto-fire battery work with the mains.
Playstyle
  • Push to within secondary range (~7.7 km) so the secondary battery starts contributing damage
  • Avoid: Torpedo Boat Brawling; with no torpedoes you cannot trade back a fight fought inside enemy torpedo range
Key characteristics
Improved HE penSonarSpotter planeExtended secondary rangeLate auto-bounceWeak AA
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Community Data

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Playstyle

Overview

Bismarck B is a Tier VII German secondary battleship with top-decile secondary reach out to 7.7 km: the kit rewards closing inside secondary range and letting the auto-fire battery work alongside the mains, not holding mid-range AP lines. HE pen sits at the 1/4 caliber ratio instead of the standard 1/6, so HE spam is a real damage option here - pens roughly 1.5x more armor than a same-caliber peer's HE round. Standout traits: top-decile AP guaranteed-ricochet angle in T7 BBs (65°).

Positioning

Push to within secondary range (~7.7 km) so the secondary battery starts contributing damage. A secondary BB at mid range is wasting half her kit; the geometry that pays out is close enough that the secondaries DPM peer BBs instead of the main battery alone.

Potato Avoidance

Torpedo Boat Brawling

With no torpedoes you cannot trade back a fight fought inside enemy torpedo range. Hold the band where your guns and secondaries punish them while their fish still fall short, and lean on armor and volume of fire instead of closing the last few kilometers into a spread you have no answer for.

Signature Traits

ELITE SECONDARIES
  • Extended secondary range · 7.7 km
  • Secondary brawler BB
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; pens roughly 1.5x more armor than a same-caliber peer's HE, shared by 15/49 T7 BBs.

Late auto-bounce

65.0° AP guaranteed ricochet angle, top decile of T7 BBs. Auto-bounce kicks in later than peers'.

Weak AA

241.0 AA DPS, bottom decile of T7 BBs. Aircraft chew through with impunity; lean on positioning over AA.

Wide dispersion

Shell pattern widens about 13.79 m per km of range, bottom decile of T7 BBs. Salvos spread more at any given distance than peers', so bracketing matters (this is range-normalized, so out-ranging peers does not count against her).

No torpedo backup

A brawler with no torpedoes: every trade is guns and secondaries. The sweet spot is inside secondary range but outside easy torpedo range -- close enough that the auto-fire battery works, not so close that a destroyer or torpedo cruiser lands a salvo you can't answer.

Acquisition

How to get Bismarck B

Bismarck B is a Premium ship and not available to unlock in the Tech Tree. Acquisition path: Containers. Container chances are shown as the listed odds of receiving this exact ship, dividing grouped ship-pool odds across the resolved ships and including nested container paths when a crate can drop another crate.

Best listed chance for this ship

Show all 6 containers (3 more)
  • Ultimate Crate 0.15% VII Bismarck B Archived · Ultimate Crate → Black Friday '22 crate
  • Piñata Chest 0.142857% Tier V, VI, or VII Premium ship Event · Piñata Chest · 1 of 21 ships
  • Explorer's Chest 0.1% One of these ships New · Explorer's Chest · 1 of 30 ships
Official WG availability sources
  • Official WoWS Legends container odds Containers Official container drop rows linked below include direct and nested effective ship odds.
  • Darkness & Light: a tale of two Halloween events Event/store source Start: 2021-10-01 · End: open/unknown end Official ship/event post that can indicate store, collaboration, event, return, or limited availability.
  • Through the Spy Glass: Graf Zeppelin Ship feature / release Start: 2022-07-27 · End: open/unknown end Official Through the Spy Glass feature for this ship; useful as a release/availability source, but not a guaranteed current-store listing.
  • Through the Spy Glass: Ark Royal Ship feature / release Start: 2022-10-17 · End: open/unknown end Official Through the Spy Glass feature for this ship; useful as a release/availability source, but not a guaranteed current-store listing.
  • Through the Spy Glass: HMS Cossack '38 Ship feature / release Start: 2022-10-31 · End: open/unknown end Official Through the Spy Glass feature for this ship; useful as a release/availability source, but not a guaranteed current-store listing.
Show direct source rows

Want the full picture? Each container page charts the odds as you open more crates — including pity guaranteed-reward timers and, for Fleet Members, pack math personalized to your port.

Builds Beta

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Cohort position

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Where Bismarck B sits among Tier VII BBs (49 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 10%AP auto-bounce angle65° (3/49) Top 25%Hit points69,200 HP (12/49) Top 25%Main battery reload23.4 s (12/49) Top 25%Sigma1.95 (11/49) Top 25%AP arming threshold63 mm (11/49) Bottom 25%Main battery caliber380 mm (39/49) Bottom 25%HE DPM90,256 (41/48) Bottom 25%HE alpha1,700 (41/46) Bottom 25%Effective HE DPM (incl. fire)141,958 (37/48) Bottom 25%AA range4.5 km (39/49) Bottom 25%Citadel belt245 mm (41/47) WorstTraverse-to-turn ratio4.84 × (49/49) WorstMain battery range16.56 km (49/49) WorstMain dispersion228.3 m (49/49) WorstSecondary HE pen37 mm (46/46) WorstSecondary range7.7 km (49/49) WorstAA DPS241 (49/49) WorstAA threat860 (49/49) WorstNo torpedoes (33 of 49 in cohort)
See 29 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Bismarck B -- 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 speed31 kt(17/49) Concealment15.44 km(35/49) Air detection12.35 km(35/49) Rudder shift16 s(37/49) HE fire chance34%(33/48) Fires per minute6.97(30/48) AP shell damage11,600(35/49) AP DPM237,949(33/49) Secondary DPM (per side)253,540(15/49) Secondary fire chance8%(29/46) AP velocity820 m/s(23/49) HE velocity820 m/s(25/48) Acceleration36.1 s(31/49) Engine power163,000 hp(20/49) Turn-speed retention191.8 hp/m(21/49) Displacement49,406 t(32/49) Power-to-weight3.3 hp/t(26/49) AP pen at 10 km546 mm(29/48) Flak per wave (expected)1,575(17/49) Repair charges3(24/49) Max armor350 mm(35/49) Deck armor50 mm(25/45) NormSecondary dispersion bracket57(36 of 49 tied at this value) NormSecondary sigma1(48 of 49 tied at this value) NormAP fuse timer0.03 s(40 of 49 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(47 of 49 tied at this value) NormRepair heal rate0.5 %/s(35 of 49 tied at this value) NormBow armor32 mm(36 of 47 tied at this value) NormStern armor32 mm(35 of 47 tied at this value)
Survivability
Hit Points69,200
Displacement49,406 t
Armor range19–350 mm
Plate armor thicknesses19, 20, 25, 32, 38, 45, 50, 57, 60, 80, 100, 110, 120, 145, 150, 160, 180, 220, 245, 320, 350 mm
Armor material/layer entries48
Fire resistance36.6%
Fire duration60 s
Torp Reduction22%
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 380 mm L/52 SK C/34
Mounts / barrels4 mounts / 8 barrels
Reload time26 s
Firing range16.6 km
Turret traverse5.2 °/s
AP pen max range446 mm
HE fire DPM vs T7 BB46561
Effective HE DPM vs T7 BB127792
Shell Grouping (σ)1.95
Max Horiz Disp
ƒHorizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: σH=(R30·idealRadiusminRadiusidealDistance+minRadius)·30 =(1656030·122.21000+2.2)·30=228.3m
228.3 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: σV=σH·radiusOnMax =228.3·0.6=137m
137 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius: σH,50=σH·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =228.3·0.325(σ=1.95)=74.3m
74.3 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius: σV,50=σV·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =137·0.326(σ=1.95)=44.6m
44.6 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 5.2 deg/s traverse speed = 34.6 s.
34.6 s
Shells/min
ƒZero upgrades: 8 broadside guns x 60 / 26 s base reload = 18.5. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 8 broadside guns x 60 / 23.4 s all-upgrades reload = 20.5.
Initial: 18.5 → 20.5
HE shells
HE Damage4,400
HE Velocity820 m/s
Fire Chance34%
HE penetration
ƒ95 mm ≈ 380 mm caliber / 4 (improved HE penetration: German BBs, Yamato-class, and a handful of others).
95 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ4,400 HE damage x 8 broadside guns = 35,200.
35,200
HE DPM
ƒZero upgrades: 35,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 26 s base reload = 81,231. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 35,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 23.4 s all-upgrades reload = 90,256.
Initial: 81,231 → 90,256
Fires/min
ƒZero upgrades: 18.5 shells/min x 34% fire chance = 6.28. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 20.5 shells/min x 34% fire chance = 6.97.
Initial: 6.28 → 6.97
AP shells
AP Damage11,600
AP Velocity820 m/s
Min Ricochet45 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet65 deg
Fuse Timer0.033 s
Fuse Threshold63 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(380 mm caliber / 14.3) = 26 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
26 mm
AP Pen Close
ƒCanonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: P=107·K·m0.69·d1.07·v01.38 =107·2550·8000.69·0.381.07·8201.38=759.2mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
759.2 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (20.7 km), where the shell has slowed to 526.7 m/s: P=107·2550·8000.69·0.381.07·526.71.38=412.2mm.
412.2 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ11,600 AP damage x 8 broadside guns = 92,800.
92,800
AP DPM
ƒZero upgrades: 92,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 26 s base reload = 214,154. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 92,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 23.4 s all-upgrades reload = 237,949.
Initial: 214,154 → 237,949
AP AOE Radius
ƒAP 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
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (11×3.5×0.75) + (32×3.5×0.7) + (51×3.5×0.75) = 241. 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. Flak is NOT included: flak stops triggering once planes are inside 2.5 km, and its avoidable burst damage is shown separately in the Flak bursts section.
241
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
4.5 km
37 mm Flakzwilling 308×2 37mm
20 mm Flak 3812×1 20mm
20 mm Flakvierling 382×4 20mm
105 mm L/65 Dop. L. C/31 (DP)
ƒDual-purpose: your secondaries doing double duty against aircraft. The same mounts appear on the Secondary Battery card - shared guns, not extra hardware.
4×2 105mm
105 mm L/65 Dop. L. C/37 (DP)
ƒDual-purpose: your secondaries doing double duty against aircraft. The same mounts appear on the Secondary Battery card - shared guns, not extra hardware.
4×2 105mm
Far aura
Guns105 mm L/65 Dop. L. C/31 (DP) + 105 mm L/65 Dop. L. C/37 (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 134 from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.
134
Range4.5 km
Medium aura
Guns37 mm Flakzwilling 30
Continuous DPS
ƒEffective DPS: 11 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.75 hit probability = 29 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.
29
Range3.5 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 134 + Medium 29 = 163
163
Near aura
Guns20 mm Flak 38 + 20 mm Flakvierling 38
Continuous DPS
ƒEffective DPS: 32 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.7 hit probability = 78 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.
78
Range2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 134 + Medium 29 + Near 78 = 241
241
Flak bursts
Bursts
ƒEach ~2 s wave fires 2 quick salvos of 4 clouds ahead of the attacking squadron, plus 2 stray clouds farther out that appear off-beat between waves - up to 10 clouds per wave × 210 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 × 4 clouds + 2 outer
Cloud damage
ƒDamage a plane takes for flying into one flak cloud, before any reductions.
210
Cloud spawn chance
ƒEach 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
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.
2.5-4.5 km
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts14
Firing range7.7 km
Shell Grouping (σ)1
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 @ 7.7 km
ƒ7.7 km × 57 + 30 = 468.9 m.
468.9 m
105 mm L/65 Dop. L. C/31 (×4) (DP)
ƒDual-purpose: the same mounts also fire at aircraft, so they appear on the AA Defense card too - shared guns, not extra hardware.
Caliber105 mm
Reload time3.35 s
HE Damage1,200
Muzzle Velocity900 m/s
Fire Chance5%
Armor Pen20 mm
Min Ricochet91°
Max Ricochet60°
Show 3 more gun families
105 mm L/65 Dop. L. C/37 (×4) (DP)
ƒDual-purpose: the same mounts also fire at aircraft, so they appear on the AA Defense card too - shared guns, not extra hardware.
Caliber105 mm
Reload time3.35 s
HE Damage1,200
Muzzle Velocity900 m/s
Fire Chance5%
Armor Pen20 mm
Min Ricochet91°
Max Ricochet60°
150 mm L/55 SK C/28 (×4)
Caliber150 mm
Reload time7.5 s
HE Damage1,700
Muzzle Velocity875 m/s
Fire Chance8%
Armor Pen37 mm
Min Ricochet91°
Max Ricochet60°
150 mm L/55 SK C/28 (×2)
Caliber150 mm
Reload time7.5 s
HE Damage1,700
Muzzle Velocity875 m/s
Fire Chance8%
Armor Pen37 mm
Min Ricochet91°
Max Ricochet60°
Maneuverability
Engine power163,000 hp
Maximum speed31 kt
Turning circle radius850 m
Rudder shift time16 s
Engine power-boost threshold7 kt
Engine spool-up time23 s
Reverse spool-up time11.5 s
Acceleration 0-90%
ƒTime to reach 90% of top speed (27.9 kt of 31 kt), from our in-house acceleration model.
36.1 s
Acceleration 0-99%
ƒTime to reach 99% of top speed (30.7 kt of 31 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.
58.1 s
Traverse-to-turn ratio
ƒHow many degrees the turret can swing for each degree the hull turns. Turn rate ωhull=180π·Vmax(m/s)Rturn=180π·31.0·0.5144850=1.07°/s, so ratio=ωturretωhull=5.21.07=4.8×. Below 5 the turrets drag in a turning fight; 25+ keeps up with any rudder.
4.8× drags
Concealment
Detectability by sea15.44 km
Detectability by air12.35 km
Smoke firing penalty14.12 km
Detect after firing main guns
ƒmax(base sea detectability, gun-firing bloom range). Firing never pulls your detection closer than base concealment.
15.44 km
Detect Fire Sea17.44 km
Detect Fire Air15.35 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 80 s reload · 15 s active
Repair Party3 charges · 80 s reload · 28 s active · 9,688 HP (14% of max HP) total heal (per charge)
ƒHeal per second (0.5%) x effective active time (28 s) = up to 14% of max HP restored per charge.
· 29,064 HP (42% of max HP) total heal (all charges)
ƒ14% per charge x 3 charges = up to 42% of max HP if the whole Repair Party loadout is used.
· 346 HP/s (0.5% of max HP) heal per second
ƒ0.5% of max HP (69,200 HP) per second = 346 HP/s. WoWS heals a flat percent of MAX HP each second, so this rate holds at any health level.
Choose one
Catapult Fighter4 charges · 80 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
· 1 squadron size
Observation Seaplane4 charges · 200 s reload · 30 s active · 1 squadron size · Tightens main-battery shell grouping
Secondary Battery Booster3 charges · 160 s reload · 30 s active · +100% grouping · -50% dispersion
Sonar2 charges · 180 s reload · 96 s active · 4.44 km ship detect
ƒDerived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): 148×301000=4.44 km
· 3.12 km torpedo detect
ƒDerived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): 104×301000=3.12 km

See all derived stats

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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)1.95
Max Horiz Disp228.3 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: σH=(R30·idealRadiusminRadiusidealDistance+minRadius)·30 =(1656030·122.21000+2.2)·30=228.3m
Shell scatter width @ 5 km115 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 km164 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 km213 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 Disp137 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: σV=σH·radiusOnMax =228.3·0.6=137m
Shell scatter height @ 10 km85.4 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.
Med Horiz Disp74.3 m
50%-hit horizontal radius: σH,50=σH·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =228.3·0.325(σ=1.95)=74.3m
Med Vert Disp44.6 m
50%-hit vertical radius: σV,50=σV·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =137·0.326(σ=1.95)=44.6m
AP Pen Close759.2 mm
Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: P=107·K·m0.69·d1.07·v01.38 =107·2550·8000.69·0.381.07·8201.38=759.2mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far412.2 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (20.7 km), where the shell has slowed to 526.7 m/s: P=107·2550·8000.69·0.381.07·526.71.38=412.2mm.
AP pen 5 km648 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=107·K·m0.69·d1.07·v1.38. Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.
AP pen 10 km546 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=107·K·m0.69·d1.07·v1.38. Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.
AP pen 15 km467 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=107·K·m0.69·d1.07·v1.38. Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.
HE penetration95 mm
95 mm ≈ 380 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(380 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 time34.6 s
180 degrees / 5.2 deg/s traverse speed = 34.6 s.
HE full-salvo alpha35,200
4,400 HE damage x 8 broadside guns = 35,200.
AP full-salvo alpha92,800
11,600 AP damage x 8 broadside guns = 92,800.
HE DPMInitial: 81,231 → 90,256
Zero upgrades: 35,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 26 s base reload = 81,231. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 35,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 23.4 s all-upgrades reload = 90,256.
AP DPMInitial: 214,154 → 237,949
Zero upgrades: 92,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 26 s base reload = 214,154. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 92,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 23.4 s all-upgrades reload = 237,949.
Shells/minInitial: 18.5 → 20.5
Zero upgrades: 8 broadside guns x 60 / 26 s base reload = 18.5. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 8 broadside guns x 60 / 23.4 s all-upgrades reload = 20.5.
Fires/minInitial: 6.28 → 6.97
Zero upgrades: 18.5 shells/min x 34% fire chance = 6.28. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 20.5 shells/min x 34% fire chance = 6.97.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS241
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (11×3.5×0.75) + (32×3.5×0.7) + (51×3.5×0.75) = 241. 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. Flak is NOT included: flak stops triggering once planes are inside 2.5 km, and its avoidable burst damage is shown separately in the Flak bursts section.
Maximum AA range4.5 km
Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
AA threat index860
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 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 @ 7.7 km468.9 m
7.7 km × 57 + 30 = 468.9 m.
Secondary dispersion @ 5 km315 m
Same per-type line evaluated at a fixed 5 km: 5 km × 57 + 30 = 315 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)253,540
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: 4×2 105 mm (4/side) × 60/3.35 × 1200 = 85,970 + 4×2 105 mm (4/side) × 60/3.35 × 1200 = 85,970 + 4×2 150 mm (4/side) × 60/7.5 × 1700 = 54,400 + 2×2 150 mm (2/side) × 60/7.5 × 1700 = 27,200. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).
Max HE alpha1700
Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1700 from the 150 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 150 mm family.
Max HE pen37 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: 37 mm from the 150 mm family.

Armor Beta

Hull HP 69,200, 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 & stern32 mm

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

Belt / citadel320 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
Bow32 mm primary (range 20–60 mm)≈ 3,460 (~5% of HP)
Overmatch not possible in its bracketAngle 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)110 mm primary (range 38–320 mm)≈ 51,900 (~75% of HP)
No common caliber overmatches110 mm: standard HE shatters; improved HE (DE / FR BB) pens from 460mm+
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern32 mm primary (range 32–110 mm)≈ 3,460 (~5% of HP)
Overmatch not possible in its bracketAngle bounces 410mm32 mm: HE pens from 203mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel320 mm primary (range 25–245 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.
Superstructure19 mm primary (range 19–50 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.

Open in Charting Tool

Ship Charts

Balance History

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

Buff ×4Main Battery ×4
2021-04-08

Two Years Strong: The April Update

  • 105 mm secondary guns of German battleships can now penetrate 20 mm armor, which they weren't able to do before. This means that Bismarck and Tirpitz become more of a threat to any destroyers that wander too close, especially if the battleships have enhanced secondaries.
Read the full official post
2021-03-04

Marchin' on: The First Update of Spring 2021

  • Main battery accuracy improved by about 3%.
  • Guaranteed ricochet angle for main battery shells increased from 60 to 65 degrees, which means that Bismarck will be able to damage even more angled targets whose armor cannot be overmatched by 380 mm shells.
  • Penetration of AP shells increased by about 4%, which should lead to a few more citadels when shooting angled but penetrable targets.
Read the full official post
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

  • Bismarck B 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.