Black
Beta- Sit at the edge of a contested cap from concealment and cycle torpedo waves into lanes the enemy has to…
- Avoid: Holding 13.7-km torpedoes for a perfect shot
Black Community Stats
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Black Community Stats
Playstyle
Overview
Black is a Tier VII American torpedo destroyer reaching 13.7 km. The torpedoes travel at 43 kt, so target reaction time is shorter than peer DDs; this is a torpedo-spam kit, not a gun trade kit. Standout traits: best radar duration in T7 DDs (19 s).
Positioning
Sit at the edge of a contested cap from concealment and cycle torpedo waves into lanes the enemy has to use - 13.7 km reach at 43 kt means the wall arrives before targets can react. Drop on probable lanes from cover, stay unspotted between waves, and let the wall do the work.
Potato Avoidance
Holding 13.7-km torpedoes for a perfect shot
The kit pays out by saturating lanes, not by waiting for guaranteed broadsides; missed waves still force rotations and protect your team's flank. Idle torpedo tubes are the worst output state.
Signature Traits
8.33 km range, 19 s duration. Detects all enemy ships within a fixed radius regardless of line-of-sight. Controls caps and punishes smoke-firing DDs.
34.0°/s turret traverse, best of T7 DDs. Tracks fast-rotating targets peers can't keep up with.
13.71 km torpedo range, best of T7 DDs.
43.4° HE impact angle at max range, top decile of T7 DDs. Lobs over cover.
42.0° impact angle at max range, top decile of T7 DDs. Lobs over island cover.
97.6 m max horizontal dispersion, bottom decile of T7 DDs. Long-range salvos are noticeably wider than peers'.
How to get Black
Black is a Premium ship and not available to unlock in the Tech Tree. Acquisition paths: Containers, Doubloons, Global XP, Campaign, and Collaboration. 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.
- ContainersAppears in official container odds below; availability depends on the container being sold or awarded.
- Doubloons10,000 Doubloons in the Legends Store (Jun 2022).
- Global XP750,000 GXP in the Legends Store (Nov 2024).
- CampaignEarnable in the Lucky Six and Silent Orca and Phantom of Sherwood campaigns; campaign ships can later return through other limited methods.
- CollaborationIntroduced via the official Fury, WAAAGH! and Legends: Warhammer 40,000 collaboration. Collab/promo ships sometimes return through later limited offers.
Best listed chance for this ship
-
Santa Level 5
0.428571%
Tier VII Premium ship
Event containers · Santa Level 5 · 1 of 35 ships
-
Spectral Vault 5.0
0.375%
Tier VII Premium ship
Event containers · Spectral Vault 5.0 · 1 of 40 ships
-
Mega Santa '23
0.172414%
Tier VII Premium ship
Event containers · Mega Santa '23 · 1 of 29 ships
Show all 15 containers (12 more)
-
Santa Level 4
0.157143%
Tier VII Premium ship
Event containers · Santa Level 4 · 2 paths combined · 1 of 35 ships
Show 2 paths
- Santa Level 40.114286%
- Santa Level 4 → Santa Level 50.042857%
-
Spectral Vault 4.0
0.15625%
Tier VII Premium ship
Event containers · Spectral Vault 4.0 · 2 paths combined · 1 of 40 ships
Show 2 paths
- Spectral Vault 4.00.1%
- Spectral Vault 4.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.05625%
-
Santa Level 3
0.102143%
Tier VII Premium ship
Event containers · Santa Level 3 · 4 paths combined · 1 of 35 ships
Show 4 paths
- Santa Level 30.057143%
- Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 50.021429%
- Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 40.017143%
- Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 4 → Santa Level 50.006429%
-
Spectral Vault 3.0
0.078437%
Tier VII Premium ship
Event containers · Spectral Vault 3.0 · 4 paths combined · 1 of 40 ships
Show 4 paths
- Spectral Vault 3.00.05%
- Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.01125%
- Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.011%
- Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.006188%
-
Mystic Lantern
0.074419%
Tier VII Premium ship
Event containers · Mystic Lantern · 1 of 43 ships
-
Super Santa '23
0.051724%
Tier VII Premium ship
Event containers · Super Santa '23 · 1 of 29 ships
-
Santa Level 2
0.026036%
Tier VII Premium ship
Event containers · Santa Level 2 · 7 paths combined · 1 of 35 ships
Show 7 paths
- Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 30.008571%
- Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 40.005714%
- Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 50.003214%
- Santa Level 20.002857%
- Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 40.002571%
- Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 4 → Santa Level 50.002143%
- Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 4 → Santa Level 50.000964%
-
Champion's Box
0.020429%
Tier VII Premium ship
Event containers · Champion's Box · 4 paths combined · 1 of 35 ships
Show 4 paths
- Champion's Box → Santa Level 30.011429%
- Champion's Box → Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 50.004286%
- Champion's Box → Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 40.003429%
- Champion's Box → Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 4 → Santa Level 50.001286%
-
Spectral Vault 2.0
0.013469%
Tier VII Premium ship
Event containers · Spectral Vault 2.0 · 7 paths combined · 1 of 40 ships
Show 7 paths
- Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.00.005%
- Spectral Vault 2.00.0025%
- Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.002%
- Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.001125%
- Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 4.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.001125%
- Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.0011%
- Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.000619%
-
Santa Level 1
0.007834%
Tier VII Premium ship
Event containers · Santa Level 1 · 9 paths combined · 1 of 35 ships
Show 9 paths
- Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 30.002857%
- Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 30.001286%
- Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 50.001071%
- Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 40.000857%
- Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 50.000482%
- Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 20.000429%
- Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 40.000386%
- Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 4 → Santa Level 50.000321%
- Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 4 → Santa Level 50.000145%
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Ultimate Crate
0.005172%
Tier VII Premium ship
Event containers · Ultimate Crate → Super Santa '23 · 1 of 29 ships
-
Spectral Vault 1.0
0.001997%
Tier VII Premium ship
Event containers · Spectral Vault 1.0 · 11 paths combined · 1 of 40 ships
Show 11 paths
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 3.00.0005%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.00.00045%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.00.000225%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.00018%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.000112%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.00011%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 4.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.000101%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.000101%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.000099%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.000062%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.000056%
Official WG availability sources
- "Lucky Six" Campaign Breakdown Campaign Start: 2022-06-20 · End: 2022-07-24 Official campaign breakdown naming this ship as a campaign/reward-context ship; explicit source windows are used when present, otherwise the end date is inferred from the next indexed campaign breakdown when available.
- Silent Orca Campaign Breakdown Campaign Start: 2024-11-18 · End: 2024-12-15 Official campaign breakdown naming this ship as a campaign/reward-context ship; explicit source windows are used when present, otherwise the end date is inferred from the next indexed campaign breakdown when available.
- Phantom of Sherwood Campaign Breakdown Campaign Start: 2025-11-03 · End: 2025-11-30 Official campaign breakdown naming this ship as a campaign/reward-context ship; explicit source windows are used when present, otherwise the end date is inferred from the next indexed campaign breakdown when available.
- Official WoWS Legends container odds Containers Official container drop rows linked below include direct and nested effective ship odds.
- Treasure Hunt Event/store source Start: 2021-08-09 · End: open/unknown end Official ship/event post that can indicate store, collaboration, event, return, or limited availability.
- Fury, WAAAGH! and Legends: Warhammer 40,000 collaboration in detail Event/store source Start: 2021-11-05 · End: open/unknown end Official ship/event post that can indicate store, collaboration, event, return, or limited availability.
- "Gaming against Cancer" Charity Event Event/store source Start: 2021-11-05 · End: open/unknown end Official ship/event post that can indicate store, collaboration, event, return, or limited availability.
- The Return of Treasure Hunt Event/store source Start: 2022-08-05 · End: open/unknown end Official ship/event post that can indicate store, collaboration, event, return, or limited availability.
- November Update: Black Deals Under a Black Flag 750,000 Global XP 2024-11-14 Tier VII default; exact price not in source
- Summer Update: The High Roll 10,000 Doubloons 2022-06-16
Show direct source rows
- Mega Santa '23 0.172414% · Tier VII Premium ship
- Mystic Lantern 0.074419% · Tier VII Premium ship
- Santa Level 2 0.002857% · Tier VII Premium ship
- Santa Level 3 0.057143% · Tier VII Premium ship
- Santa Level 4 0.114286% · Tier VII Premium ship
Builds Beta
Build for concealment, gun reload, survivability, smoke utility, Radar value, and enough torpedo uptime to pressure lanes.
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 Black sits among Tier VII DDs (30 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.
See 23 mid-pack stats
Not standouts for Black -- 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.
Stats & specs
Customize in the Build Tool →Shell ballistics chartMore tools in the WoWS Legends Data LabAll values are ship base stats with modifications and upgrade changes denoted inline.
ƒ
Shell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.ƒ
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (11013/30·(8−0.5)/1000 + 0.5)·30 = 97.6 mƒ
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 97.6 × 0.6 = 58.6 mƒ
50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 97.6 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 31.2 mƒ
50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 58.6 × 0.319 (σ=2) = 18.7 mƒ
180 degrees / 34 deg/s traverse speed = 5.3 s.ƒ
5 broadside guns x 60 / 3.6 s base reload = 83.3.HE shells
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21 mm ≈ 127 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).ƒ
1,800 HE damage x 5 broadside guns = 9,000.ƒ
9,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.6 s base reload = 150,000.ƒ
9,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.2 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 168,750.ƒ
5 HE shells x 60 / 3.6 s reload x 5% fire chance = 4.17.AP shells
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floor(127 mm caliber / 14.3) = 8 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).ƒ
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 × 2598 × 25^0.69 × 0.127^-1.07 × 792^1.38 = 218 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.ƒ
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (13.8 km), where the shell has slowed to 248.7 m/s: 1e-7 × 2598 × 25^0.69 × 0.127^-1.07 × 248.7^1.38 = 44.1 mm.ƒ
2,100 AP damage x 5 broadside guns = 10,500.ƒ
10,500 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.6 s base reload = 175,000.ƒ
10,500 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.2 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 196,875.ƒ
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.ƒ
per-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.ƒ
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (20×3.5×1) + (27×3.5×0.95) + (23×3.5×1) = 240. 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.ƒ
Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.ƒ
Includes 23 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose main battery firing as AA in this range band.ƒ
Far 23 + Medium 20 = 43ƒ
Far 23 + Medium 20 + Near 27 = 70
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 40 s reload · 5 s active
Smoke Generator2 charges · 240 s reload · 15 s emit / 124 s cloud active
Engine Boost2 charges · 180 s reload · 120 s active · +8% speed bonus
Surveillance Radar3 charges · 150 s reload · 19 s active · 8.33 km radar range
See all derived stats
Show
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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 (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (11013/30·(8−0.5)/1000 + 0.5)·30 = 97.6 mVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 97.6 × 0.6 = 58.6 m50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 97.6 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 31.2 m50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 58.6 × 0.319 (σ=2) = 18.7 mCanonical 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 × 2598 × 25^0.69 × 0.127^-1.07 × 792^1.38 = 218 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.Same formula at the ship's max firing range (13.8 km), where the shell has slowed to 248.7 m/s: 1e-7 × 2598 × 25^0.69 × 0.127^-1.07 × 248.7^1.38 = 44.1 mm.21 mm ≈ 127 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).floor(127 mm caliber / 14.3) = 8 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).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.All 5 barrels bear on the broadside.180 degrees / 34 deg/s traverse speed = 5.3 s.1,800 HE damage x 5 broadside guns = 9,000.2,100 AP damage x 5 broadside guns = 10,500.9,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.6 s base reload = 150,000.10,500 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.6 s base reload = 175,000.9,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.2 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 168,750.10,500 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.2 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 196,875.5 broadside guns x 60 / 3.6 s base reload = 83.3.5 broadside guns x 60 / 3.2 s installed Artillery reload = 93.8.5 HE shells x 60 / 3.6 s reload x 5% fire chance = 4.17.5 HE shells x 60 / 3.2 s installed reload x 5% fire chance = 4.69.Torpedoes
detectability / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).range / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).2 launchers x 5 tubes.10 (centerline launchers train across - full salvo to either side).tube count x per-torpedo simulated damage (all torpedoes hitting).per-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.AA defense
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (20×3.5×1) + (27×3.5×0.95) + (23×3.5×1) = 240. 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.Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.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 16,700, 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 | 20 mm primary (range 6–20 mm) | 2,200 (13% of HP) | Overmatched by 305mm+ (Toulon, Cherbourg)Angle bounces 283mm20 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) | 19 mm | 12,500 (75% of HP) | Overmatched by 283mm+ (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 | 20 mm primary (range 13–20 mm) | 1,600 (10% of HP) | Overmatched by 305mm+ (Toulon, Cherbourg)Angle bounces 283mm20 mm: HE pens from 127mm+ | Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation. |
| Citadel | 20 mm primary (range 13–20 mm) | ≈ 165,500 (effectively no cap) | Citadel pen ×0.50 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 (×0.50 direct pen, ×0.10 over-pen). |
| Superstructure | 13 mm primary (range 13–19 mm) | 1,300 (8% 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 | 8,400 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 (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. |
| Rudder (module) | separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP | 5,000 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.
Skins & permanent camouflages
Every custom exterior Black 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.
