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Blücher is a Tier VIII German heavy cruiser with Sonar as her vision tool. Hydro lets her contest islands and smoke without exposing the hull to vision cycles, which shapes how she pressures caps. 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.
Sit 12-15 km from a contested cap where an island shadows you from the opposite battleship line. Hydro (6.2 km on ships, 4.3 km on torpedoes) lights up DDs and incoming torpedoes inside its bubble, so you can push the cap edge from cover without taking the spotting cycle; prefer cover positions over open-water flanks.
Her 203mm shells citadel cruisers on the wrong frame, and her 47,500-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.
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 7/32 T8 CAs.
+15% speed, 180 s duration. Engine Boost consumable temporarily raises top speed. Mobility on demand to reposition, chase a kill, or break contact, uncommon in T8 CAs.
27.0 mm bow and stern plating, both in the top bracket of T8 CAs. Same-tier guns can't overmatch the ends.
27.0 mm bow, best of T8 CAs. Harder for same-tier guns to overmatch.
208.0 AA DPS, bottom decile of T8 CAs. Aircraft chew through with impunity; lean on positioning over AA.
1200.0 max HE alpha per secondary shell, bottom decile of T8 CAs. Per-shell damage runs below peers'.
Blücher is a Premium ship and not available to unlock in the Tech Tree. Acquisition path: Campaign.
Prioritize cruiser accuracy, reload, concealment, and survivability. Use the strongest national cruiser commander available, with inspirations that tighten dispersion, improve DPM, or help you go dark between fights.
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Where Blücher sits among Tier VIII CAs (32 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.
Not standouts for Blücher -- 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.
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 60 s reload · 5 s active
Sonar2 charges · 180 s reload · 118 s active · 6.2 km ship detect · 4.27 km torpedo detect
Defensive AA Fire3 charges · 140 s reload · 25 s active · +100% flak burst boost
Repair Party2 charges · 80 s reload · 28 s active · 0.5% heal per second · 14% of max HP total heal
Engine Boost2 charges · 90 s reload · 180 s active · +15% speed bonus
Catapult Fighter5 charges · 60 s reload · 55 s active · 5.56 km patrol radius · 1 squadron sizeAll 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.
Shell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: $\sigma_H = \left(\dfrac{R}{30}\cdot\dfrac{\text{idealRadius}-\text{minRadius}}{\text{idealDistance}} + \text{minRadius}\right)\cdot 30$ $= \left(\dfrac{15845}{30}\cdot\dfrac{8-0.5}{1000} + 0.5\right)\cdot 30 = 133.8\,\text{m}$Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: $\sigma_V = \sigma_H \cdot \text{radiusOnMax}$ $= 133.8 \cdot 0.6 = 80.3\,\text{m}$50%-hit horizontal radius: $\sigma_{H,50} = \sigma_H \cdot \text{GetHalfHitsRatio}(\sigma)$ $= 133.8 \cdot 0.314\;(\sigma = 2.05) = 42\,\text{m}$50%-hit vertical radius: $\sigma_{V,50} = \sigma_V \cdot \text{GetHalfHitsRatio}(\sigma)$ $= 80.3 \cdot 0.314\;(\sigma = 2.05) = 25.2\,\text{m}$Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: $P = 10^{-7}\cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{-1.07} \cdot v_0^{1.38}$ $= 10^{-7}\cdot 2559 \cdot 130.8^{0.69} \cdot 0.203^{-1.07} \cdot 925^{1.38} = 504.4\,\text{mm}$. Matches the in-game spec card.Same formula at the ship's max firing range (19.8 km), where the shell has slowed to 432.6 m/s: $P = 10^{-7}\cdot 2559 \cdot 130.8^{0.69} \cdot 0.203^{-1.07} \cdot 432.6^{1.38} = 176.7\,\text{mm}$.51 mm ≈ 203 mm caliber / 4 (improved HE penetration: German BBs, Yamato-class, and a handful of others).This ship's HE shells use a 1/4 (~0.25) caliber-to-pen ratio instead of the standard 1/6 (~0.167) - 0.251 in this case. Lets HE pen ~50mm armor instead of ~33mm. Hits every German cruiser (150mm CL, 203mm CA) and BB (350mm+), British heavy cruisers / Lion / Nelson, a handful of other premiums.floor(203 mm caliber / 14.3) = 14 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 8 barrels bear on the broadside.180 degrees / 10 deg/s traverse speed = 18 s.2,500 HE damage x 8 broadside guns = 20,000.6,100 AP damage x 8 broadside guns = 48,800.20,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 11 s base reload = 109,091.48,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 11 s base reload = 266,182.20,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 9.9 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 121,212.48,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 9.9 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 295,758.8 broadside guns x 60 / 11 s base reload = 43.6.8 broadside guns x 60 / 9.9 s installed Artillery reload = 48.5.8 HE shells x 60 / 11 s reload x 13% fire chance = 5.67.8 HE shells x 60 / 9.9 s installed reload x 13% fire chance = 6.3.detectability / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).range / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).4 launchers x 3 tubes.tube count / 2 (symmetric port/starboard launcher layout; common on cruisers and battleships with deck torpedoes).All tubes hitting one target: tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 12 x 12,700 = 152,400.One side firing, all torpedoes hitting: per-side tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 6 x 12,700 = 76,200.Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (9×3.5×0.9) + (17×3.5×0.85) + (41×3.5×0.9) = 208. 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.Max dispersion = range (km) × 57 + 30. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.5 km × 57 + 30 = 315 m.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: 6×2 105 mm (6/side) × 60/3.35 × 1200 = 128,955. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1200 from the 105 mm family.Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 5% from the 105 mm family.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: 20 mm from the 105 mm family.Hull HP 47,500, 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.
Overmatched by 52+ guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.
Thin belt: battleship AP citadels straight through it broadside. Rely on angle, speed and concealment, never sit flat.
Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 40%, fires burn 30s. Range-by-range in the ballistics tool →
| Section | Plates | HP cap | Threats | Tactic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bow | 27 mm primary (range 20–40 mm) | 1,500 (3% of HP) | Overmatched by 406mm+ (Hawke, Iowa)Angle bounces 380mm27 mm: HE pens from 203mm+ | Bow-tank fits behind this exterior plate. Saturation is FAST here; the cap is often only a few thousand HP. |
| Hull (midship) | 16 mm primary (range 16–105 mm) | 35,600 (75% of HP) | Overmatched by 283mm+ (Scharnhorst '43, Schill)Angle bounces 203mm16 mm: HE pens from 127mm+ | Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest. |
| Stern | 27 mm primary (range 27–80 mm) | 2,000 (4% of HP) | Overmatched by 406mm+ (Hawke, Iowa)Angle bounces 380mm27 mm: HE pens from 203mm+ | Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation. |
| Citadel | 80 mm primary (range 20–150 mm) | ≈ 165,500 (effectively no cap) | Citadel pen ×0.33 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 (×0.33 direct pen, ×0.10 over-pen). |
| Superstructure | 16 mm primary (range 16–150 mm) | 3,600 (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). |
| Secondary mount (105 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 (37 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 | 14,300 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.
Every custom exterior Blücher can equip, from in-game data.
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