World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Brest

Also called: 布雷斯特 Beta
France · Tier VIII · CB Cruiser · Tech Tree
Super-cruiserBattleship-caliber guns on a cruiser hull; overmatch broadside cruisers with AP, don't brawl battleships.
Playstyle
  • Hold 14-17 km from a contested cap with an island close enough to shadow back into, and bow toward the…
  • Avoid: Open-water broadside trading
Key characteristics
330 mm overmatchHeavy AP pen16 km gun rangeHeavy HE shellsSonarSlow
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Community Data

Brest Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Brest is a Tier VIII French super-cruiser: a battleship-sized hull with a 330mm main battery on a cruiser frame. She is built to overmatch broadside cruisers with AP, not to brawl with battleships. Sonar (4.4 km on ships and 3.1 km on torpedoes, 96 s active, 180 s reload, long uptime) lights up DDs and torpedoes inside its bubble, which lets her contest the cap edge without taking the spotting cycle. Standout traits: best AP overmatch threshold in T8 CAs (23 mm) and top-decile close-range AP pen in T8 CAs (675.7 mm).

Positioning

Hold 14-17 km from a contested cap with an island close enough to shadow back into, and bow toward the closest BB. The heavy bow plate lets you hold the angle against same-tier guns, which is the protection the citadel needs; the hull does not tank battleship volleys broadside even if it can absorb them bow-on. The big guns reach for full AP citadels at that distance.

Potato Avoidance

Open-water broadside trading

Her 330mm shells citadel cruisers on the wrong frame, and her 55,300-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

Engine Boost

+20% 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.

ELITE MAIN BATTERY
  • Big-caliber overmatch · 23.0 mm
  • Close-range AP brick · 675.7 mm
  • Long-range AP brick · 411.12 mm
  • Heavy HE shells · 4800.0 damage
  • High fire chance · 35.0%
WEAK MAIN BATTERY
  • Slow reload · 23.4 s
  • Stiff AP fuse · 55.0 mm
Acquisition

How to get Brest

Brest is a Tech Tree ship. The normal acquisition path is researching and purchasing it in its nation/class line. Official source cards below may also show its temporary Early Access window before it became a normal Tech Tree unlock. 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

Official WG availability sources
  • Early Access: Doubling Up Early Access Start: 2023-12-19 · End: 2024-01-10 Official early-access or tech-tree-line article. Tech-tree ships are temporary crate drops during Early Access, then move to the Tech Tree.
  • Official WoWS Legends container odds Containers Official container drop rows linked below include direct and nested effective ship odds.
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

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 Brest sits among Tier VIII CAs (33 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.

BestMain battery caliber330 mm (1 of 2 tied) Top 10%Air detection7.05 km (4/33) Top 10%Main battery range16.08 km (3/33) Top 10%Secondary dispersion bracket33 (3/27) Top 10%HE alpha2,000 (3/26) Top 10%Secondary fire chance10% (3/26) Top 10%AP pen at 10 km495 mm (3/33) Top 10%Max armor310 mm (3/33) Top 25%Hit points55,300 HP (9/33) Top 25%Concealment11.74 km (5/33) Top 25%Flak per wave (expected)2,250 (5/33) Bottom 25%Rudder shift13.2 s (29/33) Bottom 25%Fires per minute7.18 (23/29) Bottom 25%Engine power100,000 hp (29/33) Bottom 25%Turn-speed retention138.9 hp/m (27/33) Bottom 25%Deck armor30 mm (29/32) Bottom 10%Sigma1.8 (32/33) Bottom 10%HE DPM98,462 (28/29) Bottom 10%AP DPM198,974 (32/33) Bottom 10%Effective HE DPM (incl. fire)157,318 (28/29) WorstMax speed31.5 kt (1 of 2 tied) WorstTraverse-to-turn ratio3.88 × (33/33) WorstMain battery reload23.4 s (33/33) WorstAcceleration32.2 s (1 of 3 tied) WorstAP arming threshold55 mm (1 of 2 tied) WorstPower-to-weight3.29 hp/t (1 of 2 tied) WorstNo torpedoes (14 of 33 in cohort) WorstCitadel belt40 mm (1 of 2 tied)
See 18 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Brest -- 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.

Main dispersion170.8 m(25/33) Secondary DPM (per side)137,143(17/27) Secondary HE pen23 mm(9/26) AP velocity870 m/s(12/33) HE velocity885 m/s(11/29) Displacement30,390 t(25/33) AA DPS499(17/33) AA range5.2 km(13/33) AA threat1,676(23/33) Repair heal rate0.6 %/s(13/33) Bow armor25 mm(19/33) Stern armor25 mm(21/33) NormAP fuse timer0.03 s(23 of 33 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(24 of 33 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(23 of 33 tied at this value) NormTurn speed retained81%(30 of 33 tied at this value) NormSecondary range5 km(21 of 27 tied at this value) NormRepair charges2(31 of 33 tied at this value)
Survivability
Hit PointsInitial: 50,100 → 55,300
Displacement30,390 t
Armor range16–310 mm
Plate armor thicknesses16, 25, 27, 30, 40, 50, 95, 120, 130, 150, 180, 190, 310 mm
Armor material/layer entries54
Fire resistance40%
Fire duration45 s
Torp Reduction19%
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 330 mm/52 St. Chamond Mle 1932
Mounts / barrels2 mounts / 8 barrels
Reload time26 s
Firing range (base)14.6 km
Firing range (top fire control)16.1 km
Turret traverse5 °/s
AP pen max range402 mm
HE fire DPM vs T8 BB52967
Effective HE DPM vs T8 BB141582
Shell Grouping (σ)1.8
Max Horiz Disp
ƒHorizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: σH=(R30·idealRadiusminRadiusidealDistance+minRadius)·30 =(1462030·101.61000+1.6)·30=170.8m
170.8 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: σV=σH·radiusOnMax =170.8·0.6=102.5m
102.5 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius: σH,50=σH·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =170.8·0.344(σ=1.8)=58.7m
58.7 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius: σV,50=σV·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =102.5·0.343(σ=1.8)=35.2m
35.2 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 5 deg/s traverse speed = 36 s.
36 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 Damage4,800
HE Velocity885 m/s
Fire Chance35%
HE penetration
ƒ55 mm ≈ 330 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
55 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ4,800 HE damage x 8 broadside guns = 38,400.
38,400
HE DPM
ƒZero upgrades: 38,400 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 26 s base reload = 88,615. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 38,400 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 23.4 s all-upgrades reload = 98,462.
Initial: 88,615 → 98,462
Fires/min
ƒZero upgrades: 18.5 shells/min x 35% fire chance = 6.46. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 20.5 shells/min x 35% fire chance = 7.18.
Initial: 6.46 → 7.18
AP shells
AP Damage9,700
AP Velocity870 m/s
Min Ricochet45 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg
Fuse Timer0.033 s
Fuse Threshold55 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(330 mm caliber / 14.3) = 23 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
23 mm
AP Pen Close
ƒCanonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: P=107·K·m0.69·d1.07·v01.38 =107·2428·5600.69·0.331.07·8701.38=713.2mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
713.2 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (20.1 km), where the shell has slowed to 539.3 m/s: P=107·2428·5600.69·0.331.07·539.31.38=368.7mm.
368.7 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ9,700 AP damage x 8 broadside guns = 77,600.
77,600
AP DPM
ƒZero upgrades: 77,600 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 26 s base reload = 179,077. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 77,600 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 23.4 s all-upgrades reload = 198,974.
Initial: 179,077 → 198,974
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 points26
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (54×3.5×0.9) + (66×3.5×0.85) + (42×3.5×0.9) = 499. 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.
499
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
5.2 km
20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk24Initial: 20 mm/70 Mk4 (18×1) → 20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk24 (18×2)
40 mm/56 Bofors Mk1Initial: 8×2 → 4×2 40mm
40 mm/56 Bofors Mk2 (upgraded hull only)4×4 40mm
139 mm/50 Mle 1938 (DP)
ƒDual-purpose: your secondaries doing double duty against aircraft. The same mounts appear on the Secondary Battery card - shared guns, not extra hardware.
8×2 139mm
Far aura
Guns139 mm/50 Mle 1938 (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 132 from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.
132
Range5.2 km
Medium aura
Guns40 mm/56 Bofors Mk1 + 40 mm/56 Bofors Mk2
Continuous DPS
ƒEffective DPS: 54 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.9 hit probability = 170 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.
Initial: 145 → 170
Range3.5 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 132 + Medium 170 = 302
302
Near aura
Guns20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk24
Continuous DPS
ƒEffective DPS: 66 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.85 hit probability = 196 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.
Initial: 119 → 196
Range2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 132 + Medium 170 + Near 196 = 498
498
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 × 250 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.
250
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.
90%
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 5.2 km - once planes get inside the band, new waves stop.
2.5-5.2 km
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts8
Firing range5.0 km
Shell Grouping (σ)1
139 mm/50 Mle 1938 (DP)
ƒDual-purpose: the same mounts also fire at aircraft, so they appear on the AA Defense card too - shared guns, not extra hardware.
8×2 139mm
Caliber139 mm
Reload time7 s
HE Damage2,000
Muzzle Velocity840 m/s
Fire Chance10%
Armor Pen23 mm
Min Ricochet91°
Max Ricochet60°
Secondary dispersion type
ƒMax dispersion = range (km) × 33 + 30. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.
Improved (40%, German battlecruiser type)
Max secondary dispersion @ 5 km
ƒ5 km × 33 + 30 = 195 m.
195 m
Maneuverability
Engine power100,000 hp
Maximum speed31.5 kt
Turning circle radius720 m
Rudder shift time13.2 s
Engine power-boost threshold7 kt
Engine spool-up time15.3 s
Reverse spool-up time7.7 s
Acceleration 0-90%
ƒTime to reach 90% of top speed (28.4 kt of 31.5 kt), from our in-house acceleration model.
32.2 s
Acceleration 0-99%
ƒTime to reach 99% of top speed (31.2 kt of 31.5 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.
54.6 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·31.5·0.5144720=1.29°/s, so ratio=ωturretωhull=51.29=3.9×. Below 5 the turrets drag in a turning fight; 25+ keeps up with any rudder.
3.9× drags
Concealment
Detectability by sea11.74 km
Detectability by air7.05 km
Smoke firing penalty9.67 km
Detect after firing main guns
ƒmax(base sea detectability, gun-firing bloom range). Firing never pulls your detection closer than base concealment.
11.74 km
Detect Fire Sea13.74 km
Detect Fire Air10.05 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 60 s reload · 5 s active
Choose one
Main Battery Reload Booster2 charges · 120 s reload · 15 s active · +50% reload boost
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
Defensive AA Fire3 charges · 140 s reload · 25 s active · ×2 flak burst boost
ƒRepeats the flak burst pattern ×2 within each wave - more clouds in the air over the wave, at the same spots.
Choose one
Repair Party2 charges · 60 s reload · 28 s active · 9,290 HP (16.8% of max HP) total heal (per charge)
ƒHeal per second (0.6%) x effective active time (28 s) = up to 16.8% of max HP restored per charge.
· 18,580 HP (33.6% of max HP) total heal (all charges)
ƒ16.8% per charge x 2 charges = up to 33.6% of max HP if the whole Repair Party loadout is used.
· 332 HP/s (0.6% of max HP) heal per second
ƒ0.6% of max HP (55,300 HP) per second = 332 HP/s. WoWS heals a flat percent of MAX HP each second, so this rate holds at any health level.
Catapult Fighter3 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
Engine Boost2 charges · 120 s reload · 180 s active · +20% speed bonus
Module options (2)

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

HullUpgrade
  • Hit points50,100 → 55,300
  • Rudder shift24 → 17.2 s
  • Close-range AA DPS86 → 120
Fire controlUpgrade
  • Main battery range14,620 → 16,082 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)1.8
Max Horiz Disp170.8 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: σH=(R30·idealRadiusminRadiusidealDistance+minRadius)·30 =(1462030·101.61000+1.6)·30=170.8m
Shell scatter width @ 5 km90 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 km132 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.
Max Vert Disp102.5 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: σV=σH·radiusOnMax =170.8·0.6=102.5m
Shell scatter height @ 10 km70.9 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 Disp58.7 m
50%-hit horizontal radius: σH,50=σH·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =170.8·0.344(σ=1.8)=58.7m
Med Vert Disp35.2 m
50%-hit vertical radius: σV,50=σV·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =102.5·0.343(σ=1.8)=35.2m
Dispersion familyBC Disp.
Battlecruiser dispersion. The standard mid-tier reference family that Georgia, Stalingrad, and Siegfried are compared against.
AP Pen Close713.2 mm
Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: P=107·K·m0.69·d1.07·v01.38 =107·2428·5600.69·0.331.07·8701.38=713.2mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far368.7 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (20.1 km), where the shell has slowed to 539.3 m/s: P=107·2428·5600.69·0.331.07·539.31.38=368.7mm.
AP pen 5 km597 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 km495 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 km416 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 penetration55 mm
55 mm ≈ 330 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
AP overmatch23 mm
floor(330 mm caliber / 14.3) = 23 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 time36 s
180 degrees / 5 deg/s traverse speed = 36 s.
HE full-salvo alpha38,400
4,800 HE damage x 8 broadside guns = 38,400.
AP full-salvo alpha77,600
9,700 AP damage x 8 broadside guns = 77,600.
HE DPMInitial: 88,615 → 98,462
Zero upgrades: 38,400 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 26 s base reload = 88,615. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 38,400 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 23.4 s all-upgrades reload = 98,462.
AP DPMInitial: 179,077 → 198,974
Zero upgrades: 77,600 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 26 s base reload = 179,077. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 77,600 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 23.4 s all-upgrades reload = 198,974.
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: 6.46 → 7.18
Zero upgrades: 18.5 shells/min x 35% fire chance = 6.46. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 20.5 shells/min x 35% fire chance = 7.18.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS499
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (54×3.5×0.9) + (66×3.5×0.85) + (42×3.5×0.9) = 499. 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 range5.2 km
Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
AA threat index1676
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 typeImproved (40%, German battlecruiser type)
Max dispersion = range (km) × 33 + 30. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.
Max secondary dispersion @ 5 km195 m
5 km × 33 + 30 = 195 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)137,143
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: 8×2 139 mm (8/side) × 60/7 × 2000 = 137,143. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).
Max HE alpha2000
Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 2000 from the 139 mm family.
Max HE fire chance10%
Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 10% from the 139 mm family.
Max HE pen23 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: 23 mm from the 139 mm family.

Armor Beta

Hull HP 50,10055,300 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 & stern25 mm

Overmatched by 100+ guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.

Belt / citadel190 mm

AP can citadel a flat broadside even at range. Stay angled and avoid showing the full side.

Farming16 mm

Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 40%, fires burn 45s. Range-by-range in the Compare tool →

Section Plates HP cap Threats Tactic
Bow25 mm primary (range 25–40 mm)1,900 (3% of HP)
Overmatch not possible in its bracketAngle bounces 356mm25 mm: HE pens from 150mm+
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 16–310 mm)41,500 (75% of HP)
Overmatch not possible in its bracketAngle bounces 203mm16 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern25 mm primary (range 25–150 mm)1,700 (3% of HP)
Overmatch not possible in its bracketAngle bounces 356mm25 mm: HE pens from 150mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel190 mm primary (range 27–40 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.
Superstructure16 mm primary (range 16–120 mm)2,200 (4% 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 HP27,700 magazine HPMagazine detonation1–30% chance · below ~75% HPPer-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.
Secondary mount (139 mm mount)separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP800 per-mount HPDestroyed at 0 HPPer-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 HP200 per-mount HPDestroyed at 0 HPPer-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)-0.100 research estimateLargest on BB/BC; zero on destroyersEngine 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 HP16,600 module HPIncapacitated at 0 HPWhen 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.

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Balance History

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

Buff ×1Main Battery ×2
2024-03-21

Ministry of Balance: Spring Changes

  • At Tier VIII, the playstyle of the French large cruisers becomes even more difficult to achieve, so Brest gains a bigger change to her reload time than Cherbourg.
  • Main Battery reload time reduced from 28 to 26 seconds.
Read the full official post
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

  • Brest 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.