Budyonny Build & Guide | WoWs Legends

Playstyle

Overview

Budyonny is a Tier V Soviet light cruiser whose signature kit is Surveillance Radar (9 km). The radar drop is what makes her valuable in cap fights; the guns are the secondary story. Standout traits: best fires per minute in T5 CAs (9) and best torpedo speed in T5 CAs (65 kt).

Positioning

Hold 12-15 km from a contested cap with an island close enough to break sightline when focus shifts. Push the radar forward only once the destroyer fight is yours; burning the drop to fish for a lone DD kill leaves the next push with no answer to smoke or vision. Her citadel sits high enough that even glancing broadside shots can land citadel pens; treat island cover as a hard requirement, not a preference. Trade only when the angle keeps the citadel sides hidden.

Potato Avoidance

Using radar like a destroyer hunter rather than a position…

The consumable's value is locking down a cap your team can take, not stealing a single salvo on a lone DD. Burn it early to fish for a kill and the next push has no answer to smoke or vision.

Signature Traits

Exposed citadel

Citadel sits unusually high relative to the waterline. Broadside trades get citadelled where peers would shrug off the salvo. Stay angled and avoid full broadside even briefly.

Surveillance Radar

9 km range, 15 s duration. Detects all enemy ships within a fixed radius regardless of line-of-sight. Controls caps and punishes smoke-firing DDs.

High fire pressure

9.0 fires/min, best of T5 CAs. Keeps DCP on cooldown.

Fast torpedoes

65.0 kt torpedo speed, best of T5 CAs. Less reaction time for targets to dodge.

Slow torp reload

116.0 s torpedo reload, worst of T5 CAs. Long wait between drops.

Easily spotted

13.0 km surface detect, worst of T5 CAs. Visible before you can react; position early.

Acquisition

How to get Budyonny

Budyonny is available in the Artillery Cruisers branch of the U.S.S.R. Tech Tree for 2,400,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 600,000 credits.

Show U.S.S.R. tech-tree branch diagram

U.S.S.R. Tech Tree

Budyonny sits in the Artillery Cruisers branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full U.S.S.R. tree.

5 ships in highlighted branch · scroll to inspect all U.S.S.R. lines.

U.S.S.R.IIIIIIIVVVIVIIVIII★

Destroyer

Destroyer Split

Cruiser

Cruiser Split

Battleship

Carrier

Tier VIIINeustrashimyPRSD709 Tier VIIIDelnyPRSD410 Tier VIITashkentPRSD409 Tier VIIIPetropavlovskPRSC310 Tier IVSoobrazitelnyPRSD304 Tier VGorkyPRSC216 Tier IVKotovskyPRSC215 Tier VIIRigaPRSC209 Tier VITallinnPRSC208 Tier VIMinskPRSD207 Tier VGnevnyPRSD206 Tier IVPodvoiskyPRSD205 Tier ★KhabarovskPRSD110 Tier VIKievPRSD109 Tier VIIIDm. DonskoiPRSC109 Tier VIIISovetsky SoyuzPRSB109 Tier VIIChapayevPRSC108 Tier VIIVladivostokPRSB108 Tier VIIPobedaPRSA108 Tier VIIUdaloiPRSD107 Tier VIShchorsPRSC107 Tier VISinopPRSB107 Tier VBoevoiPRSD106 Tier VBudyonnyPRSC106 Tier VIzmailPRSB106 Tier VSerovPRSA106 Tier IVKirovPRSC105 Tier IVPyotr VelikiyPRSB105 Tier IIIIzyaslavPRSD104 Tier IIISvietlanaPRSC104 Tier IIIGangutPRSB104 Tier IIIKomsomoletsPRSA104 Tier IIDerzkiPRSD103 Tier IIBogatyrPRSC103 Tier INovikPRSC102

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.

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

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Cohort position

Hide ▾

Where Budyonny sits among Tier V CAs (28 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.

BestFires per minute9 (1/26) BestTorpedo speed65 kt (1 of 3 tied) BestCitadel belt140 mm (1 of 2 tied) Top 10%AP DPM247,500 (3/28) Top 10%Engine power130,000 hp (3/28) Top 10%Turn-speed retention183.1 hp/m (3/28) Top 10%Power-to-weight11.64 hp/t (2/28) Top 25%Max speed35 kt (7/28) Top 25%Main battery range14.89 km (4/28) Top 25%HE DPM165,000 (4/26) Top 25%AP velocity950 m/s (5/28) Top 25%HE velocity950 m/s (5/26) Top 25%Max armor140 mm (5/28) Top 25%Deck armor140 mm (4/28) Bottom 25%AA DPS162 (22/28) Bottom 10%Torpedo range4.02 km (23/24) WorstStealth profile13 km / 7.8 km (1 of 3 tied / 1 of 3 tied) WorstSecondary DPM (per side)31,500 (25/25) WorstAA range3.5 km (1 of 5 tied) WorstTorpedo reload116 s (24/24) WorstEnd plates20 mm (25/28 / 1 of 2 tied)

See 22 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Budyonny -- 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 points30,800 HP(13/28) Rudder shift11.3 s(21/28) Traverse-to-turn ratio4.96 ×(19/28) Main battery caliber152 mm(19/28) Main battery reload7.2 s(9/28) Sigma2(15/28) HE shell damage2,200(17/26) HE fire chance12%(16/26) AP shell damage3,300(17/28) Main dispersion126.4 m(15/28) HE alpha1,400(18/25) Secondary fire chance6%(13/25) Secondary HE pen17 mm(13/25) Acceleration9.7 s(15/28) AP fuse timer0.03 s(17/28) AP arming threshold25 mm(11/28) Displacement11,170 t(17/28) Secondary range4.5 km(11/25) AA threat537(21/28) Torpedo damage14,400(17/24) NormAP ricochet start45°(25 of 28 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(25 of 28 tied at this value)

Peers in this cohort

Almirante Cochrane vs

Show all 27 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.

Radar 9 kmSonar 4.4 kmDef-AAFighter

Survivability

Hit PointsInitial: 25,800 → 30,800

Displacement11,170 t

Armor range10–140 mm

Plate armor thicknesses10, 13, 19, 20, 40, 50, 115, 140 mm

Armor material/layer entries47

Fire resistanceInitial: 20% → 23.3%

Fire duration30 s

Torp Reduction0%

Magazine HP

ƒ

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.

15,400

Steering gear HP

ƒ

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.

9,200

Main Battery

ModuleArtillery: 152 mm/57 MK-5

Mounts / barrels3 mounts / 9 barrels

Reload time8 s

Firing range (base)13.5 km

Firing range (top fire control)14.9 km

Turret traverse7.2 °/s

Shell Grouping (σ)

ƒ

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

2

Max Horiz Disp

ƒ

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (13533/30·(8−1.1)/1000 + 1.1)·30 = 126.4 m

126.4 m

Max Vert Disp

ƒ

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 126.4 × 0.6 = 75.8 m

75.8 m

Med Horiz Disp

ƒ

50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 126.4 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 40.4 m

40.4 m

Med Vert Disp

ƒ

50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 75.8 × 0.319 (σ=2) = 24.2 m

24.2 m

Turret turn time

ƒ

180 degrees / 7.2 deg/s traverse speed = 25 s.

25 s

Base shells/min

ƒ

9 broadside guns x 60 / 8 s base reload = 67.5.

67.5

HE shells

HE Damage2,200

HE Velocity950 m/s

Fire Chance12%

HE penetration

ƒ

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

25 mm

HE full-salvo alpha

ƒ

2,200 HE damage x 9 broadside guns = 19,800.

19,800

Base HE DPM

ƒ

19,800 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 8 s base reload = 148,500.

148,500

Base fires/min

ƒ

9 HE shells x 60 / 8 s reload x 12% fire chance = 8.1.

8.1

AP shells

AP Damage3,300

AP Velocity950 m/s

Min Ricochet45 deg

Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg

Fuse Timer0.025 s

Fuse Threshold25 mm

AP overmatch

ƒ

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

10 mm

AP Pen Close

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 × 2216 × 55^0.69 × 0.152^-1.07 × 950^1.38 = 339.7 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.

339.7 mm

AP Pen Far

ƒ

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (18.6 km), where the shell has slowed to 342.4 m/s: 1e-7 × 2216 × 55^0.69 × 0.152^-1.07 × 342.4^1.38 = 83.1 mm.

83.1 mm

AP full-salvo alpha

ƒ

3,300 AP damage x 9 broadside guns = 29,700.

29,700

Base AP DPM

ƒ

29,700 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 8 s base reload = 222,750.

222,750

AP AOE Radius

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.

15

◇

Torpedoes

ModuleTorpedoes: 533 mm PTA-53-68-bis

Launchers / tubes2 launchers × 5 tubes = 10 tubes

Reload time116 s

Projectile speed65 kt

Range4.02 km

Maximum simulated damage13,400 (est.)

Alpha damage40,200

Torpedo detectability1.3 km

Torpedo launcher traverse25 °/s

Torp Turn7.2 s

Torp Arming201 m

Per-side salvo damage

ƒ

per-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.

67,000

AA Defense

AA mount pointsInitial: 12 → 9

Close-range AA DPS

ƒ

Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (22×3.5×0.9) + (26×3.5×0.85) + (5×3.5×0.9) = 162. 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.

162

Maximum AA range

ƒ

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

3.5 km

37 mm 46-K (upgraded hull only)3×4 37mm

25 mm 2M-3 (upgraded hull only)6×2 25mm

37 mm 70-K (stock hull only)4×1 37mm

37 mm 70-K (stock hull only)2×1 37mm

12.7 mm DShK (stock hull only)6×1 13mm

100 mm/56 B-34 (DP)3×1 100mm

Far DPS

ƒ

Includes 5 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.

5

Medium DPS22

Range3.5 km

Total DPS in Aura

ƒ

Far 5 + Medium 22 = 27

27

DPS26

Range3.1 km

Total DPS in Aura

ƒ

Far 5 + Medium 22 + Near 26 = 53

53

S

Secondary Battery

Mounts3

Firing range4.5 km

Shell Grouping (σ)1

Caliber100 mm

Reload time4 s

HE Damage1,400

Muzzle Velocity895 m/s

Fire Chance6%

Armor Pen17 mm

Min Ricochet91°

Max Ricochet60°

Secondary dispersion type

ƒ

Max 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 @ 4.5 km

ƒ

4.5 km × 57 + 30 = 286.5 m.

286.5 m

Maneuverability

Engine moduleEngine: 130,000 hp

Engine power130,000 hp

Maximum speed35 kt

Turning circle radius710 m

Engine power multiplier speed threshold7 kt

Traverse-to-turn ratio5.0× drags

Concealment

Detectability by sea13 km

Detectability by air7.8 km

Smoke firing penalty6.47 km

Detect after firing main guns13 km

Detect Fire Sea15 km

Detect Fire Air10.8 km

Guaranteed Detect2 km

✦

Consumables

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

Choose one

Sonar2 charges · 180 s reload · 92 s active · 4.4 km ship detect · 3.13 km torpedo detect

Defensive AA Fire3 charges · 140 s reload · 25 s active · +100% flak burst boost

Choose one

Catapult Fighter3 charges · 70 s reload · 55 s active · 5.56 km patrol radius · 1 squadron size

Surveillance Radar2 charges · 180 s reload · 15 s active · 9 km radar range

Module options (3)

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

HullTrade-off

Hit points25,800 → 30,800
Rudder shift15.8 → 11.3 s
AA mounts12 → 9
Close-range AA DPS47 → 48
Maximum AA range3.2 → 3.5 km
Turret traverse7.2 → 13.4 °/s

Fire controlUpgrade

Main battery range13,533 → 14886.3 m

TorpedoesTrade-off

Range3.9 → 4.02 km
Reload70 → 116 s
Alpha damage37,500 → 40,200
Display damage12,500 → 13,400
Speed63 → 65 kt

See all derived stats

Show ▾

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 Disp126.4 m

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (13533/30·(8−1.1)/1000 + 1.1)·30 = 126.4 m

Max Vert Disp75.8 m

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 126.4 × 0.6 = 75.8 m

Med Horiz Disp40.4 m

50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 126.4 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 40.4 m

Med Vert Disp24.2 m

50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 75.8 × 0.319 (σ=2) = 24.2 m

AP Pen Close339.7 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 × 2216 × 55^0.69 × 0.152^-1.07 × 950^1.38 = 339.7 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.

AP Pen Far83.1 mm

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (18.6 km), where the shell has slowed to 342.4 m/s: 1e-7 × 2216 × 55^0.69 × 0.152^-1.07 × 342.4^1.38 = 83.1 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 Radius15

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 alpha9

All 9 barrels bear on the broadside.

Turret turn time25 s

180 degrees / 7.2 deg/s traverse speed = 25 s.

HE full-salvo alpha19,800

2,200 HE damage x 9 broadside guns = 19,800.

AP full-salvo alpha29,700

3,300 AP damage x 9 broadside guns = 29,700.

Base HE DPM148,500

19,800 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 8 s base reload = 148,500.

Base AP DPM222,750

29,700 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 8 s base reload = 222,750.

Base shells/min67.5

9 broadside guns x 60 / 8 s base reload = 67.5.

Base fires/min8.1

9 HE shells x 60 / 8 s reload x 12% fire chance = 8.1.

Torpedoes

Torpedo detectability1.3 km

Estimated torpedo reaction time7.7 s

detectability / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).

Torpedo speed65 kt

Travel time to max range23.8 s

range / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).

Tube count10

2 launchers x 5 tubes.

Per-side salvo5 torpedoes

tube count / 2 (symmetric port/starboard launcher layout; common on cruisers and battleships with deck torpedoes).

Full-salvo damage134,000

tube count x per-torpedo simulated damage (all torpedoes hitting).

Per-side salvo damage67,000

per-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS162

Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (22×3.5×0.9) + (26×3.5×0.85) + (5×3.5×0.9) = 162. 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 range3.5 km

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

AA threat index537

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 range3.1 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 @ 4.5 km286.5 m

4.5 km × 57 + 30 = 286.5 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)31,500

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: 3×1 100 mm (1.5/side) × 60/4 × 1400 = 31,500. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).

Max HE alpha1400

Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1400 from the 100 mm family.

Max HE fire chance6%

Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 6% from the 100 mm family.

Max HE pen17 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: 17 mm from the 100 mm family.

Armor

Hull HP 25,800 → 30,800 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.

Section	Plates	HP cap	Threats	Tactic
Bow	20 mm primary (range 13–20 mm)	1,800 (6% of HP)	Overmatched by 305mm+ (Indefatigable, Toulon)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)	40 mm	23,100 (75% of HP)	No common caliber overmatches40 mm: most HE shatters, standard pen from 283mm+	Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern	20 mm primary (range 13–40 mm)	1,600 (5% of HP)	Overmatched by 305mm+ (Indefatigable, Toulon)Angle bounces 283mm20 mm: HE pens from 127mm+	Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel	140 mm primary (range 10–140 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	13 mm primary (range 13–140 mm)	2,000 (6% 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	15,400 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.
Secondary mount (100 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	9,200 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 Budyonny can equip, from in-game data.

DefaultThe ship’s standard exterior

Budyonny

Budyonny Community Stats