GamingDiver / WoWs Legends Ships / Castilla
World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Castilla

Beta
Spain · Tier ★ · Cruiser
Heavy cruiserBig-gun cruiser: bully other cruisers with AP, angle versus battleships.
Playstyle
  • Sit 12-15 km from a contested cap where an island shadows you from the opposite battleship line
  • Avoid: Open-water broadside trading
Key characteristics
2.15 sigma accuracyStrong secondaries (6 km)SonarDefensive AASlow reload
Community Data

Castilla Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Castilla is a Legendary Spanish 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. Standout traits: best flat HE shells in Legendary CAs (954) and best top speed in Legendary CAs (37 kt).

Positioning

Sit 12-15 km from a contested cap where an island shadows you from the opposite battleship line. Hydro (5.6 km on ships, 3.9 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.

Potato Avoidance

Open-water broadside trading

Her 254mm shells citadel cruisers on the wrong frame, and her 56,000-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

Flat HE shells

954.0 m/s HE muzzle velocity, best of Legendary CAs. Flatter trajectory, easier to land at range.

Fast for the class

37.0 kt, best of Legendary CAs. Lets you rotate flanks or escape disengagements.

Fast AP shells

10.71 s flight time to max range, top decile of Legendary CAs. Harder for targets to dodge.

Fast HE shells

10.61 s HE flight time to max range, top decile of Legendary CAs. Harder to dodge.

Slow reload

20.7 s reload, worst of Legendary CAs. Salvos punish more, but cycle is slower than peers.

Slow acceleration

~11.9 s to max forward speed, worst of Legendary CAs. Sluggish rebuild after a turn or stop. (Acceleration decode is validated in-game but not yet confirmed across every ship.)

Acquisition

How to get Castilla

Castilla is a Premium ship and not available to unlock in the Tech Tree. Acquisition path: Premium/Event.

Builds Beta

Build for accuracy, reload/range, speed, concealment, torpedo utility, and survivability.

Open in Build Tool →

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Cohort position

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Where Castilla sits among Legendary CAs (21 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.

BestMax speed37 kt (1/21) BestHE velocity954 m/s (1 of 2 tied) Top 10%Sigma2.15 (3/21) Top 10%AP velocity945 m/s (3/21) Top 25%Turn-speed retention243.9 hp/m (5/21) Top 25%Power-to-weight9.17 hp/t (5/21) Top 25%Secondary range5.5 km (3/14) Bottom 25%AA threat1,953 (17/21) Bottom 25%Torpedo range8.01 km (11/13) Bottom 25%Deck armor50 mm (19/21) WorstMain battery reload20.7 s (21/21) WorstFires per minute4.17 (20/20) WorstHE DPM93,913 (20/20) WorstAP DPM164,348 (21/21) WorstSecondary fire chance5% (1 of 5 tied) WorstAcceleration11.9 s (21/21)
See 32 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Castilla -- 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 points56,000 HP(8/21) Concealment13.67 km(16/21) Air detection8.2 km(16/21) Rudder shift15 s(11/21) Traverse-to-turn ratio5.26 ×(12/21) Main battery caliber254 mm(9/21) Main battery range15.82 km(9/21) HE shell damage3,600(8/20) HE fire chance16%(11/20) AP shell damage6,300(8/21) Main dispersion142.2 m(11/21) Secondary DPM (per side)180,000(7/14) HE alpha1,500(10/13) Secondary HE pen21 mm(5/13) AP arming threshold42 mm(15/21) Engine power200,000 hp(7/21) Displacement21,800 t(10/21) AA DPS543(13/21) AA range5.2 km(9/21) Torpedo damage16,633(8/13) Torpedo speed62 kt(8/13) Torpedo reload106 s(7/13) Repair heal rate0.6 %/s(9/21) Max armor220 mm(9/21) Citadel belt150 mm(12/21) NormSecondary dispersion bracket57(11 of 14 tied at this value) NormAP fuse timer0.03 s(11 of 21 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(14 of 21 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(14 of 21 tied at this value) NormRepair charges2(15 of 21 tied at this value) NormBow armor25 mm(14 of 21 tied at this value) NormStern armor25 mm(13 of 21 tied at this value)

Stats & specs

Customize in the Build Tool →Shell ballistics chartMore tools in the WoWS Legends Data Lab

All values are ship base stats with modifications and upgrade changes denoted inline.

Sonar 5.56 kmRepair 2Def-AAFighter
Survivability
Hit Points56,000
Displacement21,800 t
Armor range15–220 mm
Plate armor thicknesses15, 16, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 80, 90, 100, 150, 180, 200, 220 mm
Armor material/layer entries55
Fire resistance40%
Fire duration30 s
Torp Reduction19%
Magazine HP
ƒThe 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.
25,500
Steering gear HP
ƒDurability 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.
16,800
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 254 mm/60
Mounts / barrels3 mounts / 9 barrels
Reload time23 s
Firing range15.8 km
Turret traverse7 °/s
Shells in Rack2
Ready Rack Reload2.5 s
Shell Grouping (σ)
ƒShell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
2.15
Max Horiz Disp
ƒHorizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (15820/30·(8−1.1)/1000 + 1.1)·30 = 142.2 m
142.2 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 142.2 × 0.6 = 85.3 m
85.3 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 142.2 × 0.302 (σ=2.15) = 43 m
43 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 85.3 × 0.302 (σ=2.15) = 25.8 m
25.8 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 7 deg/s traverse speed = 25.7 s.
25.7 s
Base shells/min
ƒ9 broadside guns x 60 / 23 s base reload = 23.5.
23.5
HE shells
HE Damage3,600
HE Velocity954 m/s
Fire Chance16%
HE penetration
ƒ42 mm ≈ 254 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
42 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ3,600 HE damage x 9 broadside guns = 32,400.
32,400
Base HE DPM
ƒ32,400 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 23 s base reload = 84,522.
84,522
Installed HE DPM
ƒ32,400 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 20.7 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 93,913.
93,913
Base fires/min
ƒ9 HE shells x 60 / 23 s reload x 16% fire chance = 3.76.
3.76
AP shells
AP Damage6,300
AP Velocity945 m/s
Min Ricochet45 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg
Fuse Timer0.033 s
Fuse Threshold42 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(254 mm caliber / 14.3) = 17 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
17 mm
AP Pen Close
ƒCanonical 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 × 2650 × 227.9^0.69 × 0.254^-1.07 × 945^1.38 = 620.9 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
620.9 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (19.8 km), where the shell has slowed to 511.3 m/s: 1e-7 × 2650 × 227.9^0.69 × 0.254^-1.07 × 511.3^1.38 = 266 mm.
266 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ6,300 AP damage x 9 broadside guns = 56,700.
56,700
Base AP DPM
ƒ56,700 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 23 s base reload = 147,913.
147,913
Installed AP DPM
ƒ56,700 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 20.7 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 164,348.
164,348
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.
40
◇
Torpedoes
ModuleTorpedoes: 533 mm Quintuple
Launchers / tubes2 launchers × 5 tubes = 10 tubes
Reload time106 s
Projectile speed62 kt
Range8.01 km
Maximum simulated damage15,533 (est.)
Alpha damage46,600
Torpedo detectability1.3 km
Torpedo launcher traverse25 °/s
Torp Turn7.2 s
Torp Arming191 m
Per-side salvo damage
ƒper-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.
77,665
AA Defense
AA mount points20
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (111×3.5×0.9) + (29×3.5×0.85) + (34×3.5×0.9) = 543. 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.
543
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
5.2 km
37 mm/54 Model 193912×4 37mm
20 mm/70 Breda Model 19418×6 20mm
128 mm/61 KM40 (DP)8×2 128mm
Far aura
DPS
ƒIncludes 34 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.
34
Range5.2 km
Medium aura
DPS111
Range3.5 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 34 + Medium 111 = 145
145
Near aura
DPS29
Range2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 34 + Medium 111 + Near 29 = 174
174
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts8
Firing range5.5 km
Shell Grouping (σ)1
Caliber128 mm
Reload time4 s
HE Damage1,500
Muzzle Velocity900 m/s
Fire Chance5%
Armor Pen21 mm
Min Ricochet91°
Max Ricochet60°
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 @ 5.5 km
ƒ5.5 km × 57 + 30 = 343.5 m.
343.5 m
Maneuverability
Engine moduleEngine: 200,000 hp
Engine power200,000 hp
Maximum speed37 kt
Turning circle radius820 m
Engine power multiplier speed threshold7 kt
Traverse-to-turn ratio5.3× slow
Concealment
Detectability by sea13.67 km
Detectability by air8.2 km
Smoke firing penalty9.18 km
Detect after firing main guns13.67 km
Detect Fire Sea15.67 km
Detect Fire Air11.2 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
✦
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 60 s reload · 5 s active
Repair Party2 charges · 60 s reload · 28 s active · 0.6% heal per second · 16.8% of max HP total heal
Choose one
Sonar2 charges · 180 s reload · 100 s active · 5.56 km ship detect · 3.89 km torpedo detect
Defensive AA Fire3 charges · 140 s reload · 25 s active · +100% flak burst boost
Catapult Fighter3 charges · 70 s reload · 55 s active · 5.56 km patrol radius · 1 squadron size
Module options (1)

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

HullUpgrade
  • Turret traverse7 → 10 °/s

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)2.15
Shell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
Max Horiz Disp142.2 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (15820/30·(8−1.1)/1000 + 1.1)·30 = 142.2 m
Max Vert Disp85.3 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 142.2 × 0.6 = 85.3 m
Med Horiz Disp43 m
50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 142.2 × 0.302 (σ=2.15) = 43 m
Med Vert Disp25.8 m
50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 85.3 × 0.302 (σ=2.15) = 25.8 m
Dispersion familyCruiser Disp.
Standard cruiser dispersion baseline.
AP Pen Close620.9 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 × 2650 × 227.9^0.69 × 0.254^-1.07 × 945^1.38 = 620.9 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far266 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (19.8 km), where the shell has slowed to 511.3 m/s: 1e-7 × 2650 × 227.9^0.69 × 0.254^-1.07 × 511.3^1.38 = 266 mm.
HE penetration42 mm
42 mm ≈ 254 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
AP overmatch17 mm
floor(254 mm caliber / 14.3) = 17 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
AP AOE Radius40
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 time25.7 s
180 degrees / 7 deg/s traverse speed = 25.7 s.
HE full-salvo alpha32,400
3,600 HE damage x 9 broadside guns = 32,400.
AP full-salvo alpha56,700
6,300 AP damage x 9 broadside guns = 56,700.
Base HE DPM84,522
32,400 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 23 s base reload = 84,522.
Base AP DPM147,913
56,700 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 23 s base reload = 147,913.
Installed HE DPM93,913
32,400 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 20.7 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 93,913.
Installed AP DPM164,348
56,700 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 20.7 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 164,348.
Base shells/min23.5
9 broadside guns x 60 / 23 s base reload = 23.5.
Installed shells/min26.1
9 broadside guns x 60 / 20.7 s installed Artillery reload = 26.1.
Base fires/min3.76
9 HE shells x 60 / 23 s reload x 16% fire chance = 3.76.
Installed fires/min4.17
9 HE shells x 60 / 20.7 s installed reload x 16% fire chance = 4.17.
Ready-rack burst alpha113,400
2 shells in rack x 9 broadside guns x 6,300 AP damage. Total damage the ship can deliver off the rack before reverting to base reload.
Burst window2.5 s
(2 shells - 1) x 2.5 s rack reload. Wall-clock duration from the first rack salvo to the last; the next salvo after that uses the base reload.

Torpedoes

Torpedo detectability1.3 km
Estimated torpedo reaction time8.1 s
detectability / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Torpedo speed62 kt
Travel time to max range49.7 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 damage155,330
tube count x per-torpedo simulated damage (all torpedoes hitting).
Per-side salvo damage77,665
per-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS543
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (111×3.5×0.9) + (29×3.5×0.85) + (34×3.5×0.9) = 543. 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 range5.2 km
Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
AA threat index1953
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 @ 5.5 km343.5 m
5.5 km × 57 + 30 = 343.5 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)180,000
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: 8×2 128 mm (8/side) × 60/4 × 1500 = 180,000. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).
Max HE alpha1500
Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1500 from the 128 mm family.
Max HE fire chance5%
Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 5% from the 128 mm family.
Max HE pen21 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: 21 mm from the 128 mm family.

Armor

Hull HP 56,000, 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
Bow25 mm primary (range 25–40 mm)2,600 (5% of HP)
Overmatched by 380mm+ (Bismarck, Richelieu)Angle 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 15–220 mm)42,000 (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.
Stern25 mm primary (range 25–60 mm)2,300 (4% of HP)
Overmatched by 380mm+ (Bismarck, Richelieu)Angle bounces 356mm25 mm: HE pens from 150mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel150 mm primary (range 30–150 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).
Superstructure50 mm4,000 (7% 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 HP25,500 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 (128 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 (37 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.
Rudder (module)separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP16,800 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.

Shell ballistics chart

AP penetration, impact velocity, flight time and impact angle vs range. Click to load the interactive chart.

Balance History

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

Buff ×1Main Battery ×1
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

  • Castilla 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.

2025-10-02 · Patch notes Halloween Update: Misty Voyage Patch notes 2026-04-30 · Patch notes May Update: From Rome to Edo Patch notes