World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Dm. Donskoi

Beta
Radar support cruiserLight caps and smoke-firing DDs; farm from cover.
Playstyle
  • Hold 12-15 km from a contested cap with an island close enough to break sightline when focus shifts
  • Avoid: Using radar like a destroyer hunter rather than a position tool
Key characteristics
2.05 sigma accuracy16 km gun rangeRadar (13 km)Defensive AAEasily spotted
Community Data

Dm. Donskoi Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Dm. Donskoi is a Tier VIII Soviet light cruiser whose signature kit is Surveillance Radar (13 km). The radar drop is what makes her valuable in cap fights; the guns are the secondary story.

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.

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

Surveillance Radar

13 km range, 25 s duration. Detects all enemy ships within a fixed radius regardless of line-of-sight. Controls caps and punishes smoke-firing DDs.

Long-range radar

13.0 km Surveillance Radar range, best of T8 CAs. Lights targets peer radars can't reach.

Thick end plates

35.0 mm bow and stern plating, both in the top bracket of T8 CAs. Same-tier guns can't overmatch the ends.

Fast for the class

36.0 kt, top decile of T8 CAs. Lets you rotate flanks or escape disengagements.

Thick bow plate

35.0 mm bow, best of T8 CAs. Harder for same-tier guns to overmatch.

Easily spotted

14.69 km surface detect, bottom decile of T8 CAs. Visible before you can react; position early.

Acquisition

How to get Dm. Donskoi

Dm. Donskoi is available in the Artillery Cruisers branch of the U.S.S.R. Tech Tree for 25,000,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 6,250,000 credits.

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

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

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.

Open in Build Tool →

Commanders frequently paired with this ship AL AvroraAL ChapayevAL Tallinn

Have a build you swear by? Open it in the Build Tool and hit Save build to share it here.

Cohort position

Hide

Where Dm. Donskoi sits among Tier VIII CAs (27 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.

BestEnd plates35 mm (1/27 / 1/27) Top 10%Max speed36 kt (3/27) Top 25%Main battery range15.97 km (5/27) Top 25%AP velocity920 m/s (6/27) Top 25%HE velocity920 m/s (7/25) Top 25%Displacement17,500 t (7/27) Top 25%Power-to-weight8.23 hp/t (6/27) Top 25%Repair heal rate0.7 %/s (7/27) Bottom 25%HE alpha1,400 (17/20) Bottom 25%Secondary HE pen17 mm (17/20) Bottom 25%AA DPS407 (22/27) Bottom 25%AA threat1,464 (22/27) Bottom 25%Torpedo reload117 s (14/16) Bottom 25%Max armor120 mm (22/27) Bottom 10%Stealth profile14.69 km / 8.81 km (26/27 / 26/27) WorstTorpedo speed55 kt (16/16)
See 30 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Dm. Donskoi -- 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 points47,400 HP(13/27) Rudder shift13.8 s(13/27) Traverse-to-turn ratio7.31 ×(10/27) Main battery caliber180 mm(19/27) Main battery reload11.2 s(15/27) Sigma2.05(13/27) HE shell damage2,500(19/25) HE fire chance13%(18/25) Fires per minute8.36(10/25) HE DPM160,714(13/25) AP shell damage4,400(18/27) AP DPM282,857(15/27) Main dispersion133.2 m(13/27) Secondary DPM (per side)134,400(15/21) Secondary fire chance6%(11/20) Acceleration10.8 s(19/27) AP arming threshold30 mm(9/27) Engine power144,000 hp(11/27) Turn-speed retention148.5 hp/m(19/27) AA range5 km(19/27) Torpedo range8.01 km(12/16) Torpedo damage14,400(12/16) Citadel belt120 mm(17/27) Deck armor120 mm(9/26) NormSecondary dispersion bracket57(16 of 21 tied at this value) NormAP fuse timer0.03 s(18 of 27 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(21 of 27 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(20 of 27 tied at this value) NormSecondary range5 km(17 of 21 tied at this value) NormRepair charges2(25 of 27 tied at this value)

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

Radar 13 kmSonar 5.2 kmRepair 2Def-AA
Survivability
Hit PointsInitial: 40,200 → 47,400
Displacement17,500 t
Armor range13–120 mm
Plate armor thicknesses13, 19, 20, 25, 27, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 60, 90, 100, 120 mm
Armor material/layer entries49
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.
23,700
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.
14,200
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 180 mm/57 MK-3-180M
Mounts / barrels4 mounts / 12 barrels
Reload time12.5 s
Firing range (base)14.5 km
Firing range (top fire control)16 km
Turret traverse8 °/s
Shell Grouping (σ)
ƒShell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
2.05
Max Horiz Disp
ƒHorizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (14517/30·(8−1.1)/1000 + 1.1)·30 = 133.2 m
133.2 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 133.2 × 0.6 = 79.9 m
79.9 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 133.2 × 0.314 (σ=2.05) = 41.8 m
41.8 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 79.9 × 0.314 (σ=2.05) = 25.1 m
25.1 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 8 deg/s traverse speed = 22.5 s.
22.5 s
Base shells/min
ƒ12 broadside guns x 60 / 12.5 s base reload = 57.6.
57.6
HE shells
HE Damage2,500
HE Velocity920 m/s
Fire Chance13%
HE penetration
ƒ30 mm ≈ 180 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
30 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ2,500 HE damage x 12 broadside guns = 30,000.
30,000
Base HE DPM
ƒ30,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 12.5 s base reload = 144,000.
144,000
Installed HE DPM
ƒ30,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 11.2 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 160,714.
160,714
Base fires/min
ƒ12 HE shells x 60 / 12.5 s reload x 13% fire chance = 7.49.
7.49
AP shells
AP Damage4,400
AP Velocity920 m/s
Min Ricochet45 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg
Fuse Timer0.033 s
Fuse Threshold30 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(180 mm caliber / 14.3) = 12 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
12 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 × 2370 × 97.5^0.69 × 0.18^-1.07 × 920^1.38 = 430.6 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
430.6 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (20 km), where the shell has slowed to 423.4 m/s: 1e-7 × 2370 × 97.5^0.69 × 0.18^-1.07 × 423.4^1.38 = 147.5 mm.
147.5 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ4,400 AP damage x 12 broadside guns = 52,800.
52,800
Base AP DPM
ƒ52,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 12.5 s base reload = 253,440.
253,440
Installed AP DPM
ƒ52,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 11.2 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 282,857.
282,857
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.
25
Torpedoes
ModuleTorpedoes: 53-36 mod. 2
Launchers / tubes2 launchers × 5 tubes = 10 tubes
Reload time117 s
Projectile speed55 kt
Range8.01 km
Maximum simulated damage13,400 (est.)
Alpha damage40,200
Torpedo detectability1.1 km
Torpedo launcher traverse25 °/s
Torp Turn7.2 s
Torp Arming170 m
Per-side salvo damage
ƒper-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.
67,000
AA Defense
AA mount points16
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (61×3.5×0.9) + (50×3.5×0.85) + (21×3.5×0.9) = 407. 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.
407
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
5 km
25 mm 4M-120Initial: 25 mm 2M-3 (10×2) → 25 mm 4M-120 (10×4)
45 mm SM-20-ZIF6×4 45mm
100 mm/56 B-54 (DP)6×2 100mm
Far aura
DPS
ƒIncludes 21 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.
21
Range5 km
Medium aura
DPSInitial: 63 → 61
Range3.5 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 21 + Medium 61 = 82
82
Near aura
DPSInitial: 36 → 50
Range3.1 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 21 + Medium 61 + Near 50 = 132
132
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts6
Firing range5.0 km
Shell Grouping (σ)1
Caliber100 mm
Reload time3.75 s
HE Damage1,400
Muzzle Velocity895 m/s
Fire Chance6%
Armor Pen17 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 km
ƒ5 km × 57 + 30 = 315 m.
315 m
Maneuverability
Engine moduleEngine: 144,000 hp
Engine power144,000 hp
Maximum speed36 kt
Turning circle radius970 m
Engine power multiplier speed threshold7 kt
Traverse-to-turn ratio7.3× ok
Concealment
Detectability by sea14.69 km
Detectability by air8.81 km
Smoke firing penalty8.43 km
Detect after firing main guns14.69 km
Detect Fire Sea16.69 km
Detect Fire Air11.81 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 60 s reload · 5 s active
Choose one
Sonar2 charges · 180 s reload · 98 s active · 5.2 km ship detect · 3.63 km torpedo detect
Defensive AA Fire3 charges · 140 s reload · 25 s active · +100% flak burst boost
Surveillance Radar2 charges · 180 s reload · 25 s active · 13 km radar range
Repair Party2 charges · 55 s reload · 28 s active · 0.7% heal per second · 19.6% of max HP total heal
Module options (2)

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

HullUpgrade
  • Hit points40,200 → 47,400
  • Rudder shift19.3 → 13.8 s
  • Close-range AA DPS99 → 111
  • Turret traverse8 → 10 °/s
Fire controlUpgrade
  • Main battery range14,517 → 15968.7 m

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)2.05
Shell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
Max Horiz Disp133.2 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (14517/30·(8−1.1)/1000 + 1.1)·30 = 133.2 m
Max Vert Disp79.9 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 133.2 × 0.6 = 79.9 m
Med Horiz Disp41.8 m
50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 133.2 × 0.314 (σ=2.05) = 41.8 m
Med Vert Disp25.1 m
50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 79.9 × 0.314 (σ=2.05) = 25.1 m
AP Pen Close430.6 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 × 2370 × 97.5^0.69 × 0.18^-1.07 × 920^1.38 = 430.6 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far147.5 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (20 km), where the shell has slowed to 423.4 m/s: 1e-7 × 2370 × 97.5^0.69 × 0.18^-1.07 × 423.4^1.38 = 147.5 mm.
HE penetration30 mm
30 mm ≈ 180 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
AP overmatch12 mm
floor(180 mm caliber / 14.3) = 12 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
AP AOE Radius25
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 alpha12
All 12 barrels bear on the broadside.
Turret turn time22.5 s
180 degrees / 8 deg/s traverse speed = 22.5 s.
HE full-salvo alpha30,000
2,500 HE damage x 12 broadside guns = 30,000.
AP full-salvo alpha52,800
4,400 AP damage x 12 broadside guns = 52,800.
Base HE DPM144,000
30,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 12.5 s base reload = 144,000.
Base AP DPM253,440
52,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 12.5 s base reload = 253,440.
Installed HE DPM160,714
30,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 11.2 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 160,714.
Installed AP DPM282,857
52,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 11.2 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 282,857.
Base shells/min57.6
12 broadside guns x 60 / 12.5 s base reload = 57.6.
Installed shells/min64.3
12 broadside guns x 60 / 11.2 s installed Artillery reload = 64.3.
Base fires/min7.49
12 HE shells x 60 / 12.5 s reload x 13% fire chance = 7.49.
Installed fires/min8.36
12 HE shells x 60 / 11.2 s installed reload x 13% fire chance = 8.36.

Torpedoes

Torpedo detectability1.1 km
Estimated torpedo reaction time7.7 s
detectability / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Torpedo speed55 kt
Travel time to max range56 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 DPS407
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (61×3.5×0.9) + (50×3.5×0.85) + (21×3.5×0.9) = 407. 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 km
Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
AA threat index1464
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 @ 5 km315 m
5 km × 57 + 30 = 315 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)134,400
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: 6×2 100 mm (6/side) × 60/3.75 × 1400 = 134,400. 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 40,20047,400 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
Bow35 mm primary (range 25–40 mm)2,200 (5% of HP)
No common caliber overmatches35 mm: most HE shatters, standard pen from 283mm+
Bow-tank fits behind this exterior plate. Saturation is FAST here; the cap is often only a few thousand HP.
Hull (midship)25 mm primary (range 19–120 mm)35,600 (75% of HP)
Overmatched by 380mm+ (Bismarck, Richelieu)Angle bounces 356mm25 mm: HE pens from 150mm+
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern35 mm primary (range 25–90 mm)1,300 (3% of HP)
No common caliber overmatches35 mm: most HE shatters, standard pen from 283mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel120 mm primary (range 27–120 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).
Superstructure13 mm primary (range 13–120 mm)3,500 (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 HP23,700 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 (100 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 (45 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 HP14,200 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.
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

  • Dm. Donskoi default exterior
    DefaultThe ship’s standard exterior

Primary official WG sources

GamingDiver has not indexed a focused official WG source card for this ship yet. The guide still uses the spreadsheet, in-game data, balance history, and community-data pipeline where available.

Source status No high-context source card yet Filtered for precision