World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Dresden

Also called: 德累斯顿 Beta
Tutorial-tier shipLearn the fundamentals: movement, aim, shell travel, and reading the minimap.
Playstyle
  • Stay near your team; do not push ahead alone
  • Avoid: Sailing in a straight line
Key characteristics
High HE DPMHeavy citadel beltFast turret traverseHeavy beltEasily spotted
On this page
Community Data

Dresden Community Stats

Across 580+ Standard battles from 160+ players, Dresden averages a 67% win rate, 16,800 damage and 1.3 kills per battle, and survives 52% of them.

Community Data

Dresden Community Stats

Log in to GamingDiver and upload your data to see Community Data for Dresden: community win rate, damage, survival, spotting, and your own comparison.

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Playstyle

Overview

Dresden is a Tier I German cruiser - a tutorial-tier ship. The kit is for learning basic mechanics: movement, aiming, shell travel time, gun rotation, and reading the minimap. Match impact comes from making fewer mistakes than the other Tier I players, not from gear advantages. Notable: best HE DPM in T1 CAs (126,000, 1st of 11) and best heavy citadel belt in T1 CAs (80 mm, 1st of 12).

Positioning

Stay near your team; do not push ahead alone. At Tier I the goal is practicing the basics, so pick a teammate to follow and learn how to lead your shots while their ship is in your field of vision.

Potato Avoidance

Sailing in a straight line

Even Tier I players will lead a predictable target; learn to make small course changes between salvos to break enemy aim. This is the single highest-impact habit to build at this tier.

Signature Traits

ELITE MAIN BATTERY ↗
  • HE DPM machine · 126000 HE
  • Fast turret traverse · 10°/s
ELITE ARMOR ↗
  • Heavy citadel belt · 80 mm
  • Heavy belt
Easily spotted ↗

8.9 km surface detect, bottom decile of T1 CAs. Visible before you can react; position early.

Low fire chance ↗

4% fire chance per HE shell, bottom decile of T1 CAs. AP carries more weight.

Acquisition

How to get Dresden

Dresden is available in the Dresden branch of the Germany Tech Tree as an early line ship.

While you save up, check active promo codes for free doubloons, camouflages, and other rewards.

Show Germany tech-tree branch diagram

Builds

Pair with a commander whose unique skill complements her main armament; check the build tool for current recommendations.

Open in Build Tool →

Commanders frequently paired with this ship AL Graf SpeeAL HipperAL Roon

Have a build you swear by? Open it in the Build Tool and hit Save build to share it here, or browse the Ship Builds guide for proven loadouts across the fleet.

Cohort position

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Where Dresden sits among Tier I CAs (11 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.

BestHE DPM126,000 (1 of 2 tied) BestCitadel belt80 mm (1/12) Top 25%Main battery reload4 s (3/12) Top 25%Fires per minute4.2 (3/11) Top 25%Main dispersion89.5 m (3/12) Top 25%Engine power18,800 hp (4/12) Top 25%Power-to-weight4.4 hp/t (4/12) Bottom 25%Hit points11,900 HP (10/12) Bottom 25%Stealth profile8.86 km / 5.32 km (11/12 / 11/12) Bottom 25%Main battery caliber105 mm (11/12) Bottom 25%Main battery range9.94 km (10/12) WorstTurning circle580 m (12/12) WorstHE velocity710 m/s (11/11)
See 11 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Dresden -- 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.

Max speed25 kt(5/12) Smoke fire bloom3.05 km(5/12) Rudder shift4.9 s(9/12) HE shell damage1,200(9/11) Time to 90% speed23.3 s(8/12) Acceleration (0-12 kt)10.6 s(5/12) Power / turn radius32.4 hp/m(7/12) Displacement4,268 t(8/12) AA threat15(9/12) Max armor100 mm(5/12) NormTurn speed retained81%(11 of 12 tied at this value)
Survivability
Hit Points11,900
Displacement4,268 t
Hull dimensions
ƒLength x beam at the waterline, plus draft. Length matters when dodging torpedoes; beam and draft shape how hard the ship is to hit.
118.3 x 13.9 m (ship-model figure)
Armor range6–100 mm
Plate armor thicknesses6, 9, 10, 19, 50, 80, 100 mm
Armor material/layer entries33
Fire resistance
ƒtop hull: 1 − 1 fire coefficient = 0%. Lowers how often hits set you on fire. It does not reduce the damage a burning fire does per second; fires burn at the full rate on every ship.
0%
Fire duration30 s
Fire damage
ƒOne unattended fire: 0.003 of max HP per second (0.3%) × 30 s = 0.09 of the pool; 0.09 × 11,900 HP = 1,071 HP on this ship. 4 fire points can burn at once.
0.3% of HP per second
Flood duration40 s
Flood damage
ƒOne unattended flood: 0.0025 of max HP per second (0.25%) × 40 s = 0.1 of the pool; 0.1 × 11,900 HP = 1,190 HP on this ship.
0.25% of HP per second
Torp Reduction
ƒ1 − 0.333 hull torpedo-damage coefficient / 0.333 unprotected baseline = 0%. Reduces torpedo hit damage. It does not affect flooding: floods start as often and tick at the full rate.
0%
Magazine HP
ƒPer-turret powder-magazine HP, a separate pool from the ship's. Penetrating hits wear it down and the turret is likelier to be knocked out as it falls, so a larger pool keeps the guns firing through punishment that silences a peer's.
8,600
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.
5,100
Repairable: penetration50%
Repairable: citadel10%
Repairable: steering gear50%
Section HP
Bow section HP
ƒDamage saturation pool for the bow: penetrations here deal their normal share until twice this much penetration damage has landed on the section (2 × 1,000 = 2,000), then further hits on it deal half damage. A penetration deals 0.33 × the shell's max damage; once the section is saturated it deals exactly half of that (0.5 × 0.33 = 0.165 × max damage), so a 3,000-damage shell's pen goes from 990 to 495. Overpens (0.1 × max damage) and citadels (1.0 ×) ignore saturation. Pens on the ship's other, unsaturated sections still deal the normal 0.33 ×. A larger pool keeps that part of the ship taking full damage for longer; a small one saturates fast and protects the ship's HP.
1,000
Auxiliary section HP
ƒDamage saturation pool for the auxiliary room: penetrations here deal their normal share until twice this much penetration damage has landed on the section (2 × 1,700 = 3,400), then further hits on it deal half damage. A penetration deals 0.33 × the shell's max damage; once the section is saturated it deals exactly half of that (0.5 × 0.33 = 0.165 × max damage), so a 3,000-damage shell's pen goes from 990 to 495. Overpens (0.1 × max damage) and citadels (1.0 ×) ignore saturation. Pens on the ship's other, unsaturated sections still deal the normal 0.33 ×. A larger pool keeps that part of the ship taking full damage for longer; a small one saturates fast and protects the ship's HP.
1,700
Hull section HP
ƒDamage saturation pool for the hull: penetrations here deal their normal share until twice this much penetration damage has landed on the section (2 × 9,900 = 19,800), then further hits on it deal half damage. A penetration deals 0.33 × the shell's max damage; once the section is saturated it deals exactly half of that (0.5 × 0.33 = 0.165 × max damage), so a 3,000-damage shell's pen goes from 990 to 495. Overpens (0.1 × max damage) and citadels (1.0 ×) ignore saturation. Pens on the ship's other, unsaturated sections still deal the normal 0.33 ×. A larger pool keeps that part of the ship taking full damage for longer; a small one saturates fast and protects the ship's HP.
9,900
Superstructure section HP
ƒDamage saturation pool for the superstructure: penetrations here deal their normal share until twice this much penetration damage has landed on the section (2 × 300 = 600), then further hits on it deal half damage. A penetration deals 0.33 × the shell's max damage; once the section is saturated it deals exactly half of that (0.5 × 0.33 = 0.165 × max damage), so a 3,000-damage shell's pen goes from 990 to 495. Overpens (0.1 × max damage) and citadels (1.0 ×) ignore saturation. Pens on the ship's other, unsaturated sections still deal the normal 0.33 ×. The superstructure is not exempt: it saturates exactly like the bow and stern, so shells aimed at it stop dealing full damage once this pool is used up. A larger pool keeps that part of the ship taking full damage for longer; a small one saturates fast and protects the ship's HP.
300
Stern section HP
ƒDamage saturation pool for the stern: penetrations here deal their normal share until twice this much penetration damage has landed on the section (2 × 1,000 = 2,000), then further hits on it deal half damage. A penetration deals 0.33 × the shell's max damage; once the section is saturated it deals exactly half of that (0.5 × 0.33 = 0.165 × max damage), so a 3,000-damage shell's pen goes from 990 to 495. Overpens (0.1 × max damage) and citadels (1.0 ×) ignore saturation. Pens on the ship's other, unsaturated sections still deal the normal 0.33 ×. A larger pool keeps that part of the ship taking full damage for longer; a small one saturates fast and protects the ship's HP.
1,000
Citadel section HP
ƒThis section has no practical saturation cap: every hit here keeps dealing its normal share of damage (on most ships the citadel; on many destroyers the casemate).
No saturation cap
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 105 mm L/40 MPL C/04
Mounts / barrels12 mounts / 12 barrels
Reload time4 s
Firing range (base)9 km
Firing range (top fire control)9.9 km
Turret traverse10 °/s
Turret armor50 mm
Turret traverse arcs
ƒHow far each mount can train, in degrees to either side of the mount's own facing. A rear turret with ±150° leaves a 60° blind wedge over the bow; one-sided arcs are wing mounts that cover a single side. The data does not say which way each mount faces, so the arcs are listed per mount without bow/stern angles.
2x 162° arc, 155° port-only, 2x 135° starboard-only, 158° starboard-only, 158° port-only, 149° starboard-only, 149° port-only, 2x 163° arc, 155° starboard-only
Shell Grouping (σ)2
Dispersion type
ƒIn practice: 12% tighter (better) horizontal dispersion and 12% less vertical spread at max range (9.9 km) than a standard cruiser: about 90 m wide × 54 m tall, against 102 m × 61 m. Also on this curve (225): AL Avrora, AL Yukikaze, AL Z24, Acasta, Achilles, Adriatico, Aigle, Akatsuki, Akizuki, Albany, Allen M. Sumner, Attilio Regolo and 213 more.
Standard destroyer
Max Horiz Disp
ƒHorizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the dispersion model: σH=(R30·idealRadius−minRadiusidealDistance+minRadius)·30 =(9939.630·8−0.51000+0.5)·30=89.5m
89.5 m at 9.9 km
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: σV=σH·radiusOnMax =89.5·0.6=53.7m
53.7 m at 9.9 km
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius: σH,50=σH·0.6σ =89.5·0.62=26.9m
26.9 m at 9.9 km
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius: σV,50=σV·0.6σ =53.7·0.62=16.1m
16.1 m at 9.9 km
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 10 deg/s traverse speed = 18 s.
18 s
Shells/min
ƒ7 broadside guns x 60 / 4 s base reload = 105.
105
HE shells
HE alpha1,200
HE Velocity710 m/s
Fire Chance4%
HE penetration
ƒ18 mm ≈ 105 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
18 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ1,200 HE damage x 7 broadside guns = 8,400.
8,400
HE DPM
ƒ8,400 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4 s base reload = 126,000.
126,000
Fires/min
ƒ105 shells/min × 0.04 (4% fire chance) = 4.2.
4.2
AA Defense
AA mount points4
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 1 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.
1 km
7.92 mm MG 084×1 8mm
Near aura
Guns7.92 mm MG 08
Continuous DPS
ƒEffective DPS: 5 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.85 hit probability = 15 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.
15
Range1 km
Maneuverability
Engine power18,800 hp
Maximum speed25.0 kt
Turning circle radius580 m
Rudder shift time4.9 s
Engine power-boost threshold7.0 kt
Engine spool-up time15.3 s
Reverse spool-up time7.7 s
Reverse speed
ƒtop speed / 4 + 4.9 = 25 / 4 + 4.9 = 11.2 kt. Base value; speed modifiers scale it.
11.2 kt
Crash stop
ƒSeconds from top speed to a dead stop after ordering full reverse: reverse power winds in over the reverse spool-up while water drag does most of the braking, using the ship's own reverse-power ratio. The full curve is on the acceleration chart. Full reverse stops about a quarter faster than a plain Stop order from top speed.
26.6 s
Engine boost threshold (reverse)
ƒSpeed below which the engine's built-in power boost applies in reverse.
7.9 kt
Acceleration 0-90%
ƒTime to reach 90% of top speed (22.5 kt of 25.0 kt).
23.3 s
Acceleration 0-99%
ƒTime to reach 99% of top speed (24.8 kt of 25.0 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.
37.4 s
Guns in a full turn
ƒWith the rudder hard over the hull turns 5.3°/s, so a target drifts across the bow at that rate. Turret traverse minus hull turn: 10 − 5.3 = +4.7°/s, so the guns hold the target through the turn. Main Battery Mod. 2 (+20% traverse) and Mod. 3 (−15%) move this line.
hold target (+4.7°/s spare)
Concealment
Detectability by sea
ƒBase value, no camouflage. With a Grade IV permanent camo (or any disposable camo): 8.86 km x 0.955 = 8.46 km. Camouflage does not change detectability by air.
8.86 km
With Grade IV camouflage (sea)
ƒDetectability by sea 8.86 km x 0.955 (Grade IV permanent camo or any disposable camo) = 8.46 km.
8.46 km
Detectability by air5.32 km
Smoke firing penalty3.05 km
Detect when firing (sea)
ƒmax(main battery range, sea detectability 8.86 km) = 9.94 km. Equal to the ship's main battery range (never below base detectability): firing makes you visible to everyone you can reach.
9.94 km
Detect when firing (air)
ƒAir detectability 5.32 km + gun-firing bloom 2.1 km = 7.42 km. The bloom tracks main-battery caliber 105 mm × 0.020 = 2.1 km.
7.42 km
Detect when on fire (sea)
ƒSea detectability 8.86 km + 2.0 km while burning = 10.86 km.
10.86 km
Detect when on fire (air)
ƒAir detectability 5.32 km + 3.0 km while burning = 8.32 km.
8.32 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
✦
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 60 s reload · 5 s active
Module options (1)

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

Fire controlUpgrade
  • Main battery range9,036 → 9939.6 m

Under the hood

Show ▾

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

The constants behind the formulas and the long tail: shell and dispersion inputs, fixed-range anchors, salvo math, layered AA. Click the formula chip on any row to see how it is calculated.

Main battery formulas

vs standard cruiser12% tighter H · 12% shorter V
H = horizontal, V = vertical spread. This ship's curve against the standard cruiser curve, both evaluated at this ship's max range (9.9 km) with the same model as Max Horiz/Vert Disp: horizontal 90 / 102 m − 1 = -12%, vertical 54 / 61 m − 1 = -12%. Shell grouping (σ) is separate: it sets how shells bunch toward the centre of this ellipse.
Shell scatter width @ 5 km52.5 m
(166.7 × (8 − 0.5) / 1000 + 0.5) × 30 = 52.5 m. Horizontal scatter at a fixed 5 km, from the same dispersion model as the rows below - a knife-fight-range anchor comparable across ships.
Guns per full salvo (alpha, DPM)7
Counted from each mount's firing arc: most barrels that bear at once: 7 of 12, on the beam; casemate/wing mounts only fire one side.

Model inputs

HE muzzle velocity710 m/s
Starting speed of the HE shell; sets its flight time and lead.
idealRadius8
Horizontal dispersion growth per idealDistance of range, in 30 m units; the slope of the scatter-width line.
minRadius0.5
Horizontal dispersion at zero range, in 30 m units; the intercept of the scatter-width line.
idealDistance1,000 m
Range step over which horizontal dispersion grows by idealRadius.
taperDist4,000 m
Inside this range the scatter width tapers toward minRadius instead of following the line.
radiusOnZero0.2
Vertical scatter as a share of horizontal at zero range.
radiusOnDelim0.5
Vertical scatter as a share of horizontal at the delim point.
radiusOnMax0.6
Vertical scatter as a share of horizontal at maximum range.
delim0.5
Where the vertical-scatter curve bends, as a share of maximum range.

AA defense

AA DPS at max range15
Only families that reach 1 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: MachineGunMaxim 7 62 4x1 -> 15 DPS @ 1 km.
AA DPS layered by range15 DPS @ 1 km
@ 1 km: 15 from one family. Cumulative AA DPS at each family range threshold. Inner ranges stack the outer families, so a target closing the distance hits stronger AA bubbles as it crosses each band.
AA DPS at point-blank15
15 = 15 DPS: the sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (1 km).
AA threat index15
15 × 1 = 15. 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 range1 km
Open in Charting Tool

Ship Charts

Background

A typical German protected cruiser of the early 20th century. Dresden could serve as a scout or raider, or cover a ship squadron from enemy destroyers. She could boast a high speed for her time and very good armor protection. Compared with the majority of her contemporary enemy cruisers, she was fitted with numerous, yet less efficient guns.

Armor Beta

Hull HP 11,900, distributed across 5 hull zones, each with its own plate thicknesses, saturation cap, and pen thresholds.

Bow & stern6 mm

Overmatched by 60+ AP guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.

Belt / citadel80 mm

Thin belt: battleship AP citadels straight through it broadside. Rely on angle, speed and concealment, never sit flat.

Farming6 mm

Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 0%, fires burn 30s. Range-by-range in the Compare tool →

Section Plates HP cap Threats Tactic
Bow6 mm primary (range 6–100 mm)1,000 (8% of HP)
Overmatched by 127mm+ AP (Farragut)6 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)9 mm9,900 (83% of HP)
Overmatched by 150mm+ AP (Celebes, Königsberg)Angle bounces 127mm9 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern6 mm primary (range 6–10 mm)1,000 (8% of HP)
Overmatched by 127mm+ AP (Farragut)6 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel80 mm primary (range 6–80 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.
Superstructure6 mm primary (range 6–50 mm)300 (3% 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 HP8,600 magazine HPTurret knocked outPer-turret powder-magazine HP, a separate pool that does not drain ship HP. As it is worn down the turret is likelier to be knocked out, and a smaller pool gets there faster.
AA mount (8 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 HP5,100 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.

Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

Every custom exterior Dresden can equip.

  • Dresden 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 balance history and community data where available.

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