World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Duchaffault

Beta
Hybrid destroyerBalance guns and torps; cap, spot, and trade as the map allows.
Playstyle
  • Hold concealment edges on the contested cap at 6.5 km detection
  • Avoid: Burning the 6.5 km concealment advantage on guns
Key characteristics
SmokeEngine BoostSlow acceleration
Community Data

Duchaffault Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Duchaffault is a Tier V French stealth-leaning destroyer with strong surface detection (6.5 km). The kit opens detection windows most peer DDs cannot match, so her value is contesting caps from concealment edges where the detection band holds. Standout traits: best flat HE shells in T5 DDs (950) and best smoke duration in T5 DDs (20 s).

Positioning

Hold concealment edges on the contested cap at 6.5 km detection. The band opens windows for unspotted torpedo drops and clean repositions; lean into the gaps your peer DDs cannot read, and back out before detection closes.

Potato Avoidance

Burning the 6.5 km concealment advantage on guns

Every salvo lights you up and gives back the detection edge that makes the kit work; reserve guns for finishing damage on already-spotted ships, and prioritize torpedo drops you can fire while undetected.

Signature Traits

Flat HE shells

950.0 m/s HE muzzle velocity, best of T5 DDs. Flatter trajectory, easier to land at range.

Long-burning smoke

20.0 s Smoke Generator duration, best of T5 DDs. Holds the smoke shield longer.

Hardened superstructure

16.0 mm superstructure, best of T5 DDs. HE farms less.

Fast for the class

38.0 kt, top decile of T5 DDs. Lets you rotate flanks or escape disengagements.

Flat AP shells

950.0 m/s AP muzzle velocity, top decile of T5 DDs. Flatter trajectory, less lead, harder to dodge.

Slow acceleration

~13.0 s to max forward speed, bottom decile of T5 DDs. Sluggish rebuild after a turn or stop. (Acceleration decode is validated in-game but not yet confirmed across every ship.)

Acquisition

How to get Duchaffault

Duchaffault is available in the French Torpedo Destroyers branch of the France Tech Tree for 2,400,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 600,000 credits. 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.

Show France tech-tree branch diagram
France Tech Tree

Duchaffault sits in the French Torpedo Destroyers branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full France tree.

Best listed chance for this ship

Official WG availability sources
Show direct source rows

Builds Beta

Build for speed, concealment, torpedo damage/reload, and survivability. Guns are secondary pressure.

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Cohort position

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Where Duchaffault sits among Tier V DDs (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.

BestMain dispersion84.9 m (1 of 2 tied) BestHE velocity950 m/s (1 of 2 tied) BestAP arming threshold20 mm (1 of 7 tied) Top 10%Traverse-to-turn ratio7.13 × (3/21) Top 10%AP velocity950 m/s (2/19) Top 25%Max speed38 kt (5/21) Top 25%Air detection3.23 km (6/21) Top 25%Engine power50,000 hp (5/21) Top 25%Turn-speed retention87.7 hp/m (4/21) Top 25%Torpedo reload70 s (5/21) Bottom 25%Main battery range10.25 km (17/21) Bottom 25%Main battery reload5.9 s (17/21) Bottom 25%Displacement2,460 t (17/21) Bottom 25%AA range2 km (17/21) Bottom 10%Acceleration13 s (20/21) Bottom 10%Torpedo speed40 kt (20/21) WorstMain battery caliber120 mm (1 of 9 tied)
See 22 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Duchaffault -- 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 points14,300 HP(9/21) Concealment6.48 km(9/21) Rudder shift4.6 s(14/21) HE shell damage1,700(16/21) HE fire chance7%(13/21) Fires per minute3.56(16/21) HE DPM86,441(16/21) AP shell damage2,300(9/19) AP DPM116,949(13/19) Power-to-weight20.33 hp/t(9/21) AA DPS83(12/21) AA threat166(13/21) Torpedo range8 km(15/21) Torpedo damage12,667(16/21) Max armor16 mm(13/21) Bow armor16 mm(11/20) Stern armor16 mm(11/20) Deck armor16 mm(6/16) NormAP fuse timer0.01 s(17 of 19 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(18 of 19 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(18 of 19 tied at this value) NormCitadel belt16 mm(19 of 20 tied at this value)

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

SmokeEngine Boost
Survivability
Hit PointsInitial: 12,400 → 14,300
Displacement2,460 t
Armor range10–16 mm
Plate armor thicknesses10, 16 mm
Armor material/layer entries19
Fire resistanceInitial: 20% → 23.3%
Fire duration30 s
Torp Reduction0%
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.
7,200
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.
4,300
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 120 mm/50 Ansaldo Model 1940
Mounts / barrels3 mounts / 5 barrels
Reload time6.5 s
Firing range (base)9.3 km
Firing range (top fire control)10.3 km
Turret traverse14 °/s
Shell Grouping (σ)
ƒShell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
2
Max Horiz Disp
ƒHorizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (9320/30·(8−0.5)/1000 + 0.5)·30 = 84.9 m
84.9 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 84.9 × 0.6 = 50.9 m
50.9 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 84.9 × 0.319 (σ=2) = 27.1 m
27.1 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 50.9 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 16.3 m
16.3 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 14 deg/s traverse speed = 12.9 s.
12.9 s
Base shells/min
ƒ5 broadside guns x 60 / 6.5 s base reload = 46.2.
46.2
HE shells
HE Damage1,700
HE Velocity950 m/s
Fire Chance7%
HE penetration
ƒ20 mm ≈ 120 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
20 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ1,700 HE damage x 5 broadside guns = 8,500.
8,500
Base HE DPM
ƒ8,500 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 6.5 s base reload = 78,462.
78,462
Base fires/min
ƒ5 HE shells x 60 / 6.5 s reload x 7% fire chance = 3.23.
3.23
AP shells
AP Damage2,300
AP Velocity950 m/s
Min Ricochet45 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg
Fuse Timer0.01 s
Fuse Threshold20 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(120 mm caliber / 14.3) = 8 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
8 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 × 2000 × 26^0.69 × 0.12^-1.07 × 950^1.38 = 235.4 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
235.4 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (12.8 km), where the shell has slowed to 262.8 m/s: 1e-7 × 2000 × 26^0.69 × 0.12^-1.07 × 262.8^1.38 = 40 mm.
40 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ2,300 AP damage x 5 broadside guns = 11,500.
11,500
Base AP DPM
ƒ11,500 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 6.5 s base reload = 106,154.
106,154
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.
12
Torpedoes
ModuleTorpedoes: 533 mm tubo lanciasiluri
Launchers / tubes2 launchers × 3 tubes = 6 tubes
Reload time70 s
Projectile speed40 kt
Range8 km
Maximum simulated damage11,667 (est.)
Alpha damage35,000
Torpedo detectability1 km
Torpedo launcher traverse25 °/s
Torp Turn7.2 s
Torp Arming123 m
Per-side salvo damage
ƒper-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.
70,002
AA Defense
AA mount points8
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (15×3.5×0.95) + (10×3.5×0.95) = 83. 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.
83
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
2 km
20 mm/65 Model 1939Initial: 8×1 → 4×1 20mm
20 mm/65 Breda Model 1935 (upgraded hull only)4×2 20mm
Near aura
DPSInitial: 20 → 25
Range2 km
Maneuverability
Engine moduleEngine: 50,000 hp
Engine power50,000 hp
Maximum speed38 kt
Turning circle radius570 m
Engine power multiplier speed threshold7 kt
Traverse-to-turn ratio7.1× ok
Concealment
Detectability by sea6.48 km
Detectability by air3.23 km
Smoke firing penalty2.31 km
Detect after firing main guns6.48 km
Detect Fire Sea8.48 km
Detect Fire Air6.23 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 40 s reload · 5 s active
Smoke Generator4 charges · 90 s reload · 20 s emit / 70 s cloud active
Engine Boost2 charges · 180 s reload · 120 s active · +20% speed bonus
Module options (3)

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

HullTrade-off
  • Hit points12,400 → 14,300
  • Rudder shift6.5 → 4.6 s
  • Close-range AA DPS20 → 25
  • Turret traverse14 → 10 °/s
Fire controlUpgrade
  • Main battery range9,320 → 10,252 m
TorpedoesUpgrade
  • Reload77 → 70 s
  • Alpha damage34,000 → 35,000
  • Display damage11,333 → 11,667

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 Disp84.9 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (9320/30·(8−0.5)/1000 + 0.5)·30 = 84.9 m
Max Vert Disp50.9 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 84.9 × 0.6 = 50.9 m
Med Horiz Disp27.1 m
50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 84.9 × 0.319 (σ=2) = 27.1 m
Med Vert Disp16.3 m
50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 50.9 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 16.3 m
Dispersion familyDD Disp.
Standard destroyer dispersion baseline.
AP Pen Close235.4 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 × 2000 × 26^0.69 × 0.12^-1.07 × 950^1.38 = 235.4 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far40 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (12.8 km), where the shell has slowed to 262.8 m/s: 1e-7 × 2000 × 26^0.69 × 0.12^-1.07 × 262.8^1.38 = 40 mm.
HE penetration20 mm
20 mm ≈ 120 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
AP overmatch8 mm
floor(120 mm caliber / 14.3) = 8 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
AP AOE Radius12
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 alpha5
All 5 barrels bear on the broadside.
Turret turn time12.9 s
180 degrees / 14 deg/s traverse speed = 12.9 s.
HE full-salvo alpha8,500
1,700 HE damage x 5 broadside guns = 8,500.
AP full-salvo alpha11,500
2,300 AP damage x 5 broadside guns = 11,500.
Base HE DPM78,462
8,500 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 6.5 s base reload = 78,462.
Base AP DPM106,154
11,500 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 6.5 s base reload = 106,154.
Base shells/min46.2
5 broadside guns x 60 / 6.5 s base reload = 46.2.
Base fires/min3.23
5 HE shells x 60 / 6.5 s reload x 7% fire chance = 3.23.

Torpedoes

Torpedo detectability1 km
Estimated torpedo reaction time9.6 s
detectability / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Torpedo speed40 kt
Travel time to max range76.9 s
range / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Tube count6
2 launchers x 3 tubes.
Per-side salvo6 torpedoes
6 (centerline launchers train across - full salvo to either side).
Full-salvo damage70,002
tube count x per-torpedo simulated damage (all torpedoes hitting).
Per-side salvo damage70,002
per-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS83
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (15×3.5×0.95) + (10×3.5×0.95) = 83. 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 range2 km
Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
AA threat index166
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

Armor

Hull HP 12,40014,300 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.

Section Plates HP cap Threats Tactic
Bow16 mm2,200 (15% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ (Moltke, Graf Spee)Angle bounces 203mm16 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)16 mm10,700 (75% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ (Moltke, Graf Spee)Angle bounces 203mm16 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern16 mm1,200 (8% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ (Moltke, Graf Spee)Angle bounces 203mm16 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel16 mm primary (range 10–16 mm)≈ 165,500 (effectively no cap)
Citadel pen ×0.50 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 (×0.50 direct pen, ×0.10 over-pen).
Superstructure16 mm900 (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 HP7,200 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.
AA mount (20 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 HP4,300 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 Duchaffault. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.

Nerf ×5Main Battery ×2Concealment ×3
2026-03-26

Ministry of Balance: Spring Renewal

  • Detectability range by sea increased from 6.29 to 6.48 km.
  • Detectability range by air increased from 3.14 to 3.23 km.
  • Detectability range when firing in smoke increased from 2.24 to 2.31 km.
  • Stock torpedo reload time increased from 70 to 77 s.
  • Upgraded torpedo reload time increased from 63 to 70 s.
Read the full official post
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

  • Duchaffault 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.