World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Emerald

Beta
Smoke farming cruiserFarm from smoke; lean on team or radar for spotting.
Playstyle
  • Sit 10-13 km on a flank that gives you firing arcs into rotated cruisers and exposed BB broadsides
  • Avoid: Firing AP into thin destroyers or unangled bows
Key characteristics
2 sigma accuracyStrong secondaries (4 km)Strong AALobs over islandsQuick-fuse AP
Community Data

Emerald Community Stats

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

Log in & upload to see Community Data

Playstyle

Overview

Emerald is a Tier IV British AP-only cruiser with strong AP DPM (171,429): she carries no HE shells at all, so every salvo is AP into broadsides or wasted. The hull is fragile, so the kit is fragile-spammer chasing soft targets and dodging in open water rather than trading punches. She also packs the super-heal, but the kit is offense first, sustain second. Sonar (4.1 km on ships and 3 km on torpedoes, 90 s active, 180 s reload, long uptime) lights up DDs and torpedoes inside its bubble, which lets her contest the cap edge without taking the spotting cycle. AA (231 AA DPS at 3.5 km) is heavy enough to make her the team's air-defense anchor on top of the lead role; CV strikes route around her, not through. Standout traits: best AP always-pen window in T4 CAs (65°) and best AP guaranteed-ricochet angle in T4 CAs (80°).

Positioning

Sit 10-13 km on a flank that gives you firing arcs into rotated cruisers and exposed BB broadsides. The hull is fragile; ration trades to ones that pay AP citadels back, and lean on speed and consumables to dodge focus when it comes. Open water is fine when the closest threat is far enough that the salvo timing favors you.

Potato Avoidance

Firing AP into thin destroyers or unangled bows

Without HE the wrong target nets over-pens or shatters; pick broadside cruisers and BB sides only, and route around situations where the only shot is into a bow. AP discipline is the kit.

Signature Traits

Fast turret traverse

10.0°/s turret traverse, best of T4 CAs. Tracks fast-rotating targets peers can't keep up with.

Wide always-pen zone

65.0° AP min ricochet angle, best of T4 CAs. Larger impact-angle window where shells always penetrate.

Late auto-bounce

80.0° AP guaranteed ricochet angle, best of T4 CAs. Auto-bounce kicks in later than peers'.

Hardened superstructure

13.0 mm superstructure, best of T4 CAs. HE farms less.

Quick-fuse AP

0.0 s AP fuse timer, bottom decile of T4 CAs. Detonates earlier in the plate; trades belt-citadels for reliable damage against thin targets (cruiser-on-cruiser specialty).

Slow torp reload

106.0 s torpedo reload, bottom decile of T4 CAs. Long wait between drops.

Acquisition

How to get Emerald

Emerald is available in the Skirmishing Cruisers branch of the U.K. Tech Tree for 500,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 125,000 credits.

Show U.K. tech-tree branch diagram
U.K. Tech Tree

Emerald sits in the Skirmishing Cruisers branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full U.K. tree.

Builds Beta

Build for concealment, reload, rudder/propulsion, smoke utility, and survivability.

Open in Build Tool →

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

Cohort position

Hide

Where Emerald sits among Tier IV 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.

BestAP arming threshold12 mm (1/21) BestAP ricochet start65° (1/21) BestAP auto-bounce angle80° (1/21) BestSecondary range4.5 km (1 of 3 tied) Top 10%Main battery reload6.3 s (3/21) Top 10%AP velocity936 m/s (2/21) Top 10%Acceleration9.3 s (3/21) Top 10%AA DPS231 (3/21) Top 25%Hit points27,100 HP (6/21) Top 25%Stealth profile10.42 km / 6.25 km (4/21 / 4/21) Top 25%Traverse-to-turn ratio6.89 × (4/21) Top 25%Main dispersion117.2 m (6/21) Top 25%HE alpha1,500 (4/15) Bottom 25%Secondary DPM (per side)33,750 (14/15) Bottom 25%Torpedo reload106 s (18/20) Bottom 25%Deck armor13 mm (18/20) WorstAP fuse timer0 s (21/21) WorstBow armor15 mm (1 of 2 tied)
See 22 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Emerald -- 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 speed33 kt(15/21) Rudder shift9.1 s(11/21) Main battery caliber152 mm(13/21) Main battery range13.42 km(13/21) AP shell damage3,000(15/21) AP DPM171,429(7/21) Secondary fire chance6%(7/15) Secondary HE pen17 mm(7/15) Engine power80,000 hp(15/21) Turn-speed retention119.4 hp/m(15/21) Displacement9,350 t(15/21) Power-to-weight8.56 hp/t(16/21) AA range3.5 km(13/21) AA threat521(9/21) Torpedo range6 km(13/20) Torpedo damage15,733(7/20) Torpedo speed59 kt(12/20) Max armor76 mm(15/21) Citadel belt76 mm(7/20) Stern armor25 mm(13/20) NormSigma2(19 of 21 tied at this value) NormRepair heal rate0.5 %/s(2 of 3 tied at this value)

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

Sonar 4.13 kmRepair 2SmokeFighter
Survivability
Hit PointsInitial: 24,000 → 27,100
Displacement9,350 t
Armor range10–76 mm
Plate armor thicknesses10, 13, 15, 16, 19, 25, 38, 57, 76 mm
Armor material/layer entries40
Fire resistanceInitial: 13.3% → 16.6%
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.
13,600
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.
8,100
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 152 mm/45 CPXIV
Mounts / barrels7 mounts / 7 barrels
Reload time7 s
Firing range (base)12.2 km
Firing range (top fire control)13.4 km
Turret traverse10 °/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 = (12196/30·(8−1.1)/1000 + 1.1)·30 = 117.2 m
117.2 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 117.2 × 0.6 = 70.3 m
70.3 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 117.2 × 0.319 (σ=2) = 37.4 m
37.4 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 70.3 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 22.5 m
22.5 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 10 deg/s traverse speed = 18 s.
18 s
Base shells/min
ƒ6 broadside guns x 60 / 7 s base reload = 51.4.
51.4
HE shells
HE penetration
ƒfloor(152 mm caliber / 6): standard HE penetration.
25 mm
AP shells
AP Damage3,000
AP Velocity936 m/s
Min Ricochet65 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet80 deg
Fuse Timer0.004 s
Fuse Threshold12 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(152 mm caliber / 14.3) = 10 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
10 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 × 2045 × 45.36^0.69 × 0.152^-1.07 × 936^1.38 = 268.9 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
268.9 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (16.8 km), where the shell has slowed to 275.1 m/s: 1e-7 × 2045 × 45.36^0.69 × 0.152^-1.07 × 275.1^1.38 = 49.6 mm.
49.6 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ3,000 AP damage x 6 broadside guns = 18,000.
18,000
Base AP DPM
ƒ18,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 7 s base reload = 154,286.
154,286
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 Mk VII
Launchers / tubes4 launchers × 4 tubes = 16 tubes
Reload time106 s
Projectile speed59 kt
Range6 km
Maximum simulated damage14,633 (est.)
Alpha damage43,900
Torpedo detectability1.2 km
Torpedo launcher traverse25 °/s
Torp Turn7.2 s
Torp Arming182 m
Per-side salvo damage
ƒper-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.
117,064
AA Defense
AA mount pointsInitial: 8 → 14
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (20×3.5×0.9) + (50×3.5×0.85) + (6×3.5×0.9) = 231. 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.
231
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
3.5 km
40 mm Vickers 2-pdr. Mk VIIInitial: 40 mm Vickers 2-pdr. QF Mk II (2×1) → 40 mm Vickers 2-pdr. Mk VII (2×4)
20 mm Oerlikon Mk IV (upgraded hull only)6×1 20mm
20 mm Oerlikon Mk V (upgraded hull only)6×2 20mm
12.7 mm Mk III (stock hull only)6×4 13mm
102 mm/45 Mk V (DP)3×1 102mm
Far aura
DPS
ƒIncludes 6 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.
6
Range3.5 km
Medium aura
DPS20
Range2.5 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 6 + Medium 20 = 26
26
Near aura
DPS50
Range2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 6 + Medium 20 + Near 50 = 76
76
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts3
Firing range4.5 km
Shell Grouping (σ)1
Caliber102 mm
Reload time4 s
HE Damage1,500
Muzzle Velocity811 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 @ 4.5 km
ƒ4.5 km × 57 + 30 = 286.5 m.
286.5 m
Maneuverability
Engine moduleEngine: 80,000 hp
Engine power80,000 hp
Maximum speed33 kt
Turning circle radius670 m
Engine power multiplier speed threshold30.7 kt
Traverse-to-turn ratio6.9× slow
Concealment
Detectability by sea10.42 km
Detectability by air6.25 km
Smoke firing penalty4.7 km
Detect after firing main guns10.42 km
Detect Fire Sea12.42 km
Detect Fire Air9.25 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 60 s reload · 5 s active
Repair Party2 charges · 80 s reload · 28 s active · 0.5% heal per second · 14% of max HP total heal
Sonar2 charges · 180 s reload · 90 s active · 4.13 km ship detect · 2.97 km torpedo detect
Choose one
Smoke Generator2 charges · 240 s reload · 20 s emit / 96 s cloud active
Catapult Fighter3 charges · 70 s reload · 55 s active · 5.56 km patrol radius · 1 squadron size
Module options (3)

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

HullUpgrade
  • Hit points24,000 → 27,100
  • Rudder shift12.8 → 9.1 s
  • AA mounts8 → 14
  • Close-range AA DPS28 → 70
  • Maximum AA range2 → 2.5 km
Fire controlUpgrade
  • Main battery range12,196 → 13415.6 m
TorpedoesTrade-off
  • Reload71 → 106 s
  • Alpha damage33,200 → 43,900
  • Display damage11,067 → 14,633

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 Disp117.2 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (12196/30·(8−1.1)/1000 + 1.1)·30 = 117.2 m
Max Vert Disp70.3 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 117.2 × 0.6 = 70.3 m
Med Horiz Disp37.4 m
50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 117.2 × 0.319 (σ=2) = 37.4 m
Med Vert Disp22.5 m
50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 70.3 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 22.5 m
Dispersion familyCruiser Disp.
Standard cruiser dispersion baseline.
AP Pen Close268.9 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 × 2045 × 45.36^0.69 × 0.152^-1.07 × 936^1.38 = 268.9 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far49.6 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (16.8 km), where the shell has slowed to 275.1 m/s: 1e-7 × 2045 × 45.36^0.69 × 0.152^-1.07 × 275.1^1.38 = 49.6 mm.
HE penetration25 mm
floor(152 mm caliber / 6): standard HE penetration.
AP overmatch10 mm
floor(152 mm caliber / 14.3) = 10 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 alpha6
Barrels that can bear on one beam (6 of 7); casemate/wing mounts only fire one side.
Turret turn time18 s
180 degrees / 10 deg/s traverse speed = 18 s.
AP full-salvo alpha18,000
3,000 AP damage x 6 broadside guns = 18,000.
Base AP DPM154,286
18,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 7 s base reload = 154,286.
Base shells/min51.4
6 broadside guns x 60 / 7 s base reload = 51.4.

Torpedoes

Torpedo detectability1.2 km
Estimated torpedo reaction time7.8 s
detectability / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Torpedo speed59 kt
Travel time to max range39.1 s
range / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Tube count16
4 launchers x 4 tubes.
Per-side salvo8 torpedoes
tube count / 2 (symmetric port/starboard launcher layout; common on cruisers and battleships with deck torpedoes).
Full-salvo damage234,128
tube count x per-torpedo simulated damage (all torpedoes hitting).
Per-side salvo damage117,064
per-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS231
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (20×3.5×0.9) + (50×3.5×0.85) + (6×3.5×0.9) = 231. 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 index521
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 @ 4.5 km286.5 m
4.5 km × 57 + 30 = 286.5 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)33,750
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: 3×1 102 mm (1.5/side) × 60/4 × 1500 = 33,750. 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 102 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 102 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 102 mm family.

Armor

Hull HP 24,00027,100 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
Bow15 mm primary (range 13–38 mm)3,000 (11% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ (Nassau, Von Der Tann)Angle bounces 203mm15 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)25 mm20,300 (75% of HP)
Overmatched by 380mm+ (Bayern)Angle bounces 356mm25 mm: HE pens from 150mm+
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern25 mm primary (range 13–38 mm)1,700 (6% of HP)
Overmatched by 380mm+ (Bayern)Angle bounces 356mm25 mm: HE pens from 150mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel76 mm primary (range 10–76 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).
Superstructure13 mm3,400 (13% 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 HP13,600 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 (102 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 (40 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 HP8,100 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.

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 Emerald. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.

Buff ×2
2023-06-15

Ministry of Balance: Italian Concerto

  • Stock Hull rudder-shift time reduced from 10.9 to 9.8 s.
  • Upgraded Hull rudder-shift time reduced from 7.8 to 7.0 s.
Read the full official post
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

  • Emerald 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.