Erie Build & Guide | WoWs Legends

Playstyle

Overview

Erie is a Tier II American all-rounder light cruiser with 152mm guns at 10.5 km: no single dominant trait, but competent at AP citadels, HE pressure, and cap support. Adapt to the team comp - DD hunter, BB chip, or cap contester - rather than locking into one role. Standout traits: best fires per minute in T2 CAs (7.2) and top-decile tight dispersion in T2 CAs (93.8 m).

Positioning

Hold under 10 km with islands tight enough to break vision on demand. The HE pressure rewards a steady firing arc more than rotation play; pick a corner of the map you can hold and work fires from there.

Potato Avoidance

Open-water broadside trading

Her 152mm shells citadel cruisers on the wrong frame, and her 21,500-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

High fire pressure

7.2 fires/min, best of T2 CAs. Keeps DCP on cooldown.

Sharp rudder

3.7 s rudder shift, top decile of T2 CAs. Snappy weave.

Fast HE shells

9.3 s HE flight time to max range, top decile of T2 CAs. Harder to dodge.

High fire chance

12.0% fire chance per HE shell, top decile of T2 CAs.

AP DPM machine

180000 AP DPM, top decile of T2 CAs. Punishes broadsides.

Underpowered engine

6200.0 hp engine, bottom decile of T2 CAs. Less headroom for re-accelerating from a stop and holding speed through turns.

Acquisition

How to get Erie

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

Premium/EventAvailability usually depends on store rotations, event reruns, collaborations, coupons, or special offers.

Builds Beta

Build for reload, rudder, speed, range, and survivability.

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Cohort position

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Where Erie sits among Tier II CAs (19 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.

BestRudder shift3.7 s (1/19) BestFires per minute7.2 (1/18) BestDisplacement2,705 t (1/19) Top 10%Concealment8.28 km (2/19) Top 10%Main battery reload4 s (2/19) Top 10%AP DPM180,000 (2/18) Top 10%Main dispersion93.8 m (2/19) Top 25%Citadel belt88 mm (4/19) Top 25%Deck armor102 mm (3/19) Bottom 25%Air detection5.84 km (16/19) Bottom 25%Traverse-to-turn ratio3.27 × (17/19) Bottom 25%Main battery range10.5 km (17/19) Bottom 25%HE DPM66,000 (15/18) Bottom 25%Turn-speed retention20.7 hp/m (17/19) WorstNo secondaries (8 of 19 in cohort) WorstEngine power6,200 hp (19/19) WorstAA threat5 (13/13) WorstNo torpedoes (14 of 19 in cohort) WorstEnd plates10 mm (1 of 8 tied / 1 of 7 tied)

See 15 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Erie -- 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 points21,500 HP(12/19) Max speed28 kt(7/19) Main battery caliber152 mm(7/19) Sigma2(9/19) AP velocity853 m/s(6/18) HE velocity853 m/s(6/18) Acceleration7.1 s(6/19) AP arming threshold25 mm(11/18) Power-to-weight2.29 hp/t(13/19) AA DPS6(13/19) AA range0.8 km(13/19) Max armor102 mm(9/19) NormAP fuse timer0.03 s(11 of 18 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(17 of 18 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(17 of 18 tied at this value)

Peers in this cohort

Show all 18 peers

Stats & specs

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

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

Survivability

Hit Points21,500

Displacement2,705 t

Armor range6–102 mm

Plate armor thicknesses6, 10, 13, 16, 25, 32, 51, 73, 76, 88, 102 mm

Armor material/layer entries37

Fire resistance3.3%

Fire duration30 s

Torp Reduction0%

Magazine HP

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The 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.

2,500

Steering gear HP

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Durability 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.

7,500

Main Battery

ModuleArtillery: 152 mm Mk17

Mounts / barrels4 mounts / 4 barrels

Reload time4.5 s

Firing range10.5 km

Turret traverse9 °/s

Shell Grouping (σ)

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Shell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.

2

Max Horiz Disp

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Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (10500/30·(8−0.5)/1000 + 0.5)·30 = 93.8 m

93.8 m

Max Vert Disp

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Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 93.8 × 0.6 = 56.3 m

56.3 m

Med Horiz Disp

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50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 93.8 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 30 m

30 m

Med Vert Disp

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50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 56.3 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 18 m

18 m

Turret turn time

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180 degrees / 9 deg/s traverse speed = 20 s.

20 s

Base shells/min

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4 broadside guns x 60 / 4.5 s base reload = 53.3.

53.3

HE shells

HE Damage1,100

HE Velocity853 m/s

Fire Chance12%

HE penetration

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25 mm ≈ 152 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).

25 mm

HE full-salvo alpha

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1,100 HE damage x 4 broadside guns = 4,400.

4,400

Base HE DPM

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4,400 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4.5 s base reload = 58,667.

58,667

Base fires/min

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4 HE shells x 60 / 4.5 s reload x 12% fire chance = 6.4.

6.4

AP shells

AP Damage3,000

AP Velocity853 m/s

Min Ricochet45 deg

Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg

Fuse Timer0.025 s

Fuse Threshold25 mm

AP overmatch

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floor(152 mm caliber / 14.3) = 10 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

10 mm

AP Pen Close

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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 × 1830 × 47.7^0.69 × 0.152^-1.07 × 853^1.38 = 219.2 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.

219.2 mm

AP Pen Far

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Same formula at the ship's max firing range (13.1 km), where the shell has slowed to 287.2 m/s: 1e-7 × 1830 × 47.7^0.69 × 0.152^-1.07 × 287.2^1.38 = 48.8 mm.

48.8 mm

AP full-salvo alpha

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3,000 AP damage x 4 broadside guns = 12,000.

12,000

Base AP DPM

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12,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4.5 s base reload = 160,000.

160,000

AP AOE Radius

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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.

10

AA Defense

AA mount points4

Close-range AA DPS

ƒ

Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (2×3.5×0.9) = 6. 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.

6

Maximum AA range

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Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.

0.8 km

28 mm Mk2 mod. 24×4 28mm

DPS2

Range0.8 km

Maneuverability

Engine moduleEngine: 6,200 hp

Engine power6,200 hp

Maximum speed28 kt

Turning circle radius300 m

Engine power multiplier speed threshold7 kt

Traverse-to-turn ratio3.3× drags

Concealment

Detectability by sea8.28 km

Detectability by air5.84 km

Smoke firing penalty3.58 km

Detect after firing main guns8.28 km

Detect Fire Sea10.28 km

Detect Fire Air8.84 km

Guaranteed Detect2 km

✦

Consumables

Damage Control Party∞ charges · 60 s reload · 5 s active

See all derived stats

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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 Disp93.8 m

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (10500/30·(8−0.5)/1000 + 0.5)·30 = 93.8 m

Max Vert Disp56.3 m

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 93.8 × 0.6 = 56.3 m

Med Horiz Disp30 m

50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 93.8 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 30 m

Med Vert Disp18 m

50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 56.3 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 18 m

AP Pen Close219.2 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 × 1830 × 47.7^0.69 × 0.152^-1.07 × 853^1.38 = 219.2 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.

AP Pen Far48.8 mm

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (13.1 km), where the shell has slowed to 287.2 m/s: 1e-7 × 1830 × 47.7^0.69 × 0.152^-1.07 × 287.2^1.38 = 48.8 mm.

HE penetration25 mm

25 mm ≈ 152 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).

AP overmatch10 mm

floor(152 mm caliber / 14.3) = 10 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

AP AOE Radius10

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 alpha4

All 4 barrels bear on the broadside.

Turret turn time20 s

180 degrees / 9 deg/s traverse speed = 20 s.

HE full-salvo alpha4,400

1,100 HE damage x 4 broadside guns = 4,400.

AP full-salvo alpha12,000

3,000 AP damage x 4 broadside guns = 12,000.

Base HE DPM58,667

4,400 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4.5 s base reload = 58,667.

Base AP DPM160,000

12,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4.5 s base reload = 160,000.

Base shells/min53.3

4 broadside guns x 60 / 4.5 s base reload = 53.3.

Base fires/min6.4

4 HE shells x 60 / 4.5 s reload x 12% fire chance = 6.4.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS6

Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (2×3.5×0.9) = 6. 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 range0.8 km

Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.

AA threat index5

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.

Armor

Hull HP 21,500, 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
Bow	10 mm primary (range 6–10 mm)	800 (4% of HP)	Overmatched by 150mm+ (Celebes, Königsberg)Angle bounces 127mm10 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)	73 mm primary (range 51–88 mm)	18,700 (87% of HP)	No common caliber overmatches73 mm: most HE shatters, standard pen from 460mm+	Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern	10 mm primary (range 6–10 mm)	1,800 (8% of HP)	Overmatched by 150mm+ (Celebes, Königsberg)Angle bounces 127mm10 mm: HE pens from 127mm+	Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel	88 mm primary (range 6–88 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).
Superstructure	6 mm primary (range 6–102 mm)	2,200 (10% 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 HP	2,500 magazine HP	Magazine detonation1–30% chance · below ~75% HP	Per-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 (28 mm mount)	separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP	200 per-mount HP	Destroyed at 0 HP	Per-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 HP	7,500 module HP	Incapacitated at 0 HP	When 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 Erie can equip, from in-game data.

DefaultThe ship’s standard exterior

Erie

Erie Community Stats