GamingDiver / WoWs Legends Ships / Großer Kurfürst
World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Großer Kurfürst

Beta
Germany · Tier ★ · Battleship
Secondary battleshipClose to secondary range and stack auto-fire with your main guns.
Playstyle
  • Push to within secondary range (~7 km) so the auto-fire battery starts contributing
  • Avoid: Sniping from the back line
Key characteristics
Strong secondaries (7 km)Improved HE penSonarSpotter planeWeak AA
Community Data

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Playstyle

Overview

Großer Kurfürst is a Legendary German turtleback battleship: her sloped internal armor bounces plunging shells at close range, so the citadel is safer inside secondary range than at long-line trades. The kit is brawl-positive with secondaries out to 7 km that punish anyone who closes. HE pen sits at the 1/4 caliber ratio instead of the standard 1/6, so HE spam is a real damage option here - pens roughly 1.5x more armor than a same-caliber peer's HE round. Standout traits: best high HP pool in Legendary BBs (105,800 HP) and best turret traverse rate in Legendary BBs (12).

Positioning

Push to within secondary range (~7 km) so the auto-fire battery starts contributing. The turtleback bounces plunging shells, so close range protects the citadel better than long-line trades do; let peers think you are overextending while the kit's brawl angle eats their AP. Bow on between salvos still matters; the bow plate handles overmatch where the turtleback handles plunge.

Potato Avoidance

Sniping from the back line

The turtleback advantage exists only at close range; sitting 17 km out means the kit's defining trait is doing nothing for you, and peer BBs that should be losing the trade are not. If the team will not support the push, pick the cap that does.

Signature Traits

Turtleback armor

Sloped internal armor between the lower belt and the citadel deck. Bounces AP shells that penetrate the upper belt, so close-range broadside trades are survivable against same-tier guns.

Improved HE penetration

HE pen at the 1/4 caliber ratio instead of the standard 1/6. HE-spam is a real damage option here, not just a fire-starter; pens roughly 1.5x more armor than a same-caliber peer's HE, shared by 6/17 Legendary BBs.

High HP pool

105800.0 HP, best of Legendary BBs.

Punch-through secondaries

38.0 mm best HE pen across secondary families, best of Legendary BBs. Pens hull plates peers' secondaries shatter on.

Long-range sonar

6.67 km Sonar ship-detection range, best of Legendary BBs. Lights DDs and torpedoes inside the bubble.

Wide torpedo sonar

4.5 km Sonar torpedo-detection range, best of Legendary BBs. More reaction time on incoming torps.

Acquisition

How to get Großer Kurfürst

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

Builds Beta

Build for survivability, fire resistance, secondary pressure, main-battery consistency, and Sonar-backed pushing. Durability is the foundation.

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Cohort position

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Where Großer Kurfürst sits among Legendary BBs (17 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.

BestHit points105,800 HP (1/17) BestSecondary HE pen38 mm (1 of 3 tied) Top 25%Fires per minute10.13 (5/16) Top 25%AP velocity810 m/s (5/17) Top 25%AP arming threshold68 mm (5/17) Top 25%Secondary range7 km (4/17) Top 25%AA range5.2 km (5/17) Bottom 25%Stealth profile16.1 km / 12.88 km (15/17 / 15/17) Bottom 25%Rudder shift25.3 s (15/17) Bottom 25%HE shell damage4,800 (15/16) Bottom 25%AP shell damage12,700 (14/17) Bottom 25%Main dispersion235.4 m (15/17) Bottom 25%HE alpha1,700 (13/15) Bottom 25%Displacement80,058 t (15/17) Bottom 25%AA threat1,939 (15/17) Bottom 25%Max armor400 mm (14/17) Bottom 25%Citadel belt220 mm (15/16) WorstAA DPS435 (17/17) WorstRepair charges2 (1 of 6 tied) WorstDeck armor100 mm (1 of 3 tied)
See 23 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Großer Kurfürst -- 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 speed30 kt(8/17) Traverse-to-turn ratio5.34 ×(8/17) Main battery caliber406 mm(13/17) Main battery range17.29 km(11/17) Main battery reload27 s(10/17) Sigma1.85(11/17) HE fire chance38%(8/16) HE DPM128,000(9/16) AP DPM338,667(7/17) Secondary DPM (per side)279,400(7/17) Secondary fire chance8%(9/15) HE velocity810 m/s(7/16) Acceleration10 s(13/17) Engine power167,600 hp(9/17) Turn-speed retention159.6 hp/m(13/17) Power-to-weight2.09 hp/t(13/17) NormSecondary dispersion bracket57(12 of 17 tied at this value) NormAP fuse timer0.03 s(15 of 17 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(14 of 17 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(14 of 17 tied at this value) NormRepair heal rate0.5 %/s(12 of 17 tied at this value) NormBow armor32 mm(13 of 16 tied at this value) NormStern armor32 mm(13 of 16 tied at this value)

Stats & specs

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

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

Sonar 6.67 kmRepair 2Fighter
Survivability
Hit Points105,800
Displacement80,058 t
Armor range19–400 mm
Plate armor thicknesses19, 25, 32, 38, 45, 50, 60, 70, 75, 100, 120, 150, 200, 220, 280, 380, 400 mm
Armor material/layer entries54
Fire resistance40%
Fire duration60 s
Torp Reduction25%
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.
52,900
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.
31,700
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 420 mm L/48 Drh LC/40
Mounts / barrels4 mounts / 12 barrels
Reload time30 s
Firing range17.3 km
Turret traverse4.5 °/s
Shell Grouping (σ)
ƒShell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
1.85
Max Horiz Disp
ƒHorizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (17290/30·(12−2.2)/1000 + 2.2)·30 = 235.4 m
235.4 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 235.4 × 0.6 = 141.3 m
141.3 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 235.4 × 0.338 (σ=1.85) = 79.5 m
79.5 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 141.3 × 0.338 (σ=1.85) = 47.7 m
47.7 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 4.5 deg/s traverse speed = 40 s.
40 s
Base shells/min
ƒ12 broadside guns x 60 / 30 s base reload = 24.
24
HE shells
HE Damage4,800 → 5,000
HE Velocity810 m/s → 800 m/s
Fire Chance38% → 41%
HE penetration
ƒIn-game data: 105 mm = 406 mm caliber / 3.87 (non-standard HE penetration ratio).
105 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ5,000 HE damage x 12 broadside guns = 60,000.
60,000
Base HE DPM
ƒ60,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 120,000.
120,000
Installed HE DPM
ƒ60,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 27 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 133,333.
133,333
Base fires/min
ƒ12 HE shells x 60 / 30 s reload x 41% fire chance = 9.84.
9.84
AP shells
AP Damage12,700 → 13,500
AP Velocity810 m/s → 800 m/s
Min Ricochet45 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg
Fuse Timer0.033 s
Fuse Threshold68 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(406 mm caliber / 14.3) = 28 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
28 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 × 2415 × 1220^0.69 × 0.42^-1.07 × 800^1.38 = 835.4 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
835.4 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (21.6 km), where the shell has slowed to 522.9 m/s: 1e-7 × 2415 × 1220^0.69 × 0.42^-1.07 × 522.9^1.38 = 464.6 mm.
464.6 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ13,500 AP damage x 12 broadside guns = 162,000.
162,000
Base AP DPM
ƒ162,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 324,000.
324,000
Installed AP DPM
ƒ162,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 27 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 360,000.
360,000
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.
300
AA Defense
AA mount points18
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (92×3.5×0.75) + (35×3.5×0.7) + (41×3.5×0.75) = 435. 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.
435
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
5.2 km
55 mm L/77 Gerät 58 Zwilling8×2 55mm
20 mm Flakvierling 386×4 20mm
20 mm Flakvierling 384×4 20mm
128 mm L/61 SK C/42 (DP)10×2 128mm
Far aura
DPS
ƒIncludes 41 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.
41
Range5.2 km
Medium aura
DPS92
Range5 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 41 + Medium 92 = 133
133
Near aura
DPS35
Range2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 41 + Medium 92 + Near 35 = 168
168
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts14
Firing range7.0 km
Shell Grouping (σ)1
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 @ 7 km
ƒ7 km × 57 + 30 = 429 m.
429 m
128 mm L/61 SK C/42 (×10)
Caliber128 mm
Reload time4 s
HE Damage1,500
Muzzle Velocity900 m/s
Fire Chance5%
Armor Pen32 mm
Min Ricochet91°
Max Ricochet60°
Show 1 more gun family
150 mm L/55 SK C/28 (×4)
Caliber150 mm
Reload time7.5 s
HE Damage1,700
Muzzle Velocity875 m/s
Fire Chance8%
Armor Pen38 mm
Min Ricochet91°
Max Ricochet60°
Maneuverability
Engine moduleEngine: 167,600 hp
Engine power167,600 hp
Maximum speed30 kt
Turning circle radius1050 m
Engine power multiplier speed threshold7 kt
Traverse-to-turn ratio5.3× slow
Concealment
Detectability by sea16.1 km
Detectability by air12.88 km
Smoke firing penalty15.54 km
Detect after firing main guns16.1 km
Detect Fire Sea18.1 km
Detect Fire Air15.88 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
✦
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 80 s reload · 8 s active
Repair Party2 charges · 80 s reload · 28 s active · 0.5% heal per second · 14% of max HP total heal
Choose one
Catapult Fighter7 charges · 60 s reload · 55 s active · 5.56 km patrol radius · 1 squadron size
Observation Seaplane7 charges · 200 s reload · 30 s active · 1 squadron size · +10% main-battery range bonus
Secondary Battery Booster3 charges · 160 s reload · 30 s active · +100% damage boost · +50% reload boost
Sonar2 charges · 180 s reload · 60 s active · 6.67 km ship detect · 4.5 km torpedo detect
Module options (1)

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

HullUpgrade
  • Turret traverse4.5 → 12 °/s

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)1.85
Shell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
Max Horiz Disp235.4 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (17290/30·(12−2.2)/1000 + 2.2)·30 = 235.4 m
Max Vert Disp141.3 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 235.4 × 0.6 = 141.3 m
Med Horiz Disp79.5 m
50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 235.4 × 0.338 (σ=1.85) = 79.5 m
Med Vert Disp47.7 m
50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 141.3 × 0.338 (σ=1.85) = 47.7 m
AP Pen Close835.4 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 × 2415 × 1220^0.69 × 0.42^-1.07 × 800^1.38 = 835.4 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far464.6 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (21.6 km), where the shell has slowed to 522.9 m/s: 1e-7 × 2415 × 1220^0.69 × 0.42^-1.07 × 522.9^1.38 = 464.6 mm.
HE penetration105 mm
In-game data: 105 mm = 406 mm caliber / 3.87 (non-standard HE penetration ratio).
Improved HE PenYes
This ship's HE shells use a 1/4 (~0.25) caliber-to-pen ratio instead of the standard 1/6 (~0.167) - 0.25 in this case. Lets HE pen ~101mm armor instead of ~67mm. Hits every German cruiser (150mm CL, 203mm CA) and BB (350mm+), British heavy cruisers / Lion / Nelson, a handful of other premiums.
AP overmatch28 mm
floor(406 mm caliber / 14.3) = 28 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
AP AOE Radius300
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 time40 s
180 degrees / 4.5 deg/s traverse speed = 40 s.
HE full-salvo alpha60,000
5,000 HE damage x 12 broadside guns = 60,000.
AP full-salvo alpha162,000
13,500 AP damage x 12 broadside guns = 162,000.
Base HE DPM120,000
60,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 120,000.
Base AP DPM324,000
162,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 324,000.
Installed HE DPM133,333
60,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 27 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 133,333.
Installed AP DPM360,000
162,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 27 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 360,000.
Base shells/min24
12 broadside guns x 60 / 30 s base reload = 24.
Installed shells/min26.7
12 broadside guns x 60 / 27 s installed Artillery reload = 26.7.
Base fires/min9.84
12 HE shells x 60 / 30 s reload x 41% fire chance = 9.84.
Installed fires/min10.93
12 HE shells x 60 / 27 s installed reload x 41% fire chance = 10.93.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS435
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (92×3.5×0.75) + (35×3.5×0.7) + (41×3.5×0.75) = 435. 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 range5.2 km
Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
AA threat index1939
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 @ 7 km429 m
7 km × 57 + 30 = 429 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)279,400
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: 10×2 128 mm (10/side) × 60/4 × 1500 = 225,000 + 4×2 150 mm (4/side) × 60/7.5 × 1700 = 54,400. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).
Max HE alpha1700
Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1700 from the 150 mm family.
Max HE fire chance8%
Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 8% from the 150 mm family.
Max HE pen38 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: 38 mm from the 150 mm family.

Armor

Hull HP 105,800, 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
Bow32 mm primary (range 32–120 mm)4,800 (5% of HP)
Overmatched by 460mm+ (Aki, Musashi)Angle bounces 410mm32 mm: HE pens from 203mm+
Bow-tank fits behind this exterior plate. Saturation is FAST here; the cap is often only a few thousand HP.
Hull (midship)19 mm primary (range 19–380 mm)79,400 (75% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ (Scharnhorst '43, Schill)Angle bounces 203mm19 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern32 mm primary (range 32–200 mm)2,900 (3% of HP)
Overmatched by 460mm+ (Aki, Musashi)Angle bounces 410mm32 mm: HE pens from 203mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel220 mm primary (range 38–220 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).
Superstructure50 mm primary (range 50–400 mm)6,600 (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 HP52,900 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 (150 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 (55 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 HP31,700 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 Großer Kurfürst can equip, from in-game data.

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.

2022-09-01 · Official ship feature / stats Transformers Go Legendary Official source 2020-05-14 · Patch notes Update: May 2020 Patch notes 2021-12-16 · Patch notes Holiday Update: Chilling With the Beasts Patch notes 2024-04-25 · Patch notes May Update: Gold and Crimson Patch notes 2020-05-25 · Patch notes faq Update and Bureau FAQ Patch notes