GamingDiver / WoWs Legends Ships / Hércules

World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Hércules

Also called: 赫丘利 Beta

Pan-America · Tier I · CL Cruiser · Tech Tree: Hércules

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

11 km gun rangeStrong torpedo beltSharp rudderUnderpowered engine

On this page

Community stats
Playstyle
How to get Hércules
Builds
Cohort position
Stats and specs
Armor
Charts
Exteriors

Community Data

Hércules Community Stats

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

Playstyle

Overview

Hércules is a Tier I Pan-American 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 torpedo belt percent in T1 CAs (7) and best main battery range in T1 CAs (11.1 km).

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 ARMOR ↗

Strong torpedo belt · 7%
Torpedo belt specialist

Long gun range ↗

11.14 km main battery reach, best of T1 CAs.

Sharp rudder ↗

3 s rudder shift, top decile of T1 CAs. Snappy weave.

Underpowered engine ↗

5500 hp engine, bottom decile of T1 CAs. Less headroom for re-accelerating from a stop and holding speed through turns.

Thin armor ↗

10 mm max plate, bottom quartile of T1 CAs. Citadel windows open against peer-tier guns. AP above 60 mm of caliber cannot arm on 10 mm at flat impact and overpenetrates for minimal damage; angling adds effective thickness and can push those same shells over the arming threshold, turning overpens into full penetrations; 152 mm and up overmatch it at any angle.

Acquisition

How to get Hércules

Hércules is available in the Hércules branch of the Pan-America Tech Tree as an early line ship. Official source cards below may also show its temporary Early Access window before it became a normal Tech Tree unlock.

Early AccessOfficial WG line/source notes indicate a temporary Early Access window before normal acquisition.

Show Pan-America tech-tree branch diagram

Pan-America Tech Tree

Hércules sits in the Hércules branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full Pan-America tree.

1 ships in highlighted branch · scroll to inspect all Pan-America lines.

Pan-AmericaIIIIIIIVVVIVIIVIII

Cruiser

Tier VIIISantanderPVSC109 Tier VIIIgnacio AllendePVSC108 Tier VICoronel BolognesiPVSC107 Tier VAlmirante CochranePVSC106 Tier IVLa ArgentinaPVSC105 Tier IIICórdobaPVSC104 Tier IIVicente GuerreroPVSC103 Tier IHérculesPVSC101

Official WG availability sources

Pan-American Cruisers Are Coming to Early Access Early Access Start: 2026-03-27 · End: 2026-04-29 Official early-access or tech-tree-line article. Tech-tree ships are temporary crate drops during Early Access, then move to the Tech Tree.

Builds

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

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 Hércules 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.

BestRudder shift3 s (1/12) BestMain battery range11.14 km (1/12) BestDisplacement1,860 t (1/12) Top 10%Air detection4.66 km (2/12) Top 10%Main battery reload3.5 s (2/12) Top 25%Acceleration23.4 s (4/12) Top 25%AA threat90 (3/12) Bottom 25%Turn-speed retention17.2 hp/m (11/12) WorstTraverse-to-turn ratio4.28 × (12/12) WorstMain battery caliber102 mm (12/12) WorstHE shell damage800 (11/11) WorstMain dispersion98.6 m (12/12) WorstEngine power5,500 hp (12/12) WorstMax armor10 mm (1 of 3 tied) WorstCitadel belt10 mm (1 of 3 tied) WorstDeck armor6 mm (1 of 3 tied)

See 9 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Hércules -- 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 points12,600 HP(8/12) Max speed20.3 kt(8/12) Concealment8.62 km(8/12) HE fire chance6%(9/11) Fires per minute4.11(4/11) HE DPM54,857(9/11) HE velocity811 m/s(8/11) Power-to-weight2.96 hp/t(9/12) NormTurn speed retained81%(11 of 12 tied at this value)

Peers in this cohort

Compare Tier I Cruisers

Show all 11 peers

Stats & specs

Customize in the Build Tool →

Survivability

Hit Points12,600

Displacement1,860 t

Armor range6–10 mm

Plate armor thicknesses6, 10 mm

Armor material/layer entries22

Fire resistance0%

Fire duration30 s

Torp Reduction7%

Magazine HP

Per-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.

3,200

Steering gear HP

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.

1,900

Repairable: penetration50%

Repairable: steering gear50%

Main Battery

ModuleArtillery: 102 mm/45 QF Mk.XVI

Mounts / barrels2 mounts / 4 barrels

Reload time3.5 s

Firing range (base)10.1 km

Firing range (top fire control)11.1 km

Turret traverse8 °/s

Turret armor3 mm

Shell Grouping (σ)2

Max Horiz Disp

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model:

σ_{H} = (\frac{R}{30} \cdot \frac{idealRadius - minRadius}{idealDistance} + minRadius) \cdot 30

= (\frac{11143}{30} \cdot \frac{8 - 0.5}{1000} + 0.5) \cdot 30 = 98.6 m

98.6 m

Max Vert Disp

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range:

σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot radiusOnMax

= 98.6 \cdot 0.6 = 59.1 m

59.1 m

Med Horiz Disp

50%-hit horizontal radius:

σ_{H, 50} = σ_{H} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}

= 98.6 \cdot \frac{0.6}{2} = 29.6 m

29.6 m

Med Vert Disp

50%-hit vertical radius:

σ_{V, 50} = σ_{V} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}

= 59.1 \cdot \frac{0.6}{2} = 17.7 m

17.7 m

Turret turn time

180 degrees / 8 deg/s traverse speed = 22.5 s.

22.5 s

Shells/min

4 broadside guns x 60 / 3.5 s base reload = 68.6.

68.6

HE shells

HE Damage800

HE Velocity811 m/s

Fire Chance6%

HE penetration

17 mm ≈ 102 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).

17 mm

HE full-salvo alpha

800 HE damage x 4 broadside guns = 3,200.

3,200

HE DPM

3,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.5 s base reload = 54,857.

54,857

Fires/min

68.6 shells/min x 6% fire chance = 4.11.

4.11

AA Defense

AA mount points4

Maximum AA range

Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 2 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.

2 km

20 mm Oerlikon Mk44×1 20mm

Guns20 mm Oerlikon Mk4

Continuous DPS

Effective DPS: 15 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.85 hit probability = 45 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.

Range2 km

See the AA layers diagram ↓

Maneuverability

Engine power5,500 hp

Maximum speed20.3 kt

Turning circle radius320 m

Rudder shift time3 s

Engine power-boost threshold7 kt

Engine spool-up time15.3 s

Reverse spool-up time7.7 s

Acceleration 0-90%

Time to reach 90% of top speed (18.3 kt of 20.3 kt), from our in-house acceleration model.

23.4 s

Acceleration 0-99%

Time to reach 99% of top speed (20.1 kt of 20.3 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.

38.5 s

Traverse-to-turn ratio

How many degrees the turret can swing for each degree the hull turns. Turn rate

ω_{hull} = \frac{180}{π} \cdot \frac{V_{max} (m/s)}{R_{turn}} = \frac{180}{π} \cdot \frac{20.3 \cdot 0.5144}{320} = 1.87 ° / s

, so

ratio = \frac{ω_{turret}}{ω_{hull}} = \frac{8}{1.87} = 4.3 \times

. Below 5 the turrets drag in a turning fight; 25+ keeps up with any rudder.

4.3× drags

See the full acceleration curve ↓

Concealment

Detectability by sea8.62 km

Detectability by air4.66 km

Smoke firing penalty2.89 km

Detect after firing main guns

max(base sea detectability, gun-firing bloom range). Firing never pulls your detection closer than base concealment.

8.62 km

Detect Fire Sea10.62 km

Detect Fire Air7.66 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 range10,130 → 11,143 m

See all derived stats

Show ▾

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

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

Max Horiz Disp98.6 m

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model:  $σ_{H} = (\frac{R}{30} \cdot \frac{idealRadius - minRadius}{idealDistance} + minRadius) \cdot 30$   $= (\frac{11143}{30} \cdot \frac{8 - 0.5}{1000} + 0.5) \cdot 30 = 98.6 m$

Shell scatter width @ 5 km52.5 m

Horizontal scatter at a fixed 5 km, from the same verified dispersion model as the rows below - a knife-fight-range anchor comparable across ships.

Shell scatter width @ 10 km90 m

How wide your shells scatter at 10 km, from the same dispersion model as the max-range figure above. Picking a fixed range makes this number directly comparable from ship to ship: max-range dispersion makes a longer-range gun look worse even when it's tighter at any common range. The interactive Dispersion tab on the Charts card plots the full curve from 0 to max range.

Max Vert Disp59.1 m

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: $σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot radiusOnMax$ $= 98.6 \cdot 0.6 = 59.1 m$

Shell scatter height @ 10 km52.2 m

How tall the same scatter ellipse is at 10 km. Comparable from ship to ship for the same reason as the width value above. The height/width ratio is a piecewise-linear curve through three points from the ship's own dispersion data:  $radiusOnZero = 0.2$  at 0 m,  $radiusOnDelim = 0.5$  at  $delim \cdot R_{m a x} = 0.5 \cdot 11143 = 5572$  m, and  $radiusOnMax = 0.6$  at 11143 m. Above the kink:  $k = 0.5 + (0.6 - 0.5) \cdot \frac{10000 - 5572}{11143 - 5572} = 0.5795$ , so  $σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot k = 90 \cdot 0.5795 = 52.2 m$ .

Med Horiz Disp29.6 m

50%-hit horizontal radius: $σ_{H, 50} = σ_{H} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}$ $= 98.6 \cdot \frac{0.6}{2} = 29.6 m$

Med Vert Disp17.7 m

50%-hit vertical radius: $σ_{V, 50} = σ_{V} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}$ $= 59.1 \cdot \frac{0.6}{2} = 17.7 m$

HE flight time @ 10 km7.59 s

How long an HE shell takes to reach a target at a fixed 10 km, from the same numerically integrated trajectory the Charts card plots. The shell slows under quadratic air drag,  $a_{drag} = k ρ v^{2}$ , where  $ρ$  is air density from a standard-atmosphere profile and  $k$  bundles the shell's drag coefficient, caliber and mass:  $k = \frac{π C_{d} d^{2}}{8 m} = \frac{π \cdot 0.3142 \cdot {0.102}^{2}}{8 \cdot 15.88} = 8.08 \times 10^{- 5}$ . That runs from a 811 m/s muzzle velocity in 0.02 s steps under gravity 9.8 m/s² until the shell lands, then divides by 2.77: the game clock runs faster than real time, and that factor was measured against stopwatch runs in the Training Room. Lower is better, since a faster shell is harder to dodge and needs less lead.

HE penetration17 mm

17 mm ≈ 102 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).

Broadside guns used for alpha4

All 4 barrels bear on the broadside.

Turret turn time22.5 s

180 degrees / 8 deg/s traverse speed = 22.5 s.

HE full-salvo alpha3,200

800 HE damage x 4 broadside guns = 3,200.

HE DPM54,857

3,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.5 s base reload = 54,857.

Shells/min68.6

4 broadside guns x 60 / 3.5 s base reload = 68.6.

Fires/min4.11

68.6 shells/min x 6% fire chance = 4.11.

AA defense

AA DPS at max range45

Only families that reach 2 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: 20mm Oerlikon MK4 4x1 -> 45 DPS @ 2 km.

Maximum AA range2 km

Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 2 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.

AA DPS layered by range45 DPS @ 2 km

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-blank45

Sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (2 km).

AA threat index90

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 Beta

Hull HP 12,600, 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.

Bow & stern6 mm

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

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
Bow	6 mm primary (range 6–10 mm)	1,000 (8% of HP)	Overmatched by 127mm+ (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.
Stern	6 mm primary (range 6–10 mm)	600 (5% of HP)	Overmatched by 127mm+ (Farragut)6 mm: HE pens from 127mm+	Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel	10 mm primary (range 6–10 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.
Superstructure	6 mm	300 (2% 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	3,200 magazine HP	Turret knocked out	Per-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 (20 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	1,900 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.

Open in Charting Tool

Ship Charts

Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

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.

2026-03-27 · Early access / tech tree line Pan-American Cruisers Are Coming to Early Access Line source 2026-04-30 · Patch notes May Update: From Rome to Edo Patch notes

Hércules

Hércules Community Stats

Hércules Community Stats

Playstyle

Overview

Positioning

Potato Avoidance

Signature Traits →

How to get Hércules

Builds

Cohort position

Peers in this cohort

Stats & specs

See all derived stats

Main battery formulas

AA defense

Armor Beta

Ship Charts

Skins & permanent camouflages

Primary official WG sources

Signature Traits