La Foudre
Also called: 疾电 Beta- Anchor a flank at 14-17 km with bow toward the closest threat, then use the speed advantage at 30 kn to rotate to the cap that needs a second battleship rather than the one your team already has
- Avoid: Using the 30-kn speed to push rather than to rotate
On this page
La Foudre Community Stats
Across 12,000+ Standard battles from 150+ players, La Foudre averages a 64% win rate, 89,400 damage and 1.3 kills per battle, and survives 43% of them.
La Foudre Community Stats
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La Foudre Community Stats
Record History
Playstyle
Overview
La Foudre is a Tier VII French fast battleship at 30 kn with Engine Boost on the consumable slot. Mobility lets her rotate flanks battleship-fast and pick fights where her guns get the first salvo. Standout traits: sharp rudder in T7 BBs (12.7 s, 3rd of 49) and burny secondaries in T7 BBs (12, 9th of 46). The trade is short gun range in T7 BBs (16.5 km, 47th of 49).
Positioning
Anchor a flank at 14-17 km with bow toward the closest threat, then use the speed advantage at 30 kn to rotate to the cap that needs a second battleship rather than the one your team already has. Mobility means you can pick which fight you are in; do not waste it by holding center the whole match. The helm answers quickly (12.7 s), so she can break an incoming salvo that slower hulls have to eat.
Potato Avoidance
Using the 30-kn speed to push rather than to rotate
The mobility advantage is about picking which cap fight you arrive at, not about leading the brawl line; a fast BB that overextends loses HP that the kit cannot trade back.
Signature Traits
+8% speed (about +2.4 kt), 180 s duration. Engine Boost consumable gives a small speed nudge - useful for closing a gap or easing out of a bad angle, not for running anything down. Uncommon in T7 BBs.
12.7 s rudder shift, top decile of T7 BBs. Snappy weave.
- Burny secondaries · 12%
- Sharp secondaries
- Secondary fire pressure · 14.7 secondary
Flat trajectory and high velocity retention. Easy aim at range, hard for targets to dodge.
- Short gun range · 16.5 km
- Pattern widens fast with range
How to get La Foudre
La Foudre is a Premium ship and not available to unlock in the Tech Tree. Acquisition path: Containers. 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.
While you save up, check active promo codes for free doubloons, camouflages, and other rewards.
Best listed chance for this ship
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Treasure Chest '23
2%
Pirate Ship
Archived · Treasure Chest '23 · 1 of 2 ships
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Treasure Chest '24
0.75%
Pirate Ship
Archived · Treasure Chest '24 · 1 of 4 ships
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Pirate Chest '26
0.4%
One of the pirate ships
Event · Pirate Chest '26 · 1 of 5 ships
Show all 4 containers (1 more)
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Explorer's Chest
0.111111%
One of these ships
Event · Explorer's Chest · 1 of 27 ships
Official WG availability sources
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Pirates on the Horizon!
Store / event post
Start: 2022-11-24
- You can obtain the ships and Cap’ns on their own in the Store.
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Supply Shipment: Black Waters Rise
Store / event post
Start: 2023-11-13
- Pirate Cap'ns—Michel Le Tir and Ariadne M. Davies—return aboard their trusty ships Caprice and La Foudre, starting December 1. It's the perfect chance to get them if they sailed past you last year.
Show direct source rows
- Explorer's Chest 0.111111% · One of these ships
- Pirate Chest '26 0.4% · One of the pirate ships
- Treasure Chest '23 2% · Pirate Ship
- Treasure Chest '24 0.75% · Pirate Ship
Want the full picture? Each container page charts the odds as you open more crates - including pity guaranteed-reward timers and, for GD Supporters, pack math personalized to your port.
Builds
Pair with a commander whose unique skill complements her main armament; check the build tool for current recommendations.
Have a build you swear by? Open it in the Build Tool and hit Save build to share it here, or browse the Ship Builds guide for proven loadouts across the fleet.
Cohort position
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Where La Foudre sits among Tier VII BBs (48 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.
See 34 mid-pack stats
Not standouts for La Foudre -- 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.
Peers in this cohort
Compare Tier VII BattleshipsShow all 48 peers
Stats & specs
Customize in the Build Tool →ƒ
How far each mount can train, in degrees to either side of the mount's own facing. A rear turret with ±150° leaves a 60° blind wedge over the bow; one-sided arcs are wing mounts that cover a single side. The data does not say which way each mount faces, so the arcs are listed per mount without bow/stern angles.ƒ
Counted from each mount's firing arc: no mount leaves a blind wedge, so every gun bears straight ahead. How far off the bow (or stern) the ship must angle before every main turret can fire: the widest blind wedge among the rear-facing (or forward-facing) mounts, from each mount's trainable arc.ƒ
In practice: 1% wider (worse) horizontal dispersion and 1% more vertical spread at max range (16.5 km) than a standard battleship: about 228 m wide × 137 m tall, against 225 m × 135 m. Also on this curve (55): AL Vittorio Veneto, Alsace, Andrea Doria, BA Binah, BA Tirpitz, Bayern, Bismarck, Bismarck B, Brandenburg, Bretagne, Cavour, Cristoforo Colombo and 43 more.ƒ
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the dispersion model:ƒ
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range:ƒ
50%-hit horizontal radius:ƒ
50%-hit vertical radius:ƒ
180 degrees / 5 deg/s traverse speed = 36 s.ƒ
Zero upgrades: 8 broadside guns x 60 / 27 s base reload = 17.8. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 8 broadside guns x 60 / 24.429 s (24.3 s = 171 ticks) all-upgrades reload (27 s × 0.9 Main Battery Mod. 3 = 24.3 s) = 19.6.HE shells
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63 mm ≈ 380 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).ƒ
5,400 HE damage x 8 broadside guns = 43,200.ƒ
Zero upgrades: 43,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 27 s base reload = 96,000. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 43,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 24.429 s (24.3 s = 171 ticks) all-upgrades reload (27 s × 0.9 Main Battery Mod. 3 = 24.3 s) = 106,105.ƒ
Zero upgrades: 17.8 shells/min × 0.36 (36% fire chance) = 6.4. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 19.6 shells/min × 0.36 (36% fire chance) = 7.07.AP shells
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floor(380 mm caliber / 14.3) = 26 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).ƒ
AP formula evaluated at muzzle velocity: .ƒ
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (16.5 km), where the shell has slowed to 590.6 m/s: .ƒ
11,900 AP damage x 8 broadside guns = 95,200.ƒ
Zero upgrades: 95,200 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 27 s base reload = 211,556. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 95,200 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 24.429 s (24.3 s = 171 ticks) all-upgrades reload (27 s × 0.9 Main Battery Mod. 3 = 24.3 s) = 233,825.ƒ
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.ƒ
Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 4.5 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.ƒ
Dual-purpose: your secondaries doing double duty against aircraft. The same mounts appear on the Secondary Battery card - shared guns, not extra hardware.ƒ
Dual-purpose: your secondaries doing double duty against aircraft. The same mounts appear on the Secondary Battery card - shared guns, not extra hardware.ƒ
Effective DPS in in-game units (raw aura damage × 3.5 × hit probability, summed per contributing aura) - matches the Close-range AA DPS headline's currency. Includes 168 from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.ƒ
Effective DPS: 161 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.75 hit probability = 423 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.ƒ
Far 168 + Medium 423 = 591ƒ
Each ~2 s salvo fires 2 AA explosions in quick succession, each leaving 4 clouds ahead of the attacking squadron, plus 2 stray clouds farther out that appear off-beat between salvos - up to 10 clouds per salvo × 210 damage each. Planes that fly into a cloud take its damage; clouds dissipate before the next salvo lands. Defensive AA Fire, where fitted, multiplies the AA explosions within each salvo, and commander skills that raise the Number of AA explosions add to it.ƒ
Damage a plane takes for flying into one flak cloud, before any reductions.ƒ
Each cloud in the pattern rolls this chance to spawn, so salvos average fewer clouds than the maximum. Often called flak 'hit chance', but spawned clouds always damage planes that fly into them - the roll is on spawning.ƒ
A new flak salvo (the AA explosions above) fires roughly every 2 s.ƒ
Flak keeps firing while at least one secondary battery mount is operational - even losing every dedicated AA mount does not stop it.ƒ
The activation band: flak fires while attacking planes are inside it. Clouds are placed ahead of the planes' path, so clouds can land short of 2.5 km or past 5 km - once planes get inside the band, new salvos stop. AA range bonuses push the outer edge out; the 2.5 km inner edge does not move.ƒ
Sum of each gun family's fires/min (per side): 12 + 2.7 = 14.7. Per side: the barrels that bear on one broadside target (mounts × barrels / 2). A ceiling: assumes every shell hits and ignores the four-fire cap and Fire Prevention.ƒ
Sum across all secondary families of (per-side barrels × 60 / reload_s × alpha), with each reload counted in whole 1/7 s ticks (guns fire on the first tick after the reload), where per-side barrels = mounts × barrels-per-mount / 2 (the guns that bear on one broadside target). Per-family: 12×2 100 mm (12/side) × 60/3 s × 1550 = 372,000 + 3×3 152 mm (4.5/side) × 60/12 s × 2350 = 52,875. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).ƒ
Fires/min (per side) 14.7 × (1 − 0.366 fire resistance) × 60 s × 0.003 of max HP per second × 65,000 HP = 109,042. Per side: the barrels that bear on one broadside target (mounts × barrels / 2). A ceiling: assumes every shell hits and ignores the four-fire cap and Fire Prevention.ƒ
Secondary DPM (per side) 424,875 + secondary fire DPM 109,042 = 533,917: shell damage plus fire damage against one T7 battleship, every shell hitting.ƒ
Max dispersion = range (km) × 57 + 30. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.ƒ
6.66 km × 57 + 30 = 409.6 m.ƒ
Dual-purpose: the same mounts also fire at aircraft, so they appear on the AA Defense card too - shared guns, not extra hardware.ƒ
12×2 barrels / 2 sides × 60 / 3 s × 0.05 (5% fire chance) = 12. Per side: the barrels that bear on one broadside target (mounts × barrels / 2). A ceiling: assumes every shell hits and ignores the four-fire cap and Fire Prevention.Show 1 more gun family
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Dual-purpose: the same mounts also fire at aircraft, so they appear on the AA Defense card too - shared guns, not extra hardware.ƒ
3×3 barrels / 2 sides × 60 / 12 s × 0.12 (12% fire chance) = 2.7. Per side: the barrels that bear on one broadside target (mounts × barrels / 2). A ceiling: assumes every shell hits and ignores the four-fire cap and Fire Prevention.ƒ
top speed / 4 + 4.9 = 30 / 4 + 4.9 = 12.4 kt. Base value; speed modifiers scale it.ƒ
Seconds from top speed to a dead stop after ordering full reverse: reverse power winds in over the reverse spool-up while water drag does most of the braking, using the ship's own reverse-power ratio. The full curve is on the acceleration chart. Full reverse stops about a quarter faster than a plain Stop order from top speed.ƒ
Speed below which the engine's built-in power boost applies in reverse.ƒ
Time to reach 90% of top speed (27.0 kt of 30.0 kt).ƒ
Time to reach 99% of top speed (29.7 kt of 30.0 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.ƒ
With the rudder hard over the hull turns 4.0°/s, so a target drifts across the bow at that rate. Turret traverse minus hull turn: 5 − 4.0 = +1.0°/s, so the guns hold the target through the turn. Main Battery Mod. 2 (+20% traverse) and Mod. 3 (−15%) move this line.ƒ
Base value, no camouflage. With a Grade IV permanent camo (or any disposable camo): 15.44 km x 0.955 = 14.75 km. Camouflage does not change detectability by air.ƒ
Detectability by sea 15.44 km x 0.955 (Grade IV permanent camo or any disposable camo) = 14.75 km.ƒ
max(main battery range, sea detectability 15.44 km) = 16.48 km. Equal to the ship's main battery range (never below base detectability): firing makes you visible to everyone you can reach.ƒ
Air detectability 12.35 km + gun-firing bloom 7.6 km = 19.95 km. The bloom tracks main-battery caliber 380 mm × 0.020 = 7.6 km.ƒ
Sea detectability 15.44 km + 2.0 km while burning = 17.44 km.ƒ
Air detectability 12.35 km + 3.0 km while burning = 15.35 km.
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 80 s reload · 15 s active
Repair Party3 charges · 80 s reload · 28 s active · 9,660 HP (14% of max HP) total heal (per charge) ƒ
0.005 of max HP per second (0.5%) × 28 s effective active time = 0.14 of max HP × 69,000 HP = 9,660 HP: up to 14% of max HP restored per charge.ƒ
0.14 of max HP per charge × 3 charges = 0.42 × 69,000 HP = 28,980 HP: up to 42% of max HP if the whole Repair Party loadout is used.ƒ
0.005 (0.5% of max HP) × 69,000 HP = 345 HP/s. WoWS heals a flat percent of MAX HP each second, so this rate holds at any health level.
Main Battery Reload Booster2 charges · 180 s reload · 15 s active · +50% reload boost
Engine Boost2 charges · 180 s reload · 180 s active · +8% speed bonus
Enhanced Secondary Targeting3 charges · 160 s reload · 30 s active · +100% grouping · -50% dispersion
Under the hood
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All values are ship base stats with modifications and upgrade changes denoted inline.
The constants behind the formulas and the long tail: shell and dispersion inputs, fixed-range anchors, salvo math, layered AA. Click the formula chip on any row to see how it is calculated.
Main battery formulas
H = horizontal, V = vertical spread. This ship's curve against the standard battleship curve, both evaluated at this ship's max range (16.5 km) with the same model as Max Horiz/Vert Disp: horizontal 228 / 225 m − 1 = +1%, vertical 137 / 135 m − 1 = +1%. Shell grouping (σ) is separate: it sets how shells bunch toward the centre of this ellipse.(166.7 × (12 − 2.2) / 1000 + 2.2) × 30 = 115 m. Horizontal scatter at a fixed 5 km, from the same dispersion model as the rows below - a knife-fight-range anchor comparable across ships.(333.3 × (12 − 2.2) / 1000 + 2.2) × 30 = 164 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.(500 × (12 − 2.2) / 1000 + 2.2) × 30 = 213 m. Horizontal scatter at a fixed 15 km, from the same dispersion model - the long-range anchor. Only shown when the ship's guns reach 15 km.How tall the scatter ellipse is at a fixed 5 km, from the same model, comparable from ship to ship. The height/width ratio is a piecewise-linear curve through three points from the ship's own dispersion data: at 0 m, at m, and at 16482 m. Below the kink: , so .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: at 0 m, at m, and at 16482 m. Above the kink: , so .How tall the scatter ellipse is at a fixed 15 km, from the same model. Only shown when the ship's guns reach 15 km. The height/width ratio is a piecewise-linear curve through three points from the ship's own dispersion data: at 0 m, at m, and at 16482 m. Above the kink: , so .AP penetration at a fixed 5 km, from the same ballistic curve as AP Pen Close/Far: the shell's impact velocity at that range fed through the AP formula , where 744.1 m/s is the shell's speed when it arrives at 5 km (from 830 m/s at the muzzle). Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.AP penetration at a fixed 10 km, from the same ballistic curve as AP Pen Close/Far: the shell's impact velocity at that range fed through the AP formula , where 669.2 m/s is the shell's speed when it arrives at 10 km (from 830 m/s at the muzzle). Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.AP penetration at a fixed 15 km, from the same ballistic curve as AP Pen Close/Far: the shell's impact velocity at that range fed through the AP formula , where 606.9 m/s is the shell's speed when it arrives at 15 km (from 830 m/s at the muzzle). Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.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, , where is air density from a standard-atmosphere profile and bundles the shell's drag coefficient, caliber and mass: . That runs from a 830 m/s muzzle velocity in 0.02 s steps under gravity 9.8 m/s² until the shell lands, then divides by 2.77 because the game clock runs faster than real time. Lower is better, since a faster shell is harder to dodge and needs less lead.How long an AP 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, , where is air density from a standard-atmosphere profile and bundles the shell's drag coefficient, caliber and mass: . That runs from a 830 m/s muzzle velocity in 0.02 s steps under gravity 9.8 m/s² until the shell lands, then divides by 2.77 because the game clock runs faster than real time. Lower is better, since a faster shell is harder to dodge and needs less lead.2 mounts × 4 barrels = 8; all 8 bear on the broadside.Model inputs
Armor-penetration constant of the AP shell; penetration scales straight with it, so a 10% higher Krupp is 10% more penetration at every range.Enters penetration as mass^0.69 and slows the shell's drag deceleration, so a heavier shell keeps more velocity at range.Air drag on the AP shell in flight; lower keeps velocity, and with it penetration, at long range.Starting speed of the AP shell; penetration scales with velocity^1.38.Starting speed of the HE shell; sets its flight time and lead.Horizontal dispersion growth per idealDistance of range, in 30 m units; the slope of the scatter-width line.Horizontal dispersion at zero range, in 30 m units; the intercept of the scatter-width line.Range step over which horizontal dispersion grows by idealRadius.Inside this range the scatter width tapers toward minRadius instead of following the line.Vertical scatter as a share of horizontal at zero range.Vertical scatter as a share of horizontal at the delim point.Vertical scatter as a share of horizontal at maximum range.Where the vertical-scatter curve bends, as a share of maximum range.AA defense
Only families that reach 5 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: 57mm 60 2 25 1951 14x2 -> 423 DPS @ 4.5 km; 2 100 55 Mle 1945 12x2 -> 134 DPS @ 5 km; 152 55 Mle 1936 3x3 -> 34 DPS @ 5 km.@ 5 km: 134 + 34 = 168; @ 4.5 km: 423 + 134 + 34 = 591. 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.423 + 134 + 34 = 591 DPS: the sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (4.5 km).423 × 4.5 + 134 × 5 + 34 × 5 = 2744. 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.Secondary battery dispersion
Same per-type line evaluated at a fixed 5 km: 5 km × 57 + 30 = 315 m.Secondary battery firepower
max(1550 (100 mm), 2350 (152 mm)) = 2350. Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 2350 from the 152 mm family.max(5% (100 mm), 12% (152 mm)) = 12%. Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 12% from the 152 mm family.max(17 mm (100 mm), 25 mm (152 mm)) = 25 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: 25 mm from the 152 mm family.Ship Charts
Background
The favorite vessel of pirate legend Michel Le Tir packs quite a punch! La Foudre is the flagship of the French pirate fleet, and for good reasons: She's speedy, agile, and dangerous with her enhanced secondaries, just like any pirate wants their ship to be. If you think she resembles battleship Jean Bart, you're onto something - Le Tir spent years recreating the ship that bore his idol's name.
Balance History
Balance updates affecting La Foudre. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.
Ministry of Balance: New Horizons, Greater Heights
- Extended the barbette armor plates to the casemate, making these areas more resistant to accidental hits.
- Extended the barbette of the second gun to the citadel, further fortifying this section and reducing the chances of citadel hits and penetrations in this area.
Skins & permanent camouflages
Every custom exterior La Foudre can equip.
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.
