Lightning Build & Guide | WoWs Legends

Playstyle

Overview

Lightning is a Tier VII British stealth-leaning destroyer with strong surface detection (6.9 km). The kit opens detection windows most peer DDs cannot match, so her value is contesting caps from concealment edges where the detection band holds. Standout traits: best turret traverse rate in T7 DDs (50) and best smoke duration in T7 DDs (20 s).

Positioning

Hold concealment edges on the contested cap at 6.9 km detection. The band opens windows for unspotted torpedo drops and clean repositions; lean into the gaps your peer DDs cannot read, and back out before detection closes.

Potato Avoidance

Burning the 6.9 km concealment advantage on guns

Every salvo lights you up and gives back the detection edge that makes the kit work; reserve guns for finishing damage on already-spotted ships, and prioritize torpedo drops you can fire while undetected.

Signature Traits

Long-burning smoke

20.0 s Smoke Generator duration, best of T7 DDs. Holds the smoke shield longer.

Long-duration sonar

180.0 s Sonar duration, best of T7 DDs.

High fire pressure

8.1 fires/min, top decile of T7 DDs. Keeps DCP on cooldown.

Bow-tanker

Bow plate thicker than the cohort overmatch threshold. Angle straight on and shrug off same-tier guns.

Slow HE shells

774.0 m/s HE muzzle velocity, bottom decile of T7 DDs. Lobby trajectory, harder to land at range.

Slow AP shells

774.0 m/s AP muzzle velocity, bottom decile of T7 DDs. Lobby trajectory, more lead, easier to dodge at range.

Acquisition

How to get Lightning

Lightning is available in the Dueling Destroyers branch of the U.K. Tech Tree for 18,000,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 4,500,000 credits.

Show U.K. tech-tree branch diagram

U.K. Tech Tree

Lightning sits in the Dueling Destroyers branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full U.K. tree.

8 ships in highlighted branch · scroll to inspect all U.K. lines.

U.K.IIIIIIIVVVIVIIVIII★

Destroyer

Cruiser

Cruiser Split

Battleship

Battleship Split

Carrier

Tier VRenownPBSB547 Tier VIIVanguardPBSB508 Tier VIIIDrakePBSC209 Tier VIIIDuncanPBSB209 Tier VIIAlbemarlePBSC208 Tier VIIHawkePBSB208 Tier VISurreyPBSC207 Tier VIRookePBSB207 Tier VDevonshirePBSC206 Tier IVHawkinsPBSC205 Tier IVTigerPBSB205 Tier IIIHermesPBSA204 Tier VIIITemerairePBSB112 Tier ★DaringPBSD110 Tier ★MinotaurPBSC110 Tier ★ConquerorPBSB110 Tier VIIIJutlandPBSD109 Tier VIIINeptunePBSC109 Tier VIILightningPBSD108 Tier VIIEdinburghPBSC108 Tier VIIImplacablePBSA108 Tier VIJervisPBSD107 Tier VIFijiPBSC107 Tier VIKing George VPBSB107 Tier VIcarusPBSD106 Tier VLeanderPBSC106 Tier VQueen ElizabethPBSB106 Tier VFuriousPBSA106 Tier IVAcastaPBSD105 Tier IVEmeraldPBSC105 Tier IVIron DukePBSB105 Tier IIIWakefulPBSD104 Tier IIIDanaePBSC104 Tier IIIOrionPBSB104 Tier IIValkyriePBSD103 Tier IICaledonPBSC103 Tier IWeymouthPBSC102

Builds Beta

Ariadne M. Davis, Grotmaz Smart, and Phillip Vian are useful British destroyer commander directions. Inspirations usually start with concealment, then add HP, torpedo reload, gun performance, or speed depending on whether you want safer scouting or harder cap fights.

Open in Build Tool →

Commanders frequently paired with this ship Ariadne M. Davis Grotmaz Smart Philip Vian

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Cohort position

Hide ▾

Where Lightning sits among Tier VII DDs (30 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.

Top 10%Fires per minute8.1 (4/30) Top 10%Acceleration9.8 s (4/30) Top 25%Traverse-to-turn ratio11.12 × (8/30) Top 25%Main dispersion88.6 m (5/30) Top 25%AP arming threshold20 mm (4/28) Top 25%Displacement2,700 t (8/30) Bottom 25%Hit points15,900 HP (25/30) Bottom 25%Main battery caliber120 mm (27/30) Bottom 25%HE shell damage1,700 (27/30) Bottom 25%Engine power48,000 hp (25/30) Bottom 25%Power-to-weight17.78 hp/t (24/30) WorstAP velocity774 m/s (28/28) WorstHE velocity774 m/s (30/30)

See 26 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Lightning -- 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 speed36 kt(19/30) Concealment6.9 km(12/30) Air detection3.45 km(13/30) Rudder shift4.9 s(11/30) Main battery range10.79 km(23/30) Main battery reload4 s(15/30) HE fire chance9%(9/30) HE DPM153,000(13/30) AP shell damage2,200(18/28) AP DPM198,000(15/28) Turn-speed retention81.4 hp/m(22/30) AA DPS186(14/30) AA range4.5 km(13/30) AA threat448(18/30) Torpedo range9.99 km(11/29) Torpedo damage15,533(19/29) Torpedo speed62 kt(17/29) Torpedo reload96 s(14/29) Max armor20 mm(17/30) Citadel belt20 mm(16/29) Bow armor20 mm(14/29) Stern armor20 mm(14/29) Deck armor19 mm(11/25) NormAP fuse timer0.01 s(23 of 28 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(23 of 28 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(23 of 28 tied at this value)

Peers in this cohort

Show all 28 peers

Karl von Schönberg vs

Vittorio Cuniberti vs

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.

Sonar 3.89 kmSmoke

Survivability

Hit PointsInitial: 13,000 → 15,900

Displacement2,700 t

Armor range13–20 mm

Plate armor thicknesses13, 16, 19, 20 mm

Armor material/layer entries22

Fire resistanceInitial: 33.3% → 36.6%

Fire duration30 s

Torp Reduction0%

Magazine HP

ƒ

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.

8,000

Steering gear HP

ƒ

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.

4,800

Main Battery

ModuleArtillery: 120 mm/50 QF Mk XI

Mounts / barrels3 mounts / 6 barrels

Reload time4.5 s

Firing range (base)9.8 km

Firing range (top fire control)10.8 km

Turret traverse20 °/s

Shell Grouping (σ)

ƒ

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

2

Max Horiz Disp

ƒ

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (9809/30·(8−0.5)/1000 + 0.5)·30 = 88.6 m

88.6 m

Max Vert Disp

ƒ

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 88.6 × 0.6 = 53.1 m

53.1 m

Med Horiz Disp

ƒ

50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 88.6 × 0.319 (σ=2) = 28.3 m

28.3 m

Med Vert Disp

ƒ

50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 53.1 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 17 m

17 m

Turret turn time

ƒ

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

9 s

Base shells/min

ƒ

6 broadside guns x 60 / 4.5 s base reload = 80.

80

HE shells

HE Damage1,700

HE Velocity774 m/s

Fire Chance9%

HE penetration

ƒ

20 mm ≈ 120 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).

20 mm

HE full-salvo alpha

ƒ

1,700 HE damage x 6 broadside guns = 10,200.

10,200

Base HE DPM

ƒ

10,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4.5 s base reload = 136,000.

136,000

Installed HE DPM

ƒ

10,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 153,000.

153,000

Base fires/min

ƒ

6 HE shells x 60 / 4.5 s reload x 9% fire chance = 7.2.

7.2

AP shells

AP Damage2,200

AP Velocity774 m/s

Min Ricochet45 deg

Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg

Fuse Timer0.01 s

Fuse Threshold20 mm

AP overmatch

ƒ

floor(120 mm caliber / 14.3) = 8 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

8 mm

AP Pen Close

ƒ

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 × 2300 × 28.12^0.69 × 0.12^-1.07 × 774^1.38 = 215.4 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.

215.4 mm

AP Pen Far

ƒ

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (13.5 km), where the shell has slowed to 290 m/s: 1e-7 × 2300 × 28.12^0.69 × 0.12^-1.07 × 290^1.38 = 55.6 mm.

55.6 mm

AP full-salvo alpha

ƒ

2,200 AP damage x 6 broadside guns = 13,200.

13,200

Base AP DPM

ƒ

13,200 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4.5 s base reload = 176,000.

176,000

Installed AP DPM

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13,200 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 198,000.

198,000

AP AOE Radius

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.

8

◇

Torpedoes

ModuleTorpedoes: 533 mm Mk IX**

Launchers / tubes2 launchers × 4 tubes = 8 tubes

Reload time96 s

Projectile speed62 kt

Range9.99 km

Maximum simulated damage14,433 (est.)

Alpha damage43,300

Torpedo detectability1.3 km

Torpedo launcher traverse25 °/s

Torp Turn7.2 s

Torp Arming191 m

Per-side salvo damage

ƒ

per-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.

115,464

AA Defense

AA mount pointsInitial: 7 → 11

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: (37×3.5×1) + (9×3.5×1) + (7×3.5×1) = 186. 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.

186

Maximum AA range

ƒ

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

4.5 km

40 mm/39 QF Mark VII1×4 40mm

20 mm Oerlikon Mk IV4×1 20mm

20 mm Oerlikon Mk V (upgraded hull only)6×2 20mm

12.7 mm Mk III (stock hull only)2×4 13mm

DPS

ƒ

Includes 7 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose main battery firing as AA in this range band.

7

Range4.5 km

DPSInitial: 11 → 9

Range2.5 km

Total DPS in Aura

ƒ

Far 7 + Outer Medium 9 = 16

16

DPSInitial: 12 → 37

Range2 km

Total DPS in Aura

ƒ

Far 7 + Outer Medium 9 + Inner Medium 37 = 53

53

Maneuverability

Engine moduleEngine: 48,000 hp

Engine power48,000 hp

Maximum speed36 kt

Turning circle radius590 m

Engine power multiplier speed threshold33.5 kt

Traverse-to-turn ratio11.1× ok

Concealment

Detectability by sea6.9 km

Detectability by air3.45 km

Smoke firing penalty2.45 km

Detect after firing main guns6.9 km

Detect Fire Sea8.9 km

Detect Fire Air6.45 km

Guaranteed Detect2 km

✦

Consumables

Damage Control Party∞ charges · 40 s reload · 5 s active

Smoke Generator6 charges · 60 s reload · 20 s emit / 40 s cloud active

Sonar3 charges · 120 s reload · 180 s active · 3.89 km ship detect · 2.78 km torpedo detect

Module options (3)

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

HullUpgrade

Hit points13,000 → 15,900
Rudder shift6.9 → 4.9 s
AA mounts7 → 11
Close-range AA DPS27 → 46
Turret traverse20 → 50 °/s

Fire controlUpgrade

Main battery range9,809 → 10789.9 m

TorpedoesTrade-off

Range8.01 → 9.99 km
Alpha damage44,300 → 43,300
Display damage14,767 → 14,433
Speed61 → 62 kt

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 Disp88.6 m

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (9809/30·(8−0.5)/1000 + 0.5)·30 = 88.6 m

Max Vert Disp53.1 m

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 88.6 × 0.6 = 53.1 m

Med Horiz Disp28.3 m

50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 88.6 × 0.319 (σ=2) = 28.3 m

Med Vert Disp17 m

50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 53.1 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 17 m

Dispersion familyDD Disp.

Standard destroyer dispersion baseline.

AP Pen Close215.4 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 × 2300 × 28.12^0.69 × 0.12^-1.07 × 774^1.38 = 215.4 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.

AP Pen Far55.6 mm

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (13.5 km), where the shell has slowed to 290 m/s: 1e-7 × 2300 × 28.12^0.69 × 0.12^-1.07 × 290^1.38 = 55.6 mm.

HE penetration20 mm

20 mm ≈ 120 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).

AP overmatch8 mm

floor(120 mm caliber / 14.3) = 8 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

AP AOE Radius8

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

All 6 barrels bear on the broadside.

Turret turn time9 s

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

HE full-salvo alpha10,200

1,700 HE damage x 6 broadside guns = 10,200.

AP full-salvo alpha13,200

2,200 AP damage x 6 broadside guns = 13,200.

Base HE DPM136,000

10,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4.5 s base reload = 136,000.

Base AP DPM176,000

13,200 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4.5 s base reload = 176,000.

Installed HE DPM153,000

10,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 153,000.

Installed AP DPM198,000

13,200 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 198,000.

Base shells/min80

6 broadside guns x 60 / 4.5 s base reload = 80.

Installed shells/min90

6 broadside guns x 60 / 4 s installed Artillery reload = 90.

Base fires/min7.2

6 HE shells x 60 / 4.5 s reload x 9% fire chance = 7.2.

Installed fires/min8.1

6 HE shells x 60 / 4 s installed reload x 9% fire chance = 8.1.

Torpedoes

Torpedo detectability1.3 km

Estimated torpedo reaction time8.1 s

detectability / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).

Torpedo speed62 kt

Travel time to max range62 s

range / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).

Tube count8

2 launchers x 4 tubes.

Per-side salvo8 torpedoes

8 (centerline launchers train across - full salvo to either side).

Full-salvo damage115,464

tube count x per-torpedo simulated damage (all torpedoes hitting).

Per-side salvo damage115,464

per-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS186

Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (37×3.5×1) + (9×3.5×1) + (7×3.5×1) = 186. 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 range4.5 km

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

AA threat index448

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 13,000 → 15,900 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
Bow	20 mm primary (range 19–20 mm)	2,500 (16% of HP)	Overmatched by 305mm+ (Toulon, Cherbourg)Angle bounces 283mm20 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)	19 mm primary (range 16–19 mm)	11,900 (75% of HP)	Overmatched by 283mm+ (Scharnhorst, Scharnhorst '43)Angle bounces 203mm19 mm: HE pens from 127mm+	Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern	20 mm primary (range 16–20 mm)	1,200 (8% of HP)	Overmatched by 305mm+ (Toulon, Cherbourg)Angle bounces 283mm20 mm: HE pens from 127mm+	Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel	20 mm primary (range 13–20 mm)	≈ 165,500 (effectively no cap)	Citadel pen ×0.50 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 (×0.50 direct pen, ×0.10 over-pen).
Superstructure	19 mm	1,100 (7% 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	8,000 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 (40 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	4,800 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 Lightning can equip, from in-game data.

DefaultThe ship’s standard exterior

Lightning

Lightning Community Stats