World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Lyon

Beta
Mid-range battleship anchorHold a mid-range lane and trade with the enemy line.
Playstyle
  • Hold 14-17 km on a flank with firing arcs into rotating cruisers and broadside BBs
  • Avoid: Idle reloads
Key characteristics
High HE / fire outputHigh AP DPMFragile
Community Data

Lyon Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Lyon is a Tier VI French AP-DPM battleship (337,778 AP DPM): her main battery throughput is cohort-best, so the kit pays out by punishing every broadside she catches rather than waiting for a perfect alpha salvo. Keep the guns reloading on targets, not on cover. Standout traits: best flat HE shells in T6 BBs (921) and best AA reach in T6 BBs (5.2 km).

Positioning

Hold 14-17 km on a flank with firing arcs into rotating cruisers and broadside BBs. The kit's value is salvo cycle count, so prioritize a position where the next reload always has a target; bow on between salvos and trade angles rather than holding broadside for a single shot.

Potato Avoidance

Idle reloads

The kit pays for itself when the guns are cycling on targets; a 20-second window between salvos because no broadside is available is the kit doing nothing. Pre-rotate turrets toward likely-broadside ships before you need the shot.

Signature Traits

Flat HE shells

921.0 m/s HE muzzle velocity, best of T6 BBs. Flatter trajectory, easier to land at range.

AP DPM machine

337778 AP DPM, best of T6 BBs. Punishes broadsides.

Long-reach AA

5.2 km AA reach, best of T6 BBs.

HE DPM machine

167111 HE DPM, top decile of T6 BBs. Sustained fire pressure.

Light citadel belt

190.0 mm citadel belt, bottom decile of T6 BBs. Citadels through angle are possible.

Loose grouping

Sigma 1.5, bottom quartile of T6 BBs. Shells scatter more; bracketing matters.

Acquisition

How to get Lyon

Lyon is available in the Fast Battleships branch of the France Tech Tree for 9,000,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 2,250,000 credits.

Show France tech-tree branch diagram
France Tech Tree

Lyon sits in the Fast Battleships branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full France tree.

Builds Beta

Build for main-battery accuracy/reload, speed, survivability, and fire resistance.

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Cohort position

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Where Lyon sits among Tier VI BBs (27 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.

BestAP DPM337,778 (1/27) BestHE velocity921 m/s (1 of 2 tied) BestDisplacement36,301 t (1 of 2 tied) BestAA range5.2 km (1 of 4 tied) Top 10%HE DPM167,111 (2/27) Top 10%AP arming threshold57 mm (3/27) Top 10%Stern armor30 mm (3/26) Top 25%Fires per minute9.24 (4/27) Top 25%Secondary DPM (per side)273,600 (4/27) Top 25%Turn-speed retention152.9 hp/m (7/27) Top 25%AA threat1,535 (7/27) Bottom 25%Hit points53,400 HP (25/27) Bottom 25%Main battery caliber340 mm (25/27) WorstTraverse-to-turn ratio3.08 × (1 of 2 tied) WorstSigma1.5 (1 of 3 tied) WorstNo torpedoes (22 of 27 in cohort) WorstCitadel belt190 mm (1 of 2 tied)
See 26 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Lyon -- 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 speed27 kt(19/27) Concealment14.66 km(20/27) Air detection11.73 km(19/27) Rudder shift18.4 s(9/27) Main battery range16.13 km(9/27) Main battery reload27 s(16/27) HE fire chance26%(21/27) Main dispersion209.7 m(15/27) HE alpha1,900(14/26) Secondary fire chance9%(10/26) Secondary HE pen22 mm(16/26) AP velocity780 m/s(17/27) Acceleration8.3 s(11/27) Engine power107,000 hp(15/27) Power-to-weight2.95 hp/t(10/27) Secondary range5 km(15/27) AA DPS462(9/27) Repair charges3(13/27) Max armor350 mm(17/27) Bow armor26 mm(11/26) Deck armor100 mm(19/26) NormSecondary dispersion bracket57(20 of 27 tied at this value) NormAP fuse timer0.03 s(18 of 27 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(24 of 27 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(24 of 27 tied at this value) NormRepair heal rate0.5 %/s(17 of 27 tied at this value)

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

Repair 3
Survivability
Hit PointsInitial: 46,000 → 53,400
Displacement36,301 t
Armor range12–350 mm
Plate armor thicknesses12, 13, 16, 22, 26, 30, 40, 42, 48, 70, 72, 75, 84, 100, 120, 140, 150, 180, 184, 190, 200, 226, 240, 266, 284, 300, 350 mm
Armor material/layer entries84
Fire resistanceInitial: 26.6% → 30%
Fire duration60 s
Torp Reduction16%
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.
26,700
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.
16,000
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 340 mm/45 Mle 1912
Mounts / barrels4 mounts / 16 barrels
Reload time30 s
Firing range (base)14.7 km
Firing range (top fire control)16.1 km
Turret traverse3.5 °/s
Shell Grouping (σ)
ƒShell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
1.5
Max Horiz Disp
ƒHorizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (14660/30·(12−2.2)/1000 + 2.2)·30 = 209.7 m
209.7 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 209.7 × 0.6 = 125.8 m
125.8 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 209.7 × 0.382 (σ=1.5) = 80.1 m
80.1 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 125.8 × 0.382 (σ=1.5) = 48 m
48 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 3.5 deg/s traverse speed = 51.4 s.
51.4 s
Base shells/min
ƒ16 broadside guns x 60 / 30 s base reload = 32.
32
HE shells
HE Damage4,700
HE Velocity921 m/s
Fire Chance26%
HE penetration
ƒ57 mm ≈ 340 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
57 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ4,700 HE damage x 16 broadside guns = 75,200.
75,200
Base HE DPM
ƒ75,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 150,400.
150,400
Base fires/min
ƒ16 HE shells x 60 / 30 s reload x 26% fire chance = 8.32.
8.32
AP shells
AP Damage9,500
AP Velocity780 m/s
Min Ricochet45 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg
Fuse Timer0.033 s
Fuse Threshold57 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(340 mm caliber / 14.3) = 23 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
23 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 × 2408 × 585^0.69 × 0.34^-1.07 × 780^1.38 = 607.3 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
607.3 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (20.2 km), where the shell has slowed to 461 m/s: 1e-7 × 2408 × 585^0.69 × 0.34^-1.07 × 461^1.38 = 293.9 mm.
293.9 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ9,500 AP damage x 16 broadside guns = 152,000.
152,000
Base AP DPM
ƒ152,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 304,000.
304,000
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.
55
AA Defense
AA mount pointsInitial: 44 → 42
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (91×3.5×0.75) + (59×3.5×0.7) + (30×3.5×0.75) = 462. 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.
462
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
5.2 km
40 mm/56 Bofors Mk3 (upgraded hull only)16×1 40mm
40 mm/56 Bofors Mk2 (upgraded hull only)4×4 40mm
20 mm/70 Mk4 (upgraded hull only)14×1 20mm
20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk24 (upgraded hull only)8×2 20mm
37 mm/50 Mle 1933 (stock hull only)20×2 37mm
25 mm/60 CAD Mle 1939 (stock hull only)6×2 25mm
13.2 mm/76 CAD Mle 1929 (stock hull only)12×2 13mm
13.2 mm/76 CAQ Mle 1929 (stock hull only)6×4 13mm
130 mm/45 Mle 1932 (DP)4×4 130mm
130 mm/45 Mle 1932 (DP)4×2 130mm
Far aura
DPS
ƒIncludes 30 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.
30
Range5.2 km
Medium aura
DPS91
Range3.5 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 30 + Medium 91 = 121
121
Near aura
DPS59
Range2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 30 + Medium 91 + Near 59 = 180
180
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts8
Firing range5.0 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 @ 5 km
ƒ5 km × 57 + 30 = 315 m.
315 m
130 mm/45 Mle 1932 (×4)
Caliber130 mm
Reload time5 s
HE Damage1,900
Muzzle Velocity840 m/s
Fire Chance9%
Armor Pen22 mm
Min Ricochet91°
Max Ricochet60°
Show 1 more gun family
130 mm/45 Mle 1932 (×4)
Caliber130 mm
Reload time5 s
HE Damage1,900
Muzzle Velocity840 m/s
Fire Chance9%
Armor Pen22 mm
Min Ricochet91°
Max Ricochet60°
Maneuverability
Engine moduleEngine: 112,000 hp
Engine power107,000 hp
Maximum speed27 kt
Turning circle radius700 m
Engine power multiplier speed threshold7 kt
Traverse-to-turn ratio3.1× drags
Concealment
Detectability by sea14.66 km
Detectability by air11.73 km
Smoke firing penalty12.25 km
Detect after firing main guns14.66 km
Detect Fire Sea16.66 km
Detect Fire Air14.73 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 80 s reload · 15 s active
Repair Party3 charges · 80 s reload · 28 s active · 0.5% heal per second · 14% of max HP total heal
Secondary Battery Booster3 charges · 160 s reload · 30 s active · +100% damage boost · +50% reload boost
Module options (2)

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

HullTrade-off
  • Hit points46,000 → 53,400
  • Rudder shift25.8 → 18.4 s
  • AA mounts44 → 42
  • Close-range AA DPS90 → 150
  • Maximum AA range3.1 → 3.5 km
  • Turret traverse3.5 → 6 °/s
Fire controlUpgrade
  • Main battery range14,660 → 16,126 m

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)1.5
Shell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
Max Horiz Disp209.7 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (14660/30·(12−2.2)/1000 + 2.2)·30 = 209.7 m
Max Vert Disp125.8 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 209.7 × 0.6 = 125.8 m
Med Horiz Disp80.1 m
50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 209.7 × 0.382 (σ=1.5) = 80.1 m
Med Vert Disp48 m
50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 125.8 × 0.382 (σ=1.5) = 48 m
Dispersion familyEU BB Disp.
Standard BB dispersion. Used as the baseline for cross-family comparisons.
AP Pen Close607.3 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 × 2408 × 585^0.69 × 0.34^-1.07 × 780^1.38 = 607.3 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far293.9 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (20.2 km), where the shell has slowed to 461 m/s: 1e-7 × 2408 × 585^0.69 × 0.34^-1.07 × 461^1.38 = 293.9 mm.
HE penetration57 mm
57 mm ≈ 340 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
AP overmatch23 mm
floor(340 mm caliber / 14.3) = 23 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
AP AOE Radius55
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 alpha16
All 16 barrels bear on the broadside.
Turret turn time51.4 s
180 degrees / 3.5 deg/s traverse speed = 51.4 s.
HE full-salvo alpha75,200
4,700 HE damage x 16 broadside guns = 75,200.
AP full-salvo alpha152,000
9,500 AP damage x 16 broadside guns = 152,000.
Base HE DPM150,400
75,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 150,400.
Base AP DPM304,000
152,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 304,000.
Base shells/min32
16 broadside guns x 60 / 30 s base reload = 32.
Base fires/min8.32
16 HE shells x 60 / 30 s reload x 26% fire chance = 8.32.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS462
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (91×3.5×0.75) + (59×3.5×0.7) + (30×3.5×0.75) = 462. 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 index1535
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 @ 5 km315 m
5 km × 57 + 30 = 315 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)273,600
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: 4×4 130 mm (8/side) × 60/5 × 1900 = 182,400 + 4×2 130 mm (4/side) × 60/5 × 1900 = 91,200. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).
Max HE alpha1900
Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1900 from the 130 mm family.
Max HE fire chance9%
Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 9% from the 130 mm family.
Max HE pen22 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: 22 mm from the 130 mm family.

Armor

Hull HP 46,00053,400 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
Bow26 mm primary (range 12–180 mm)1,700 (3% of HP)
Overmatched by 380mm+ (Bayern, Richelieu)Angle bounces 356mm26 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)16 mm primary (range 12–300 mm)40,100 (75% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ (Graf Spee, Scharnhorst)Angle bounces 203mm16 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern30 mm primary (range 12–200 mm)1,700 (3% of HP)
Overmatch not possible at T VIIAngle bounces 410mm30 mm: HE pens from 203mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel190 mm primary (range 22–190 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).
Superstructure12 mm primary (range 12–350 mm)2,400 (4% 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 HP26,700 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 (130 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 (40 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.
Engine (module, research)engine coefficient (unconfirmed)-0.050 research estimateLargest on BB/BC; zero on destroyersEngine durability isn't a per-ship HP field in the binary. This small negative coefficient is non-zero only on battleships, battlecruisers, and the heaviest cruisers, and is exactly zero on every destroyer, so it scales with hull displacement rather than any commander skill. Most likely an engine drag or power term in the same family as the decoded deceleration fields; exact meaning unconfirmed in the current decoder.
Rudder (module)separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP16,000 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.

Balance History

Balance updates affecting Lyon. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.

Buff ×1
2025-10-30

November Update: Into Black Waters

  • We've standardized the armor of several Tier VI Tech Tree battleships, setting it to 26 mm for the bow, stern, and auxiliary exterior plating: Lyon, Gneisenau, Nagato, Sinop, North Carolina, Colorado, and Connecticut. In addition, a few other ships have received minor armor updates.
Read the full official post
2025-07-31

Ministry of Balance: Back to the Naval Academy

  • Minor armor update: 120 mm ring between guns and barbettes was added.
Read the full official post
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

Every custom exterior Lyon 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.