Marco Polo
Also called: 马可波罗 Beta- Anchor a flank at 14-17 km with bow toward the closest threat
- Avoid: Firing SAP into bow-in or heavily armored battleships
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Marco Polo Community Stats
Across 6,600+ Standard battles from 200+ players, Marco Polo averages a 58% win rate, 85,500 damage and 0.9 kills per battle, and survives 40% of them.
Marco Polo Community Stats
Log in to GamingDiver and upload your data to see Community Data for Marco Polo: community win rate, damage, survival, spotting, and your own comparison.
Marco Polo Community Stats
Record History
Playstyle
Overview
Marco Polo is a Tier VIII Italian SAP battleship: her 406mm main battery fires semi-armor-piercing shells (102.4mm of fixed penetration) in place of AP. SAP lands a reliable guaranteed chunk on broadsides and superstructures instead of fishing for citadels, and pens without the angle checks AP lives or dies on. The catch is that SAP shatters on the heavy belt armor AP would punch through, so the kit rewards picking targets it bites over trading into an angled battleship. Standout traits: top speed in T8 BBs (32 kt, 7th of 33) and best Repair Party charges in T8 BBs (4, 2nd of 33). The trade is pattern widens fast with range in T8 BBs (13.7 m, 29th of 33).
Positioning
Anchor a flank at 14-17 km with bow toward the closest threat. Rotate one or two map cells with the team rather than holding solo; a battleship alone on a flank is a free focus target for the enemy. At 32 kn you are among the quicker hulls in the cohort, so a flank that collapses is one you can still leave - commit harder than the speed-limited battleships around you. Shooting from the cloud gives you away at 11.3 km, wider than a destroyer's own concealment here (about 7 km), so one can watch you shoot for 4.3 km before you know it is there, with the smoke holding you broadside and stopped. Treat it as cover to leave from, not a firing position. Vision is mutual: past the 2 km guaranteed ring you cannot see out either, and nothing in her kit sees through it, so you would be blind as well as stopped. Enemy sonar (about 4.7 km) and radar (about 9 km) read straight in regardless. The screen is 900 m across, twice the usual, which makes it a team asset rather than a personal one: dropped across a friendly push it covers ships either side of you, not just your own hull.
Potato Avoidance
Firing SAP into bow-in or heavily armored battleships
Parking in smoke to trade
SAP shatters on the belt armor AP would punch through, so angled targets eat wasted salvos. Swap to the broadsides, cruisers, and exposed superstructures SAP penetrates cleanly, and use your HP to hold the line while you wait for those targets rather than trading citadel-for-citadel. Your gunfire shows at 11.3 km while a destroyer at this tier is only spotted at about 7 km, so it can sit inside your bloom watching you shoot with no way for you to see it, and the whole point of farming from smoke is that you are stopped and side-on. That is a free torpedo solution on a stationary broadside. Keep moving and use the cloud to break off, not to stand and fight.
Signature Traits
32 kt, top decile of T8 BBs. Lets you rotate flanks or escape disengagements.
4 Repair Party charges, best of T8 BBs. More total HP available across a match.
30 mm superstructure, best of T8 BBs. HE farms less.
11.3 km detect when firing from smoke, top decile of T8 BBs. Shoots from concealment with less bloom than peers.
Shell pattern widens about 13.7 m per km of range, bottom decile of T8 BBs. Salvos spread more at any given distance than peers', so bracketing matters (this is range-normalized, so out-ranging peers does not count against her).
4 km AA reach, bottom quartile of T8 BBs. Bombs and torpedoes drop before AA bites.
How to get Marco Polo
Marco Polo is a Premium ship and not available to unlock in the Tech Tree. Acquisition paths: Campaign, Doubloons, and 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.
- CampaignEarned in the campaign “Double Impact” (Dec 2022); campaign ships can later return through other limited methods.
- DoubloonsThe campaign let you choose one of two ships; the one you did not pick was sold for 17,500 doubloons.
- ContainersAppears in official container odds below; availability depends on the container being sold or awarded.
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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Super VIII crate
4.761905%
One of the Tier VIII Premium ships
Event · Super VIII crate · 1 of 21 ships
-
Santa Level 5
1.25%
Tier VIII Premium ship
Archived · Santa Level 5 · 1 of 10 ships
-
Spectral Vault 5.0
0.657895%
Tier VIII Premium ship
Archived · Spectral Vault 5.0 · 1 of 19 ships
Show all 15 containers (12 more)
-
Santa Level 4
0.425%
Tier VIII Premium ship
Archived · Santa Level 4 · 2 paths combined · 1 of 10 ships
Show 2 paths
- Santa Level 40.3%
- Santa Level 4 → Santa Level 50.125%
-
Spectral Vault 4.0
0.256579%
Tier VIII Premium ship
Archived · Spectral Vault 4.0 · 2 paths combined · 1 of 19 ships
Show 2 paths
- Spectral Vault 4.00.157895%
- Spectral Vault 4.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.098684%
-
Chest of Rarities
0.25%
Tier VIII Premium ship
Event · Chest of Rarities · 1 of 8 ships
-
Santa Level 3
0.13625%
Tier VIII Premium ship
Archived · Santa Level 3 · 4 paths combined · 1 of 10 ships
Show 4 paths
- Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 50.0625%
- Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 40.045%
- Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 4 → Santa Level 50.01875%
- Santa Level 30.01%
-
Spectral Vault 3.0
0.053224%
Tier VIII Premium ship
Archived · Spectral Vault 3.0 · 4 paths combined · 1 of 19 ships
Show 4 paths
- Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.019737%
- Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.017368%
- Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.010855%
- Spectral Vault 3.00.005263%
-
Mystic Lantern
0.043478%
Tier VIII Premium ship
Event · Mystic Lantern · 1 of 23 ships
-
Santa Level 2
0.041688%
Tier VIII Premium ship
Archived · Santa Level 2 · 6 paths combined · 1 of 10 ships
Show 6 paths
- Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 40.015%
- Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 50.009375%
- Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 40.00675%
- Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 4 → Santa Level 50.00625%
- Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 4 → Santa Level 50.002812%
- Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 30.0015%
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Champion's Box
0.02725%
Tier VIII Premium ship
Archived · Champion's Box · 4 paths combined · 1 of 10 ships
Show 4 paths
- Champion's Box → Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 50.0125%
- Champion's Box → Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 40.009%
- Champion's Box → Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 4 → Santa Level 50.00375%
- Champion's Box → Santa Level 30.002%
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Piñata Chest
0.025%
Tier VIII Premium ship
Event · Piñata Chest → Chest of Rarities · 1 of 8 ships
-
Spectral Vault 2.0
0.010454%
Tier VIII Premium ship
Archived · Spectral Vault 2.0 · 6 paths combined · 1 of 19 ships
Show 6 paths
- Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.003158%
- Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.001974%
- Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 4.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.001974%
- Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.001737%
- Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.001086%
- Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.00.000526%
-
Santa Level 1
0.009878%
Tier VIII Premium ship
Archived · Santa Level 1 · 8 paths combined · 1 of 10 ships
Show 8 paths
- Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 50.003125%
- Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 40.00225%
- Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 50.001406%
- Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 40.001012%
- Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 4 → Santa Level 50.000938%
- Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 30.0005%
- Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 4 → Santa Level 50.000422%
- Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 30.000225%
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Spectral Vault 1.0
0.001295%
Tier VIII Premium ship
Archived · Spectral Vault 1.0 · 9 paths combined · 1 of 19 ships
Show 9 paths
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.000284%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.000197%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.000178%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.000174%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.000156%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.000109%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.000098%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 3.00.000053%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.00.000047%
Official WG availability sources
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"Double Impact" Campaign Breakdown
Campaign
Start: 2022-12-12 · End: 2023-01-15
- The milestone-100 reward for players with an active Admiralty Backing is a choice between two different campaign ships—Italian Tier VIII battleship Marco Polo or British Tier VIII battleship Marlborough!
-
December Update: The Most Wonderful Tide of the Year
Campaign
Start: 2022-12-08
- One ship of your choice will be available after completing milestone number 100 with an active Admiralty Backing; the second ship will be obtainable for 17,500 doubloons for the duration of the campaign after making that choice.
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Holiday Content: Jingle Ships
Campaign
Start: 2022-12-12
- Complete special Marco Polo and Marlborough weekly missions that come with the campaign; the maximum number of Winter Shards you can obtain through these missions is 20,000 if you purchase the campaign with both ships in the first week of the update.
-
Age of Discovery: New Ships and the Spirit of Adventure
Store / event post
Start: 2026-03-02
- During the event, you'll also find two ships in the Store inspired by the Age of Discovery: Marco Polo, named after the famous Venetian traveler, and Ark Royal, named after the legendary 16th-century galleon.
Show direct source rows
- Chest of Rarities 0.25% · Tier VIII Premium ship
- Mystic Lantern 0.043478% · Tier VIII Premium ship
- Santa Level 3 0.01% · Tier VIII Premium ship
- Santa Level 4 0.3% · Tier VIII Premium ship
- Santa Level 5 1.25% · Tier VIII Premium 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 Marco Polo sits among Tier VIII BBs (32 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 29 mid-pack stats
Not standouts for Marco Polo -- 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 VIII BattleshipsShow all 32 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
180° − 150° (the most restricted aft-facing mount's arc) = 30° off bow; 180° − 150° (the most restricted forward-facing mount's arc) = 30° off stern. 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 (17.1 km) than a standard battleship: about 234 m wide × 140 m tall, against 231 m × 139 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: 9 broadside guns x 60 / 29 s base reload = 18.6. All upgrades (top gun + Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 9 broadside guns x 60 / 28 s (27.9 s = 196 ticks) all-upgrades reload (31 s × 0.9 Main Battery Mod. 3 = 27.9 s) = 19.3.HE shells
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68 mm ≈ 406 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).ƒ
Stock hull only: the top hull's gun fires no HE. 5,700 HE damage x 9 broadside guns = 51,300.ƒ
Stock hull only: the top hull's gun fires no HE. Zero upgrades: 51,300 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 29 s base reload = 106,138. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 51,300 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 26.143 s (26.1 s = 183 ticks) all-upgrades stock-gun reload (29 s × 0.9 Main Battery Mod. 3 = 26.1 s) = 117,738.ƒ
Stock hull only: the top hull's gun fires no HE. Zero upgrades: 18.6 shells/min × 0.36 (36% fire chance) = 6.7. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 20.7 shells/min × 0.36 (36% fire chance) = 7.44.SAP shells
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SAP shell fragment splash radius; the area over which a SAP hit scatters fragment damage. Scales with shell mass (90mm ~ 5, 203mm CA ~ 20-30, 320mm = 175, 406mm = 250, 457mm = 400, max) and is tuned per ship, so two ships with the same SAP caliber can differ (135mm ranges 5-24). Larger value = wider fragment spread per hit.ƒ
With the top hull (top gun + Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 14,500 SAP damage x 9 broadside guns = 130,500.ƒ
With the top hull (top gun + Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 130,500 SAP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 28 s (27.9 s = 196 ticks) all-upgrades reload (31 s × 0.9 Main Battery Mod. 3 = 27.9 s) = 279,643.AP shells
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floor(406 mm caliber / 14.3) = 28 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 (17.1 km), where the shell has slowed to 621.6 m/s: .ƒ
13,050 AP damage x 9 broadside guns = 117,450.ƒ
Zero upgrades: 117,450 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 29 s base reload = 243,000. All upgrades (top gun + Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 117,450 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 28 s (27.9 s = 196 ticks) all-upgrades reload (31 s × 0.9 Main Battery Mod. 3 = 27.9 s) = 251,679.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 3.5 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
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 150 from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.ƒ
Effective DPS: 58 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.75 hit probability = 152 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.ƒ
Far 150 + Medium 152 = 302ƒ
Effective DPS: 59 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.7 hit probability = 145 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.ƒ
Far 150 + Medium 152 + Near 145 = 447ƒ
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 × 200 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 4 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): 2.1 + 9 = 11.1. 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: 4×3 152 mm (6/side) × 60/12 s × 2100 = 63,000 + 12×2 90 mm (12/side) × 60/4 s × 1300 = 234,000. 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) 11.1 × (1 − 0.4 fire resistance) × 60 s × 0.003 of max HP per second × 75,900 HP = 90,989. 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) 297,000 + secondary fire DPM 90,989 = 387,989: shell damage plus fire damage against one T8 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
5 km × 57 + 30 = 315 m.ƒ
4×3 barrels / 2 sides × 60 / 12 s × 0.07 (7% fire chance) = 2.1. 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
12×2 barrels / 2 sides × 60 / 4 s × 0.05 (5% fire chance) = 9. 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 = 32 / 4 + 4.9 = 12.9 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 (28.8 kt of 32.0 kt).ƒ
Time to reach 99% of top speed (31.7 kt of 32.0 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): 15.69 km x 0.955 = 14.98 km. Camouflage does not change detectability by air.ƒ
Detectability by sea 15.69 km x 0.955 (Grade IV permanent camo or any disposable camo) = 14.98 km.ƒ
max(main battery range, sea detectability 15.69 km) = 17.12 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 12.55 km + gun-firing bloom 8.12 km = 20.67 km. The bloom tracks main-battery caliber 406 mm × 0.020 = 8.12 km.ƒ
Sea detectability 15.69 km + 2.0 km while burning = 17.69 km.ƒ
Air detectability 12.55 km + 3.0 km while burning = 15.55 km.
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 80 s reload · 15 s active
Repair Party4 charges · 80 s reload · 28 s active · 9,674 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 × 69,100 HP = 9,674 HP: up to 14% of max HP restored per charge.ƒ
0.14 of max HP per charge × 4 charges = 0.56 × 69,100 HP = 38,696 HP: up to 56% of max HP if the whole Repair Party loadout is used.ƒ
0.005 (0.5% of max HP) × 69,100 HP = 346 HP/s. WoWS heals a flat percent of MAX HP each second, so this rate holds at any health level.
Exhaust Smoke Generator3 charges · 150 s reload · 45 s emit / 10 s cloud active · 900 m radius
Catapult Fighter4 charges · 80 s reload · 60 s active · 5 km patrol radius ƒ
Derived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000):
Observation Seaplane4 charges · 200 s reload · 30 s active · 1 squadron size · Tightens main-battery shell grouping
Enhanced Secondary Targeting3 charges · 160 s reload · 30 s active · +100% grouping · -50% dispersion
Under the hood
Show
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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 (17.1 km) with the same model as Max Horiz/Vert Disp: horizontal 234 / 231 m − 1 = +1%, vertical 140 / 139 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 17120 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 17120 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 17120 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 762.9 m/s is the shell's speed when it arrives at 5 km (from 836 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 697.9 m/s is the shell's speed when it arrives at 10 km (from 836 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 642.2 m/s is the shell's speed when it arrives at 15 km (from 836 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 820 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 836 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.3 mounts × 3 barrels = 9; all 9 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 4 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: Breda 37mm double 10x2 -> 152 DPS @ 3.5 km; 20mm70 Breda barrels 6 16x6 -> 145 DPS @ 2 km; 90mm50 barrels 2 M1939 12x2 -> 150 DPS @ 4 km.@ 4 km: 150 from one family; @ 3.5 km: 152 + 150 = 302; @ 2 km: 152 + 145 + 150 = 447. 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.152 + 145 + 150 = 447 DPS: the sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (2 km).152 × 3.5 + 145 × 2 + 150 × 4 = 1422. 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 firepower
max(2100 (152 mm), 2100 (152 mm), 1300 (90 mm)) = 2100. Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 2100 from the 152 mm family.max(7% (152 mm), 7% (152 mm), 5% (90 mm)) = 7%. Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 7% from the 152 mm family.max(25 mm (152 mm), 25 mm (152 mm), 15 mm (90 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
A variant of a battleship that was designed in Italy in the mid-1930s. A further development of the Vittorio Veneto-class warships, with 406 mm main battery guns.
Armor Beta
Hull HP 69,100, distributed across 5 hull zones, each with its own plate thicknesses, saturation cap, and pen thresholds.
Overmatched by 7 AP guns here: Incomparable SE 25IncomparableYamato and 4 more. Angling still helps against the rest.
Citadels come from a flat broadside at close range; held past ~30° of angle, AP shatters or bounces.
Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 40%, fires burn 60s. Range-by-range in the Compare tool →
| Section | Plates | HP cap | Threats | Tactic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bow | 32 mm primary (range 32–130 mm) | 3,400 (5% of HP) | Overmatched by 460mm+ AP (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) | 40 mm primary (range 19–350 mm) | 51,800 (75% of HP) | No common AP caliber overmatches40 mm: most HE shatters, standard pen from 283mm+ | Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest. |
| Stern | 32 mm primary (range 32–130 mm) | 2,800 (4% of HP) | Overmatched by 460mm+ AP (Aki, Musashi)Angle bounces 410mm32 mm: HE pens from 203mm+ | Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation. |
| Citadel | 320 mm primary (range 19–350 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 | 30 mm primary (range 30–370 mm) | 2,000 (3% 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 | 34,600 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. |
| Secondary mount (152 mm mount) | separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP | 800 per-mount HP | Destroyed at 0 HP | Per-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 (37 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 | 20,700 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.
Balance History
Balance updates affecting Marco Polo. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.
Ministry of Balance: New Horizons, Greater Heights
- This Italian battleship will definitely benefit from improved SAP shells, making her more enjoyable in battle.
- SAP shell alpha damage increased from 14,100 to 14,500.
- SAP gun reload time reduced from 33 to 31 s.
- Detectability range by sea while firing in smoke reduced from 15.13 to 11.35 km.
- The Big Guns ship trait has been replaced with Sure Shot. This doesn't affect the ship's performance.
Ministry of Balance: Old Gold
- AP/HE main battery reload time reduced from 32 to 29 seconds.
- SAP/AP main battery reload time reduced from 36 to 33 seconds.
Ministry of Balance: Italian Concerto
- To distinguish Marco Polo more from the other Italian battleships, she’s getting an improved firing range.
- Main Battery firing range increased from 16.7 to 17.1 km.
Skins & permanent camouflages
Every custom exterior Marco Polo 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.
