Midway
Also called: 中途岛 Beta- Stay a full map cell behind the brawl line, far enough back that a rotated DD or radar cruiser cannot threaten the hull
- Launch from positions where the recall path stays inside your team's AA umbrella
- Avoid: Trading a full squadron for one high-value kill
On this page
Midway Community Stats
Across 6,200+ Standard battles from 130+ players, Midway averages a 64% win rate, 118,000 damage and 1.3 kills per battle, and survives 70% of them.
Midway Community Stats
Log in to GamingDiver and upload your data to see Community Data for Midway: community win rate, damage, survival, spotting, and your own comparison.
Midway Community Stats
Record History
Playstyle
Overview
Midway is the Legendary American bomber carrier. Her damage comes from HE dive bombs hitting for up to 5,300 per drop, plus the fires they start, so match impact builds from repeated strikes rather than one decisive torpedo drop. HE ignores armor angle, so unlike an AP-bomb carrier she does not need a broadside to profit and can work an angled or bow-in target. Air torpedoes are a secondary option. AA (992 AA DPS at 5.2 km) is heavy enough to make her the team's air-defense anchor on top of the lead role; CV strikes route around her, not through. Each squadron flies 12 planes and they come back 24 s apiece, so losing a full wave costs 288 seconds of reserves.
Positioning
Stay a full map cell behind the brawl line, far enough back that a rotated DD or radar cruiser cannot threaten the hull. Launch from positions where the recall path stays inside your team's AA umbrella, not over open water where intercepting fighters can finish off limping squadrons. Longer trip back, fewer waves per match. You are spotted at 15 km and run at 33 kn, so that distance plus your speed is the whole margin for noticing a DD has slipped past and getting out. With 18.3 s on the rudder she starts turning late, so the angle has to be set before you are shot at.
Potato Avoidance
Trading a full squadron for one high-value kill
Match impact comes from cycling waves across multiple targets, not committing a dive into layered AA for one battleship. When a target's AA is heavy, route around and find a softer pick rather than burning planes through the wall. Reserves refill in 24 s per aircraft at best, the quickest in the cohort, so you can spend planes others cannot - but your thinnest-skinned squadron flies at 2,250 HP and decides how much of each wave comes home.
Signature Traits
67600 HP, best of Legendary CVs.
- Top-tier AA · 992 AA
- Long-reach AA · 5.2 km
- Burny secondaries · 9%
- Punchy HE · 1800 max
- Punch-through secondaries · 21 mm
193 mm citadel belt, best of Legendary CVs. Citadels through angle are rare.
7 km air-torpedo range, best of Legendary CVs. Drop further out, planes leak less.
18.3 s rudder shift, worst of Legendary CVs. Hard to dodge incoming AP; lean on island cover.
How to get Midway
Midway is a Premium ship and not available to unlock in the Tech Tree. Acquisition paths: Research Bureau and Doubloons.
- Research BureauA Bureau project.
- DoubloonsDoubloons in the Legends Store (Aug 2022).
While you save up, check active promo codes for free doubloons, camouflages, and other rewards.
Official WG availability sources
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Legendary 2022
Bureau project
Start: 2022-12-30
- Midway, Hakuryū (both obtainable through the Bureau), and Soviet carriers with the new skip bombing mechanic arrived this year.
-
Independence Day '25: New U.S. Ships, Skins, and More!
Bureau project
Start: 2025-06-27
- In addition, you’ll find discounted U.S. ships Rochester and Independence, discounted Bureau Projects for Midway and Vermont, and Across the Storm and Golden Eagle skins available for Independium.
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Autumn Update: In the Shadow of Leaves
Bureau project
2022-08-25
- Start your path to the skies today with Legendary monsters coming in the form of two separate Bureau Projects—the highest-tier newcomers are USN Midway & IJN Hakuryū.
- Both Projects are obtainable from the Store for credits or doubloons, and they are here to stay!
- However, the option to purchase them for doubloons will cease to be available once the next update arrives, so please take that into account when planning your resource spending!
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 Midway sits among Legendary CVs (3 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 17 mid-pack stats
Not standouts for Midway -- 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 Legendary Aircraft CarriersShow all 3 peers
Stats & specs
Customize in the Build Tool →ƒ
3 planes per drop x 4 bombs each = 12.ƒ
12 bombs x 5,300 alpha = 63,600, if every bomb hits. Before armor, saturation and the target's damage reduction; a real drop lands a share of it.ƒ
2 planes per drop x 1 torpedo each = 2.ƒ
2 torpedoes x 5,500 alpha = 11,000, if every torpedo hits. Before armor, saturation and the target's damage reduction; a real drop lands a share of it.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 224 from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.ƒ
Effective DPS: 130 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 1 hit probability = 455 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.ƒ
Far 224 + Medium 455 = 679ƒ
Effective DPS: 94 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.95 hit probability = 313 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.ƒ
Far 224 + Medium 455 + Near 313 = 992ƒ
Each ~2 s salvo fires 3 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 14 clouds per salvo × 230 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
Every potential cloud spawns - the full pattern, every salvo. 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 5.2 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 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: 18×1 127 mm (9/side) × 60/4 s × 1800 = 243,000. 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) 12.2 × (1 − 0.4 fire resistance) × 60 s × 0.003 of max HP per second × 75,900 HP = 99,596. 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) 243,000 + secondary fire DPM 99,596 = 342,596: shell damage plus fire damage against one T8 battleship, every shell hitting.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
18×1 barrels / 2 sides × 60 / 4 s × 0.09 (9% fire chance) = 12.2. 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
Max dispersion = range (km) × 57 + 30. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.ƒ
5.5 km × 57 + 30 = 343.5 m.ƒ
top speed / 4 + 4.9 = 33 / 4 + 4.9 = 13.2 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 (29.7 kt of 33.0 kt).ƒ
Time to reach 99% of top speed (32.7 kt of 33.0 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
Base value, no camouflage. With a Grade IV permanent camo (or any disposable camo): 15.02 km x 0.955 = 14.34 km. Camouflage does not change detectability by air.ƒ
Detectability by sea 15.02 km x 0.955 (Grade IV permanent camo or any disposable camo) = 14.34 km.ƒ
Air detectability 10.51 km + gun-firing bloom 0 km = 10.51 km. The bloom tracks main-battery caliber x 0.020.ƒ
Sea detectability 15.02 km + 2.0 km while burning = 17.02 km.ƒ
Air detectability 10.51 km + 3.0 km while burning = 13.51 km.
Automatic Damage Control Party∞ charges · 90 s reload · 60 s active
Automatic Fighter4 charges · 40 s reload · 150 s active · 5 km patrol radius ƒ
Derived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000):
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.
AA defense
Only families that reach 5.2 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: 40mm Bofors Mk1 11x2 -> 238 DPS @ 3.5 km; 40mm Bofors 10x4 -> 217 DPS @ 3.5 km; 20mm Oerlikon MK20 Twin12 28x2 -> 313 DPS @ 2 km; 5in54 MK16 18x1 -> 224 DPS @ 5.2 km.@ 5.2 km: 224 from one family; @ 3.5 km: 238 + 217 + 224 = 679; @ 2 km: 238 + 217 + 313 + 224 = 992. 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.238 + 217 + 313 + 224 = 992 DPS: the sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (2 km).238 × 3.5 + 217 × 3.5 + 313 × 2 + 224 × 5.2 = 3383. 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
The only family (127 mm): 1800. Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1800 from the 127 mm family.The only family (127 mm): 9%. Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 9% from the 127 mm family.The only family (127 mm): 21 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: 21 mm from the 127 mm family.Ship Charts
Background
The largest U.S. Navy warship laid down during World War II. The huge size of this aircraft carrier allowed her to carry the largest air group compared to her contemporary counterparts. Excellent torpedo protection, well-armored flight deck, and powerful AA defenses made Midway-class ships virtually invulnerable to attacks from enemy aircraft.
Armor Beta
Hull HP 67,600, distributed across 5 hull zones, each with its own plate thicknesses, saturation cap, and pen thresholds.
Overmatched by 76+ AP guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.
AP can citadel a flat broadside even at range. Stay angled and avoid showing the full side.
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 | 19 mm | 2,100 (3% of HP) | Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Gouden Leeuw)Angle bounces 203mm19 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) | 87 mm primary (range 13–160 mm) | 50,700 (75% of HP) | No common AP caliber overmatches87 mm: standard HE shatters; improved HE (DE / FR BB) pens from 356mm+ | Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest. |
| Stern | 19 mm primary (range 19–193 mm) | 3,400 (5% of HP) | Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Gouden Leeuw)Angle bounces 203mm19 mm: HE pens from 127mm+ | Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation. |
| Citadel | 193 mm primary (range 19–193 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 | 13 mm primary (range 13–165 mm) | 200 (0% 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). |
| Secondary mount (127 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 (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 | 20,300 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 Midway. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.
Ministry of Balance: Summertime Refit
- Midway wasn't performing optimally, so we buffed her strongest aspects to make them stand out more.
- Maximum HE bomb damage increased from 5,000 to 5,300.
- HE bomb fire-starting chance increased from 25% to 28%.
Ministry of Balance: Aerial Adjustments
- Torpedo bombers:
- Torpedo bomber restoration time increased from 24 to 31 s.
- Torpedo bomber base speed reduced from 138 to 129 kts.
- Dive bombers:
- Dive bomber restoration time increased from 18 to 24 s.
- Dive bomber base speed reduced from 140 to 130 kts.
Ministry of Balance: Carriers 2.0 – First Update
- Dive bombers:
- Maximum HP per aircraft reduced from 2,500 to 2,250 (squadron HP reduced from 30,000 to 27,000).
- Dive bomber accuracy (likelihood of an individual bomb hitting the inner circle) reduced from 50 to 35%.
- Bomb damage reduced from 6,000 to 5,000.
- Bomb fire-setting chances reduced from 35 to 25%.
- Base speed reduced from 144 to 140 knots.
- Torpedo Bombers:
- Maximum HP per aircraft reduced from 2,900 to 2,600 (squadron HP reduced from 29,000 to 26,000).
- Torpedo damage reduced from 7,767 to 6,600.
- Base speed reduced from 144 to 138 knots.
Ministry of Balance: Carriers 2.0 – First Wave
- Dive Bombers:
- Aiming speed increased (aiming circle shrinks faster).
- Dive bomber accuracy (likelihood of an individual bomb hitting the inner circle) increased from 25 to 50%.
- Number of aircraft in squadron increased from 9 to 12.
- Bombs per aircraft increased from 2 to 4.
- Maximum HP per aircraft reduced from 2,800 to 2,500 (squadron HP increased from 25,200 to 30,000).
- Base speed increased from 128 to 144 knots.
- Aircraft maximum flight range set to 38 kilometers.
- Bomb damage reduced from 11,200 to 6,000.
- HE bomb penetration reduced from 67.1 to 53.4 mm.
- Bomb fire-setting chances reduced from 64 to 35%.
- Bomb splash radius reduced.
- Maximum hangar aircraft increased from 14 to 24.
- Starting hangar aircraft increased from 14 to 16.
- Aircraft restoration time reduced from 90 to 18 seconds.
- Torpedo Bombers:
- Number of aircraft in squadron increased from 8 to 10.
- Base speed increased from 128 to 144 knots.
- Aircraft maximum flight range set to 36 kilometers.
- Maximum hangar aircraft increased from 12 to 20.
- Starting hangar aircraft increased from 12 to 15.
- Aircraft restoration time reduced from 80 to 24 seconds.
Halloween Update: New Friends, Old Foes
- Surface detectability range changed from 16.1 to 15.2 km; air detectability range changed from 12.9 to 10.5 km.
Skins & permanent camouflages
Every custom exterior Midway 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.
