World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Minnesota

Beta
Long-range battleshipMax-range AP sniper: trade from open water and bow-tank between salvos.
Playstyle
  • Hold 14-17 km on a flank with firing arcs into rotating cruisers and broadside BBs
  • Avoid: Idle reloads
Key characteristics
18 km gun rangeHigh AP DPMStrong AALobs over islandsSlow
Community Data

Minnesota Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Minnesota is a Tier VIII American AP-DPM battleship (301,176 AP DPM): her main battery throughput is top-decile, 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. AA (729 AA DPS at 5 km, +100% Defensive AA flak burst) 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. Standout traits: best main battery range in T8 BBs (17.7 km) and best turret traverse rate in T8 BBs (12).

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

Long gun range

17.74 km main battery reach, best of T8 BBs.

Long DCP window

20.0 s Damage Control duration, best of T8 BBs. Stays fire / flood immune longer per activation.

Heavy magazine armor

102.0 mm magazine protection, best of T8 BBs. Detonation-resistant.

AP DPM machine

301176 AP DPM, top decile of T8 BBs. Punishes broadsides.

Slow for the class

25.0 kt, bottom decile of T8 BBs. Hard to rotate flanks or disengage; commit positioning early.

Underpowered engine

72000.0 hp engine, bottom decile of T8 BBs. Less headroom for re-accelerating from a stop and holding speed through turns.

Acquisition

How to get Minnesota

Minnesota is available in the Heavy Battleships branch of the U.S. Tech Tree for 25,000,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 5,000,000 credits.

Show U.S.A. tech-tree branch diagram
U.S. Tech Tree

Minnesota sits in the Heavy Battleships branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full U.S. tree.

The heavy battleship line starts with Tennessee, focusing on maximum firepower at the cost of speed and flexibility in battle. Plan ahead, pick a position, and punish the enemy with a heavy broadside.
Advantages
Long-range main battery guns, Large main battery salvo
Disadvantages
Slow, Slow reload, Inflexible
Official WG availability sources

Builds Beta

Build for accuracy, reload/range, survivability, fire resistance, and torpedo protection.

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Cohort position

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Where Minnesota sits among Tier VIII BBs (25 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.

BestMain battery range17.74 km (1/25) BestAcceleration7.5 s (1 of 2 tied) Top 10%AP DPM301,176 (2/25) Top 10%AA DPS729 (3/25) Bottom 25%Stealth profile15.91 km / 12.73 km (21/25 / 21/25) Bottom 25%Main battery reload30.6 s (21/25) Bottom 25%Secondary DPM (per side)144,000 (23/25) Bottom 25%HE alpha1,800 (19/23) Bottom 25%Secondary HE pen21 mm (21/23) Bottom 10%Traverse-to-turn ratio3.8 × (24/25) WorstMax speed25 kt (25/25) WorstSecondary fire chance5% (1 of 3 tied) WorstEngine power72,000 hp (25/25) WorstTurn-speed retention102.9 hp/m (25/25) WorstPower-to-weight1.3 hp/t (25/25) WorstSecondary range5 km (1 of 12 tied) WorstNo torpedoes (18 of 25 in cohort)
See 27 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Minnesota -- 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.

Hit points76,300 HP(8/25) Rudder shift21.8 s(15/25) Main battery caliber406 mm(14/25) Sigma1.9(9/25) HE shell damage5,700(15/25) HE fire chance36%(11/25) Fires per minute8.47(8/25) HE DPM134,118(10/25) AP shell damage12,800(12/25) Main dispersion221.3 m(14/25) AP velocity808 m/s(17/25) HE velocity820 m/s(15/25) AP arming threshold68 mm(15/25) Displacement55,300 t(14/25) AA range5 km(13/25) AA threat2,249(9/25) Repair charges3(11/25) Max armor406 mm(10/25) Citadel belt343 mm(16/25) Bow armor32 mm(13/25) Deck armor102 mm(19/25) NormSecondary dispersion bracket57(21 of 25 tied at this value) NormAP fuse timer0.03 s(22 of 25 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(23 of 25 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(23 of 25 tied at this value) NormRepair heal rate0.5 %/s(18 of 25 tied at this value) NormStern armor32 mm(23 of 25 tied at this value)

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

Repair 3Def-AAFighter
Survivability
Hit PointsInitial: 69,500 → 76,300
Displacement55,300 t
Armor range19–406 mm
Plate armor thicknesses19, 25, 32, 38, 50, 76, 86, 102, 140, 152, 203, 241, 273, 298, 343, 406 mm
Armor material/layer entries64
Fire resistance40%
Fire duration60 s
Torp Reduction40%
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.
38,200
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.
22,900
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 406 mm/50 Mk7
Mounts / barrels4 mounts / 12 barrels
Reload time34 s
Firing range (base)16.1 km
Firing range (top fire control)17.7 km
Turret traverse4 °/s
Shell Grouping (σ)
ƒShell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
1.9
Max Horiz Disp
ƒHorizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (16130/30·(12−2)/1000 + 2)·30 = 221.3 m
221.3 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 221.3 × 0.6 = 132.8 m
132.8 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 221.3 × 0.332 (σ=1.9) = 73.4 m
73.4 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 132.8 × 0.331 (σ=1.9) = 44 m
44 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 4 deg/s traverse speed = 45 s.
45 s
Base shells/min
ƒ12 broadside guns x 60 / 34 s base reload = 21.2.
21.2
HE shells
HE Damage5,700
HE Velocity820 m/s
Fire Chance36%
HE penetration
ƒ68 mm ≈ 406 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
68 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ5,700 HE damage x 12 broadside guns = 68,400.
68,400
Base HE DPM
ƒ68,400 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 34 s base reload = 120,706.
120,706
Installed HE DPM
ƒ68,400 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30.6 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 134,118.
134,118
Base fires/min
ƒ12 HE shells x 60 / 34 s reload x 36% fire chance = 7.62.
7.62
AP shells
AP Damage12,800
AP Velocity808 m/s
Min Ricochet45 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg
Fuse Timer0.033 s
Fuse Threshold68 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(406 mm caliber / 14.3) = 28 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
28 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 × 2620 × 1015^0.69 × 0.406^-1.07 × 808^1.38 = 839.2 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
839.2 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (22.2 km), where the shell has slowed to 490.3 m/s: 1e-7 × 2620 × 1015^0.69 × 0.406^-1.07 × 490.3^1.38 = 421.2 mm.
421.2 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ12,800 AP damage x 12 broadside guns = 153,600.
153,600
Base AP DPM
ƒ153,600 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 34 s base reload = 271,059.
271,059
Installed AP DPM
ƒ153,600 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30.6 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 301,176.
301,176
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.
250
AA Defense
AA mount points53
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (119×3.5×0.75) + (126×3.5×0.7) + (41×3.5×0.75) = 729. 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.
729
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
5 km
40 mm Bofors Mk2Initial: 40 mm Bofors Mk1 (16×2) → 40 mm Bofors Mk2 (16×4)
20 mm Oerlikon Mk20Initial: 20 mm Oerlikon Mk4 (37×1) → 20 mm Oerlikon Mk20 (37×2)
127 mm Mk32 (DP)8×2 127mm
Far aura
DPS
ƒIncludes 41 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.
41
Range5 km
Medium aura
DPSInitial: 87 → 119
Range3.5 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 41 + Medium 119 = 160
160
Near aura
DPSInitial: 77 → 126
Range2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 41 + Medium 119 + Near 126 = 286
286
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts8
Firing range5.0 km
Shell Grouping (σ)1
Caliber127 mm
Reload time6 s
HE Damage1,800
Muzzle Velocity792 m/s
Fire Chance5%
Armor Pen21 mm
Min Ricochet91°
Max Ricochet60°
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
Maneuverability
Engine moduleEngine: 72,000 hp
Engine power72,000 hp
Maximum speed25 kt
Turning circle radius700 m
Engine power multiplier speed threshold7 kt
Traverse-to-turn ratio3.8× drags
Concealment
Detectability by sea15.91 km
Detectability by air12.73 km
Smoke firing penalty15.35 km
Detect after firing main guns15.91 km
Detect Fire Sea17.91 km
Detect Fire Air15.73 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 80 s reload · 20 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
Choose one
Catapult Fighter3 charges · 60 s reload · 55 s active · 5.56 km patrol radius · 1 squadron size
Observation Seaplane3 charges · 200 s reload · 30 s active · 1 squadron size · +10% main-battery range bonus
Defensive AA Fire4 charges · 120 s reload · 25 s active · +100% flak burst boost
Module options (2)

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

HullUpgrade
  • Hit points69,500 → 76,300
  • Rudder shift30.5 → 21.8 s
  • Close-range AA DPS164 → 245
  • Turret traverse4 → 12 °/s
Fire controlUpgrade
  • Main battery range16,130 → 17,743 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)1.9
Shell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
Max Horiz Disp221.3 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (16130/30·(12−2)/1000 + 2)·30 = 221.3 m
Max Vert Disp132.8 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 221.3 × 0.6 = 132.8 m
Med Horiz Disp73.4 m
50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 221.3 × 0.332 (σ=1.9) = 73.4 m
Med Vert Disp44 m
50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 132.8 × 0.331 (σ=1.9) = 44 m
Dispersion familyUS/UK BB Disp.
2.5% overall improvement compared to EU BB Disp.
AP Pen Close839.2 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 × 2620 × 1015^0.69 × 0.406^-1.07 × 808^1.38 = 839.2 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far421.2 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (22.2 km), where the shell has slowed to 490.3 m/s: 1e-7 × 2620 × 1015^0.69 × 0.406^-1.07 × 490.3^1.38 = 421.2 mm.
HE penetration68 mm
68 mm ≈ 406 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
AP overmatch28 mm
floor(406 mm caliber / 14.3) = 28 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
AP AOE Radius250
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 alpha12
All 12 barrels bear on the broadside.
Turret turn time45 s
180 degrees / 4 deg/s traverse speed = 45 s.
HE full-salvo alpha68,400
5,700 HE damage x 12 broadside guns = 68,400.
AP full-salvo alpha153,600
12,800 AP damage x 12 broadside guns = 153,600.
Base HE DPM120,706
68,400 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 34 s base reload = 120,706.
Base AP DPM271,059
153,600 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 34 s base reload = 271,059.
Installed HE DPM134,118
68,400 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30.6 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 134,118.
Installed AP DPM301,176
153,600 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30.6 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 301,176.
Base shells/min21.2
12 broadside guns x 60 / 34 s base reload = 21.2.
Installed shells/min23.5
12 broadside guns x 60 / 30.6 s installed Artillery reload = 23.5.
Base fires/min7.62
12 HE shells x 60 / 34 s reload x 36% fire chance = 7.62.
Installed fires/min8.47
12 HE shells x 60 / 30.6 s installed reload x 36% fire chance = 8.47.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS729
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (119×3.5×0.75) + (126×3.5×0.7) + (41×3.5×0.75) = 729. 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 km
Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
AA threat index2249
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)144,000
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: 8×2 127 mm (8/side) × 60/6 × 1800 = 144,000. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).
Max HE alpha1800
Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1800 from the 127 mm family.
Max HE fire chance5%
Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 5% from the 127 mm family.
Max HE pen21 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.

Armor

Hull HP 69,50076,300 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
Bow32 mm primary (range 32–273 mm)2,000 (3% of HP)
Overmatched by 460mm+ (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)343 mm primary (range 25–343 mm)57,200 (75% of HP)
No common caliber overmatches343 mm: no common HE pens
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern32 mm primary (range 32–241 mm)2,300 (3% of HP)
Overmatched by 460mm+ (Aki, Musashi)Angle bounces 410mm32 mm: HE pens from 203mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel343 mm primary (range 38–343 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).
Superstructure19 mm primary (range 19–406 mm)8,100 (11% 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 HP38,200 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 (127 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)-0.100 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 HP22,900 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.
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

Every custom exterior Minnesota can equip, from in-game data.

  • Minnesota default exterior
    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.