World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Myōkō

Beta
HE fire-spam cruiserSustained HE and fires from range or island cover.
Playstyle
  • Sit 12-15 km from a contested cap where an island shadows you from the opposite battleship line
  • Avoid: Open-water broadside trading
Key characteristics
Long torps (10 km)2 sigma accuracyHigh fire chanceSonarCitadel broadsides
Community Data

Myōkō Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Myōkō is a Tier VI Japanese IJN cruiser with the improved AP fuse: her AP shells arm at 60% of the standard armor threshold, so they citadel cruisers that would over-pen a normal CA round. Lean on AP into broadsides and short-angled cruisers - HE-spamming this hull leaves the cohort's best damage tool on the rack. Sonar (4.7 km on ships and 3.3 km on torpedoes, 94 s active, 180 s reload, long uptime) lights up DDs and torpedoes inside its bubble, which lets her contest the cap edge without taking the spotting cycle.

Positioning

Sit 12-15 km from a contested cap where an island shadows you from the opposite battleship line. Hydro (4.7 km on ships, 3.3 km on torpedoes) lights up DDs and incoming torpedoes inside its bubble, so you can push the cap edge from cover without taking the spotting cycle; prefer cover positions over open-water flanks. Her citadel sits high enough that even glancing broadside shots can land citadel pens; treat island cover as a hard requirement, not a preference. Trade only when the angle keeps the citadel sides hidden.

Potato Avoidance

Open-water broadside trading

Her 203mm shells citadel cruisers on the wrong frame, and her 39,200-HP hull does not recover from a punished salvo. Pick rotations and angles deliberately; the chip-damage role pays better than the trade-blow role on a cruiser of this profile.

Signature Traits

Exposed citadel

Citadel sits unusually high relative to the waterline. Broadside trades get citadelled where peers would shrug off the salvo. Stay angled and avoid full broadside even briefly.

Improved AP fuse (IJN cruiser)

AP arms at 60% of the standard armor threshold (vs 0.9 default). Lets your AP pen broadsiding cruisers that would over-pen a normal CA, citadel hunts the cohort can't pull off, shared by 3/32 T6 CAs.

High fire chance

17.0% fire chance per HE shell, top decile of T6 CAs.

Punchy HE secondaries

2100.0 max HE alpha per secondary shell, top decile of T6 CAs. Bigger per-shell damage than peers.

Heavy HE shells

3300.0 damage per HE shell, top decile of T6 CAs. Punishes superstructure and modules harder than peers.

Thin deck

25.0 mm armor deck, bottom decile of T6 CAs. Plunging fire and HE eat through.

Acquisition

How to get Myōkō

Myōkō is available in the Combat Heavy Cruisers branch of the Japan Tech Tree for 9,000,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 2,250,000 credits.

Show Japan tech-tree branch diagram
Japan Tech Tree

Myōkō sits in the Combat Heavy Cruisers branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full Japan tree.

Builds Beta

AL Atago, AL Azuma, and Arpeggio Haguro are useful Japanese cruiser commander directions. Inspirations usually support accuracy, reload, concealment, agility, or survivability so the ship can keep influencing fights without giving up easy citadels.

Open in Build Tool →

Commanders frequently paired with this ship AL AtagoAL AzumaArpeggio Haguro

Have a build you swear by? Open it in the Build Tool and hit Save build to share it here.

Cohort position

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Where Myōkō sits among Tier VI CAs (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.

BestAP fuse timer0.03 s (1 of 13 tied) Top 10%Rudder shift9.3 s (3/32) Top 10%HE shell damage3,300 (3/30) Top 10%HE fire chance17% (3/30) Top 10%HE alpha2,100 (3/27) Top 25%Hit points39,200 HP (5/32) Top 25%Max speed35 kt (6/32) Top 25%Main battery caliber203 mm (9/32) Top 25%Secondary fire chance8% (6/27) Top 25%Secondary HE pen21 mm (5/27) Top 25%Engine power130,000 hp (5/32) Top 25%Turn-speed retention166.7 hp/m (7/32) Top 25%Torpedo range9.99 km (7/24) Top 25%Torpedo damage17,233 (5/24) Bottom 25%Displacement15,807 t (27/32) WorstTraverse-to-turn ratio3.02 × (32/32) WorstDeck armor25 mm (32/32)
See 28 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Myōkō -- 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.

Concealment11.98 km(21/32) Air detection7.19 km(21/32) Main battery range14.86 km(16/32) Main battery reload12.6 s(24/32) Sigma2(17/32) Fires per minute8.1(11/30) HE DPM157,143(16/30) AP shell damage4,700(9/31) AP DPM223,810(21/31) Main dispersion126.2 m(11/32) Secondary DPM (per side)67,200(21/27) AP velocity840 m/s(21/31) HE velocity840 m/s(21/30) Acceleration9.7 s(15/32) AP arming threshold34 mm(23/31) Power-to-weight8.22 hp/t(15/32) AA DPS268(17/32) AA range5 km(10/32) AA threat956(17/32) Torpedo speed62 kt(10/24) Torpedo reload82 s(12/24) Max armor102 mm(22/32) Citadel belt102 mm(19/32) Bow armor30 mm(13/32) Stern armor30 mm(15/32) NormAP ricochet start45°(26 of 31 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(25 of 31 tied at this value) NormSecondary range4.5 km(18 of 27 tied at this value)

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

Sonar 4.67 kmDef-AAFighter
Survivability
Hit PointsInitial: 37,400 → 39,200
Displacement15,807 t
Armor range6–102 mm
Plate armor thicknesses6, 13, 16, 19, 21, 25, 30, 32, 35, 38, 40, 50, 57, 63, 76, 89, 102 mm
Armor material/layer entries59
Fire resistanceInitial: 26.6% → 30%
Fire duration30 s
Torp Reduction13%
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.
19,600
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.
11,800
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 203 mm/50 Type3
Mounts / barrels5 mounts / 10 barrels
Reload time14 s
Firing range (base)13.5 km
Firing range (top fire control)14.9 km
Turret traverse4 °/s
Shell Grouping (σ)
ƒShell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
2
Max Horiz Disp
ƒHorizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (13506/30·(8−1.1)/1000 + 1.1)·30 = 126.2 m
126.2 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 126.2 × 0.6 = 75.7 m
75.7 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 126.2 × 0.319 (σ=2) = 40.3 m
40.3 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 75.7 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 24.2 m
24.2 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 4 deg/s traverse speed = 45 s.
45 s
Base shells/min
ƒ10 broadside guns x 60 / 14 s base reload = 42.9.
42.9
HE shells
HE Damage3,300
HE Velocity840 m/s
Fire Chance17%
HE penetration
ƒ34 mm ≈ 203 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
34 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ3,300 HE damage x 10 broadside guns = 33,000.
33,000
Base HE DPM
ƒ33,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 14 s base reload = 141,429.
141,429
Base fires/min
ƒ10 HE shells x 60 / 14 s reload x 17% fire chance = 7.29.
7.29
AP shells
AP Damage4,700
AP Velocity840 m/s
Min Ricochet45 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg
Fuse Timer0.033 s
Fuse Threshold34 mm
Improved AP FuseYes
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(203 mm caliber / 14.3) = 14 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
14 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 × 2468 × 125.85^0.69 × 0.203^-1.07 × 840^1.38 = 414.7 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
414.7 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (18.6 km), where the shell has slowed to 365.5 m/s: 1e-7 × 2468 × 125.85^0.69 × 0.203^-1.07 × 365.5^1.38 = 131.5 mm.
131.5 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ4,700 AP damage x 10 broadside guns = 47,000.
47,000
Base AP DPM
ƒ47,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 14 s base reload = 201,429.
201,429
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.
24
Torpedoes
ModuleTorpedoes: Type90 mod. 1
Launchers / tubes4 launchers × 3 tubes = 12 tubes
Reload time82 s
Projectile speed62 kt
Range9.99 km
Maximum simulated damage15,933 (est.)
Alpha damage47,800
Torpedo detectability1.6 km
Torpedo launcher traverse25 °/s
Torp Turn7.2 s
Torp Arming191 m
Per-side salvo damage
ƒper-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.
95,598
AA Defense
AA mount pointsInitial: 6 → 38
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (64×3.5×0.9) + (21×3.5×0.9) = 268. 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.
268
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
5 km
25 mm Type96 mod. 1 (upgraded hull only)4×3 25mm
25 mm/60 Type96 mod. 1 (upgraded hull only)26×1 25mm
25 mm Type96 mod. 1 (upgraded hull only)8×2 25mm
13 mm Type93 (stock hull only)4×2 13mm
7.7 mm Type92 (stock hull only)2×1 8mm
127 mm Type89 mod. A1 (DP)4×2 127mm
Far aura
DPS
ƒIncludes 21 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.
21
Range5 km
Medium aura
DPS64
Range3.1 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 21 + Medium 64 = 85
85
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts4
Firing range4.5 km
Shell Grouping (σ)1
Caliber127 mm
Reload time7.5 s
HE Damage2,100
Muzzle Velocity725 m/s
Fire Chance8%
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 @ 4.5 km
ƒ4.5 km × 57 + 30 = 286.5 m.
286.5 m
Maneuverability
Engine moduleEngine: 132,000 hp
Engine power130,000 hp
Maximum speed35 kt
Turning circle radius780 m
Engine power multiplier speed threshold7 kt
Traverse-to-turn ratio3.0× drags
Concealment
Detectability by sea11.98 km
Detectability by air7.19 km
Smoke firing penalty6.73 km
Detect after firing main guns11.98 km
Detect Fire Sea13.98 km
Detect Fire Air10.19 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 60 s reload · 5 s active
Choose one
Sonar2 charges · 180 s reload · 94 s active · 4.67 km ship detect · 3.3 km torpedo detect
Defensive AA Fire3 charges · 140 s reload · 25 s active · +100% flak burst boost
Catapult Fighter3 charges · 70 s reload · 55 s active · 5.56 km patrol radius · 1 squadron size
Module options (3)

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

HullUpgrade
  • Hit points37,400 → 39,200
  • Rudder shift12.1 → 9.3 s
  • AA mounts6 → 38
  • Close-range AA DPS16 → 64
  • Maximum AA range1.2 → 3.1 km
  • Turret traverse4 → 10 °/s
Fire controlUpgrade
  • Main battery range13,506 → 14856.6 m
TorpedoesTrade-off
  • Reload76 → 82 s
  • Alpha damage44,900 → 47,800
  • Display damage14,967 → 15,933
  • Speed59 → 62 kt

See all derived stats

Show

Numbers the spec table cannot show directly: alpha-strike math, DPM, dispersion, AP penetration. Click the formula chip on any row to reveal how it is calculated.

Main battery formulas

Shell Grouping (σ)2
Shell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
Max Horiz Disp126.2 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (13506/30·(8−1.1)/1000 + 1.1)·30 = 126.2 m
Max Vert Disp75.7 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 126.2 × 0.6 = 75.7 m
Med Horiz Disp40.3 m
50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 126.2 × 0.319 (σ=2) = 40.3 m
Med Vert Disp24.2 m
50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 75.7 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 24.2 m
Dispersion familyCruiser Disp.
Standard cruiser dispersion baseline.
AP Pen Close414.7 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 × 2468 × 125.85^0.69 × 0.203^-1.07 × 840^1.38 = 414.7 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far131.5 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (18.6 km), where the shell has slowed to 365.5 m/s: 1e-7 × 2468 × 125.85^0.69 × 0.203^-1.07 × 365.5^1.38 = 131.5 mm.
HE penetration34 mm
34 mm ≈ 203 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
AP overmatch14 mm
floor(203 mm caliber / 14.3) = 14 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
AP AOE Radius24
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 alpha10
All 10 barrels bear on the broadside.
Turret turn time45 s
180 degrees / 4 deg/s traverse speed = 45 s.
HE full-salvo alpha33,000
3,300 HE damage x 10 broadside guns = 33,000.
AP full-salvo alpha47,000
4,700 AP damage x 10 broadside guns = 47,000.
Base HE DPM141,429
33,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 14 s base reload = 141,429.
Base AP DPM201,429
47,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 14 s base reload = 201,429.
Base shells/min42.9
10 broadside guns x 60 / 14 s base reload = 42.9.
Base fires/min7.29
10 HE shells x 60 / 14 s reload x 17% fire chance = 7.29.

Torpedoes

Torpedo detectability1.6 km
Estimated torpedo reaction time9.9 s
detectability / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Torpedo speed62 kt
Travel time to max range62 s
range / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Tube count12
4 launchers x 3 tubes.
Per-side salvo6 torpedoes
tube count / 2 (symmetric port/starboard launcher layout; common on cruisers and battleships with deck torpedoes).
Full-salvo damage191,196
tube count x per-torpedo simulated damage (all torpedoes hitting).
Per-side salvo damage95,598
per-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS268
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (64×3.5×0.9) + (21×3.5×0.9) = 268. 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 index956
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

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 @ 4.5 km286.5 m
4.5 km × 57 + 30 = 286.5 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)67,200
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: 4×2 127 mm (4/side) × 60/7.5 × 2100 = 67,200. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).
Max HE alpha2100
Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 2100 from the 127 mm family.
Max HE fire chance8%
Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 8% 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 37,40039,200 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
Bow30 mm primary (range 16–30 mm)2,200 (6% of HP)
Overmatch not possible at T VIIAngle bounces 410mm30 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)32 mm primary (range 6–89 mm)29,400 (75% of HP)
Overmatch not possible at T VIIAngle bounces 410mm32 mm: HE pens from 203mm+
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern30 mm primary (range 16–50 mm)2,100 (5% of HP)
Overmatch not possible at T VIIAngle bounces 410mm30 mm: HE pens from 203mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel102 mm primary (range 19–102 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).
Superstructure6 mm primary (range 6–25 mm)3,200 (8% 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 HP19,600 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 (25 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.
Rudder (module)separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP11,800 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 Myōkō can equip, from in-game data.

  • Myōkō 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.