GamingDiver / WoWs Legends Ships / Nassau
World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Nassau

Beta
Germany · Tier III · Battleship
Secondary battleshipClose to secondary range and stack auto-fire with your main guns.
Playstyle
  • Anchor a flank at 10-13 km where the team can rotate behind you and where island cover is within one he…
  • Avoid: Treating the super-heal as a license to push
Key characteristics
1.8 sigma accuracyStrong secondaries (5 km)Improved HE penLobs over islandsLow fire chance
Community Data

Nassau Community Stats

Log in to GamingDiver and upload your data to see Community Data for Nassau: community win rate, damage, survival, spotting, and your own comparison.

Log in & upload to see Community Data

Playstyle

Overview

Nassau is a Tier III German battleship built around the super-heal: her Repair Party returns more HP per charge than any peer in the cohort, so her sustain is what lets her hold trades that other battleships would have to disengage from. HE pen sits at the 1/4 caliber ratio instead of the standard 1/6, so HE spam is a real damage option here - pens roughly 1.5x more armor than a same-caliber peer's HE round. Standout traits: best armor plate in T3 BBs (400 mm) and top-decile fast reload in T3 BBs (20 s).

Positioning

Anchor a flank at 10-13 km where the team can rotate behind you and where island cover is within one heal cycle. The super-heal lets you hold mid-range trades that a standard BB would lose, but only if you finish each trade before the next focus volley arrives; open-water trades faster than the heal cycles still drain HP net-negative.

Potato Avoidance

Treating the super-heal as a license to push

The Repair Party out-cycles what a standard BB can recover, but it does not out-cycle two flanks of focus fire at once. Spend the heal on absorbed damage from a trade you won, not on damage you took because you led the push alone.

Signature Traits

Improved HE penetration

HE pen at the 1/4 caliber ratio instead of the standard 1/6. HE-spam is a real damage option here, not just a fire-starter; pens roughly 1.5x more armor than a same-caliber peer's HE, shared by 7/17 T3 BBs.

Heavy armor

400.0 mm max plate, best of T3 BBs.

Punch-through secondaries

38.0 mm best HE pen across secondary families, best of T3 BBs. Pens hull plates peers' secondaries shatter on.

Fast reload

20.0 s reload, top decile of T3 BBs. Top-tier salvo cycle.

Hardened superstructure

80.0 mm superstructure, top decile of T3 BBs. HE farms less.

Low fire chance

19.0% fire chance per HE shell, bottom quartile of T3 BBs. AP carries more weight.

Acquisition

How to get Nassau

Nassau is a Premium ship and not available to unlock in the Tech Tree. Acquisition path: Premium/Event.

Builds Beta

AL Bismarck, AL Prinz Heinrich, and AL Scharnhorst are useful German battleship commander directions. Inspirations usually favor accuracy, reload, AP performance, HP, survivability, or secondary/brawling bonuses depending on how aggressively you want to play.

Open in Build Tool →

Commanders frequently paired with this ship AL BismarckAL Prinz HeinrichAL Scharnhorst

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

Cohort position

Hide ▾

Where Nassau sits among Tier III BBs (17 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 reload20 s (1/17) BestSecondary HE pen38 mm (1 of 4 tied) BestAP arming threshold47 mm (1 of 2 tied) BestMax armor400 mm (1/17) Top 25%Max speed23 kt (5/17) Top 25%Stealth profile11.99 km / 9.59 km (3/17 / 3/17) Top 25%Sigma1.8 (5/17) Top 25%Secondary DPM (per side)195,613 (3/17) Top 25%Secondary fire chance10% (5/16) Top 25%AP velocity855 m/s (5/17) Top 25%Displacement20,535 t (3/17) Top 25%Secondary range5 km (3/17) Bottom 25%Hit points35,400 HP (14/17) Bottom 25%Main battery range13.26 km (15/17) Bottom 25%Fires per minute4.56 (15/17) Bottom 25%HE DPM76,800 (16/17) Bottom 25%Engine power26,200 hp (13/16) Bottom 25%AA threat24 (12/14) WorstMain battery caliber283 mm (1 of 2 tied) WorstAP shell damage7,200 (1 of 2 tied)
See 18 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Nassau -- 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.

Rudder shift14.7 s(6/17) Traverse-to-turn ratio2.63 ×(13/17) AP DPM172,800(12/17) Main dispersion195.9 m(12/17) HE alpha1,800(7/16) HE velocity855 m/s(7/17) Acceleration7.1 s(9/17) Turn-speed retention51.4 hp/m(8/16) Power-to-weight1.28 hp/t(8/16) AA DPS8(13/17) AA range3 km(9/17) Repair charges3(9/17) Citadel belt270 mm(7/17) Bow armor30 mm(7/17) Stern armor30 mm(7/17) Deck armor80 mm(11/17) NormSecondary dispersion bracket57(14 of 17 tied at this value) NormAP fuse timer0.01 s(13 of 17 tied at this value)

Stats & specs

Customize in the Build Tool →Shell ballistics chartMore tools in the WoWS Legends Data Lab

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

Repair 3
Survivability
Hit Points35,400
Displacement20,535 t
Armor range13–400 mm
Plate armor thicknesses13, 19, 20, 22, 25, 30, 38, 58, 80, 90, 100, 105, 120, 140, 160, 200, 210, 225, 240, 250, 270, 400 mm
Armor material/layer entries60
Fire resistance10%
Fire duration60 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.
17,700
Steering gear HP
ƒDurability of the steering gears. As this pool drops, hits are likelier to jam the rudder; unlike most modules the steering can be knocked out and repaired but is never permanently destroyed.
10,600
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 283 mm L/45 Drh LC/1906
Mounts / barrels6 mounts / 12 barrels
Reload time22.2 s
Firing range13.3 km
Turret traverse3.5 °/s
Shell Grouping (σ)
ƒShell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
1.8
Max Horiz Disp
ƒHorizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (13258/30·(12−2.2)/1000 + 2.2)·30 = 195.9 m
195.9 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 195.9 × 0.6 = 117.6 m
117.6 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 195.9 × 0.344 (σ=1.8) = 67.4 m
67.4 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 117.6 × 0.344 (σ=1.8) = 40.4 m
40.4 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 3.5 deg/s traverse speed = 51.4 s.
51.4 s
Base shells/min
ƒ8 broadside guns x 60 / 22.2 s base reload = 21.6.
21.6
HE shells
HE Damage3,200
HE Velocity855 m/s
Fire Chance19%
HE penetration
ƒ71 mm ≈ 283 mm caliber / 4 (improved HE penetration: German BBs, Yamato-class, and a handful of others).
71 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ3,200 HE damage x 8 broadside guns = 25,600.
25,600
Base HE DPM
ƒ25,600 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 22.2 s base reload = 69,189.
69,189
Base fires/min
ƒ8 HE shells x 60 / 22.2 s reload x 19% fire chance = 4.11.
4.11
AP shells
AP Damage7,200
AP Velocity855 m/s
Min Ricochet45 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg
Fuse Timer0.01 s
Fuse Threshold47 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(283 mm caliber / 14.3) = 19 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
19 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 × 2789 × 302^0.69 × 0.283^-1.07 × 855^1.38 = 615.7 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
615.7 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (16.6 km), where the shell has slowed to 327.3 m/s: 1e-7 × 2789 × 302^0.69 × 0.283^-1.07 × 327.3^1.38 = 163.6 mm.
163.6 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ7,200 AP damage x 8 broadside guns = 57,600.
57,600
Base AP DPM
ƒ57,600 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 22.2 s base reload = 155,676.
155,676
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.
35
AA Defense
AA mount points0
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (3×3.5×0.75) = 8. 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.
8
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
3 km
88 mm L/45 MPL C/13 (DP)4×1 88mm
Far aura
DPS
ƒIncludes 3 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.
3
Range3 km
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts28
Firing range5.0 km
Shell Grouping (σ)1
Secondary dispersion type
ƒMax dispersion = range (km) × 57 + 30. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.
Standard
Max secondary dispersion @ 5 km
ƒ5 km × 57 + 30 = 315 m.
315 m
150 mm L/45 MPL C/06 (×12)
Caliber150 mm
Reload time8.57 s
HE Damage1,800
Muzzle Velocity835 m/s
Fire Chance10%
Armor Pen38 mm
Min Ricochet91°
Max Ricochet60°
Show 3 more gun families
88 mm L/45 MPL C/13 (×4)
Caliber88 mm
Reload time4 s
HE Damage1,000
Muzzle Velocity890 m/s
Fire Chance4%
Armor Pen15 mm
Min Ricochet91°
Max Ricochet60°
88 mm L/45 MPL C/06 (×4)
Caliber88 mm
Reload time4 s
HE Damage1,000
Muzzle Velocity890 m/s
Fire Chance4%
Armor Pen15 mm
Min Ricochet91°
Max Ricochet60°
88 mm L/45 SK L/45 (×8)
Caliber88 mm
Reload time4 s
HE Damage1,000
Muzzle Velocity890 m/s
Fire Chance4%
Armor Pen15 mm
Min Ricochet91°
Max Ricochet60°
Maneuverability
Engine moduleEngine: 26,200 hp
Engine power26,200 hp
Maximum speed23 kt
Turning circle radius510 m
Engine power multiplier speed threshold7 kt
Traverse-to-turn ratio2.6× drags
Concealment
Detectability by sea11.99 km
Detectability by air9.59 km
Smoke firing penalty8.61 km
Detect after firing main guns11.99 km
Detect Fire Sea13.99 km
Detect Fire Air12.59 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
✦
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 80 s reload · 15 s active
Repair Party3 charges · 80 s reload · 28 s active · 0.5% heal per second · 14% of max HP total heal
Secondary Battery Booster3 charges · 160 s reload · 30 s active · +100% damage boost · +50% reload boost

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)1.8
Shell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
Max Horiz Disp195.9 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (13258/30·(12−2.2)/1000 + 2.2)·30 = 195.9 m
Max Vert Disp117.6 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 195.9 × 0.6 = 117.6 m
Med Horiz Disp67.4 m
50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 195.9 × 0.344 (σ=1.8) = 67.4 m
Med Vert Disp40.4 m
50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 117.6 × 0.344 (σ=1.8) = 40.4 m
AP Pen Close615.7 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 × 2789 × 302^0.69 × 0.283^-1.07 × 855^1.38 = 615.7 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far163.6 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (16.6 km), where the shell has slowed to 327.3 m/s: 1e-7 × 2789 × 302^0.69 × 0.283^-1.07 × 327.3^1.38 = 163.6 mm.
HE penetration71 mm
71 mm ≈ 283 mm caliber / 4 (improved HE penetration: German BBs, Yamato-class, and a handful of others).
Improved HE PenYes
This ship's HE shells use a 1/4 (~0.25) caliber-to-pen ratio instead of the standard 1/6 (~0.167) - 0.251 in this case. Lets HE pen ~70mm armor instead of ~47mm. Hits every German cruiser (150mm CL, 203mm CA) and BB (350mm+), British heavy cruisers / Lion / Nelson, a handful of other premiums.
AP overmatch19 mm
floor(283 mm caliber / 14.3) = 19 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
AP AOE Radius35
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 alpha8
Barrels that can bear on one beam (8 of 12); casemate/wing mounts only fire one side.
Turret turn time51.4 s
180 degrees / 3.5 deg/s traverse speed = 51.4 s.
HE full-salvo alpha25,600
3,200 HE damage x 8 broadside guns = 25,600.
AP full-salvo alpha57,600
7,200 AP damage x 8 broadside guns = 57,600.
Base HE DPM69,189
25,600 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 22.2 s base reload = 69,189.
Base AP DPM155,676
57,600 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 22.2 s base reload = 155,676.
Base shells/min21.6
8 broadside guns x 60 / 22.2 s base reload = 21.6.
Base fires/min4.11
8 HE shells x 60 / 22.2 s reload x 19% fire chance = 4.11.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS8
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (3×3.5×0.75) = 8. 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 range3 km
Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
AA threat index24
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 @ 5 km315 m
5 km × 57 + 30 = 315 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)195,613
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: 12×1 150 mm (6/side) × 60/8.57 × 1800 = 75,613 + 4×1 88 mm (2/side) × 60/4 × 1000 = 30,000 + 4×1 88 mm (2/side) × 60/4 × 1000 = 30,000 + 8×1 88 mm (4/side) × 60/4 × 1000 = 60,000. 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 150 mm family.
Max HE fire chance10%
Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 10% from the 150 mm family.
Max HE pen38 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: 38 mm from the 150 mm family.

Armor

Hull HP 35,400, 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 22–140 mm)2,200 (6% of HP)
Overmatch not possible at T IVAngle 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)160 mm primary (range 30–240 mm)26,600 (75% of HP)
No common caliber overmatches160 mm: no common HE pens
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern30 mm primary (range 22–120 mm)2,200 (6% of HP)
Overmatch not possible at T IVAngle bounces 410mm30 mm: HE pens from 203mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel270 mm primary (range 13–270 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).
Superstructure80 mm primary (range 80–400 mm)800 (2% 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 HP17,700 magazine HPMagazine detonation1–30% chance · below ~75% HPPer-turret powder-magazine HP. Detonation chance scales from 1% (no mag damage) to 30% (full mag damage); this range is the in-game value. Detonation can't roll while the ship is above ~75% HP (the standard detonation-protection threshold, not a per-ship stat). Smaller magazines saturate to the 30% ceiling faster.
Secondary mount (150 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.
Engine (module, research)engine coefficient (unconfirmed)-0.060 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 HP10,600 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 Nassau can equip, from in-game data.

Primary official WG sources

Filtered to official World of Warships: Legends pages where this ship is a focus, reward, line member, or high-context variant mention.

2021-12-16 · Patch notes Holiday Update: Chilling With the Beasts Patch notes 2022-12-08 · Patch notes December Update: The Most Wonderful Tide of the Year Patch notes 2025-04-03 · Patch notes April Update: The Bonds of Loyalty Patch notes 2026-01-15 · Patch notes January Update: Anchors Up! Patch notes