World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Nicholas

Beta
Destroyer gunboatWin DD duels and cap fights with gun DPM.
Playstyle
  • Hold concealment edges on the contested cap at 6 km detection
  • Avoid: Burning the 6 km concealment advantage on guns
Key characteristics
2.2 sigma accuracyHigh HE / fire outputSmokeEngine BoostLow fire chance
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Community Data

Nicholas Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Nicholas is a Tier IV American stealth-leaning destroyer with strong surface detection (6 km). The kit opens detection windows most peer DDs cannot match, so her value is contesting caps from concealment edges where the detection band holds. AA (143 AA DPS at 5 km, +300% 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 armor plate in T4 DDs (21 mm) and best sigma in T4 DDs (2.2).

Positioning

Hold concealment edges on the contested cap at 6 km detection. The band opens windows for unspotted torpedo drops and clean repositions; lean into the gaps your peer DDs cannot read, and back out before detection closes.

Potato Avoidance

Burning the 6 km concealment advantage on guns

Every salvo lights you up and gives back the detection edge that makes the kit work; reserve guns for finishing damage on already-spotted ships, and prioritize torpedo drops you can fire while undetected.

Signature Traits

Engine Boost

+8% speed, 120 s duration. Engine Boost consumable temporarily raises top speed. Mobility on demand to reposition, chase a kill, or break contact.

Heavy armor

21.0 mm max plate, best of T4 DDs.

Tight grouping

Sigma 2.2, best of T4 DDs. More shells land near aim.

Fast turret traverse

15.0°/s turret traverse, best of T4 DDs. Tracks fast-rotating targets peers can't keep up with.

Long-reach AA

5.0 km AA reach, best of T4 DDs.

Low fire chance

5.0% fire chance per HE shell, bottom quartile of T4 DDs. AP carries more weight.

Acquisition

How to get Nicholas

Nicholas is available in the Universal Destroyers branch of the U.S.A. Tech Tree for 500,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 125,000 credits. 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.

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

Nicholas sits in the Universal Destroyers branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full U.S.A. tree.

Best listed chance for this ship

  • Halloween '25 crate 1.333333% Tier IV Premium ship Event containers · Halloween '25 crate · 1 of 3 ships
Official WG availability sources
Show direct source rows

Builds Beta

Prioritize concealment, torpedo reliability, and destroyer survivability. Build around your best national destroyer commander, then add inspirations that improve concealment, torpedo reload/speed, or emergency disengage tools.

Open in Build Tool →

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Cohort position

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Where Nicholas sits among Tier IV DDs (22 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.

BestTraverse-to-turn ratio8.25 × (1/22) BestMain battery reload3.6 s (1 of 3 tied) BestSigma2.2 (1/22) BestAA range5 km (1 of 3 tied) BestMax armor21 mm (1 of 2 tied) BestDeck armor21 mm (1 of 2 tied) Top 10%HE DPM120,000 (3/22) Top 10%Engine power55,000 hp (2/22) Top 10%Turn-speed retention91.7 hp/m (3/22) Top 10%Power-to-weight24.69 hp/t (3/22) Top 25%Hit points13,100 HP (5/22) Top 25%Rudder shift2.7 s (6/22) Top 25%AP DPM140,000 (5/20) Top 25%Acceleration16.4 s (4/22) Top 25%AA DPS143 (5/22) Top 25%AA threat351 (5/22) Bottom 25%Displacement2,228 t (18/22) Bottom 25%Torpedo range5.49 km (19/22) Bottom 25%Torpedo speed56 kt (19/22) WorstHE fire chance5% (1 of 4 tied)
See 16 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Nicholas -- 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.

Max speed37 kt(11/22) Concealment6.05 km(14/22) Air detection3.03 km(14/22) Main battery caliber127 mm(11/22) Main battery range9.94 km(11/22) HE shell damage1,800(13/22) Fires per minute3.33(14/22) AP shell damage2,100(14/20) Main dispersion89.6 m(16/22) AP velocity792 m/s(14/20) HE velocity792 m/s(16/22) AP arming threshold21 mm(11/20) Torpedo damage≈10,833(17/22) Torpedo reload66 s(7/22) Citadel belt15 mm(7/20) NormAP fuse timer0.01 s(16 of 20 tied at this value)
Survivability
Hit Points13,100
Displacement2,228 t
Armor range10–21 mm
Plate armor thicknesses10, 13, 15, 21 mm
Armor material/layer entries27
Fire resistance16.6%
Fire duration30 s
Torp Reduction0%
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.
6,600
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.
3,900
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 4×127 mm
Mounts / barrels4 mounts / 4 barrels
Reload time4 s
Firing range9.9 km
Turret traverse15 °/s
Shell Grouping (σ)
ƒShell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
2.2
Max Horiz Disp
ƒHorizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: σH=(R30·idealRadiusminRadiusidealDistance+minRadius)·30 =(994130·80.51000+0.5)·30=89.6m
89.6 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: σV=σH·radiusOnMax =89.6·0.6=53.7m
53.7 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius: σH,50=σH·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =89.6·0.297(σ=2.2)=26.6m
26.6 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius: σV,50=σV·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =53.7·0.296(σ=2.2)=15.9m
15.9 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 15 deg/s traverse speed = 12 s.
12 s
Base shells/min
ƒ4 broadside guns x 60 / 4 s base reload = 60.
60
HE shells
HE Damage1,800
HE Velocity792 m/s
Fire Chance5%
HE penetration
ƒ21 mm ≈ 127 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
21 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ1,800 HE damage x 4 broadside guns = 7,200.
7,200
Base HE DPM
ƒ7,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4 s base reload = 108,000.
108,000
Base fires/min
ƒ4 HE shells x 60 / 4 s reload x 5% fire chance = 3.
3
AP shells
AP Damage2,100
AP Velocity792 m/s
Min Ricochet45 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg
Fuse Timer0.01 s
Fuse Threshold21 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(127 mm caliber / 14.3) = 8 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
8 mm
AP Pen Close
ƒCanonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: P=107·K·m0.69·d1.07·v01.38 =107·2598·250.69·0.1271.07·7921.38=218mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
218 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (12.4 km), where the shell has slowed to 254.9 m/s: P=107·2598·250.69·0.1271.07·254.91.38=45.6mm.
45.6 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ2,100 AP damage x 4 broadside guns = 8,400.
8,400
Base AP DPM
ƒ8,400 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4 s base reload = 126,000.
126,000
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.
10
Torpedoes
ModuleTorpedoes: 533 mm triple
Launchers / tubes4 launchers × 3 tubes = 12 tubes
Reload time66 s
Projectile speed56 kt
Range5.49 km
Maximum simulated damage
ƒEstimate of WG's in-game value; matches the in-game port screen within ±5%. Saturation: most targets only intersect one hull section, so the sim transfers ~1/3 of the warhead alpha (2/3 when the warhead blast >= 5000 and the burst reaches a second section). For this ship: Dsim=α·c=32,500·0.333=10,833.
≈ 10,833
Torpedo detectability1.1 km
Flooding chance192%
Torpedo launcher traverse25 °/s
Torp Turn
ƒTime to rotate the launchers 180 deg: tturn=180°25°/s=7.2s.
7.2 s
Torp Arming173 m
Per-side salvo damage
ƒOne side firing, all torpedoes hitting: per-side tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 12 x 10,833 = 129,996.
129,996
AA Defense
AA mount points8
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (11×3.5×1) + (23×3.5×0.95) + (8×3.5×1) = 143. 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.
143
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
5 km
28 mm Mk2 mod. 22×4 28mm
12.7 mm Browning M2 mod. 26×1 13mm
Far aura
DPS
ƒIncludes 8 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose main battery firing as AA in this range band.
8
Range5 km
Medium aura
DPS11
Range3.1 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 8 + Medium 11 = 19
19
Near aura
DPS23
Range1.2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 8 + Medium 11 + Near 23 = 42
42
Maneuverability
Engine moduleEngine: 55,000 hp
Engine power55,000 hp
Maximum speed37 kt
Turning circle radius600 m
Engine power-boost threshold7 kt
Acceleration 0-90%
ƒTime to accelerate from 0 kt to 90% of top speed (33.3 kt of 37). Numerical integration of the WoWS engine model with the inputs decoded for this ship: maxPower=(Pm)0.42=(55,0002,228)0.42=3.8444; drag(v)=v|v|Vmax2·maxPower; piecewise acceleration a(v)={maxPower·2+drag(v)v<7 ktP(t)+drag(v)v7 kt; the engine ramps over τ=Tup2.61=202.61=7.7s. Euler step vn+1=vn+a(vn)Δt,Δt=0.01s until t90=min{t:v(t)0.9Vmax}=16.4s. The 0.42 exponent, quadratic drag and the TimeScale 2.61 are the calibrated game constants (New York's 60/2.61 = 23.0 s spool-up matches in-game); no closed form.
16.4 s
Acceleration 0-99%
ƒTime to accelerate from 0 kt to 99% of top speed (36.6 kt of 37). Same integration as the 0-90% row, read where t99=min{t:v(t)0.99Vmax}=27.7s. 99% (not 100%) because exact top speed is asymptotic - thrust equals drag at Vmax, so the last fraction of a knot is never quite gained.
27.7 s
Traverse-to-turn ratio
ƒHow many degrees the turret can swing for each degree the hull turns. Turn rate ωhull=180π·Vmax(m/s)Rturn=180π·37.0·0.5144600=1.82°/s, so ratio=ωturretωhull=151.82=8.3×. Below 5 the turrets drag in a turning fight; 25+ keeps up with any rudder.
8.3× ok
Concealment
Detectability by sea6.05 km
Detectability by air3.03 km
Smoke firing penalty2.29 km
Detect after firing main guns
ƒmax(base sea detectability, gun-firing bloom range). Firing never pulls your detection closer than base concealment.
6.05 km
Detect Fire Sea8.05 km
Detect Fire Air6.03 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 40 s reload · 5 s active
Smoke Generator2 charges · 240 s reload · 15 s emit / 115 s cloud active
Engine Boost2 charges · 180 s reload · 120 s active · +8% speed bonus
Defensive AA Fire3 charges · 140 s reload · 20 s active · +300% flak burst boost

See all derived stats

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

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)2.2
Shell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
Max Horiz Disp89.6 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: $\sigma_H = \left(\dfrac{R}{30}\cdot\dfrac{\text{idealRadius}-\text{minRadius}}{\text{idealDistance}} + \text{minRadius}\right)\cdot 30$ $= \left(\dfrac{9941}{30}\cdot\dfrac{8-0.5}{1000} + 0.5\right)\cdot 30 = 89.6\,\text{m}$
Max Vert Disp53.7 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: $\sigma_V = \sigma_H \cdot \text{radiusOnMax}$ $= 89.6 \cdot 0.6 = 53.7\,\text{m}$
Med Horiz Disp26.6 m
50%-hit horizontal radius: $\sigma_{H,50} = \sigma_H \cdot \text{GetHalfHitsRatio}(\sigma)$ $= 89.6 \cdot 0.297\;(\sigma = 2.2) = 26.6\,\text{m}$
Med Vert Disp15.9 m
50%-hit vertical radius: $\sigma_{V,50} = \sigma_V \cdot \text{GetHalfHitsRatio}(\sigma)$ $= 53.7 \cdot 0.296\;(\sigma = 2.2) = 15.9\,\text{m}$
AP Pen Close218 mm
Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: $P = 10^{-7}\cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{-1.07} \cdot v_0^{1.38}$ $= 10^{-7}\cdot 2598 \cdot 25^{0.69} \cdot 0.127^{-1.07} \cdot 792^{1.38} = 218\,\text{mm}$. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far45.6 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (12.4 km), where the shell has slowed to 254.9 m/s: $P = 10^{-7}\cdot 2598 \cdot 25^{0.69} \cdot 0.127^{-1.07} \cdot 254.9^{1.38} = 45.6\,\text{mm}$.
HE penetration21 mm
21 mm ≈ 127 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
AP overmatch8 mm
floor(127 mm caliber / 14.3) = 8 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
AP AOE Radius10
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 alpha4
All 4 barrels bear on the broadside.
Turret turn time12 s
180 degrees / 15 deg/s traverse speed = 12 s.
HE full-salvo alpha7,200
1,800 HE damage x 4 broadside guns = 7,200.
AP full-salvo alpha8,400
2,100 AP damage x 4 broadside guns = 8,400.
Base HE DPM108,000
7,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4 s base reload = 108,000.
Base AP DPM126,000
8,400 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4 s base reload = 126,000.
Base shells/min60
4 broadside guns x 60 / 4 s base reload = 60.
Base fires/min3
4 HE shells x 60 / 4 s reload x 5% fire chance = 3.

Torpedoes

Torpedo detectability1.1 km
Estimated torpedo reaction time7.6 s
detectability / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Torpedo speed56 kt
Travel time to max range37.7 s
range / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Tube count12
4 launchers x 3 tubes.
Per-side salvo12 torpedoes
12 (centerline launchers train across - full salvo to either side).
Full-salvo damage129,996
All tubes hitting one target: tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 12 x 10,833 = 129,996.
Per-side salvo damage129,996
One side firing, all torpedoes hitting: per-side tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 12 x 10,833 = 129,996.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS143
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (11×3.5×1) + (23×3.5×0.95) + (8×3.5×1) = 143. 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 index351
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 range1.2 km

Armor Beta

Hull HP 13,100, 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.

Bow & stern10 mm

Overmatched by 135+ guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.

Farming10 mm

Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 17%, fires burn 30s. Range-by-range in the ballistics tool →

Section Plates HP cap Threats Tactic
Bow10 mm primary (range 10–21 mm)2,200 (17% of HP)
Overmatched by 150mm+ (De Ruyter, Karlsruhe)Angle bounces 127mm10 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.
Stern10 mm primary (range 10–13 mm)900 (7% of HP)
Overmatched by 150mm+ (De Ruyter, Karlsruhe)Angle bounces 127mm10 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel15 mm primary (range 10–15 mm)≈ 165,500 (effectively no cap)
Citadel pen ×0.50 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 (×0.50 direct pen, ×0.10 over-pen).
Superstructure10 mm primary (range 10–21 mm)800 (6% 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 HP6,600 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.
AA mount (28 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 HP3,900 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.

Approximated side profile.
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Acceleration and Ballistics Chart

Balance History

Balance updates affecting Nicholas. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.

Nerf ×1Consumable ×1
2025-05-15

Ministry of Balance: New Horizons, Greater Heights

  • The consumable duration has been reduced to 25 seconds for all ships, except Nicholas and Charles Hughes, which have a duration of 20 seconds.
Read the full official post
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

  • Nicholas 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.

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