Nikolai I
Also called: 沙皇尼古拉一世 · Император Николай I · Imperator Nikolai I · Imperator Nikolaï I Beta- Anchor a flank at 12-15 km with bow toward the closest threat
- Avoid: Spending damage control on the first fire
On this page
Nikolai I Community Stats
Across 1,800+ Standard battles from 92 players, Nikolai I averages a 68% win rate, 60,300 damage and 1.4 kills per battle, and survives 49% of them.
Nikolai I Community Stats
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Nikolai I Community Stats
Record History
Playstyle
Overview
Nikolai I is a Tier IV Soviet bow-tank battleship: top-decile bow and deck plate shrugs what peer guns cannot crack, so she holds the line bow-in and soaks fire while the team trades around her. Both shells run cohort-strong (cohort-strong AP at 206,400 AP DPM and top-decile HE at 108,000 HE DPM), making her a dual-threat gunship: keep AP up against broadsides and citadels, and switch to HE against bow-in ships, superstructures, and the thin or angled targets AP over-penetrates or bounces off. Standout traits: sigma in T4 BBs (1.9, 3rd of 24) and best heavy citadel belt in T4 BBs (400 mm, 1st of 24). The trade is AA DPS in T4 BBs (13, 22nd of 23).
Positioning
Anchor a flank at 12-15 km with bow toward the closest threat. Rotate one or two map cells with the team rather than holding solo; a battleship alone on a flank is a free focus target for the enemy. 44,800 HP is what a rotation started too late costs, and it is spent before the guns that punished it come off cooldown. The helm answers quickly (10.6 s), so she can break an incoming salvo that slower hulls have to eat.
Potato Avoidance
Spending damage control on the first fire
Almost every ship in the game repairs indefinitely, so the habit is to press it the moment anything catches; she carries 3 charges and no more. Ride a single fire when your health allows and save the charge for a flood or a multi-fire stack, because the salvo after the one you repaired is the one that sinks you.
Signature Traits
- Thickest plate · 400 mm
- Heavy citadel belt · 400 mm
- Tight grouping
- HE DPM machine · 108000 HE
- AP DPM machine · 206400 AP
10.6 s rudder shift, top decile of T4 BBs. Snappy weave.
30 s Damage Control reload, top decile of T4 BBs. Fire / flood stacks come off cooldown sooner.
13 AA DPS, bottom decile of T4 BBs. Aircraft chew through with impunity; lean on positioning over AA.
Angled bow-on, the bow and belt bounce AP that would citadel a flat-side peer -- but show a full broadside even for one salvo and you hand out a citadel. Commit to a lane you can hold angled; you can't afford to swing broadside to dodge torpedoes.
How to get Nikolai I
Nikolai I is a Premium ship and not available to unlock in the Tech Tree. Acquisition path: Containers. 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.
While you save up, check active promo codes for free doubloons, camouflages, and other rewards.
Best listed chance for this ship
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Super Santa '22
0.25%
Tier IV or V Premium ship
Archived · Super Santa '22 · 1 of 28 ships
-
Spectral Vault 2.0
0.178571%
Tier IV Premium ship
Archived · Spectral Vault 2.0 · 1 of 14 ships
-
Santa Level 2
0.166667%
Tier IV Premium ship
Archived · Santa Level 2 · 1 of 15 ships
Show all 8 containers (5 more)
-
Santa Level 1
0.078333%
Tier IV Premium ship
Archived · Santa Level 1 · 2 paths combined · 1 of 15 ships
Show 2 paths
- Santa Level 10.053333%
- Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 20.025%
-
Spectral Vault 1.0
0.073214%
Tier IV Premium ship
Archived · Spectral Vault 1.0 · 2 paths combined · 1 of 14 ships
Show 2 paths
- Spectral Vault 1.00.057143%
- Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.00.016071%
-
Secret Santa '22
0.055833%
Premium Ship
Archived · Secret Santa '22 · 1 of 12 ships
-
Secret Santa '23
0.053333%
Tier IV Premium ship
Archived · Secret Santa '23 · 1 of 15 ships
-
Mystic Box
0.047059%
Tier IV Premium ship
Event · Mystic Box · 1 of 17 ships
Official WG availability sources
-
Update: March 2020
Store / event post
Start: 2020-03-09
- Tier IV Russian battleship Imperator Nikolai I will be available as part of a platform Store-only bundle starting March 23, the price will vary depending on region, so please check your platform Stores.
Show direct source rows
- Mystic Box 0.047059% · Tier IV Premium ship
- Santa Level 1 0.053333% · Tier IV Premium ship
- Santa Level 2 0.166667% · Tier IV Premium ship
- Secret Santa '22 0-0.055833% · Premium Ship
- Secret Santa '23 0.053333% · Tier IV Premium ship
Want the full picture? Each container page charts the odds as you open more crates - including pity guaranteed-reward timers and, for GD Supporters, pack math personalized to your port.
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 Nikolai I sits among Tier IV BBs (23 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 21 mid-pack stats
Not standouts for Nikolai I -- 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 Tier IV BattleshipsStats & specs
Customize in the Build Tool →ƒ
How far each mount can train, in degrees to either side of the mount's own facing. A rear turret with ±150° leaves a 60° blind wedge over the bow; one-sided arcs are wing mounts that cover a single side. The data does not say which way each mount faces, so the arcs are listed per mount without bow/stern angles.ƒ
180° − 148° (the most restricted aft-facing mount's arc) = 32° off bow; 180° − 138° (the most restricted forward-facing mount's arc) = 42° off stern. How far off the bow (or stern) the ship must angle before every main turret can fire: the widest blind wedge among the rear-facing (or forward-facing) mounts, from each mount's trainable arc.ƒ
In practice: the baseline curve for a standard battleship -- at max range (14.5 km) shells land in an ellipse about 205 m wide and 123 m tall. Also on this curve (68): AL New Jersey, Agincourt, Alabama, Alabama B, Arizona, Arkansas, Arkansas FE, Atlântico, BA Montana, Bellerophon, Bourgogne, California and 56 more.ƒ
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the dispersion model:ƒ
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range:ƒ
50%-hit horizontal radius:ƒ
50%-hit vertical radius:ƒ
180 degrees / 3.7 deg/s traverse speed = 48.6 s.ƒ
12 broadside guns x 60 / 30 s base reload = 24.HE shells
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51 mm ≈ 305 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).ƒ
4,500 HE damage x 12 broadside guns = 54,000.ƒ
54,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 108,000.ƒ
24 shells/min × 0.33 (33% fire chance) = 7.92.AP shells
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floor(305 mm caliber / 14.3) = 21 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).ƒ
AP formula evaluated at muzzle velocity: .ƒ
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (14.5 km), where the shell has slowed to 426.1 m/s: .ƒ
8,600 AP damage x 12 broadside guns = 103,200.ƒ
103,200 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 206,400.ƒ
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.ƒ
Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 3 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.ƒ
Effective DPS: 1 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.75 hit probability = 3 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.ƒ
Effective DPS: 4 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.7 hit probability = 10 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.ƒ
Far 3 + Near 10 = 13ƒ
Each ~2 s salvo fires 2 AA explosions in quick succession, each leaving 1 cloud ahead of the attacking squadron - up to 2 clouds per salvo × 90 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
Each cloud in the pattern rolls this chance to spawn, so salvos average fewer clouds than the maximum. 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 AA mount is operational - it stops only once every AA mount is knocked out.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 3 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: 20×1 130 mm (10/side) × 60/12 s × 1900 = 95,000. 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) 4.5 × (1 − 0.166 fire resistance) × 60 s × 0.003 of max HP per second × 48,200 HP = 32,561. 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) 95,000 + secondary fire DPM 32,561 = 127,561: shell damage plus fire damage against one T4 battleship, every shell hitting.ƒ
20×1 barrels / 2 sides × 60 / 12 s × 0.09 (9% fire chance) = 4.5. 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
4 km × 57 + 30 = 258 m.ƒ
top speed / 4 + 4.9 = 25 / 4 + 4.9 = 11.2 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 (22.5 kt of 25.0 kt).ƒ
Time to reach 99% of top speed (24.8 kt of 25.0 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
With the rudder hard over the hull turns 4.2°/s, so a target drifts across the bow at that rate. Turret traverse minus hull turn: 3.7 − 4.2 = -0.5°/s, so the guns fall behind and catch up once the turn eases. Main Battery Mod. 2 (+20% traverse) and Mod. 3 (−15%) move this line.ƒ
Base value, no camouflage. With a Grade IV permanent camo (or any disposable camo): 13.13 km x 0.955 = 12.54 km. Camouflage does not change detectability by air.ƒ
Detectability by sea 13.13 km x 0.955 (Grade IV permanent camo or any disposable camo) = 12.54 km.ƒ
max(main battery range, sea detectability 13.13 km) = 14.46 km. Equal to the ship's main battery range (never below base detectability): firing makes you visible to everyone you can reach.ƒ
Air detectability 10.5 km + gun-firing bloom 6.1 km = 16.6 km. The bloom tracks main-battery caliber 305 mm × 0.020 = 6.1 km.ƒ
Sea detectability 13.13 km + 2.0 km while burning = 15.13 km.ƒ
Air detectability 10.5 km + 3.0 km while burning = 13.5 km.
Damage Control Party3 charges · 30 s reload · 15 s active
Repair Party3 charges · 80 s reload · 28 s active · 6,272 HP (14% of max HP) total heal (per charge) ƒ
0.005 of max HP per second (0.5%) × 28 s effective active time = 0.14 of max HP × 44,800 HP = 6,272 HP: up to 14% of max HP restored per charge.ƒ
0.14 of max HP per charge × 3 charges = 0.42 × 44,800 HP = 18,816 HP: up to 42% of max HP if the whole Repair Party loadout is used.ƒ
0.005 (0.5% of max HP) × 44,800 HP = 224 HP/s. WoWS heals a flat percent of MAX HP each second, so this rate holds at any health level.
Enhanced Secondary Targeting3 charges · 160 s reload · 30 s active · +100% grouping · -50% dispersion
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.
Main battery formulas
The standard battleship dispersion curve.(166.7 × (12 − 2) / 1000 + 2) × 30 = 110 m. Horizontal scatter at a fixed 5 km, from the same dispersion model as the rows below - a knife-fight-range anchor comparable across ships.(333.3 × (12 − 2) / 1000 + 2) × 30 = 160 m. How wide your shells scatter at 10 km, from the same dispersion model as the max-range figure above. Picking a fixed range makes this number directly comparable from ship to ship: max-range dispersion makes a longer-range gun look worse even when it's tighter at any common range. The interactive Dispersion tab on the Charts card plots the full curve from 0 to max range.How tall the scatter ellipse is at a fixed 5 km, from the same model, comparable from ship to ship. The height/width ratio is a piecewise-linear curve through three points from the ship's own dispersion data: at 0 m, at m, and at 14458 m. Below the kink: , so .How tall the same scatter ellipse is at 10 km. Comparable from ship to ship for the same reason as the width value above. The height/width ratio is a piecewise-linear curve through three points from the ship's own dispersion data: at 0 m, at m, and at 14458 m. Above the kink: , so .AP penetration at a fixed 5 km, from the same ballistic curve as AP Pen Close/Far: the shell's impact velocity at that range fed through the AP formula , where 613 m/s is the shell's speed when it arrives at 5 km (from 762 m/s at the muzzle). Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.AP penetration at a fixed 10 km, from the same ballistic curve as AP Pen Close/Far: the shell's impact velocity at that range fed through the AP formula , where 498.9 m/s is the shell's speed when it arrives at 10 km (from 762 m/s at the muzzle). Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.How long an HE shell takes to reach a target at a fixed 10 km, from the same numerically integrated trajectory the Charts card plots. The shell slows under quadratic air drag, , where is air density from a standard-atmosphere profile and bundles the shell's drag coefficient, caliber and mass: . That runs from a 762 m/s muzzle velocity in 0.02 s steps under gravity 9.8 m/s² until the shell lands, then divides by 2.77 because the game clock runs faster than real time. Lower is better, since a faster shell is harder to dodge and needs less lead.How long an AP shell takes to reach a target at a fixed 10 km, from the same numerically integrated trajectory the Charts card plots. The shell slows under quadratic air drag, , where is air density from a standard-atmosphere profile and bundles the shell's drag coefficient, caliber and mass: . That runs from a 762 m/s muzzle velocity in 0.02 s steps under gravity 9.8 m/s² until the shell lands, then divides by 2.77 because the game clock runs faster than real time. Lower is better, since a faster shell is harder to dodge and needs less lead.4 mounts × 3 barrels = 12; all 12 bear on the broadside.Model inputs
Armor-penetration constant of the AP shell; penetration scales straight with it, so a 10% higher Krupp is 10% more penetration at every range.Enters penetration as mass^0.69 and slows the shell's drag deceleration, so a heavier shell keeps more velocity at range.Air drag on the AP shell in flight; lower keeps velocity, and with it penetration, at long range.Starting speed of the AP shell; penetration scales with velocity^1.38.Starting speed of the HE shell; sets its flight time and lead.Horizontal dispersion growth per idealDistance of range, in 30 m units; the slope of the scatter-width line.Horizontal dispersion at zero range, in 30 m units; the intercept of the scatter-width line.Range step over which horizontal dispersion grows by idealRadius.Inside this range the scatter width tapers toward minRadius instead of following the line.Vertical scatter as a share of horizontal at zero range.Vertical scatter as a share of horizontal at the delim point.Vertical scatter as a share of horizontal at maximum range.Where the vertical-scatter curve bends, as a share of maximum range.AA defense
Only families that reach 3 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: 63 5mm 2x1 -> 3 DPS @ 3 km; MachineGunMaxim 7 62 4x1 -> 10 DPS @ 1 km.@ 3 km: 3 from one family; @ 1 km: 3 + 10 = 13. 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.3 + 10 = 13 DPS: the sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (1 km).3 × 3 + 10 × 1 = 19. 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 firepower
The only family (130 mm): 1900. Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1900 from the 130 mm family.The only family (130 mm): 9%. Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 9% from the 130 mm family.The only family (130 mm): 22 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: 22 mm from the 130 mm family.Ship Charts
Background
The last battleship laid down for the Imperial Russian Navy. Developed from the Imperatritsa Mariya-class battleships, she inherited high firepower from her predecessors. Experience gained in building early Russian dreadnoughts helped to significantly reinforce the ship's armor which received an advanced arrangement.
Armor Beta
Hull HP 44,800, distributed across 5 hull zones, each with its own plate thicknesses, saturation cap, and pen thresholds.
Overmatched by 77+ AP guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.
Citadels come from a flat broadside at close range; held past ~30° of angle, AP shatters or bounces.
Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 17%, fires burn 60s. Range-by-range in the Compare tool →
| Section | Plates | HP cap | Threats | Tactic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bow | 19 mm primary (range 19–200 mm) | 2,000 (4% of HP) | Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Nassau, Von Der Tann)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) | 75 mm primary (range 19–300 mm) | 33,600 (75% of HP) | No common AP caliber overmatches75 mm: most HE shatters, standard pen from 460mm+ | Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest. |
| Stern | 19 mm primary (range 19–200 mm) | 1,500 (3% of HP) | Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Nassau, Von Der Tann)Angle bounces 203mm19 mm: HE pens from 127mm+ | Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation. |
| Citadel | 270 mm primary (range 13–400 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 | 6 mm primary (range 6–400 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). |
| Turret (module, per magazine) | separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP | 22,400 magazine HP | Turret knocked out | Per-turret powder-magazine HP, a separate pool that does not drain ship HP. As it is worn down the turret is likelier to be knocked out, and a smaller pool gets there faster. |
| Secondary mount (130 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 (63 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 | 13,400 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.
Skins & permanent camouflages
Every custom exterior Nikolai I 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.
