World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Niord

Beta
Fast flanking battleshipUse speed to take flanks and cross-fire from angles.
Playstyle
  • Anchor a flank at 14-17 km with bow toward the closest threat, then use the speed advantage at 32 kn to…
  • Avoid: Using the 32-kn speed to push rather than to rotate
Key characteristics
Long torps (14 km)2.1 sigma accuracyImproved HE penStealthy (15.1 km)Fragile
Community Data

Niord Community Stats

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

Log in & upload to see Community Data

Playstyle

Overview

Niord is a Tier VIII European torpedo-equipped battleship: she carries deck torpedoes reaching 14 km on a hull most BBs lack. The torps are a brawl-range threat that forces approaching ships to peel off or eat a wave; the main battery is the primary damage source, the torps are the trap. 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 sigma in T8 BBs (2.1) and best torpedo speed in T8 BBs (86 kt).

Positioning

Anchor a flank at 14-17 km with bow toward the closest threat, then use the speed advantage at 32 kn to rotate to the cap that needs a second battleship rather than the one your team already has. Mobility means you can pick which fight you are in; do not waste it by holding center the whole match.

Potato Avoidance

Using the 32-kn speed to push rather than to rotate

The mobility advantage is about picking which cap fight you arrive at, not about leading the brawl line; a fast BB that overextends loses HP that the kit cannot trade back.

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 7/25 T8 BBs.

Tight grouping

Sigma 2.1, best of T8 BBs. More shells land near aim.

Fast turret traverse

6.0°/s turret traverse, best of T8 BBs. Tracks fast-rotating targets peers can't keep up with.

Fast torpedoes

86.0 kt torpedo speed, best of T8 BBs. Less reaction time for targets to dodge.

Long-reach AA

5.2 km AA reach, best of T8 BBs.

Shatter-prone secondaries

20.0 mm best HE pen across secondary families, bottom decile of T8 BBs. Shatters on plates peers' secondaries pen, so direct damage trails the brackets above.

Acquisition

How to get Niord

Niord is a Premium ship and not available to unlock in the Tech Tree. Acquisition paths: Containers, Doubloons, and Campaign. 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.

Best listed chance for this ship

  • Mystic Lantern 0.043478% Tier VIII Premium ship Event containers · Mystic Lantern · 1 of 23 ships
Official WG availability sources
  • Party Around the World Campaign Breakdown Campaign Start: 2025-08-04 · End: 2025-09-07 Official campaign breakdown naming this ship as a campaign/reward-context ship; explicit source windows are used when present, otherwise the end date is inferred from the next indexed campaign breakdown when available.
  • Official WoWS Legends container odds Containers Official container drop rows linked below include direct and nested effective ship odds.
  • Through the Spy Glass: Minegumo Ship feature / release Start: 2025-08-05 · End: open/unknown end Official Through the Spy Glass feature for this ship; useful as a release/availability source, but not a guaranteed current-store listing.
  • Through the Spy Glass: Niord Ship feature / release Start: 2025-08-06 · End: open/unknown end Official Through the Spy Glass feature for this ship; useful as a release/availability source, but not a guaranteed current-store listing.
  • Party Around the World Campaign Breakdown 17,500 Doubloons 2025-08-04 Tier VIII default; exact price not in source
  • Anniversary Update: Operation Piñata 17,500 Doubloons 2025-07-31 Tier VIII default; exact price not in source
Show direct source rows

Builds Beta

Use an official-style setup: Aiming Systems Mod. 1, Propulsion Mod. 2, Concealment System Mod. 1, Main Battery Mod. 3, with Janko Vukovich-style fire-duration mitigation.

Open in Build Tool →

Commanders frequently paired with this ship Janko Vukovich

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

Cohort position

Hide

Where Niord 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.

BestStealth profile15.1 km / 12.08 km (1/25 / 1/25) BestMain battery reload21.6 s (1/25) BestSigma2.1 (1 of 2 tied) BestDisplacement45,000 t (1 of 2 tied) BestAA range5.2 km (1 of 7 tied) BestTorpedo speed86 kt (1 of 2 tied) Top 25%Max speed32 kt (7/25) Top 25%Rudder shift20.1 s (5/25) Top 25%AP arming threshold63 mm (4/25) Top 25%Torpedo range14 km (2/7) Top 25%Deck armor150 mm (7/25) Bottom 25%Main battery caliber381 mm (21/25) Bottom 25%Main battery range17 km (20/25) Bottom 25%HE DPM97,778 (20/25) Bottom 25%Main dispersion230 m (20/25) Bottom 25%Secondary fire chance7% (19/23) Bottom 25%Max armor350 mm (23/25) WorstHit points63,900 HP (1 of 2 tied) WorstHE alpha1,700 (1 of 3 tied) WorstSecondary HE pen20 mm (23/23) WorstSecondary range5 km (1 of 12 tied) WorstTorpedo damage10,700 (1 of 2 tied)
See 24 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Niord -- 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.

Traverse-to-turn ratio5.34 ×(9/25) HE fire chance34%(15/25) Fires per minute7.56(11/25) AP shell damage11,600(17/25) AP DPM257,778(14/25) Secondary DPM (per side)204,000(16/25) AP velocity820 m/s(15/25) HE velocity820 m/s(15/25) Acceleration9.5 s(17/25) Engine power152,000 hp(15/25) Turn-speed retention181 hp/m(9/25) Power-to-weight3.38 hp/t(9/25) AA DPS570(12/25) AA threat2,203(10/25) Torpedo reload140 s(5/7) Repair charges3(11/25) Citadel belt300 mm(19/25) Bow armor32 mm(13/25) 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.

Sonar 5.2 kmRepair 3
Survivability
Hit Points63,900
Displacement45,000 t
Armor range18–350 mm
Plate armor thicknesses18, 19, 20, 32, 40, 50, 60, 90, 100, 150, 200, 220, 235, 250, 300, 350 mm
Armor material/layer entries73
Fire resistance40%
Fire duration60 s
Torp Reduction20%
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.
32,000
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.
19,200
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 380 mm/52 SK C/34
Mounts / barrels4 mounts / 8 barrels
Reload time24 s
Firing range17 km
Turret traverse6 °/s
Shell Grouping (σ)
ƒShell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
2.1
Max Horiz Disp
ƒHorizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (17000/30·(12−2)/1000 + 2)·30 = 230 m
230 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 230 × 0.6 = 138 m
138 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 230 × 0.308 (σ=2.1) = 70.8 m
70.8 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 138 × 0.308 (σ=2.1) = 42.5 m
42.5 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 6 deg/s traverse speed = 30 s.
30 s
Base shells/min
ƒ8 broadside guns x 60 / 24 s base reload = 20.
20
HE shells
HE Damage4,400
HE Velocity820 m/s
Fire Chance34%
HE penetration
ƒ95 mm ≈ 381 mm caliber / 4 (improved HE penetration: German BBs, Yamato-class, and a handful of others).
95 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ4,400 HE damage x 8 broadside guns = 35,200.
35,200
Base HE DPM
ƒ35,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 24 s base reload = 88,000.
88,000
Installed HE DPM
ƒ35,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 21.6 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 97,778.
97,778
Base fires/min
ƒ8 HE shells x 60 / 24 s reload x 34% fire chance = 6.8.
6.8
AP shells
AP Damage11,600
AP Velocity820 m/s
Min Ricochet45 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg
Fuse Timer0.033 s
Fuse Threshold63 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(381 mm caliber / 14.3) = 26 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
26 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 × 2450 × 800^0.69 × 0.38^-1.07 × 820^1.38 = 729.4 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
729.4 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (21.2 km), where the shell has slowed to 522.5 m/s: 1e-7 × 2450 × 800^0.69 × 0.38^-1.07 × 522.5^1.38 = 391.6 mm.
391.6 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ11,600 AP damage x 8 broadside guns = 92,800.
92,800
Base AP DPM
ƒ92,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 24 s base reload = 232,000.
232,000
Installed AP DPM
ƒ92,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 21.6 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 257,778.
257,778
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.
5
Torpedoes
ModuleTorpedoes: 533 mm Quintuple
Launchers / tubes4 launchers × 5 tubes = 20 tubes
Reload time140 s
Projectile speed86 kt
Range14 km
Maximum simulated damage9,800 (est.)
Alpha damage29,400
Torpedo detectability1.8 km
Torpedo launcher traverse25 °/s
Torp Turn7.2 s
Torp Arming265 m
Per-side salvo damage
ƒper-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.
98,000
AA Defense
AA mount points14
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (170×3.5×0.75) + (47×3.5×0.75) = 570. 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.
570
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
5.2 km
40 mm/70 Bofors M194814×1 40mm
120 mm/50 Model 1942 (DP)6×2 120mm
Far aura
DPS
ƒIncludes 47 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.
47
Range5.2 km
Medium aura
DPS170
Range3.5 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 47 + Medium 170 = 217
217
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts6
Firing range5.0 km
Shell Grouping (σ)1
Caliber120 mm
Reload time3 s
HE Damage1,700
Muzzle Velocity850 m/s
Fire Chance7%
Armor Pen20 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: 152,000 hp
Engine power152,000 hp
Maximum speed32 kt
Turning circle radius840 m
Engine power multiplier speed threshold7 kt
Traverse-to-turn ratio5.3× slow
Concealment
Detectability by sea15.1 km
Detectability by air12.08 km
Smoke firing penalty13.8 km
Detect after firing main guns15.1 km
Detect Fire Sea17.1 km
Detect Fire Air15.08 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
Sonar2 charges · 180 s reload · 98 s active · 5.2 km ship detect · 3.63 km torpedo detect
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)2.1
Shell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
Max Horiz Disp230 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (17000/30·(12−2)/1000 + 2)·30 = 230 m
Max Vert Disp138 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 230 × 0.6 = 138 m
Med Horiz Disp70.8 m
50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 230 × 0.308 (σ=2.1) = 70.8 m
Med Vert Disp42.5 m
50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 138 × 0.308 (σ=2.1) = 42.5 m
AP Pen Close729.4 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 × 2450 × 800^0.69 × 0.38^-1.07 × 820^1.38 = 729.4 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far391.6 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (21.2 km), where the shell has slowed to 522.5 m/s: 1e-7 × 2450 × 800^0.69 × 0.38^-1.07 × 522.5^1.38 = 391.6 mm.
HE penetration95 mm
95 mm ≈ 381 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) - 0.249 in this case. Lets HE pen ~95mm armor instead of ~63mm. Hits every German cruiser (150mm CL, 203mm CA) and BB (350mm+), British heavy cruisers / Lion / Nelson, a handful of other premiums.
AP overmatch26 mm
floor(381 mm caliber / 14.3) = 26 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
AP AOE Radius5
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
All 8 barrels bear on the broadside.
Turret turn time30 s
180 degrees / 6 deg/s traverse speed = 30 s.
HE full-salvo alpha35,200
4,400 HE damage x 8 broadside guns = 35,200.
AP full-salvo alpha92,800
11,600 AP damage x 8 broadside guns = 92,800.
Base HE DPM88,000
35,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 24 s base reload = 88,000.
Base AP DPM232,000
92,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 24 s base reload = 232,000.
Installed HE DPM97,778
35,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 21.6 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 97,778.
Installed AP DPM257,778
92,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 21.6 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 257,778.
Base shells/min20
8 broadside guns x 60 / 24 s base reload = 20.
Installed shells/min22.2
8 broadside guns x 60 / 21.6 s installed Artillery reload = 22.2.
Base fires/min6.8
8 HE shells x 60 / 24 s reload x 34% fire chance = 6.8.
Installed fires/min7.56
8 HE shells x 60 / 21.6 s installed reload x 34% fire chance = 7.56.

Torpedoes

Torpedo detectability1.8 km
Estimated torpedo reaction time8.1 s
detectability / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Torpedo speed86 kt
Travel time to max range62.6 s
range / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Tube count20
4 launchers x 5 tubes.
Per-side salvo10 torpedoes
tube count / 2 (symmetric port/starboard launcher layout; common on cruisers and battleships with deck torpedoes).
Full-salvo damage196,000
tube count x per-torpedo simulated damage (all torpedoes hitting).
Per-side salvo damage98,000
per-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS570
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (170×3.5×0.75) + (47×3.5×0.75) = 570. 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 range5.2 km
Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
AA threat index2203
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)204,000
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: 6×2 120 mm (6/side) × 60/3 × 1700 = 204,000. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).
Max HE alpha1700
Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1700 from the 120 mm family.
Max HE fire chance7%
Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 7% from the 120 mm family.
Max HE pen20 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: 20 mm from the 120 mm family.

Armor

Hull HP 63,900, 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 32–350 mm)2,600 (4% 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)150 mm primary (range 18–350 mm)47,900 (75% of HP)
No common caliber overmatches150 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 32–100 mm)2,400 (4% of HP)
Overmatched by 460mm+ (Aki, Musashi)Angle bounces 410mm32 mm: HE pens from 203mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel300 mm primary (range 19–300 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).
Superstructure200 mm primary (range 200–350 mm)3,200 (5% 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 HP32,000 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 (120 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.
Rudder (module)separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP19,200 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 Niord can equip, from in-game data.

  • Niord 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.