GamingDiver / WoWs Legends Ships / Northern Dragon

World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Northern Dragon

Also called: 北方神龙 Beta

Pan-Asia · Tier VII · Destroyer · Premium · Fenyang Variant

Gunboat destroyerDamage from sustained main-battery pressure, not torpedo dumps.

Playstyle

Hold mid-cap distance and lean into gunboat trades from cover where the peer destroyer cannot match your fires-per-minute
Avoid: Sitting on Torpedo Reload Booster waiting for a perfect target

Key characteristics

Long, heavy torpedoes (12 km)SmokeTorp Reload BoosterEngine BoostDefensive AASlow

On this page

Community stats
Playstyle
How to get Northern Dragon
Builds
Cohort position
Stats and specs
Charts
Background
Armor
Balance history
Exteriors

Community Data

Northern Dragon Community Stats

Across 5,000+ Standard battles from 140+ players, Northern Dragon averages a 63% win rate, 50,900 damage and 1.2 kills per battle, and survives 44% of them.

Community Data

Northern Dragon Community Stats

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

Playstyle

Overview

Northern Dragon is a Tier VII Pan-Asian gunboat destroyer: her damage comes from sustained main battery pressure on caps and open-water trades. Torpedoes are a secondary threat for closing lanes, not her main damage. Her torpedoes run deep and pass under destroyers, so against a peer DD the guns are the only answer she has. Both shells run cohort-strong (cohort-strong AP at 224,000 AP DPM and top-decile HE at 183,273 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: torpedo alpha in T7 DDs (19,567, 7th of 38) and fires per minute in T7 DDs (8.2, 2nd of 35).

Positioning

Hold mid-cap distance and lean into gunboat trades from cover where the peer destroyer cannot match your fires-per-minute. Avoid open-water duels with ships running smoke or radar; the torpedoes are a closer, not the plan, so gunfire from cover wins more than from blue water. Concretely: 11.1 km of reach against 6.6 km of detection leaves about 4.5 km in which you can shoot before the answer arrives. Your guns lose penetration at range, so aim AP at broadsides you can still citadel and put HE into superstructures and upper-hull sections, rather than the bow-in or belt armor your shells bounce and shatter on. Shooting from the cloud gives you away at 2.1 km, and a destroyer here is spotted at about 7 km, so you see it coming with roughly 4.8 km to spare. Vision is mutual: past the 2 km guaranteed ring you cannot see out either, and nothing in her kit sees through it, so pop the smoke where someone is already lighting the enemy or you will sit in it with nothing to shoot. Enemy sonar (about 4.4 km) and radar (about 9.4 km) read straight in regardless. Both phases of a turn are slow (4.5 s on the rudder, a 730 m circle), so course changes are a plan rather than a reaction: set the angle before you are shot at.

Potato Avoidance

Sitting on Torpedo Reload Booster waiting for a perfect target These torpedoes ignore the Destroyer class

With 3 charges it is a cycle, not a finisher: every minute it spends full is a torpedo salvo you never fired. It comes back every 160 s, so press it early, press it often, and treat a charge bar that is never empty as damage you have not collected. Aim torpedo drops ONLY at battleships, carriers, and most cruisers; every torp fired at a DD is wasted output.

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, shared by 6/42 T7 DDs.

Deep-water torpedoes

Torps IGNORE the Destroyer class (deep-water mechanic); they pass under DDs and cannot hit them. Aim ONLY at battleships, carriers, and most cruisers; every torp fired at a DD is wasted, shared by 4/42 T7 DDs.

Engine Boost

+8% speed (about +2.6 kt), 120 s duration. Engine Boost consumable gives a small speed nudge - useful for closing a gap or steadying a torpedo run, not for running anything down.

ELITE MAIN BATTERY ↗

HE DPM machine · 183273 HE
AP DPM machine · 224000 AP
High fire pressure · 8.15 fires/min

ELITE TORPEDOES ↗

Heavy torpedoes · 19567 damage
Short torpedo warning · 4.4 s

Lingering smoke ↗

124 s smoke cloud linger, best of T7 DDs. Each puff stays up longer after you stop laying it, holding the shield.

Acquisition

How to get Northern Dragon

Northern Dragon 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.

ContainersAppears in official container odds below; availability depends on the container being sold or awarded.

While you save up, check active promo codes for free doubloons, camouflages, and other rewards.

Best listed chance for this ship

Lunar New Year '23 Crate 1% Lunar New Year Premium ship Archived · Lunar New Year '23 Crate
Lunar New Year '25 crate 1% Lunar New Year Premium ship Event · Lunar New Year '25 crate · 1 of 2 ships
Piñata Chest 0.157895% Tier V, VI, or VII Premium ship Event · Piñata Chest · 1 of 19 ships

Show all 5 containers (2 more)

Explorer's Chest 0.111111% One of these ships Event · Explorer's Chest · 1 of 27 ships
Ultimate Crate 0.1% Lunar New Year Premium ship Archived · Ultimate Crate → Lunar New Year '23 Crate

Official WG availability sources

February Update: The Dragon Strikes Back Store / event post Start: 2023-01-26
- Northern Dragon will be available in the Store from February 1 through March 6.
Rabbit and Dragons: Lunar New Year and Early Access Pan-Asian Cruisers Store / event post Start: 2023-01-31
- Pan-Asian Tier VII Premium Destroyer Northern Dragon
- She’s available in the Store both on her own or as a part of an XXL bundle.
Supply Shipment: New goods for New Year Store / event post Start: 2024-01-16
- A return of themed skins, crates, camos, Tier VII Northern Dragon destroyer, and the star of the show, Celestial Guardian Commander guise, will be happening between January 29 and February
Lunar New Year: Legendary Journey to the West Store / event post Start: 2025-01-24
- In addition to the new content, we’re bringing back some of the best Lunar New Year-themed items from previous years.
- Special Lunar New Year-themed ships: Pan-Asian destroyer Northern Dragon and Japanese cruisers Eastern Dragon and Southern Dragon, accompanied by Pan-Asian cruiser Huanghe in the unique Fury skin.

Show direct source rows

Explorer's Chest 0.111111% · One of these ships
Lunar New Year '23 Crate 1% · Lunar New Year Premium ship
Lunar New Year '25 crate 1% · Lunar New Year Premium ship
Piñata Chest 0.157895% · Tier V, VI, or VII 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.

Open in Build Tool →

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

Hide ▾

Where Northern Dragon sits among Tier VII DDs (41 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 velocity1,000 m/s (1 of 3 tied) BestHE velocity1,000 m/s (1 of 3 tied) BestAP ricochet start60° (1 of 7 tied) Top 10%Smoke fire bloom2.15 km (2/42) Top 10%Fires per minute8.15 (2/35) Top 10%HE DPM183,273 (4/35) Top 10%AP arming threshold17 mm (3/33) Top 10%Effective HE DPM (incl. fire)243,728 (3/35) Top 10%AA threat1,040 (5/42) Top 10%Torpedo reaction time4.4 s (3/38) Top 25%Hit points19,700 HP (11/42) Top 25%Stealth profile6.61 km / 3.31 km (7/42 / 7/42) Top 25%Main battery range11.13 km (8/37) Top 25%AP DPM224,000 (5/33) Top 25%AP auto-bounce angle67.5° (5/33) Top 25%AA DPS249 (8/42) Top 25%AA range5 km (11/42) Top 25%Flak damage per salvo (expected)1,890 (3/17) Top 25%Torpedo range12 km (7/38) Top 25%Torpedo damage≈19,567 (7/38) Bottom 25%Max speed33 kt (35/42) Bottom 25%Rudder shift4.5 s (35/42) Bottom 25%Main dispersion98.5 m (32/37) Bottom 25%Acceleration (0-12 kt)5.5 s (37/42) Bottom 25%Displacement3,700 t (33/42) Bottom 25%Power-to-weight14.05 hp/t (36/42) Bottom 10%Turning circle730 m (39/42) WorstMain battery caliber100 mm (1 of 3 tied) WorstNo secondaries (35 of 42 in cohort)

See 16 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Northern Dragon -- 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.

Main battery reload4.7 s(21/37) HE shell damage1,800(23/35) HE fire chance8%(17/35) AP shell damage2,200(21/33) Time to 90% speed16.8 s(26/42) Engine power52,000 hp(24/42) Power / turn radius71.2 hp/m(32/42) AP pen at 10 km79 mm(11/34) Torpedo speed67 kt(15/38) Torpedo reload105 s(29/38) Max armor20 mm(27/42) Citadel belt20 mm(25/42) Bow armor19 mm(22/42) Stern armor19 mm(23/42) NormAP fuse timer0.01 s(25 of 33 tied at this value) NormTurn speed retained81%(40 of 42 tied at this value)

Peers in this cohort

Compare Tier VII Destroyers

Show all 41 peers

Gustav Julius Maerker

Stats & specs

Customize in the Build Tool →

Survivability

Hit Points19,700

Displacement3,700 t

Hull dimensions

Length x beam at the waterline, plus draft. Length matters when dodging torpedoes; beam and draft shape how hard the ship is to hit.

134.2 x 11.6 m

Armor range13–20 mm

Plate armor thicknesses13, 19, 20 mm

Armor material/layer entries23

Fire resistance

top hull: 1 − 0.6337 fire coefficient = 36.6%. Lowers how often hits set you on fire. It does not reduce the damage a burning fire does per second; fires burn at the full rate on every ship.

36.6%

Fire duration30 s

Fire damage

One unattended fire: 0.003 of max HP per second (0.3%) × 30 s = 0.09 of the pool; 0.09 × 19,700 HP = 1,773 HP on this ship. 4 fire points can burn at once.

0.3% of HP per second

Flood duration40 s

Flood damage

One unattended flood: 0.0025 of max HP per second (0.25%) × 40 s = 0.1 of the pool; 0.1 × 19,700 HP = 1,970 HP on this ship.

0.25% of HP per second

Torp Reduction

1 − 0.333 hull torpedo-damage coefficient / 0.333 unprotected baseline = 0%. Reduces torpedo hit damage. It does not affect flooding: floods start as often and tick at the full rate.

Magazine HP

Per-turret powder-magazine HP, a separate pool from the ship's. Penetrating hits wear it down and the turret is likelier to be knocked out as it falls, so a larger pool keeps the guns firing through punishment that silences a peer's.

9,900

Steering gear HP

Durability 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.

5,900

Repairable: penetration50%

Repairable: steering gear50%

Bow section HP

Damage saturation pool for the bow: penetrations here deal their normal share until twice this much penetration damage has landed on the section (2 × 2,500 = 5,000), then further hits on it deal half damage. A penetration deals 0.33 × the shell's max damage; once the section is saturated it deals exactly half of that (0.5 × 0.33 = 0.165 × max damage), so a 3,000-damage shell's pen goes from 990 to 495. Overpens (0.1 × max damage) and citadels (1.0 ×) ignore saturation. Pens on the ship's other, unsaturated sections still deal the normal 0.33 ×. A larger pool keeps that part of the ship taking full damage for longer; a small one saturates fast and protects the ship's HP.

2,500

Casemate section HP

This section has no practical saturation cap: every hit here keeps dealing its normal share of damage (on most ships the citadel; on many destroyers the casemate).

No saturation cap

Hull section HP

Damage saturation pool for the hull: penetrations here deal their normal share until twice this much penetration damage has landed on the section (2 × 14,800 = 29,600), then further hits on it deal half damage. A penetration deals 0.33 × the shell's max damage; once the section is saturated it deals exactly half of that (0.5 × 0.33 = 0.165 × max damage), so a 3,000-damage shell's pen goes from 990 to 495. Overpens (0.1 × max damage) and citadels (1.0 ×) ignore saturation. Pens on the ship's other, unsaturated sections still deal the normal 0.33 ×. A larger pool keeps that part of the ship taking full damage for longer; a small one saturates fast and protects the ship's HP.

14,800

Superstructure section HP

Damage saturation pool for the superstructure: penetrations here deal their normal share until twice this much penetration damage has landed on the section (2 × 1,100 = 2,200), then further hits on it deal half damage. A penetration deals 0.33 × the shell's max damage; once the section is saturated it deals exactly half of that (0.5 × 0.33 = 0.165 × max damage), so a 3,000-damage shell's pen goes from 990 to 495. Overpens (0.1 × max damage) and citadels (1.0 ×) ignore saturation. Pens on the ship's other, unsaturated sections still deal the normal 0.33 ×. The superstructure is not exempt: it saturates exactly like the bow and stern, so shells aimed at it stop dealing full damage once this pool is used up. A larger pool keeps that part of the ship taking full damage for longer; a small one saturates fast and protects the ship's HP.

1,100

Stern section HP

Damage saturation pool for the stern: penetrations here deal their normal share until twice this much penetration damage has landed on the section (2 × 2,300 = 4,600), then further hits on it deal half damage. A penetration deals 0.33 × the shell's max damage; once the section is saturated it deals exactly half of that (0.5 × 0.33 = 0.165 × max damage), so a 3,000-damage shell's pen goes from 990 to 495. Overpens (0.1 × max damage) and citadels (1.0 ×) ignore saturation. Pens on the ship's other, unsaturated sections still deal the normal 0.33 ×. A larger pool keeps that part of the ship taking full damage for longer; a small one saturates fast and protects the ship's HP.

2,300

Main Battery

These main guns are dual-purpose: they also fire at aircraft and feed the AA Defense card.

ModuleArtillery: 8×100 mm

Mounts / barrels4 mounts / 8 barrels

Reload time4.7 s

Firing range11.1 km

Turret traverse16 °/s

Turret armor13 mm

Turret traverse arcs

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.

4x ±150°

Guns to bear

180° − 150° (the most restricted aft-facing mount's arc) = 30° off bow; 180° − 150° (the most restricted forward-facing mount's arc) = 30° 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.

30° off bow / 30° off stern

See the firing-arcs diagram ↓

Shell Grouping (σ)2

Dispersion type

In practice: the baseline curve for a standard destroyer -- at max range (11.1 km) shells land in an ellipse about 98 m wide and 59 m tall. Also on this curve (225): AL Avrora, AL Yukikaze, AL Z24, Acasta, Achilles, Adriatico, Aigle, Akatsuki, Akizuki, Albany, Allen M. Sumner, Attilio Regolo and 213 more.

Standard destroyer

Max Horiz Disp

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the dispersion model:

σ_{H} = (\frac{R}{30} \cdot \frac{idealRadius - minRadius}{idealDistance} + minRadius) \cdot 30

= (\frac{11132}{30} \cdot \frac{8 - 0.5}{1000} + 0.5) \cdot 30 = 98.5 m

98.5 m at 11.1 km

Max Vert Disp

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range:

σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot radiusOnMax

= 98.5 \cdot 0.6 = 59.1 m

59.1 m at 11.1 km

Med Horiz Disp

50%-hit horizontal radius:

σ_{H, 50} = σ_{H} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}

= 98.5 \cdot \frac{0.6}{2} = 29.5 m

29.5 m at 11.1 km

Med Vert Disp

50%-hit vertical radius:

σ_{V, 50} = σ_{V} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}

= 59.1 \cdot \frac{0.6}{2} = 17.7 m

17.7 m at 11.1 km

Turret turn time

180 degrees / 16 deg/s traverse speed = 11.2 s.

11.2 s

Shells/min

Zero upgrades: 8 broadside guns x 60 / 4.714 s (4.7 s = 33 ticks) base reload = 101.8. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 8 broadside guns x 60 / 4.286 s (4.2 s = 30 ticks) all-upgrades reload (4.7 s × 0.9 Main Battery Mod. 3 = 4.2 s) = 112.

Initial: 101.8 → 112

HE shells

HE alpha1,800

HE Velocity1000 m/s

Fire Chance8%

HE fire DPM vs T7 BB60421

Effective HE DPM vs T7 BB243694

HE penetration

30 mm = 100 mm caliber / 3.33 (non-standard HE penetration ratio).

30 mm

HE full-salvo alpha

1,800 HE damage x 8 broadside guns = 14,400.

14,400

HE DPM

Zero upgrades: 14,400 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4.714 s (4.7 s = 33 ticks) base reload = 183,273. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 14,400 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4.286 s (4.2 s = 30 ticks) all-upgrades reload (4.7 s × 0.9 Main Battery Mod. 3 = 4.2 s) = 201,600.

Initial: 183,273 → 201,600

Fires/min

Zero upgrades: 101.8 shells/min × 0.08 (8% fire chance) = 8.15. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 112 shells/min × 0.08 (8% fire chance) = 8.96.

Initial: 8.15 → 8.96

AP shells

AP alpha2,200

AP Velocity1000 m/s

Min Ricochet60 deg

Guaranteed Ricochet67.5 deg

Fuse Timer0.01 s

Fuse Threshold17 mm

AP overmatch

floor(100 mm caliber / 14.3) = 6 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

6 mm

AP Pen Close

AP formula 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 2154 \cdot {17.5}^{0.69} \cdot {0.1}^{- 1.07} \cdot 1000^{1.38} = 251.7 mm

251.7 mm point-blank

AP Pen Far

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (11.1 km), where the shell has slowed to 397.1 m/s:

P = 10^{- 7} \cdot 2154 \cdot {17.5}^{0.69} \cdot {0.1}^{- 1.07} \cdot {397.1}^{1.38} = 70.4 mm

70.4 mm at 11.1 km

AP full-salvo alpha

2,200 AP damage x 8 broadside guns = 17,600.

17,600

AP DPM

Zero upgrades: 17,600 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4.714 s (4.7 s = 33 ticks) base reload = 224,000. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 17,600 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4.286 s (4.2 s = 30 ticks) all-upgrades reload (4.7 s × 0.9 Main Battery Mod. 3 = 4.2 s) = 246,400.

Initial: 224,000 → 246,400

AP AOE Radius

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.

Torpedoes

ModuleTorpedoes: 610 mm Type90 mod. 1

Launchers / tubes1 launcher × 4 tubes = 4 tubes

Reload time105 s

Projectile speed67.0 kt

Range12 km

Maximum simulated damage

Most targets only intersect one hull section, so a hit transfers about 1/3 of the warhead alpha (2/3 when the warhead blast >= 5000 and the burst reaches a second section). For this ship:

D_{sim} = α \cdot c = 58, 700 \cdot 0.333 = 19, 567

. In battle, a hit on the torpedo belt deals the per-hit figure × (1 − the target's torpedo protection %), a bow or stern hit deals it in full, and a torpedo never counts as a citadel hit.

≈ 19,567

Maximum damage (ammunition)

58,700 warhead alpha / 3 + 1,400 blast = 20,967. Warhead alpha / 3 plus the blast addend: the per-torpedo damage figure. The 'Maximum simulated damage' row above applies target geometry to the same warhead.

20,967

Torpedo module damage

Per-torpedo module/blast damage parameter. Most torpedoes carry 500 to 2,000; ships announced by WG as dealing increased module damage carry 9,000 to 12,000, so their hits knock out engines, rudders, and turrets far more often. Comparative figure.

1,400

Torpedo detectability0.8 km

Reaction time

How long a target has to dodge after your torpedo is spotted at its detectability range (lower means less warning):

t_{react} = \frac{0.8 km}{67 kt \times 2.6855} = 4.4 s

. 2.6855 converts knots to m/s on the game clock. Base value; commander torpedo-concealment skills lower it further.

4.4 s

Flooding chance

This torpedo carries a flooding-chance value of 3.55 per hit, shown as

3.55 \times 100 = 355 %

. Values above 100% are normal: in battle the base chance is scaled down by the target's torpedo protection (the Torp Reduction stat on its Survivability card) and any flood-resistance modifiers, so a value above 100% keeps flooding likely even through partial protection.

355%

Torpedo launcher traverse25 °/s

Launch arcscentreline 236°

Torp Turn

Time to rotate the launchers 180 deg:

t_{turn} = \frac{180 °}{25 ° / s} = 7.2 s

7.2 s

Torp Arming210 m

Deep-Water TorpedoesYes

Per-side salvo damage

One side firing, all torpedoes hitting: per-side tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 4 x 19,567 = 78,268. Each hit on the target's torpedo belt is reduced by its torpedo protection %.

78,268

AA Defense

AA mount points7

Maximum AA range

Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 3.5 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.

5 km

40 mm Bofors Mk32×1 40mm

40 mm/60 Type 55×2 40mm

Gunsmain battery (DP)

Continuous DPS

Effective DPS in in-game units (raw aura damage × 3.5 × hit probability, summed per contributing aura) - matches the Close-range AA DPS headline's currency. Includes 112 from dual-purpose main battery firing as AA in this range band.

112

Range5 km

Guns40 mm Bofors Mk3 + 40 mm/60 Type 5

Continuous DPS

Effective DPS: 39 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 1 hit probability = 136 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.

136

Range3.5 km

Total DPS in Aura

Far 112 + Medium 136 = 248

248

AA explosions

Each ~2 s salvo fires 2 AA explosions in quick succession, each leaving 4 clouds ahead of the attacking squadron, plus 1 stray cloud farther out that appear off-beat between salvos - up to 9 clouds per salvo × 210 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.

2 per salvo, 4 clouds each + 1 outer cloud

Cloud damage

Damage a plane takes for flying into one flak cloud, before any reductions.

210

Cloud spawn chance

Every potential cloud spawns - the full pattern, every salvo. Often called flak 'hit chance', but spawned clouds always damage planes that fly into them - the roll is on spawning.

100%

Salvo interval

A new flak salvo (the AA explosions above) fires roughly every 2 s.

every ~2 s

Fired by

Flak keeps firing while at least one main battery mount is operational - even losing every dedicated AA mount does not stop it.

Main battery

Flak zone

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 5 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.

2.5-5 km

See the AA layers diagram ↓

Maneuverability

Engine power52,000 hp

Maximum speed33.0 kt

Turning circle radius730 m

Rudder shift time4.5 s

Engine power-boost threshold7.0 kt

Engine spool-up time7.7 s

Reverse spool-up time3.8 s

Reverse speed

top speed / 4 + 4.9 = 33 / 4 + 4.9 = 13.2 kt. Base value; speed modifiers scale it.

13.2 kt

Crash stop

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.

21.1 s

Engine boost threshold (reverse)

Speed below which the engine's built-in power boost applies in reverse.

9.9 kt

Acceleration 0-90%

Time to reach 90% of top speed (29.7 kt of 33.0 kt).

16.8 s

Acceleration 0-99%

Time to reach 99% of top speed (32.7 kt of 33.0 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.

28.2 s

Guns in a full turn

With the rudder hard over the hull turns 5.9°/s, so a target drifts across the bow at that rate. Turret traverse minus hull turn: 16 − 5.9 = +10.1°/s, so the guns hold the target through the turn. Main Battery Mod. 2 (+20% traverse) and Mod. 3 (−15%) move this line.

hold target (+10.1°/s spare)

See the full acceleration curve ↓

Concealment

Detectability by sea

Base value, no camouflage. With a Grade IV permanent camo (or any disposable camo): 6.61 km x 0.955 = 6.31 km. Camouflage does not change detectability by air.

6.61 km

With Grade IV camouflage (sea)

Detectability by sea 6.61 km x 0.955 (Grade IV permanent camo or any disposable camo) = 6.31 km.

6.31 km

Detectability by air3.31 km

Smoke firing penalty2.15 km

Detect when firing (sea)

max(main battery range, sea detectability 6.61 km) = 11.13 km. Equal to the ship's main battery range (never below base detectability): firing makes you visible to everyone you can reach.

11.13 km

Detect when firing (air)

Air detectability 3.31 km + gun-firing bloom 2 km = 5.31 km. The bloom tracks main-battery caliber 100 mm × 0.020 = 2 km.

5.31 km

Detect when on fire (sea)

Sea detectability 6.61 km + 2.0 km while burning = 8.61 km.

8.61 km

Detect when on fire (air)

Air detectability 3.31 km + 3.0 km while burning = 6.31 km.

6.31 km

Guaranteed Detect2 km

✦

Consumables

Damage Control Party∞ charges · 40 s reload · 5 s active

Smoke Generator2 charges · 240 s reload · 28 s emit / 124 s cloud active · 450 m radius

Choose one

Engine Boost2 charges · 180 s reload · 120 s active · +8% speed bonus

Defensive AA Fire3 charges · 140 s reload · 25 s active · ×2 flak burst boost
ƒ
Repeats the flak burst pattern ×2 within each salvo - more clouds in the air over the salvo, at the same spots.

Torpedo Reload Booster3 charges · 160 s reload · 1 s active · 5 s torpedo launchers reload time
ƒ
While active, torpedo tubes reload in this time instead of the full reload, letting you fire a second spread right after the first.

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

vs standard DDStandard

The standard destroyer dispersion curve.

Shell scatter width @ 5 km52.5 m

(166.7 × (8 − 0.5) / 1000 + 0.5) × 30 = 52.5 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.

Shell scatter width @ 10 km90 m

(333.3 × (8 − 0.5) / 1000 + 0.5) × 30 = 90 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.

Shell scatter height @ 5 km24.6 m

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:  $radiusOnZero = 0.2$  at 0 m,  $radiusOnDelim = 0.5$  at  $delim \cdot R_{m a x} = 0.5 \cdot 11132 = 5566$  m, and  $radiusOnMax = 0.6$  at 11132 m. Below the kink:  $k = 0.2 + (0.5 - 0.2) \cdot \frac{5000}{5566} = 0.4695$ , so  $σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot k = 52.5 \cdot 0.4695 = 24.6 m$ .

Shell scatter height @ 10 km52.2 m

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:  $radiusOnZero = 0.2$  at 0 m,  $radiusOnDelim = 0.5$  at  $delim \cdot R_{m a x} = 0.5 \cdot 11132 = 5566$  m, and  $radiusOnMax = 0.6$  at 11132 m. Above the kink:  $k = 0.5 + (0.6 - 0.5) \cdot \frac{10000 - 5566}{11132 - 5566} = 0.5797$ , so  $σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot k = 90 \cdot 0.5797 = 52.2 m$ .

AP pen 5 km139 mm

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  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v^{1.38}$   $= 10^{- 7} \cdot 2154 \cdot {17.5}^{0.69} \cdot {0.1}^{- 1.07} \cdot {650.3}^{1.38} = 139 mm$ , where 650.3 m/s is the shell's speed when it arrives at 5 km (from 1000 m/s at the muzzle). Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.

AP pen 10 km79 mm

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  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v^{1.38}$   $= 10^{- 7} \cdot 2154 \cdot {17.5}^{0.69} \cdot {0.1}^{- 1.07} \cdot {432.3}^{1.38} = 79 mm$ , where 432.3 m/s is the shell's speed when it arrives at 10 km (from 1000 m/s at the muzzle). Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.

HE flight time @ 10 km6.19 s

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,  $a_{drag} = k ρ v^{2}$ , where  $ρ$  is air density from a standard-atmosphere profile and  $k$  bundles the shell's drag coefficient, caliber and mass:  $k = \frac{π C_{d} d^{2}}{8 m} = \frac{π \cdot 0.3137 \cdot {0.1}^{2}}{8 \cdot 15} = 8.21 \times 10^{- 5}$ . That runs from a 1000 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.

AP flight time @ 10 km5.71 s

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,  $a_{drag} = k ρ v^{2}$ , where  $ρ$  is air density from a standard-atmosphere profile and  $k$  bundles the shell's drag coefficient, caliber and mass:  $k = \frac{π C_{d} d^{2}}{8 m} = \frac{π \cdot 0.3137 \cdot {0.1}^{2}}{8 \cdot 17.5} = 7.04 \times 10^{- 5}$ . That runs from a 1000 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.

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) - 0.3 in this case. Lets HE pen ~25mm armor instead of ~16mm. Hits every German cruiser (150mm CL, 203mm CA) and BB (350mm+), British heavy cruisers / Lion / Nelson, a handful of other premiums.

Guns per full salvo (alpha, DPM)8

4 mounts × 2 barrels = 8; all 8 bear on the broadside.

Model inputs

Krupp (AP)2,154

Armor-penetration constant of the AP shell; penetration scales straight with it, so a 10% higher Krupp is 10% more penetration at every range.

AP shell mass17.5 kg

Enters penetration as mass^0.69 and slows the shell's drag deceleration, so a heavier shell keeps more velocity at range.

AP drag coefficient0.3137

Air drag on the AP shell in flight; lower keeps velocity, and with it penetration, at long range.

AP muzzle velocity1,000 m/s

Starting speed of the AP shell; penetration scales with velocity^1.38.

HE muzzle velocity1,000 m/s

Starting speed of the HE shell; sets its flight time and lead.

idealRadius8

Horizontal dispersion growth per idealDistance of range, in 30 m units; the slope of the scatter-width line.

minRadius0.5

Horizontal dispersion at zero range, in 30 m units; the intercept of the scatter-width line.

idealDistance1,000 m

Range step over which horizontal dispersion grows by idealRadius.

taperDist4,000 m

Inside this range the scatter width tapers toward minRadius instead of following the line.

radiusOnZero0.2

Vertical scatter as a share of horizontal at zero range.

radiusOnDelim0.5

Vertical scatter as a share of horizontal at the delim point.

radiusOnMax0.6

Vertical scatter as a share of horizontal at maximum range.

delim0.5

Where the vertical-scatter curve bends, as a share of maximum range.

Torpedoes

Estimated torpedo reaction time4.4 s

800 m / (67.0 kt × 2.6855) = 4.4 s. detectability / (speed kt x 2.6855 m/s per knot on the game clock).

Torpedo speed67.0 kt

Travel time to max range66.7 s

12000 m / (67.0 kt × 2.6855) = 66.7 s. range / (speed kt x 2.6855 m/s per knot on the game clock).

Tube count4

1 launcher × 4 tubes.

Per-side salvo4 torpedoes

1 launcher × 4 tubes = 4, all to either side (centreline launchers train across - full salvo to either side).

Full-salvo damage78,268

All tubes hitting one target: tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 4 x 19,567 = 78,268. Each hit on the target's torpedo belt is reduced by its torpedo protection %.

AA defense

AA DPS at max range112

Only families that reach 5 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: 40mm Bofors Mk3 2x1 -> 39 DPS @ 3.5 km; 40mm Bofors 5x2 -> 98 DPS @ 3.5 km; Far AA (?) -> 112 DPS @ 5 km.

AA DPS layered by range112 DPS @ 5 km, 249 DPS @ 3.5 km

@ 5 km: 112 from one family; @ 3.5 km: 39 + 98 + 112 = 249. 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.

AA DPS at point-blank249

39 + 98 + 112 = 249 DPS: the sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (3.5 km).

AA threat index1040

39 × 3.5 + 98 × 3.5 + 112 × 5 = 1040. 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.

Open in Charting Tool

Ship Charts

Background

An Akizuki-class destroyer that was built for the Imperial Japanese Navy. In 1947, she was transferred to the Republic of China Navy. She was armed with dual-purpose gun mounts with a very high rate of fire.

Armor Beta

Hull HP 19,700, distributed across 5 hull zones, each with its own plate thicknesses, saturation cap, and pen thresholds. HP caps are estimates.

Bow & stern19 mm

Overmatched by 137+ AP guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.

Farming13 mm

Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 37%, fires burn 30s. Range-by-range in the Compare tool →

Section	Plates	HP cap	Threats	Tactic
Bow	19 mm primary (range 19–20 mm)	≈ 985 (~5% of HP)	Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Scharnhorst, Scharnhorst '43)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)	19 mm	≈ 14,775 (~75% of HP)	Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Scharnhorst, Scharnhorst '43)Angle bounces 203mm19 mm: HE pens from 127mm+	Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern	19 mm primary (range 19–20 mm)	≈ 985 (~5% of HP)	Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Scharnhorst, Scharnhorst '43)Angle bounces 203mm19 mm: HE pens from 127mm+	Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel	20 mm primary (range 13–20 mm)	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	13 mm	no cap	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).

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.

Balance History

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

Buff ×8Main Battery ×6Concealment ×4

2025-06-26

Ministry of Balance: Declaration of Changes

Main battery HE shell penetration increased from 17 to 30 mm.
Main battery maximum HE shell damage increased from 1,500 to 1,800.
Main battery AP shells now have a flatter shell arc.
Main battery AP shell penetration increased by 58%.
Main battery maximum AP shell damage increased from 2,050 to 2,200.

Read the full official post

2023-06-15

Ministry of Balance: Italian Concerto

Distinguishing Northern Dragon while improving her is a difficult task, so we're improving her torpedo reload and her concealment to give her a stealthy edge over her gunboat competitors.
Torpedo reload time reduced from 122 to 105 s.
Detectability range by sea reduced from 7.1 to 6.6 km.
Detectability range by air reduced from 3.6 to 3.3 km.
Detectability when firing in smoke reduced from 2.22 to 2.15 km.

Read the full official post

Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

Every custom exterior Northern Dragon 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.

2023-01-26 · Patch notes February Update: The Dragon Strikes Back Patch notes 2025-06-26 · Patch notes July Update: Of Stars and Freedom Patch notes 2026-02-19 · Patch notes March Update: Echoes at Sea Patch notes

Northern Dragon

Northern Dragon Community Stats

Northern Dragon Community Stats

Northern Dragon Community Stats

Playstyle

Overview

Positioning

Potato Avoidance

Signature Traits →

How to get Northern Dragon

Best listed chance for this ship

Builds

Cohort position

Peers in this cohort

Stats & specs

Under the hood

Main battery formulas

Model inputs

Torpedoes

AA defense

Ship Charts

Background

Armor Beta

Balance History

Ministry of Balance: Declaration of Changes

Ministry of Balance: Italian Concerto

Skins & permanent camouflages

Primary official WG sources

Signature Traits