Orion Build & Guide | WoWs Legends

Playstyle

Overview

Orion is a Tier III British battleship built around the super-heal: her Repair Party returns more HP per charge than any peer in the cohort, so her sustain is what lets her hold trades that other battleships would have to disengage from. HE pen sits at the 1/4 caliber ratio instead of the standard 1/6, so HE spam is a real damage option here - pens roughly 1.5x more armor than a same-caliber peer's HE round. Standout traits: best HE fire chance in T3 BBs (40) and best fires per minute in T3 BBs (8.9).

Positioning

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

Potato Avoidance

Treating the super-heal as a license to push

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

Signature Traits

Improved HE penetration

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

High fire chance

40.0% fire chance per HE shell, best of T3 BBs.

High fire pressure

8.89 fires/min, best of T3 BBs. Keeps DCP on cooldown.

Long-reach AA

4.5 km AA reach, best of T3 BBs.

Big-caliber overmatch

24.0 mm overmatch threshold, best of T3 BBs. Punishes bow-tanking ships peers can't crack.

Stiff AP fuse

57.0 mm AP arming threshold, worst of T3 BBs. Over-pens thin plates; the trade-off pays off when most targets are battleship belt armor.

Acquisition

How to get Orion

Orion is available in the Flamethrowing Battleships branch of the U.K. Tech Tree for 85,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 21,240 credits.

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U.K. Tech Tree

Orion sits in the Flamethrowing Battleships branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full U.K. tree.

7 ships in highlighted branch · scroll to inspect all U.K. lines.

U.K.IIIIIIIVVVIVIIVIII★

Destroyer

Cruiser

Cruiser Split

Battleship

Battleship Split

Carrier

Tier VRenownPBSB547 Tier VIIVanguardPBSB508 Tier VIIIDrakePBSC209 Tier VIIIDuncanPBSB209 Tier VIIAlbemarlePBSC208 Tier VIIHawkePBSB208 Tier VISurreyPBSC207 Tier VIRookePBSB207 Tier VDevonshirePBSC206 Tier IVHawkinsPBSC205 Tier IVTigerPBSB205 Tier IIIHermesPBSA204 Tier VIIITemerairePBSB112 Tier ★DaringPBSD110 Tier ★MinotaurPBSC110 Tier ★ConquerorPBSB110 Tier VIIIJutlandPBSD109 Tier VIIINeptunePBSC109 Tier VIILightningPBSD108 Tier VIIEdinburghPBSC108 Tier VIIImplacablePBSA108 Tier VIJervisPBSD107 Tier VIFijiPBSC107 Tier VIKing George VPBSB107 Tier VIcarusPBSD106 Tier VLeanderPBSC106 Tier VQueen ElizabethPBSB106 Tier VFuriousPBSA106 Tier IVAcastaPBSD105 Tier IVEmeraldPBSC105 Tier IVIron DukePBSB105 Tier IIIWakefulPBSD104 Tier IIIDanaePBSC104 Tier IIIOrionPBSB104 Tier IIValkyriePBSD103 Tier IICaledonPBSC103 Tier IWeymouthPBSC102

Builds Beta

AL Hood, AL Nelson, and AL Queen Elizabeth are useful British battleship commander directions. Inspirations usually favor accuracy, reload, AP performance, HP, survivability, or secondary/brawling bonuses depending on how aggressively you want to play.

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Commanders frequently paired with this ship AL Hood AL Nelson AL Queen Elizabeth

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Cohort position

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Where Orion sits among Tier III BBs (17 ships). Notable standouts are shown first; the rest of the cohort-ranked stats are in the expand below. Acquisition variants (Black Friday, Founders Edition) are counted once with their base ship, not as separate peers.

BestMain battery caliber343 mm (1/17) BestFires per minute8.89 (1/17) BestAA range4.5 km (1/17) Top 25%HE DPM104,444 (5/17) Top 25%AP DPM211,111 (4/17) Top 25%AP fuse timer0.01 s (3/17) Top 25%AA threat319 (4/14) Top 25%Max armor305 mm (5/17) Bottom 25%Stealth profile12.56 km / 10.05 km (14/17 / 15/17) Bottom 25%AP velocity787 m/s (15/17) Bottom 25%HE velocity787 m/s (15/17) WorstTraverse-to-turn ratio2.35 × (17/17) WorstAP arming threshold57 mm (17/17) WorstSecondary range3.5 km (1 of 6 tied) WorstDeck armor38 mm (1 of 2 tied)

See 22 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Orion -- 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.

Hit points42,700 HP(7/17) Max speed22 kt(9/17) Rudder shift16.4 s(11/17) Main battery range13.85 km(6/17) Main battery reload27 s(11/17) Sigma1.5(13/17) Main dispersion185.9 m(7/17) Secondary DPM (per side)136,800(7/17) HE alpha1,700(12/16) Secondary fire chance8%(9/16) Secondary HE pen20 mm(12/16) Acceleration7.4 s(13/17) Engine power33,200 hp(7/16) Turn-speed retention54.4 hp/m(7/16) Displacement26,900 t(12/17) Power-to-weight1.23 hp/t(9/16) AA DPS106(6/17) Repair charges3(9/17) Citadel belt254 mm(9/17) Bow armor30 mm(7/17) Stern armor30 mm(7/17) NormSecondary dispersion bracket57(14 of 17 tied at this value)

Peers in this cohort

Show all 16 peers

Stats & specs

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

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

Repair 3

Survivability

Hit PointsInitial: 38,600 → 42,700

Displacement26,900 t

Armor range13–305 mm

Plate armor thicknesses13, 19, 25, 30, 38, 63, 76, 102, 152, 203, 229, 254, 279, 305 mm

Armor material/layer entries70

Fire resistanceInitial: 6.7% → 10%

Fire duration60 s

Torp Reduction13%

Magazine HP

ƒ

The 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.

21,400

Steering gear HP

ƒ

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.

12,800

Main Battery

ModuleArtillery: 343 mm/45 Mk V

Mounts / barrels5 mounts / 10 barrels

Reload time30 s

Firing range (base)12.6 km

Firing range (top fire control)13.9 km

Turret traverse2.5 °/s

Shell Grouping (σ)

ƒ

Shell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.

1.5

Max Horiz Disp

ƒ

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (12595/30·(12−2)/1000 + 2)·30 = 185.9 m

185.9 m

Max Vert Disp

ƒ

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 185.9 × 0.6 = 111.6 m

111.6 m

Med Horiz Disp

ƒ

50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 185.9 × 0.382 (σ=1.5) = 71 m

71 m

Med Vert Disp

ƒ

50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 111.6 × 0.382 (σ=1.5) = 42.6 m

42.6 m

Turret turn time

ƒ

180 degrees / 2.5 deg/s traverse speed = 72 s.

72 s

Base shells/min

ƒ

10 broadside guns x 60 / 30 s base reload = 20.

20

HE shells

HE Damage4,700

HE Velocity787 m/s

Fire Chance40%

HE penetration

ƒ

86 mm ≈ 343 mm caliber / 4 (improved HE penetration: German BBs, Yamato-class, and a handful of others).

86 mm

HE full-salvo alpha

ƒ

4,700 HE damage x 10 broadside guns = 47,000.

47,000

Base HE DPM

ƒ

47,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 94,000.

94,000

Base fires/min

ƒ

10 HE shells x 60 / 30 s reload x 40% fire chance = 8.

8

AP shells

AP Damage9,500

AP Velocity787 m/s

Min Ricochet45 deg

Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg

Fuse Timer0.015 s

Fuse Threshold57 mm

AP overmatch

ƒ

floor(343 mm caliber / 14.3) = 23 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

23 mm

AP Pen Close

ƒ

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 × 2145 × 567^0.69 × 0.343^-1.07 × 787^1.38 = 531 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.

531 mm

AP Pen Far

ƒ

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (17.3 km), where the shell has slowed to 412.4 m/s: 1e-7 × 2145 × 567^0.69 × 0.343^-1.07 × 412.4^1.38 = 217.7 mm.

217.7 mm

AP full-salvo alpha

ƒ

9,500 AP damage x 10 broadside guns = 95,000.

95,000

Base AP DPM

ƒ

95,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 190,000.

190,000

AP AOE Radius

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.

55

AA Defense

AA mount pointsInitial: 4 → 8

Close-range AA DPS

ƒ

Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (18×3.5×0.75) + (8×3.5×0.7) + (15×3.5×0.75) = 106. 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.

106

Maximum AA range

ƒ

Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.

4.5 km

40 mm/39 Vickers QF Mk.II on a Mk.II HA mount4×1 40mm

12.7 mm Mk III (upgraded hull only)4×4 13mm

120 mm/40 QF Mk VIII (DP)4×1 120mm

DPS

ƒ

Includes 15 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.

15

Range4.5 km

DPSInitial: 20 → 18

Range2.5 km

Total DPS in Aura

ƒ

Far 15 + Medium 18 = 33

33

DPS8

Range1.2 km

Total DPS in Aura

ƒ

Far 15 + Medium 18 + Near 8 = 41

41

S

Secondary Battery

Mounts20

Firing range3.5 km

Shell Grouping (σ)1

Secondary dispersion type

ƒ

Max 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 @ 3.5 km

ƒ

3.5 km × 57 + 30 = 229.5 m.

229.5 m

Caliber102 mm

Reload time7.5 s

HE Damage1,500

Muzzle Velocity873 m/s

Fire Chance6%

Armor Pen17 mm

Min Ricochet91°

Max Ricochet60°

Show 1 more gun family

Caliber120 mm

Reload time5 s

HE Damage1,700

Muzzle Velocity749 m/s

Fire Chance8%

Armor Pen20 mm

Min Ricochet91°

Max Ricochet60°

Maneuverability

Engine moduleEngine: 33,200 hp

Engine power33,200 hp

Maximum speed22 kt

Turning circle radius610 m

Engine power multiplier speed threshold7 kt

Traverse-to-turn ratio2.4× drags

Concealment

Detectability by sea12.56 km

Detectability by air10.05 km

Smoke firing penalty10.61 km

Detect after firing main guns12.56 km

Detect Fire Sea14.56 km

Detect Fire Air13.05 km

Guaranteed Detect2 km

✦

Consumables

Damage Control Party∞ charges · 80 s reload · 15 s active

Repair Party3 charges · 80 s reload · 28 s active · 0.5% heal per second · 14% of max HP total heal

Secondary Battery Booster3 charges · 160 s reload · 30 s active · +100% damage boost · +50% reload boost

Module options (2)

Stats above use the fully-upgraded modules. These are the research-tree alternatives; trade-offs are flagged.

HullUpgrade

Hit points38,600 → 42,700
Rudder shift22.9 → 16.4 s
AA mounts4 → 8
Close-range AA DPS20 → 26
Turret traverse2.5 → 3 °/s

Fire controlUpgrade

Main battery range12,595 → 13854.5 m

See all derived stats

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Numbers the spec table cannot show directly: alpha-strike math, DPM, dispersion, AP penetration. Click the formula chip on any row to reveal how it is calculated.

Main battery formulas

Shell Grouping (σ)1.5

Shell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.

Max Horiz Disp185.9 m

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (12595/30·(12−2)/1000 + 2)·30 = 185.9 m

Max Vert Disp111.6 m

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 185.9 × 0.6 = 111.6 m

Med Horiz Disp71 m

50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 185.9 × 0.382 (σ=1.5) = 71 m

Med Vert Disp42.6 m

50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 111.6 × 0.382 (σ=1.5) = 42.6 m

AP Pen Close531 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 × 2145 × 567^0.69 × 0.343^-1.07 × 787^1.38 = 531 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.

AP Pen Far217.7 mm

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (17.3 km), where the shell has slowed to 412.4 m/s: 1e-7 × 2145 × 567^0.69 × 0.343^-1.07 × 412.4^1.38 = 217.7 mm.

HE penetration86 mm

86 mm ≈ 343 mm caliber / 4 (improved HE penetration: German BBs, Yamato-class, and a handful of others).

Improved HE PenYes

This ship's HE shells use a 1/4 (~0.25) caliber-to-pen ratio instead of the standard 1/6 (~0.167) - 0.251 in this case. Lets HE pen ~85mm armor instead of ~57mm. Hits every German cruiser (150mm CL, 203mm CA) and BB (350mm+), British heavy cruisers / Lion / Nelson, a handful of other premiums.

AP overmatch23 mm

floor(343 mm caliber / 14.3) = 23 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

AP AOE Radius55

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 alpha10

All 10 barrels bear on the broadside.

Turret turn time72 s

180 degrees / 2.5 deg/s traverse speed = 72 s.

HE full-salvo alpha47,000

4,700 HE damage x 10 broadside guns = 47,000.

AP full-salvo alpha95,000

9,500 AP damage x 10 broadside guns = 95,000.

Base HE DPM94,000

47,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 94,000.

Base AP DPM190,000

95,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 190,000.

Base shells/min20

10 broadside guns x 60 / 30 s base reload = 20.

Base fires/min8

10 HE shells x 60 / 30 s reload x 40% fire chance = 8.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS106

Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (18×3.5×0.75) + (8×3.5×0.7) + (15×3.5×0.75) = 106. 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 range4.5 km

Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.

AA threat index319

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

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 @ 3.5 km229.5 m

3.5 km × 57 + 30 = 229.5 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)136,800

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: 16×1 102 mm (8/side) × 60/7.5 × 1500 = 96,000 + 4×1 120 mm (2/side) × 60/5 × 1700 = 40,800. 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 chance8%

Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 8% 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 38,600 → 42,700 with hull upgrade, 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
Bow	30 mm primary (range 19–152 mm)	2,700 (6% of HP)	Overmatch not possible at T IVAngle bounces 410mm30 mm: HE pens from 203mm+	Bow-tank fits behind this exterior plate. Saturation is FAST here; the cap is often only a few thousand HP.
Hull (midship)	25 mm primary (range 19–305 mm)	32,000 (75% of HP)	Overmatch not possible at T IVAngle bounces 356mm25 mm: HE pens from 150mm+	Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern	30 mm primary (range 19–254 mm)	1,700 (4% of HP)	Overmatch not possible at T IVAngle bounces 410mm30 mm: HE pens from 203mm+	Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel	254 mm primary (range 25–254 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).
Superstructure	13 mm primary (range 13–279 mm)	1,700 (4% of HP)	Any HE ≥16 mm pens at full damageDamage multiplier ×0.6	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	21,400 magazine HP	Magazine detonation1–30% chance · below ~75% HP	Per-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 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 (40 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.
Engine (module, research)	engine coefficient (unconfirmed)	-0.100 research estimate	Largest on BB/BC; zero on destroyers	Engine durability isn't a per-ship HP field in the binary. This small negative coefficient is non-zero only on battleships, battlecruisers, and the heaviest cruisers, and is exactly zero on every destroyer, so it scales with hull displacement rather than any commander skill. Most likely an engine drag or power term in the same family as the decoded deceleration fields; exact meaning unconfirmed in the current decoder.
Rudder (module)	separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP	12,800 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.

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 Orion can equip, from in-game data.

DefaultThe ship’s standard exterior

Orion

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