World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Ranger

Also called: 突击者 Beta
HE bomber carrierRolling HE bomber waves; farm broadsides and angled decks, and nurse your plane reserves.
Playstyle
  • Stay a full map cell behind the brawl line, far enough back that a rotated DD or radar cruiser cannot threaten the hull
  • Launch from positions where the recall path stays inside your team's AA umbrella
  • Avoid: Trading a full squadron for one high-value kill
Key characteristics
Big squadronsStrong AAHigh HP poolBurny secondariesTough flight deckEasily spotted
On this page
Community Data

Ranger Community Stats

Across 10,000+ Standard battles from 320+ players, Ranger averages a 59% win rate, 50,000 damage and 1.0 kills per battle, and survives 59% of them.

Community Data

Ranger Community Stats

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

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Playstyle

Overview

Ranger is the Tier V American bomber carrier. Her damage comes from HE dive bombs hitting for up to 4,600 per drop, plus the fires they start, so match impact builds from repeated strikes rather than one decisive torpedo drop. HE ignores armor angle, so unlike an AP-bomb carrier she does not need a broadside to profit and can work an angled or bow-in target. Air torpedoes are a secondary option. AA (587 AA DPS at 4.2 km) is heavy enough to make her the team's air-defense anchor; CV strikes route around her, not through. Standout traits: best high HP pool in T5 CVs (44,900 HP, 1st of 8). Each squadron flies 9 planes and they come back 32 s apiece, so losing a full wave costs 288 seconds of reserves.

Positioning

Stay a full map cell behind the brawl line, far enough back that a rotated DD or radar cruiser cannot threaten the hull. Launch from positions where the recall path stays inside your team's AA umbrella, not over open water where intercepting fighters can finish off limping squadrons. Longer trip back, fewer waves per match. You are spotted at 13 km and run at 29.5 kn, so that distance plus your speed is the whole margin for noticing a DD has slipped past and getting out. A 1,010 m turning circle is wide for her cohort, so a committed turn gives up a lot of water; plan course changes a salvo ahead.

Potato Avoidance

Trading a full squadron for one high-value kill

Match impact comes from cycling waves across multiple targets, not committing a dive into layered AA for one battleship. When a target's AA is heavy, route around and find a softer pick rather than burning planes through the wall. Reserves refill in 32 s per aircraft at best, the quickest in the cohort, so you can spend planes others cannot - but your thinnest-skinned squadron flies at 1,700 HP and decides how much of each wave comes home.

Signature Traits

High HP pool ↗

44900 HP, best of T5 CVs.

ELITE AA ↗
  • Top-tier AA · 587 AA
  • AA specialist
ELITE SECONDARIES ↗
  • Burny secondaries · 9%
  • Punch-through secondaries · 21 mm
Tough flight deck ↗

22500 HP flight deck, best of T5 CVs. Survives AP and HE pressure that peers can't.

Easily spotted ↗

13 km surface detect, bottom quartile of T5 CVs. Visible before you can react; position early.

Slow acceleration ↗

~13.9 s from a stop to 12 kt, worst of T5 CVs. Sluggish rebuild after a turn or a stop, so a full stop or a hard turn leaves it exposed for longer.

Acquisition

How to get Ranger

Ranger is available in the Bomber Carriers branch of the U.S. Tech Tree for 6,400,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 1,290,000 credits.

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

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

Ranger sits in the Bomber Carriers branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full U.S. tree.

U.S. aircraft carriers are all-rounders, effective with both dive bombers and torpedo bombers. However, they have a bias toward their powerful high-explosive bombs over torpedoes.
Advantages
Powerful HE dive bombers, Large hangars
Disadvantages
Poor torpedo performance

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 Ranger sits among Tier V CVs (7 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.

BestHit points44,900 HP (1/8) BestSecondary fire chance9% (1/7) BestSecondary HE pen21 mm (1 of 3 tied) BestAA DPS587 (1/8) BestAA threat1,588 (1/8) BestAir torpedo stealth1.1 km (1 of 3 tied) BestSquadron size9 (1 of 4 tied) BestSquadron restore time32 s (1 of 2 tied) BestDeck HP22,500 HP (1/8) Bottom 25%Stealth profile13.03 km / 9.12 km (7/8 / 7/8) Bottom 25%Turning circle1,010 m (7/8) Bottom 25%Engine power53,500 hp (7/8) Bottom 25%AA range4.2 km (7/8) Bottom 25%Bomb alpha4,600 (7/8) WorstSecondary DPM (per side)94,500 (7/7) WorstTime to 90% speed34.9 s (8/8) WorstAcceleration (0-12 kt)13.9 s (8/8) WorstPower / turn radius53 hp/m (8/8) WorstPower-to-weight2.69 hp/t (8/8)
See 19 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Ranger -- here's where she sits on every other ranked stat in the cohort. Stats tagged NORM are tied across more than half the cohort, so the value is the cohort default rather than a standout.

Max speed29.5 kt(6/8) Rudder shift11.5 s(5/8) Secondary dispersion bracket45(3/7) Secondary HE alpha1,800(3/7) Displacement19,907 t(6/8) Flak damage per salvo (expected)950(3/7) Max armor51 mm(6/8) Citadel belt51 mm(5/8) Bow armor19 mm(4/8) Stern armor19 mm(4/8) Bomb fire chance24%(6/7) Bomb penetration42.7 mm(4/7) Air torpedo alpha5,500(4/8) Air torpedo range3.5 km(5/8) Air torpedo speed49 kn(5/8) Squadron HP16,380 HP(5/8) Plane HP1,700 HP(5/8) NormSecondary range4.5 km(4 of 7 tied at this value) NormHangar capacity18(5 of 8 tied at this value)
Survivability
Hit PointsInitial: 43,700 → 44,900
Displacement19,907 t
Hull dimensions
ƒLength x beam at the waterline, plus draft. Length matters when dodging torpedoes; beam and draft shape how hard the ship is to hit.
234.4 x 33.4 m, draft 6.8 m
Armor range6–51 mm
Plate armor thicknesses6, 10, 13, 16, 19, 21, 25, 30, 38, 51 mm
Armor material/layer entries41
Fire resistance
ƒstock hull: 1 − 0.8002 fire coefficient = 20%; top hull: 1 − 0.7669 fire coefficient = 23.3%. 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.
Initial: 20% → 23.3%
Fire duration60 s
Fire damage
ƒOne unattended fire: 0.004 of max HP per second (0.4%) × 60 s = 0.24 of the pool; 0.24 × 44,900 HP = 10,776 HP on this ship. 4 fire points can burn at once.
0.4% of HP per second
Flood duration30 s
Flood damage
ƒOne unattended flood: 0.0025 of max HP per second (0.25%) × 30 s = 0.075 of the pool; 0.075 × 44,900 HP = 3,368 HP on this ship.
0.25% of HP per second
Torp Reduction
ƒ1 − 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.
0%
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.
13,500
Repairable: penetration50%
Repairable: citadel10%
Repairable: steering gear50%
Section HP
Bow section HP
ƒDamage saturation pool for the bow: penetrations here deal their normal share until twice this much penetration damage has landed on the section (2 × 1,200 = 2,400), 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.
1,200
Auxiliary section HP
ƒDamage saturation pool for the auxiliary room: penetrations here deal their normal share until twice this much penetration damage has landed on the section (2 × 10,300 = 20,600), 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.
10,300
Hull section HP
ƒDamage saturation pool for the hull: penetrations here deal their normal share until twice this much penetration damage has landed on the section (2 × 33,700 = 67,400), 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.
33,700
Superstructure section HP
ƒDamage saturation pool for the superstructure: penetrations here deal their normal share until twice this much penetration damage has landed on the section (2 × 400 = 800), 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.
400
Stern section HP
ƒDamage saturation pool for the stern: penetrations here deal their normal share until twice this much penetration damage has landed on the section (2 × 1,700 = 3,400), 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.
1,700
Citadel section HP
ƒThis 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
✈
Squadrons
Total plane capacity58
Flight deck HP22,500
Hangar HP22,500
Dive bomber
Plane HPInitial: 1,700 → 1,820
Cruising speed116.0 kt
OrdnanceHE bomb, 4,600 alpha
Squadron sizeInitial: 8 → 9 planes
Planes per dropInitial: 2 → 3
Bombs per plane3
Bombs per drop
ƒInitial: 2 planes per drop x 3 bombs each = 6 → 3 planes per drop x 3 bombs each = 9.
Initial: 6 → 9
Alpha per drop
ƒInitial: 6 bombs x 4,600 alpha = 27,600 → 9 bombs x 4,600 alpha = 41,400. If every bomb hits. Before armor, saturation and the target's damage reduction; a real drop lands a share of it.
Initial: 27,600 → 41,400
Fire chance24%
Bomb penetration42.7 mm
Hangar maxInitial: 16 → 18
Hangar restoreInitial: +1 every 36 s, start 12 → 32 s, start 14
Recovery timeInitial: 36 → 32 s
Torpedo bomber
Plane HPInitial: 1,700 → 1,800
Cruising speedInitial: 105.0 → 112.0 kt
OrdnanceInitial: torpedo, 5,267 → 5,500 alpha
Squadron size8 planes
Planes per drop2
Torpedoes per plane1
Torpedoes per drop
ƒ2 planes per drop x 1 torpedo each = 2.
2
Alpha per drop
ƒInitial: 2 torpedoes x 5,267 alpha = 10,534 → 2 torpedoes x 5,500 alpha = 11,000. If every torpedo hits. Before armor, saturation and the target's damage reduction; a real drop lands a share of it.
Initial: 10,534 → 11,000
Flooding chance45%
Torpedo arming timeInitial: 3.33 → 3 s
Torpedo arming distanceInitial: 79 → 76 m
Hangar max16
Hangar restore+1 every 39 s, start 12
Recovery time39 s
Squadron consumables
Patrol Fighters
Charges3
Duration60 s
Reload10 s
Evasive Maneuver
Charges2
Duration10 s
Reload150 s
Damage reduction-50%
Return to Carrier
EffectAll aircraft return to carrier.
AA Defense
AA mount pointsInitial: 30 → 52
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 3.1 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.
4.2 km
40 mm Bofors Mk2 (upgraded hull only)5×4 40mm
20 mm Oerlikon Mk4 (upgraded hull only)47×1 20mm
28 mm Mk2 mod. 2 (stock hull only)6×4 28mm
12.7 mm Browning M2 mod. 2 (stock hull only)24×1 13mm
127 mm Mk19 mod. 6 (DP)
ƒDual-purpose: your secondaries doing double duty against aircraft. The same mounts appear on the Secondary Battery card - shared guns, not extra hardware.
8×1 127mm
Far aura
Guns127 mm Mk19 mod. 6 (DP)
Continuous DPS
ƒEffective 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 88 from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.
88
Range4.2 km
Medium aura
Guns40 mm Bofors Mk2
Continuous DPS
ƒEffective DPS: 42 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 1 hit probability = 147 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.
147
Range3.5 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 88 + Medium 147 = 235
235
Near aura
Guns20 mm Oerlikon Mk4
Continuous DPS
ƒEffective DPS: 106 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.95 hit probability = 352 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.
352
Range2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 88 + Medium 147 + Near 352 = 587
587
Flak
AA explosions
ƒEach ~2 s salvo fires 2 AA explosions in quick succession, each leaving 2 clouds ahead of the attacking squadron, plus 1 stray cloud farther out that appear off-beat between salvos - up to 5 clouds per salvo × 190 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, 2 clouds each + 1 outer cloud
Cloud damage
ƒDamage a plane takes for flying into one flak cloud, before any reductions.
190
Cloud spawn chance
ƒEvery 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
ƒA new flak salvo (the AA explosions above) fires roughly every 2 s.
every ~2 s
Fired by
ƒFlak keeps firing while at least one secondary battery mount is operational - even losing every dedicated AA mount does not stop it.
Secondary battery
Flak zone
ƒThe 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 4.2 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.
2.5-4.2 km
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts8
Firing range4.5 km
Shell Grouping (σ)1
Secondary DPM (per side)
ƒSum 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: 8×1 127 mm (4/side) × 60/4.571 s (4.5 s = 32 ticks) × 1800 = 94,500. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).
94,500
Secondary fire DPM vs T5 BB (per side)
ƒFires/min (per side) 4.7 × (1 − 0.233 fire resistance) × 60 s × 0.003 of max HP per second × 54,550 HP = 35,585. 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.
35,585
Total secondary DPM vs T5 BB (per side)
ƒSecondary DPM (per side) 94,500 + secondary fire DPM 35,585 = 130,085: shell damage plus fire damage against one T5 battleship, every shell hitting.
130,085
127 mm Mk19 mod. 6 (DP)
ƒDual-purpose: the same mounts also fire at aircraft, so they appear on the AA Defense card too - shared guns, not extra hardware.
8×1 127mm
Caliber127 mm
Reload time4.5 s
HE alpha1,800
Muzzle Velocity657 m/s
Fire Chance9%
Secondary fires/min (per side)
ƒ8×1 barrels / 2 sides × 60 / 4.571 s (4.5 s = 32 ticks) × 0.09 (9% fire chance) = 4.7. 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.
4.7
HE Pen21 mm
Secondary dispersion type
ƒMax dispersion = range (km) × 45 + 30. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.
Improved (~20%)
Max secondary dispersion @ 4.5 km
ƒ4.5 km × 45 + 30 = 232.5 m.
232.5 m
Maneuverability
Engine power53,500 hp
Maximum speed29.5 kt
Turning circle radius1010 m
Rudder shift timeInitial: 16 s → 11.5 s
Engine power-boost threshold7.0 kt
Engine spool-up time23 s
Reverse spool-up time11.5 s
Reverse speed
ƒtop speed / 4 + 4.9 = 29.5 / 4 + 4.9 = 12.3 kt. Base value; speed modifiers scale it.
12.3 kt
Crash stop
ƒSeconds 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.
46.9 s
Engine boost threshold (reverse)
ƒSpeed below which the engine's built-in power boost applies in reverse.
9.8 kt
Acceleration 0-90%
ƒTime to reach 90% of top speed (26.6 kt of 29.5 kt).
34.9 s
Acceleration 0-99%
ƒTime to reach 99% of top speed (29.2 kt of 29.5 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.
55.3 s
Concealment
Detectability by sea
ƒBase value, no camouflage. With a Grade IV permanent camo (or any disposable camo): 13.03 km x 0.955 = 12.44 km. Camouflage does not change detectability by air.
13.03 km
With Grade IV camouflage (sea)
ƒDetectability by sea 13.03 km x 0.955 (Grade IV permanent camo or any disposable camo) = 12.44 km.
12.44 km
Detectability by air9.12 km
Detect when firing (air)
ƒAir detectability 9.12 km + gun-firing bloom 0 km = 9.12 km. The bloom tracks main-battery caliber x 0.020.
9.12 km
Detect when on fire (sea)
ƒSea detectability 13.03 km + 2.0 km while burning = 15.03 km.
15.03 km
Detect when on fire (air)
ƒAir detectability 9.12 km + 3.0 km while burning = 12.12 km.
12.12 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
✦
Consumables
Automatic Damage Control Party∞ charges · 90 s reload · 60 s active
Automatic Fighter4 charges · 40 s reload · 150 s active · 5 km patrol radius
ƒDerived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): 167×301000=5 km
· 4 squadron size
Module options (1)

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

HullUpgrade
  • Hit points43,700 → 44,900
  • Rudder shift16 → 11.5 s
  • AA mounts30 → 52
  • Close-range AA DPS92 → 148
  • Maximum AA range3.1 → 3.5 km

Under the hood

Show ▾

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.

AA defense

AA DPS at max range88
Only families that reach 4.2 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: 40mm Bofors Mk2 5x4 -> 147 DPS @ 3.5 km; 20mm Oerlikon MK4 47x1 -> 352 DPS @ 2 km; 5in25 Mk19 Mod6 8x1 -> 88 DPS @ 4.2 km.
AA DPS layered by range88 DPS @ 4.2 km, 235 DPS @ 3.5 km, 587 DPS @ 2 km
@ 4.2 km: 88 from one family; @ 3.5 km: 147 + 88 = 235; @ 2 km: 147 + 352 + 88 = 587. 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-blank587
147 + 352 + 88 = 587 DPS: the sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (2 km).
AA threat index1588
147 × 3.5 + 352 × 2 + 88 × 4.2 = 1588. 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 range2 km

Secondary battery firepower

Max HE alpha1800
The only family (127 mm): 1800. Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1800 from the 127 mm family.
Max HE fire chance9%
The only family (127 mm): 9%. Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 9% from the 127 mm family.
Max HE pen21 mm
The only family (127 mm): 21 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: 21 mm from the 127 mm family.
Open in Charting Tool

Ship Charts

Background

The first U.S. aircraft carrier of special construction. The ship carried a large air group. The carrier's speed was quite high for her type. Her drawbacks included a lack of torpedo protection and impractical arrangement of aircraft elevators, which slowed down the handling of air groups.

Armor Beta

Hull HP 43,700 → 44,900 with hull upgrade, 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 91+ AP guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.

Belt / citadel51 mm

Thin belt: battleship AP citadels straight through it broadside. Rely on angle, speed and concealment, never sit flat.

Farming6 mm

Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 23%, fires burn 60s. Range-by-range in the Compare tool →

Section Plates HP cap Threats Tactic
Bow19 mm primary (range 16–30 mm)≈ 2,245 (~5% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Moltke, Graf Spee)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)30 mm primary (range 19–51 mm)≈ 33,675 (~75% of HP)
Overmatch not possible in its bracketAngle bounces 410mm30 mm: HE pens from 203mm+
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern19 mm≈ 2,245 (~5% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Moltke, Graf Spee)Angle bounces 203mm19 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel51 mm primary (range 13–51 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.
Superstructure6 mm primary (range 6–51 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 Ranger. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.

Nerf ×20Buff ×21Rework ×3Airstrike ×6Torpedo ×14
2024-06-27

Ministry of Balance: Aerial Adjustments

  • Torpedo bombers:
  • Stock torpedo bomber restoration time increased from 30 to 39 s.
  • Stock torpedo bomber base speed reduced from 111 to 105 kts.
  • Upgraded torpedo bomber restoration time increased from 30 to 39 s.
  • Upgraded torpedo bomber base speed reduced from 123 to 112 kts.
  • Dive bombers:
  • Stock dive bomber restoration time increased from 26 to 36 s.
  • Stock dive bomber base speed reduced from 128 to 116 kts.
  • Upgraded dive bomber restoration time increased from 24 to 32 s.
  • Upgraded dive bomber base speed reduced from 128 to 116 kts.
Read the full official post
2024-05-24

Ministry of Balance: Carriers 2.0 – First Wave

  • Stock Dive Bombers:
  • Aiming speed increased (aiming circle shrinks faster).
  • Aiming time reduced from 8 to 7 seconds.
  • Dive bomber accuracy (likelihood of an individual bomb hitting the inner circle) increased from 25 to 50%.
  • Bombs per aircraft increased from 1 to 3.
  • Number of aircraft in squadron increased from 6 to 8.
  • Maximum HP per aircraft reduced from 2,500 to 1,700 (squadron HP reduced from 15,000 to 13,600).
  • Base speed increased from 97 to 128 knots.
  • Maximum flight range set to 33 kilometers.
  • Now share the same bombs as upgraded dive bombers.
  • Maximum hangar aircraft increased from 10 to 16.
  • Starting hangar aircraft increased from 10 to 12.
  • Aircraft restoration time reduced from 74 to 26 seconds.
  • Upgraded Dive Bombers:
  • Aiming speed increased (aiming circle shrinks faster).
  • Aiming time reduced from 10 to 7 seconds.
  • Bombs per aircraft increased from 1 to 3.
  • Number of aircraft in squadron increased from 6 to 9.
  • Number of attacking aircraft per strike increased from 2 to 3.
  • Maximum HP per aircraft reduced from 2,650 to 1,820 (squadron HP increased from 15,900 to 16,380).
  • Base speed increased from 108 to 128 knots.
  • Maximum flight range set to 34 kilometers.
  • Bomb damage reduced from 15,200 to 4,600.
  • HE bomb penetration reduced from 53.4 to 42.7 mm.
  • Bomb fire-setting chances reduced from 52 to 24%.
  • Bomb splash radius reduced.
  • Maximum hangar aircraft increased from 10 to 18.
  • Starting hangar aircraft increased from 10 to 14.
  • Aircraft restoration time reduced from 56 to 24 seconds.
  • Stock Torpedo Bombers:
  • Number of aircraft in squadron increased from 6 to 8.
  • Maximum HP per aircraft reduced from 2,420 to 1,700 (squadron HP reduced from 14,520 to 13,600).
  • Base speed increased from 90 to 111 knots.
  • Maximum flight range set to 31 kilometers.
  • Maximum hangar aircraft increased from 10 to 16.
  • Starting hangar aircraft increased from 10 to 12.
  • Aircraft restoration time reduced from 74 to 30 seconds.
  • Upgraded Torpedo Bombers:
  • Number of aircraft in squadron increased from 6 to 8.
  • Maximum HP per aircraft reduced from 2,525 to 1,800 (squadron HP reduced from 15,150 to 14,400).
  • Base speed increased from 99 to 123 knots.
  • Maximum flight range set to 32 kilometers.
  • Maximum hangar aircraft increased from 10 to 16.
  • Starting hangar aircraft increased from 10 to 12.
  • Aircraft restoration time reduced from 74 to 30 seconds.
Read the full official post
2022-12-09

Ministry of Balance Reports: Carrier Changes

  • This ship has had her ups and downs, and right now, she’s at the bottom of the damage board for Tier V carriers. We’ve decided to help her out with improvements to her torpedo aircraft:
  • Stock torpedo damage increased from 6,033 to 6,367.
  • Upgraded torpedo damage increased from 6,400 to 6,600.
  • Upgraded torpedo arming time decreased from 3.66 to 3 seconds.
  • Upgraded torpedo speed increased from 47 to 49 knots.
  • Stock & upgraded torpedoes are more likely to disable modules.
Read the full official post
2022-09-29

Halloween Update: New Friends, Old Foes

  • Surface detectability range changed from 12 to 13 km; air detectability range changed from 8.4 to 9.1 km.
  • Stock dive bomber HP changed from 2,450 to 2,500; stock torpedo bomber HP changed from 2,350 to 2,420.
  • Upgraded dive bomber HP changed from 2,600 to 2,650; upgraded torpedo bomber HP changed from 2,450 to 2,525.
Read the full official post
2021-09-30

Halloween Update: Double the Fun, Double the Trouble

  • Detectability range by sea increased from 10 to 12 km.
  • Detectability range by air increased from 7.7 to 8.4 km.
Read the full official post
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

Every custom exterior Ranger can equip.

  • Ranger 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.