World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Riga

Beta
Radar support cruiserLight caps and smoke-firing DDs; farm from cover.
Playstyle
  • Hold 14-17 km from a contested cap with an island close enough to break sightline when focus shifts
  • Avoid: Using radar like a destroyer hunter rather than a position tool
Key characteristics
Heavy AP pen16 km gun rangeStrong secondaries (5 km)Radar (13 km)Easily spotted
Community Data

Riga Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Riga is a Tier VII Soviet cruiser built around the super-heal: each Repair Party charge returns dramatically more HP than a standard heal, so her durability comes from sustain rather than armor. Surveillance Radar (13 km, 20 s active) is the cap-control consumable on top, so she sets fights as well as winning them. Standout traits: best AP shell velocity in T7 CAs (965) and best flat HE shells in T7 CAs (965).

Positioning

Hold 14-17 km from a contested cap with an island close enough to break sightline when focus shifts. Push the radar forward only once the destroyer fight is yours; burning the drop to fish for a lone DD kill leaves the next push with no answer to smoke or vision.

Potato Avoidance

Using radar like a destroyer hunter rather than a position…

The consumable's value is locking down a cap your team can take, not stealing a single salvo on a lone DD. Burn it early to fish for a kill and the next push has no answer to smoke or vision.

Signature Traits

Surveillance Radar

13 km range, 20 s duration. Detects all enemy ships within a fixed radius regardless of line-of-sight. Controls caps and punishes smoke-firing DDs.

Close-range AP brick

596.0 mm AP pen at 1.5 km, top decile of T7 CAs. Citadels broadside cruisers up close.

Flat AP shells

965.0 m/s AP muzzle velocity, best of T7 CAs. Flatter trajectory, less lead, harder to dodge.

Flat HE shells

965.0 m/s HE muzzle velocity, best of T7 CAs. Flatter trajectory, easier to land at range.

Long-range radar

13.0 km Surveillance Radar range, best of T7 CAs. Lights targets peer radars can't reach.

Easily spotted

14.19 km surface detect, bottom decile of T7 CAs. Visible before you can react; position early.

Acquisition

How to get Riga

Riga is available in the Piercing Heavy Cruisers branch of the U.S.S.R. Tech Tree for 18,000,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 4,500,000 credits.

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

Riga sits in the Piercing Heavy Cruisers branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full U.S.S.R. tree.

Builds Beta

Build for accuracy, AP performance, reload, radar/utility value, concealment, and survivability.

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Cohort position

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Where Riga sits among Tier VII CAs (46 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 velocity965 m/s (1/46) BestHE velocity965 m/s (1/41) BestDeck armor150 mm (1 of 6 tied) Top 10%Main battery range16.05 km (2/46) Top 10%HE alpha1,900 (5/40) Top 10%Secondary fire chance8% (4/40) Top 10%Secondary HE pen22 mm (5/40) Top 25%Main battery caliber220 mm (6/46) Top 25%AP shell damage5,750 (8/46) Top 25%Engine power165,000 hp (6/45) Top 25%AA range5.2 km (7/46) Top 25%Max armor180 mm (7/46) Bottom 25%Rudder shift15.1 s (41/46) Bottom 25%Traverse-to-turn ratio4.66 × (39/46) Bottom 25%Main battery reload14 s (39/46) Bottom 25%Fires per minute5.4 (35/41) Bottom 25%HE DPM117,643 (33/41) Bottom 25%AP arming threshold37 mm (41/46) Bottom 25%Displacement21,882 t (41/46) Bottom 25%Stern armor25 mm (37/45) Bottom 10%Stealth profile14.19 km / 8.51 km (44/46 / 44/46) Bottom 10%Sigma1.85 (43/46) WorstNo torpedoes (13 of 46 in cohort)
See 20 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Riga -- 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 points42,000 HP(17/46) Max speed33.5 kt(14/46) HE fire chance14%(18/41) AP DPM221,786(32/46) Main dispersion133.7 m(14/46) Secondary DPM (per side)136,000(13/40) Acceleration9.4 s(13/46) AP fuse timer0.02 s(34/46) AP ricochet start50°(13/46) AP auto-bounce angle65°(13/46) Turn-speed retention179.3 hp/m(16/45) Power-to-weight7.54 hp/t(16/45) AA DPS353(31/46) AA threat1,335(25/46) Repair heal rate0.6 %/s(18/45) Citadel belt140 mm(21/45) Bow armor25 mm(31/45) NormSecondary dispersion bracket57(37 of 40 tied at this value) NormSecondary range5 km(36 of 40 tied at this value) NormRepair charges2(40 of 45 tied at this value)

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

Radar 13 kmSonar 4.93 kmRepair 2Def-AAFighter
Survivability
Hit PointsInitial: 38,000 → 42,000
Displacement21,882 t
Armor range16–180 mm
Plate armor thicknesses16, 20, 25, 27, 30, 35, 40, 50, 55, 70, 75, 80, 90, 100, 130, 140, 150, 180 mm
Armor material/layer entries61
Fire resistanceInitial: 33.3% → 36.6%
Fire duration30 s
Torp Reduction19%
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.
21,000
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.
12,600
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 220 mm/60 SM-7
Mounts / barrels3 mounts / 9 barrels
Reload time15.5 s
Firing range (base)14.6 km
Firing range (top fire control)16.1 km
Turret traverse5 °/s
Shell Grouping (σ)
ƒShell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
1.9
Max Horiz Disp
ƒHorizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (14595/30·(8−1.1)/1000 + 1.1)·30 = 133.7 m
133.7 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 133.7 × 0.6 = 80.2 m
80.2 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 133.7 × 0.338 (σ=1.9) = 45.2 m
45.2 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 80.2 × 0.338 (σ=1.9) = 27.1 m
27.1 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 5 deg/s traverse speed = 36 s.
36 s
Base shells/min
ƒ9 broadside guns x 60 / 15.5 s base reload = 34.8.
34.8
HE shells
HE Damage3,050
HE Velocity965 m/s
Fire Chance14%
HE penetration
ƒ37 mm ≈ 220 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
37 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ3,050 HE damage x 9 broadside guns = 27,450.
27,450
Base HE DPM
ƒ27,450 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 15.5 s base reload = 106,258.
106,258
Installed HE DPM
ƒ27,450 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 14 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 117,643.
117,643
Base fires/min
ƒ9 HE shells x 60 / 15.5 s reload x 14% fire chance = 4.88.
4.88
AP shells
AP Damage5,750
AP Velocity965 m/s
Min Ricochet50 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet65 deg
Fuse Timer0.022 s
Fuse Threshold37 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(220 mm caliber / 14.3) = 15 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
15 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 × 2800 × 170^0.69 × 0.22^-1.07 × 965^1.38 = 643.3 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
643.3 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (20.1 km), where the shell has slowed to 492.4 m/s: 1e-7 × 2800 × 170^0.69 × 0.22^-1.07 × 492.4^1.38 = 254.2 mm.
254.2 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ5,750 AP damage x 9 broadside guns = 51,750.
51,750
Base AP DPM
ƒ51,750 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 15.5 s base reload = 200,323.
200,323
Installed AP DPM
ƒ51,750 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 14 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 221,786.
221,786
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.
40
AA Defense
AA mount pointsInitial: 14 → 18
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (31×3.5×0.9) + (56×3.5×0.9) + (7×3.5×0.9) + (18×3.5×0.9) = 353. 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.
353
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
5.2 km
37 mm V-11 (upgraded hull only)12×2 37mm
37 mm 46-K6×4 37mm
37 mm 70-K (stock hull only)8×1 37mm
100 mm/56 B-54 (DP)2×2 100mm
130 mm/55 B-2-U (DP)4×2 130mm
Outer Far aura
DPS
ƒIncludes 18 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.
18
Range5.2 km
Inner Far aura
DPS
ƒIncludes 7 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.
7
Range5 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒOuter Far 18 + Inner Far 7 = 25
25
Outer Medium aura
DPSInitial: 39 → 56
Range3.5 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒOuter Far 18 + Inner Far 7 + Outer Medium 56 = 81
81
Inner Medium aura
DPSInitial: 24 → 31
Range3.2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒOuter Far 18 + Inner Far 7 + Outer Medium 56 + Inner Medium 31 = 112
112
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts6
Firing range5.0 km
Shell Grouping (σ)1
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
100 mm/56 B-54 (×2)
Caliber100 mm
Reload time3.75 s
HE Damage1,400
Muzzle Velocity895 m/s
Fire Chance6%
Armor Pen17 mm
Min Ricochet91°
Max Ricochet60°
Show 1 more gun family
130 mm/55 B-2-U (×4)
Caliber130 mm
Reload time5 s
HE Damage1,900
Muzzle Velocity900 m/s
Fire Chance8%
Armor Pen22 mm
Min Ricochet91°
Max Ricochet60°
Maneuverability
Engine moduleEngine: 165,000 hp
Engine power165,000 hp
Maximum speed33.5 kt
Turning circle radius920 m
Engine power multiplier speed threshold7 kt
Traverse-to-turn ratio4.7× drags
Concealment
Detectability by sea14.19 km
Detectability by air8.51 km
Smoke firing penalty8.83 km
Detect after firing main guns14.19 km
Detect Fire Sea16.19 km
Detect Fire Air11.51 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 60 s reload · 5 s active
Choose one
Sonar2 charges · 180 s reload · 96 s active · 4.93 km ship detect · 3.47 km torpedo detect
Defensive AA Fire3 charges · 140 s reload · 25 s active · +100% flak burst boost
Choose one
Surveillance Radar2 charges · 180 s reload · 20 s active · 13 km radar range
Catapult Fighter3 charges · 70 s reload · 55 s active · 5.56 km patrol radius · 1 squadron size
Repair Party2 charges · 60 s reload · 28 s active · 0.6% heal per second · 16.8% of max HP total heal
Module options (2)

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

HullUpgrade
  • Hit points38,000 → 42,000
  • Rudder shift21.1 → 15.1 s
  • AA mounts14 → 18
  • Close-range AA DPS63 → 87
  • Turret traverse5 → 11 °/s
Fire controlUpgrade
  • Main battery range14,595 → 16054.5 m

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)1.9
Shell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
Max Horiz Disp133.7 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (14595/30·(8−1.1)/1000 + 1.1)·30 = 133.7 m
Max Vert Disp80.2 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 133.7 × 0.6 = 80.2 m
Med Horiz Disp45.2 m
50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 133.7 × 0.338 (σ=1.9) = 45.2 m
Med Vert Disp27.1 m
50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 80.2 × 0.338 (σ=1.9) = 27.1 m
Dispersion familyCruiser Disp.
Standard cruiser dispersion baseline.
AP Pen Close643.3 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 × 2800 × 170^0.69 × 0.22^-1.07 × 965^1.38 = 643.3 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far254.2 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (20.1 km), where the shell has slowed to 492.4 m/s: 1e-7 × 2800 × 170^0.69 × 0.22^-1.07 × 492.4^1.38 = 254.2 mm.
HE penetration37 mm
37 mm ≈ 220 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
AP overmatch15 mm
floor(220 mm caliber / 14.3) = 15 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
AP AOE Radius40
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 alpha9
All 9 barrels bear on the broadside.
Turret turn time36 s
180 degrees / 5 deg/s traverse speed = 36 s.
HE full-salvo alpha27,450
3,050 HE damage x 9 broadside guns = 27,450.
AP full-salvo alpha51,750
5,750 AP damage x 9 broadside guns = 51,750.
Base HE DPM106,258
27,450 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 15.5 s base reload = 106,258.
Base AP DPM200,323
51,750 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 15.5 s base reload = 200,323.
Installed HE DPM117,643
27,450 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 14 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 117,643.
Installed AP DPM221,786
51,750 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 14 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 221,786.
Base shells/min34.8
9 broadside guns x 60 / 15.5 s base reload = 34.8.
Installed shells/min38.6
9 broadside guns x 60 / 14 s installed Artillery reload = 38.6.
Base fires/min4.88
9 HE shells x 60 / 15.5 s reload x 14% fire chance = 4.88.
Installed fires/min5.4
9 HE shells x 60 / 14 s installed reload x 14% fire chance = 5.4.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS353
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (31×3.5×0.9) + (56×3.5×0.9) + (7×3.5×0.9) + (18×3.5×0.9) = 353. 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 index1335
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)136,000
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: 2×2 100 mm (2/side) × 60/3.75 × 1400 = 44,800 + 4×2 130 mm (4/side) × 60/5 × 1900 = 91,200. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).
Max HE alpha1900
Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1900 from the 130 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 130 mm family.
Max HE pen22 mm
Maximum HE armor penetration across secondary HE families (caliber × 1/6 for most nations; 1/4 for German/UK BBs). Shells whose pen falls under a plate's armor thickness shatter for 0 hull damage though fire chance still applies. Best on this ship: 22 mm from the 130 mm family.

Armor

Hull HP 38,00042,000 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
Bow25 mm primary (range 25–40 mm)1,500 (4% of HP)
Overmatched by 380mm+ (Gneisenau, Richelieu)Angle bounces 356mm25 mm: HE pens from 150mm+
Bow-tank fits behind this exterior plate. Saturation is FAST here; the cap is often only a few thousand HP.
Hull (midship)16 mm primary (range 16–150 mm)31,500 (75% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ (Scharnhorst, Scharnhorst '43)Angle bounces 203mm16 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern25 mm primary (range 25–150 mm)2,100 (5% of HP)
Overmatched by 380mm+ (Gneisenau, Richelieu)Angle bounces 356mm25 mm: HE pens from 150mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel140 mm primary (range 20–140 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).
Superstructure35 mm primary (range 35–180 mm)2,500 (6% 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 HP21,000 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 (130 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 (37 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 HP12,600 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.

Balance History

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

Buff ×4Main Battery ×4
2023-11-02

MINISTRY OF BALANCE REPORTS: A FLURRY OF CHANGES

  • Riga has always been an oddball, and now she seems like a low point in the line compared to Tallinn and Petropavlovsk. We're improving the ship's accuracy to make her dispersion more consistent and reliable.
  • Main battery shell grouping increased by 2.5% (from 1.8 to 1.85).
  • Main battery dispersion improved by 9% (Riga's dispersion becomes the same as normal cruisers).
  • Stock main battery reload time reduced from 16.5 to 15.5 s.
  • Upgraded main battery reload time reduced from 15.5 to 14.5 s.
Read the full official post
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

Every custom exterior Riga can equip, from in-game data.

  • Riga 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.