Somme Build & Guide | WoWs Legends

Playstyle

Overview

Somme is a Tier VIII British stealth-leaning destroyer with strong surface detection (6.9 km). The kit opens detection windows most peer DDs cannot match, so her value is contesting caps from concealment edges where the detection band holds. Standout traits: best AP always-pen window in T8 DDs (60°) and best smoke duration in T8 DDs (20 s).

Positioning

Hold concealment edges on the contested cap at 6.9 km detection. The band opens windows for unspotted torpedo drops and clean repositions; lean into the gaps your peer DDs cannot read, and back out before detection closes.

Potato Avoidance

Burning the 6.9 km concealment advantage on guns

Every salvo lights you up and gives back the detection edge that makes the kit work; reserve guns for finishing damage on already-spotted ships, and prioritize torpedo drops you can fire while undetected.

Signature Traits

Wide always-pen zone

60.0° AP min ricochet angle, best of T8 DDs. Larger impact-angle window where shells always penetrate.

Long-burning smoke

20.0 s Smoke Generator duration, best of T8 DDs. Holds the smoke shield longer.

Late auto-bounce

67.5° AP guaranteed ricochet angle, top decile of T8 DDs. Auto-bounce kicks in later than peers'.

Heavy belt

Citadel belt in the top bracket. Incoming AP rarely citadels through angle.

Wide dispersion

96.8 m max horizontal dispersion, bottom decile of T8 DDs. Long-range salvos are noticeably wider than peers'.

Slow HE shells

746.0 m/s HE muzzle velocity, bottom decile of T8 DDs. Lobby trajectory, harder to land at range.

Acquisition

How to get Somme

Somme is a Premium ship and not available to unlock in the Tech Tree. Acquisition path: Campaign.

CampaignEarnable in the Born of Battle campaign; campaign ships can later return through other limited methods.

Official WG availability sources

Born of Battle Campaign Breakdown Campaign Start: 2026-01-19 · End: 2026-02-22 Official campaign breakdown naming this ship as a campaign/reward-context ship; explicit source windows are used when present, otherwise the end date is inferred from the next indexed campaign breakdown when available.
Through the Spy Glass: Somme Ship feature / release Start: 2026-01-20 · End: open/unknown end Official Through the Spy Glass feature for this ship; useful as a release/availability source, but not a guaranteed current-store listing.

Builds Beta

Philip Vian is the official recommended commander direction, with Casual Avoidance increasing incoming shell dispersion. Build for concealment, gun reload, survivability, and enough AA/utility support to keep contesting objectives.

Open in Build Tool →

Commanders frequently paired with this ship Philip Vian

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

Cohort position

Hide ▾

Where Somme sits among Tier VIII DDs (25 ships). Notable standouts are shown first; the rest of the cohort-ranked stats are in the expand below. Acquisition variants (Black Friday, Founders Edition) are counted once with their base ship, not as separate peers.

BestAP ricochet start60° (1 of 6 tied) Top 10%Acceleration10.2 s (3/25) Top 10%AP arming threshold19 mm (3/23) Top 25%Fires per minute8 (7/24) Top 25%AP auto-bounce angle67.5° (4/23) Top 25%Torpedo range12 km (6/24) Bottom 25%Main battery caliber113 mm (23/25) Bottom 25%HE shell damage1,700 (19/24) Bottom 25%AP shell damage2,100 (19/23) Bottom 25%Main dispersion96.8 m (23/25) Bottom 25%Turn-speed retention82 hp/m (21/25) Bottom 25%Power-to-weight15.2 hp/t (23/25) Bottom 25%Torpedo damage10,800 (22/24) Bottom 25%Torpedo reload140 s (19/24) WorstMax speed34 kt (1 of 3 tied) WorstAP velocity746 m/s (1 of 2 tied) WorstHE velocity746 m/s (1 of 2 tied) WorstEngine power50,000 hp (1 of 3 tied)

See 20 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Somme -- 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 points20,100 HP(13/25) Concealment6.93 km(13/25) Air detection3.47 km(13/25) Rudder shift5.5 s(9/25) Traverse-to-turn ratio12.17 ×(9/25) Main battery range10.91 km(16/25) Main battery reload3.6 s(12/25) HE fire chance8%(11/24) HE DPM170,000(13/24) AP DPM210,000(17/23) AP fuse timer0.01 s(13/23) Displacement3,290 t(9/25) AA DPS200(17/25) AA range5 km(14/25) AA threat798(16/25) Torpedo speed60 kt(18/24) Repair heal rate1 %/s(6/9) Deck armor19 mm(9/18) NormMax armor20 mm(22 of 25 tied at this value) NormCitadel belt20 mm(21 of 24 tied at this value)

Peers in this cohort

Show all 23 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.

Sonar 3.57 kmRepair 2TRBSmoke

Survivability

Hit Points20,100

Displacement3,290 t

Armor range13–20 mm

Plate armor thicknesses13, 16, 19, 20 mm

Armor material/layer entries21

Fire resistance40%

Fire duration30 s

Torp Reduction0%

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.

10,100

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.

6,000

Main Battery

ModuleArtillery: 113 mm/45 Mk IV

Mounts / barrels3 mounts / 6 barrels

Reload time4 s

Firing range10.9 km

Turret traverse20 °/s

Shell Grouping (σ)

ƒ

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

2

Max Horiz Disp

ƒ

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (10913/30·(8−0.5)/1000 + 0.5)·30 = 96.8 m

96.8 m

Max Vert Disp

ƒ

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 96.8 × 0.6 = 58.1 m

58.1 m

Med Horiz Disp

ƒ

50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 96.8 × 0.319 (σ=2) = 30.9 m

30.9 m

Med Vert Disp

ƒ

50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 58.1 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 18.6 m

18.6 m

Turret turn time

ƒ

180 degrees / 20 deg/s traverse speed = 9 s.

9 s

Base shells/min

ƒ

6 broadside guns x 60 / 4 s base reload = 90.

90

HE shells

HE Damage1,700

HE Velocity746 m/s

Fire Chance8%

HE penetration

ƒ

19 mm ≈ 113 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).

19 mm

HE full-salvo alpha

ƒ

1,700 HE damage x 6 broadside guns = 10,200.

10,200

Base HE DPM

ƒ

10,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4 s base reload = 153,000.

153,000

Installed HE DPM

ƒ

10,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.6 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 170,000.

170,000

Base fires/min

ƒ

6 HE shells x 60 / 4 s reload x 8% fire chance = 7.2.

7.2

AP shells

AP Damage2,100

AP Velocity746 m/s

Min Ricochet60 deg

Guaranteed Ricochet67.5 deg

Fuse Timer0.01 s

Fuse Threshold19 mm

AP overmatch

ƒ

floor(113 mm caliber / 14.3) = 7 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

7 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 × 1600 × 25^0.69 × 0.113^-1.07 × 746^1.38 = 140.1 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.

140.1 mm

AP Pen Far

ƒ

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (13.6 km), where the shell has slowed to 291.1 m/s: 1e-7 × 1600 × 25^0.69 × 0.113^-1.07 × 291.1^1.38 = 38.2 mm.

38.2 mm

AP full-salvo alpha

ƒ

2,100 AP damage x 6 broadside guns = 12,600.

12,600

Base AP DPM

ƒ

12,600 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4 s base reload = 189,000.

189,000

Installed AP DPM

ƒ

12,600 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.6 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 210,000.

210,000

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.

9

◇

Torpedoes

ModuleTorpedoes: 533 mm PR Mk II

Launchers / tubes2 launchers × 5 tubes = 10 tubes

Reload time140 s

Projectile speed60 kt

Range12 km

Maximum simulated damage10,000 (est.)

Alpha damage30,000

Torpedo detectability1.2 km

Torpedo launcher traverse25 °/s

Torp Turn7.2 s

Torp Arming185 m

Per-side salvo damage

ƒ

per-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.

100,000

AA Defense

AA mount points5

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: (38×3.5×1) + (19×3.5×1) = 200. 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.

200

Maximum AA range

ƒ

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

5 km

40 mm Bofors Boffin3×1 40mm

40 mm Bofors Mk V1×2 40mm

40 mm STAAG1×2 40mm

DPS

ƒ

Includes 19 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose main battery firing as AA in this range band.

19

Range5 km

DPS38

Range3.5 km

Total DPS in Aura

ƒ

Far 19 + Medium 38 = 57

57

Maneuverability

Engine moduleEngine: 50,000 hp

Engine power50,000 hp

Maximum speed34 kt

Turning circle radius610 m

Engine power multiplier speed threshold31.6 kt

Traverse-to-turn ratio12.2× snappy

Concealment

Detectability by sea6.93 km

Detectability by air3.47 km

Smoke firing penalty2.37 km

Detect after firing main guns6.93 km

Detect Fire Sea8.93 km

Detect Fire Air6.47 km

Guaranteed Detect2 km

✦

Consumables

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

Smoke Generator6 charges · 60 s reload · 20 s emit / 40 s cloud active

Sonar2 charges · 180 s reload · 180 s active · 3.57 km ship detect · 3.1 km torpedo detect

Choose one

Torpedo Reload Booster∞ charges · 140 s reload · 10 s active · Rapid torpedo reload

Repair Party2 charges · 80 s reload · 10 s active · 1% heal per second · 10% of max HP total heal

See all derived stats

Show ▾

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

Main battery formulas

Shell Grouping (σ)2

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

Max Horiz Disp96.8 m

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (10913/30·(8−0.5)/1000 + 0.5)·30 = 96.8 m

Max Vert Disp58.1 m

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 96.8 × 0.6 = 58.1 m

Med Horiz Disp30.9 m

50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 96.8 × 0.319 (σ=2) = 30.9 m

Med Vert Disp18.6 m

50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 58.1 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 18.6 m

AP Pen Close140.1 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 × 1600 × 25^0.69 × 0.113^-1.07 × 746^1.38 = 140.1 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.

AP Pen Far38.2 mm

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (13.6 km), where the shell has slowed to 291.1 m/s: 1e-7 × 1600 × 25^0.69 × 0.113^-1.07 × 291.1^1.38 = 38.2 mm.

HE penetration19 mm

19 mm ≈ 113 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).

AP overmatch7 mm

floor(113 mm caliber / 14.3) = 7 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

AP AOE Radius9

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 alpha6

All 6 barrels bear on the broadside.

Turret turn time9 s

180 degrees / 20 deg/s traverse speed = 9 s.

HE full-salvo alpha10,200

1,700 HE damage x 6 broadside guns = 10,200.

AP full-salvo alpha12,600

2,100 AP damage x 6 broadside guns = 12,600.

Base HE DPM153,000

10,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4 s base reload = 153,000.

Base AP DPM189,000

12,600 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4 s base reload = 189,000.

Installed HE DPM170,000

10,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.6 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 170,000.

Installed AP DPM210,000

12,600 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.6 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 210,000.

Base shells/min90

6 broadside guns x 60 / 4 s base reload = 90.

Installed shells/min100

6 broadside guns x 60 / 3.6 s installed Artillery reload = 100.

Base fires/min7.2

6 HE shells x 60 / 4 s reload x 8% fire chance = 7.2.

Installed fires/min8

6 HE shells x 60 / 3.6 s installed reload x 8% fire chance = 8.

Torpedoes

Torpedo detectability1.2 km

Estimated torpedo reaction time7.7 s

detectability / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).

Torpedo speed60 kt

Travel time to max range76.9 s

range / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).

Tube count10

2 launchers x 5 tubes.

Per-side salvo10 torpedoes

10 (centerline launchers train across - full salvo to either side).

Full-salvo damage100,000

tube count x per-torpedo simulated damage (all torpedoes hitting).

Per-side salvo damage100,000

per-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS200

Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (38×3.5×1) + (19×3.5×1) = 200. 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 km

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

AA threat index798

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.

Armor

Hull HP 20,100, 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	20 mm primary (range 19–20 mm)	3,300 (16% of HP)	Overmatched by 305mm+ (Cherbourg, Brandenburg)Angle bounces 283mm20 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 primary (range 16–19 mm)	15,100 (75% of HP)	Overmatched by 283mm+ (Scharnhorst '43, Schill)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	20 mm primary (range 16–20 mm)	1,400 (7% of HP)	Overmatched by 305mm+ (Cherbourg, Brandenburg)Angle bounces 283mm20 mm: HE pens from 127mm+	Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel	20 mm primary (range 19–20 mm)	≈ 165,500 (effectively no cap)	Citadel pen ×0.50 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 (×0.50 direct pen, ×0.10 over-pen).
Superstructure	13 mm primary (range 13–19 mm)	1,300 (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 HP	10,100 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.
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.
Rudder (module)	separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP	6,000 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 Somme can equip, from in-game data.

DefaultThe ship’s standard exterior

Somme

Somme Community Stats