GamingDiver / WoWs Legends Ships / St. Louis

World of Warships: Legends ship guide

St. Louis

Also called: 圣路易斯 Beta

U.S.A. · Tier II · CL Cruiser · Tech Tree: Early U.S. Cruisers

All-rounder cruiserCompetent at AP citadels, HE pressure, and cap support; adapt to the matchup.

Playstyle

Hold islands tight enough to break vision on demand
Avoid: Firing the moment an enemy appears

Key characteristics

High HE DPMHigh AP DPMHeavy AP shellsHeavy citadel beltHeavy beltAll-Weather

On this page

Community stats
Playstyle
How to get St. Louis
Builds
Cohort position
Stats and specs
Charts
Background
Armor
Balance history
Exteriors

Community Data

St. Louis Community Stats

Across 1,800+ Standard battles from 330+ players, St. Louis averages a 57% win rate, 21,400 damage and 1.0 kills per battle, and survives 37% of them.

Community Data

St. Louis Community Stats

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

Playstyle

Overview

St. Louis is a Tier II American all-rounder light cruiser with 152mm guns at 11.1 km: no single dominant trait, but competent at AP citadels, HE pressure, and cap support. Adapt to the team comp - DD hunter, BB chip, or cap contester - rather than locking into one role. Both shells run cohort-strong (cohort-strong AP at 180,000 AP DPM and top-decile HE at 126,000 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: heavy AP shells in T2 CAs (3,000, 6th of 25) and heavy citadel belt in T2 CAs (102 mm, 5th of 26).

Positioning

Hold islands tight enough to break vision on demand. The HE pressure rewards a steady firing arc more than rotation play; pick a corner of the map you can hold and work fires from there. 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.

Potato Avoidance

Firing the moment an enemy appears

The guns are what reveal you: one salvo lights you up from 9.1 km away, and a battleship that suddenly has a broadside cruiser to shoot at will take the free citadels, which is 27,000 HP back to port in a single salvo. Choose the angle and the cover you will shoot from BEFORE anything spots you, so your first salvo is one you can turn away from rather than one that starts a trade you cannot win.

Signature Traits

ELITE MAIN BATTERY ↗

HE DPM machine · 126000 HE
Heavy AP shells · 3000 damage
AP DPM machine · 180000 AP

ELITE ARMOR ↗

Heavy citadel belt · 102 mm
Heavy belt

All-Weather

No stat falls into the cohort's bottom decile across T2 CAs. Stable baseline in every category, no glaring weakness to play around.

Acquisition

How to get St. Louis

St. Louis is available in the Early U.S. Cruisers branch of the U.S. Tech Tree for 13,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 2,600 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

St. Louis sits in the Early U.S. Cruisers branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full U.S. tree.

The early U.S. cruisers focus on providing a powerful broadside from their rapid-firing guns, and they are your starting point to the U.S. Tech Trees. From Tier III, you gain access to a useful self-defense tool: Sonar.

Advantages: High rate of fire, Sonar consumable starting at Tier III
Disadvantages: Limited main battery firing angles, Low-velocity shells

3 ships in highlighted branch · scroll to inspect all U.S. lines.

U.S.A.IIIIIIIVVVIVIIVIII

Destroyer

Cruiser

Light cruiser split

Battleship

Alternative battleship

Hybrid battleship

Carrier

Tier IIWickesPASD027 Tier IIIClemsonPASD019 Tier IVFarragutPASD005 Tier VMahanPASD006 Tier VIBensonPASD008 Tier VIIFletcherPASD021 Tier VIIIAllen M. SumnerPASD114 Tier IAlbanyPASC003 Tier IISt. LouisPASC004 Tier IIIPhoenixPASC024 Tier IVOmahaPASC005 Tier VPensacolaPASC012 Tier VINew OrleansPASC014 Tier VIIBaltimorePASC017 Tier VIIIBuffaloPASC109 Tier VDallasPASC206 Tier VIHelenaPASC207 Tier VIIClevelandPASC208 Tier VIIISeattlePASC209 Tier IIIWyomingPASB004 Tier IVNew YorkPASB006 Tier IVNevadaPASB105 Tier VNew MexicoPASB034 Tier VIColoradoPASB008 Tier VIIIowaPASB018 Tier VIIIMainePASB118 Tier VTennesseePASB106 Tier VINorth CarolinaPASB012 Tier VIIKansasPASB108 Tier VIIIMinnesotaPASB109 Tier VIConnecticutPASB207 Tier VIINebraskaPASB208 Tier VIIIDelawarePASB209 Tier IIILangleyPASA004 Tier VRangerPASA006 Tier VIILexingtonPASA012

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 St. Louis sits among Tier II CAs (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.

Top 10%HE DPM126,000 (3/25) Top 25%Hit points27,000 HP (6/26) Top 25%AP DPM180,000 (4/25) Top 25%AP velocity853 m/s (7/25) Top 25%HE velocity853 m/s (7/25) Top 25%Citadel belt102 mm (5/26) Bottom 25%HE fire chance7% (21/25) Bottom 25%Secondary HE alpha1,100 (13/16) Bottom 25%Displacement10,850 t (23/26) Bottom 25%AA range1 km (15/17) WorstSecondary HE pen13 mm (1 of 8 tied) WorstSecondary range2.5 km (1 of 7 tied) WorstNo torpedoes (20 of 26 in cohort)

See 31 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for St. Louis -- 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 speed22 kt(17/26) Concealment9.09 km(14/26) Smoke fire bloom3.97 km(13/26) Air detection5.45 km(13/26) Rudder shift6.5 s(15/26) Turning circle450 m(12/26) Main battery caliber152 mm(9/26) Main battery range11.1 km(16/26) Main battery reload8 s(13/26) Sigma2(12/26) HE shell damage2,100(13/25) Fires per minute4.2(13/25) Main dispersion109.6 m(11/26) Secondary DPM (per side)118,800(9/16) Time to 90% speed26.3 s(18/26) Acceleration (0-12 kt)12.9 s(18/26) AP arming threshold25 mm(16/25) Engine power21,000 hp(13/26) Power / turn radius46.7 hp/m(13/26) Power-to-weight1.94 hp/t(19/26) AP pen at 10 km64 mm(9/25) AA DPS21(11/17) AA threat21(13/17) Max armor102 mm(13/26) NormSecondary fire chance4%(11 of 16 tied at this value) NormAP fuse timer0.025 s(14 of 25 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(24 of 25 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(24 of 25 tied at this value) NormTurn speed retained81%(24 of 26 tied at this value) NormBow armor6 mm(24 of 26 tied at this value) NormStern armor6 mm(23 of 26 tied at this value)

Peers in this cohort

Compare Tier II Cruisers

Show all 25 peers

Stats & specs

Customize in the Build Tool →

Survivability

Hit PointsInitial: 25,000 → 27,000

Displacement10,850 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.

129.9 x 20.1 m, draft 6.9 m

Armor range6–102 mm

Plate armor thicknesses6, 10, 13, 38, 51, 76, 102 mm

Armor material/layer entries35

Fire resistance

stock hull: 1 − 1 fire coefficient = 0%; top hull: 1 − 0.9667 fire coefficient = 3.3%. 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: 0% → 3.3%

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 × 27,000 HP = 2,430 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 × 27,000 HP = 2,700 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.

13,500

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.

8,100

Repairable: penetration50%

Repairable: citadel10%

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 × 2,300 = 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

Casemate section HP

Damage saturation pool for the casemate: penetrations here deal their normal share until twice this much penetration damage has landed on the section (2 × 3,400 = 6,800), 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 ×. 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.

3,400

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 × 20,300 = 40,600), 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.

20,300

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 × 800 = 1,600), 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 ×. 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.

800

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 × 1,600 = 3,200), 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 ×. 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.

1,600

Citadel 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

Main Battery

ModuleArtillery: 152 mm/50 Mk6

Mounts / barrels10 mounts / 10 barrels

Reload timeInitial: 10 s → 8 s

Firing range (base)10.1 km

Firing range (top fire control)11.1 km

Turret traverseInitial: 6 °/s → 8 °/s

Turret armor19 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.

6x 115° arc, 2x ±140°, 2x 120° arc

Guns to bear

180° − 140° (the most restricted aft-facing mount's arc) = 40° off bow; 180° − 140° (the most restricted forward-facing mount's arc) = 40° 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.

40° off bow / 40° off stern

Shell Grouping (σ)2

Dispersion type

In practice: the baseline curve for a standard cruiser -- at max range (11.1 km) shells land in an ellipse about 110 m wide and 66 m tall. Also on this curve (215): AL Baltimore, AL Chapayev, AL Cheshire, AL Harbin, AL Montpelier, AL Tallinn, AL Zara, Aberdeen, Accord, Agano, Albemarle, Algérie and 203 more.

Standard cruiser

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{11102.3}{30} \cdot \frac{8 - 1.1}{1000} + 1.1) \cdot 30 = 109.6 m

109.6 m at 11.1 km

Max Vert Disp

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range:

σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot radiusOnMax

= 109.6 \cdot 0.6 = 65.8 m

65.8 m at 11.1 km

Med Horiz Disp

50%-hit horizontal radius:

σ_{H, 50} = σ_{H} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}

= 109.6 \cdot \frac{0.6}{2} = 32.9 m

32.9 m at 11.1 km

Med Vert Disp

50%-hit vertical radius:

σ_{V, 50} = σ_{V} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}

= 65.8 \cdot \frac{0.6}{2} = 19.7 m

19.7 m at 11.1 km

Turret turn time

180 degrees / 6 deg/s traverse speed = 30 s.

30 s

Shells/min

Zero upgrades: 6 broadside guns x 60 / 10 s base reload = 36. All upgrades (top gun, 8-gun broadside): 8 broadside guns x 60 / 8 s all-upgrades reload = 60.

Initial: 36 → 60

HE shells

HE alpha2,100

HE Velocity853 m/s

Fire Chance7%

HE penetration

25 mm ≈ 152 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).

25 mm

HE full-salvo alpha

Zero upgrades: 2,100 HE damage x 6 broadside guns = 12,600. All upgrades (top gun, 8-gun broadside): 2,100 HE damage x 8 broadside guns = 16,800.

Initial: 12,600 → 16,800

HE DPM

Zero upgrades: 12,600 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 10 s base reload = 75,600. All upgrades (top gun, 8-gun broadside): 16,800 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 8 s all-upgrades reload = 126,000.

Initial: 75,600 → 126,000

Fires/min

Zero upgrades: 36 shells/min × 0.07 (7% fire chance) = 2.52. All upgrades (top gun, 8-gun broadside): 60 shells/min × 0.07 (7% fire chance) = 4.2.

Initial: 2.52 → 4.2

AP shells

AP alpha3,000

AP Velocity853 m/s

Min Ricochet45 deg

Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg

Fuse Timer0.025 s

Fuse Threshold25 mm

AP overmatch

floor(152 mm caliber / 14.3) = 10 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

10 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 1830 \cdot {47.7}^{0.69} \cdot {0.152}^{- 1.07} \cdot 853^{1.38} = 219.2 mm

219.2 mm point-blank

AP Pen Far

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (11.1 km), where the shell has slowed to 321.5 m/s:

P = 10^{- 7} \cdot 1830 \cdot {47.7}^{0.69} \cdot {0.152}^{- 1.07} \cdot {321.5}^{1.38} = 57 mm

57 mm at 11.1 km

AP full-salvo alpha

Zero upgrades: 3,000 AP damage x 6 broadside guns = 18,000. All upgrades (top gun, 8-gun broadside): 3,000 AP damage x 8 broadside guns = 24,000.

Initial: 18,000 → 24,000

AP DPM

Zero upgrades: 18,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 10 s base reload = 108,000. All upgrades (top gun, 8-gun broadside): 24,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 8 s all-upgrades reload = 180,000.

Initial: 108,000 → 180,000

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.

AA Defense

AA mount pointsInitial: 0 → 8

Maximum AA range

Initial: 0 km → 1 km (stock → upgraded). Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 0 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.

Initial: 0 km → 1 km

7.6 mm Hotchkiss Mk18×1 8mm

Guns7.6 mm Hotchkiss Mk1

Continuous DPS

Effective DPS: 7 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.85 hit probability = 21 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.

Range1 km

See the AA layers diagram ↓

Secondary Battery

Mounts18

Firing range2.5 km

Shell Grouping (σ)1

Secondary DPM (per side)

Sum 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: 18×1 76.2 mm (9/side) × 60/5 s × 1100 = 118,800. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).

118,800

76.2 mm Mk418×1 76.2mm

Caliber76.2 mm

Reload time5 s

HE alpha1,100

Muzzle Velocity823 m/s

Fire Chance4%

Secondary fires/min (per side)

18×1 barrels / 2 sides × 60 / 5 s × 0.04 (4% fire chance) = 4.3. 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.

4.3

HE Pen13 mm

Secondary dispersion type

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 @ 2.5 km

2.5 km × 57 + 30 = 172.5 m.

172.5 m

Maneuverability

Engine power21,000 hp

Maximum speed22.0 kt

Turning circle radius450 m

Rudder shift timeInitial: 8.4 s → 6.5 s

Engine power-boost threshold7.0 kt

Engine spool-up time15.3 s

Reverse spool-up time7.7 s

Reverse speed

top speed / 4 + 4.9 = 22 / 4 + 4.9 = 10.4 kt. Base value; speed modifiers scale it.

10.4 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.

32.7 s

Engine boost threshold (reverse)

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

7.4 kt

Acceleration 0-90%

Time to reach 90% of top speed (19.8 kt of 22.0 kt).

26.3 s

Acceleration 0-99%

Time to reach 99% of top speed (21.8 kt of 22.0 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.

43.8 s

Guns in a full turn

With the rudder hard over the hull turns 6.1°/s, so a target drifts across the bow at that rate. Turret traverse minus hull turn: 6 − 6.1 = -0.1°/s, so the guns fall behind and catch up once the turn eases. Main Battery Mod. 2 (+20% traverse) and Mod. 3 (−15%) move this line.

fall behind by 0.1°/s

See the full acceleration curve ↓

Concealment

Detectability by sea

Base value, no camouflage. With a Grade IV permanent camo (or any disposable camo): 9.09 km x 0.955 = 8.68 km. Camouflage does not change detectability by air.

9.09 km

With Grade IV camouflage (sea)

Detectability by sea 9.09 km x 0.955 (Grade IV permanent camo or any disposable camo) = 8.68 km.

8.68 km

Detectability by air5.45 km

Smoke firing penalty3.97 km

Detect when firing (sea)

max(main battery range, sea detectability 9.09 km) = 11.1 km. Equal to the ship's main battery range (never below base detectability): firing makes you visible to everyone you can reach.

11.1 km

Detect when firing (air)

Air detectability 5.45 km + gun-firing bloom 3.04 km = 8.49 km. The bloom tracks main-battery caliber 152 mm × 0.020 = 3.04 km.

8.49 km

Detect when on fire (sea)

Sea detectability 9.09 km + 2.0 km while burning = 11.09 km.

11.09 km

Detect when on fire (air)

Air detectability 5.45 km + 3.0 km while burning = 8.45 km.

8.45 km

Guaranteed Detect2 km

✦

Consumables

Damage Control Party∞ charges · 60 s reload · 5 s active

Module options (3)

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

HullUpgrade

Hit points25,000 → 27,000
Rudder shift8.4 → 6.5 s
AA mounts0 → 8
Close-range AA DPS0 → 7
Maximum AA range0 → 1 km
Turret traverse6 → 8 °/s

Fire controlUpgrade

Main battery range10,093 → 11102.3 m

ArtilleryUpgrade

Base reload10 → 8 s

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.

Main battery formulas

vs standard cruiserStandard

The standard cruiser dispersion curve.

Shell scatter width @ 5 km67.5 m

(166.7 × (8 − 1.1) / 1000 + 1.1) × 30 = 67.5 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 km102 m

(333.3 × (8 − 1.1) / 1000 + 1.1) × 30 = 102 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 km31.7 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  $delim \cdot R_{m a x} = 0.5 \cdot 11102.3 = 5551$  m, and  $radiusOnMax = 0.6$  at 11102.3 m. Below the kink:  $k = 0.2 + (0.5 - 0.2) \cdot \frac{5000}{5551} = 0.4702$ , so  $σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot k = 67.5 \cdot 0.4702 = 31.7 m$ .

Shell scatter height @ 10 km59.2 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  $delim \cdot R_{m a x} = 0.5 \cdot 11102.3 = 5551$  m, and  $radiusOnMax = 0.6$  at 11102.3 m. Above the kink:  $k = 0.5 + (0.6 - 0.5) \cdot \frac{10000 - 5551}{11102.3 - 5551} = 0.5801$ , so  $σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot k = 102 \cdot 0.5801 = 59.2 m$ .

AP pen 5 km115 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  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v^{1.38}$   $= 10^{- 7} \cdot 1830 \cdot {47.7}^{0.69} \cdot {0.152}^{- 1.07} \cdot {533.9}^{1.38} = 115 mm$ , where 533.9 m/s is the shell's speed when it arrives at 5 km (from 853 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 km64 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  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v^{1.38}$   $= 10^{- 7} \cdot 1830 \cdot {47.7}^{0.69} \cdot {0.152}^{- 1.07} \cdot 348^{1.38} = 64 mm$ , where 348 m/s is the shell's speed when it arrives at 10 km (from 853 m/s at the muzzle). Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.

AP flight time @ 10 km7 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:  $k = \frac{π C_{d} d^{2}}{8 m} = \frac{π \cdot 0.4036 \cdot {0.152}^{2}}{8 \cdot 47.7} = 7.68 \times 10^{- 5}$ . That runs from a 853 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.

HE flight time @ 10 km7 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:  $k = \frac{π C_{d} d^{2}}{8 m} = \frac{π \cdot 0.4036 \cdot {0.152}^{2}}{8 \cdot 47.7} = 7.68 \times 10^{- 5}$ . That runs from a 853 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.

Guns per full salvo (alpha, DPM)Initial: 6 → 8

Counted from each mount's firing arc. Stock guns: 6 of 10 barrels bear at once. Top guns: 8 of 14. Alpha and DPM pair each configuration's salvo with its own reload.

Model inputs

Krupp (AP)1,830

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 mass47.7 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 coefficient0.4036

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

AP muzzle velocity853 m/s

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

HE muzzle velocity853 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.

minRadius1.1

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.

AA defense

AA DPS at max range21

Only families that reach 1 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: Hotchkiss MG Mk1 8x1 -> 21 DPS @ 1 km.

AA DPS layered by range21 DPS @ 1 km

@ 1 km: 21 from one family. 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-blank21

21 = 21 DPS: the sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (1 km).

AA threat index21

21 × 1 = 21. 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 km

Secondary battery firepower

Max HE alpha1100

The only family (76.2 mm): 1100. Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1100 from the 76.2 mm family.

Max HE fire chance4%

The only family (76.2 mm): 4%. Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 4% from the 76.2 mm family.

Max HE pen13 mm

The only family (76.2 mm): 13 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: 13 mm from the 76.2 mm family.

Open in Charting Tool

Ship Charts

Background

A typical "big" cruiser of the pre-dreadnought era. The ship was armed with numerous artillery, whose rate of fire was quite rapid for her time, and an armor belt protecting the propulsion, but featured only moderate speed.

Armor Beta

Hull HP 25,000 → 27,000 with hull upgrade, distributed across 5 hull zones, each with its own plate thicknesses, saturation cap, and pen thresholds.

Bow & stern6 mm

Overmatched by 105+ AP guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.

Belt / citadel102 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 3%, fires burn 30s. Range-by-range in the Compare tool →

Section	Plates	HP cap	Threats	Tactic
Bow	6 mm primary (range 6–38 mm)	2,300 (9% of HP)	Overmatched by 127mm+ AP (Farragut, Shenyang)6 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)	13 mm primary (range 13–51 mm)	20,300 (75% of HP)	Overmatched by 203mm+ AP (Furutaka)Angle bounces 152mm13 mm: HE pens from 127mm+	Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern	6 mm primary (range 6–13 mm)	1,600 (6% of HP)	Overmatched by 127mm+ AP (Farragut, Shenyang)6 mm: HE pens from 127mm+	Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel	102 mm primary (range 6–102 mm)	≈ 165,500 (effectively 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	6 mm primary (range 6–13 mm)	800 (3% 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	13,500 magazine HP	Turret knocked out	Per-turret powder-magazine HP, a separate pool that does not drain ship HP. As it is worn down the turret is likelier to be knocked out, and a smaller pool gets there faster.
Secondary mount (76.2 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 (8 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	8,100 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.

Balance History

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

Nerf ×15

2023-06-15

Ministry of Balance: Italian Concerto

Stock Hull HP reduced from 27,300 to 25,000:
Bow HP reduced from 2,400 to 2,200.
Casemate HP reduced from 3,400 to 3,100.
Stern HP reduced from 1,600 to 1,400.
Hull HP reduced from 20,500 to 18,800.
Magazine HP reduced from 13,700 to 12,500.
Steering Gear HP reduced from 8,200 to 7,500.
Upgraded Hull HP reduced from 29,500 to 27,000:
Bow HP reduced from 2,600 to 2,300.
Casemate HP reduced from 3,700 to 3,400.
Stern HP reduced from 1,700 to 1,600.
Hull HP reduced from 22,100 to 20,300.
Magazine HP reduced from 14,800 to 13,500.
Steering Gear HP reduced from 8,900 to 8,100.
Superstructure HP reduced from 900 to 800.

Read the full official post

Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

Every custom exterior St. Louis can equip.

DefaultThe ship’s standard exterior
IgorHalloween

Primary official WG sources

GamingDiver has indexed official WG mentions for this ship, but none are focused enough to show as a primary source card here. Low-context list, crate, comparison, or passing mentions are intentionally filtered out.

Source status No high-context source card yet Filtered for precision

St. Louis

St. Louis Community Stats

St. Louis Community Stats

St. Louis Community Stats

Playstyle

Overview

Positioning

Potato Avoidance

Signature Traits →

How to get St. Louis

Builds

Cohort position

Peers in this cohort

Stats & specs

Under the hood

Main battery formulas

Model inputs

AA defense

Secondary battery firepower

Ship Charts

Background

Armor Beta

Balance History

Ministry of Balance: Italian Concerto

Skins & permanent camouflages

Primary official WG sources

Signature Traits