Worcester
Also called: 伍斯特 Beta- Hold cover beside a contested cap, close enough that an island can break sightline when focus shifts
- Avoid: Using radar like a destroyer hunter rather than a position tool
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Worcester Community Stats
Across 22,000+ Standard battles from 310+ players, Worcester averages a 63% win rate, 92,900 damage and 1.1 kills per battle, and survives 49% of them.
Worcester Community Stats
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Worcester Community Stats
Record History
Playstyle
Overview
Worcester is a Legendary American light cruiser whose 152mm guns bring 18.3 fires a minute (1st of 19). Surveillance Radar (9 km) is the cap-control consumable on top, so she sets fights as well as winning them. Both shells run cohort-strong (cohort-strong AP at 488,727 AP DPM and cohort-strong HE at 336,000 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. AA (689 AA DPS at 6 km, +100% Defensive AA flak burst) ranks 2 of 21 in Legendary CAs: heavy enough to make a careless strike expensive, though not the umbrella that shuts a carrier out of her grid. Standout traits: end-plate armor in Legendary CAs (32 mm, 3rd of 21) and best bow armor in Legendary CAs (32 mm, 3rd of 21). The trade is short gun range in Legendary CAs (15.3 km, 19th of 21).
Positioning
Hold cover beside a contested cap, close enough that an island can break sightline when focus shifts. Radar reaches 9 km, so the drop only pays once you are near enough to use it: push it when the destroyer fight is yours, not to fish for a lone kill, or the next push has no answer to smoke or vision. She is genuinely evasive in both phases of a turn, answering the helm in 8.2 s and carving a 740 m circle, so you can break a salvo and still be where you meant to go.
Potato Avoidance
Using radar like a destroyer hunter rather than a position tool
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. Yours reaches 9 km for 30 s, which is the whole window your team gets to act on what it shows.
Signature Traits
9 km range, 30 s duration. Detects all enemy ships within a fixed radius regardless of line-of-sight. Controls caps and punishes smoke-firing DDs.
- Top-tier AA · 689 AA
- Long-reach AA · 6 km
- HE DPM machine · 336000 HE
- High fire pressure · 18.33 fires/min
- AP DPM machine · 488727 AP
- Thick end plates · 32 mm
- Thick bow plate · 32 mm
15.3 km main battery reach, bottom quartile of Legendary CAs. Outranged by peers; close distance or lean on terrain.
How to get Worcester
Worcester is the Legendary ship of the Fire-Starting Light Cruisers branch of the U.S.A. Tech Tree. It is not researched in the tree: it is obtained by completing its Research Bureau project. Acquisition path: Research Bureau.
While you save up, check active promo codes for free doubloons, camouflages, and other rewards.
Official WG availability sources
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May Update: Things Are Heating Up!
Bureau project
Start: 2021-05-13
- Kléber and Worcester in the Bureau
- Both Projects are similar in structure to previous Legendary entries and we do not plan to deprecate them in the foreseeable future.
Builds
Pair with a commander whose unique skill complements her main armament; check the build tool for current recommendations.
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
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Where Worcester sits among Legendary CAs (20 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.
See 20 mid-pack stats
Not standouts for Worcester -- 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.
Peers in this cohort
Compare Legendary CruisersStats & specs
Customize in the Build Tool →ƒ
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.ƒ
180° − 146° (the most restricted aft-facing mount's arc) = 34° off bow; 180° − 146° (the most restricted forward-facing mount's arc) = 34° 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.ƒ
In practice: the baseline curve for a standard cruiser -- at max range (15.3 km) shells land in an ellipse about 139 m wide and 83 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.ƒ
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the dispersion model:ƒ
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range:ƒ
50%-hit horizontal radius:ƒ
50%-hit vertical radius:ƒ
180 degrees / 25 deg/s traverse speed = 7.2 s.ƒ
Zero upgrades: 12 broadside guns x 60 / 4.714 s (4.6 s = 33 ticks) base reload = 152.7. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 12 broadside guns x 60 / 4.143 s (4.1 s = 29 ticks) all-upgrades reload (4.6 s × 0.9 Main Battery Mod. 3 = 4.1 s) = 173.8.HE shells
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30 mm = 152 mm caliber / 5.07 (non-standard HE penetration ratio).ƒ
2,200 HE damage x 12 broadside guns = 26,400.ƒ
Zero upgrades: 26,400 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4.714 s (4.6 s = 33 ticks) base reload = 336,000. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 26,400 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4.143 s (4.1 s = 29 ticks) all-upgrades reload (4.6 s × 0.9 Main Battery Mod. 3 = 4.1 s) = 382,345.ƒ
Zero upgrades: 152.7 shells/min × 0.12 (12% fire chance) = 18.33. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 173.8 shells/min × 0.12 (12% fire chance) = 20.86.AP shells
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floor(152 mm caliber / 14.3) = 10 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).ƒ
AP formula evaluated at muzzle velocity: .ƒ
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (15.3 km), where the shell has slowed to 340 m/s: .ƒ
3,200 AP damage x 12 broadside guns = 38,400.ƒ
Zero upgrades: 38,400 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4.714 s (4.6 s = 33 ticks) base reload = 488,727. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 38,400 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4.143 s (4.1 s = 29 ticks) all-upgrades reload (4.6 s × 0.9 Main Battery Mod. 3 = 4.1 s) = 556,138.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.ƒ
Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 5 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.ƒ
Effective 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 76 from dual-purpose main battery firing as AA in this range band.ƒ
Effective DPS: 157 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.9 hit probability = 495 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.ƒ
Far 76 + Medium 495 = 571ƒ
Effective DPS: 40 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.85 hit probability = 119 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.ƒ
Far 76 + Medium 495 + Near 119 = 690ƒ
Each ~2 s salvo fires 2 AA explosions in quick succession, each leaving 4 clouds ahead of the attacking squadron, plus 1 stray cloud farther out that appear off-beat between salvos - up to 9 clouds per salvo × 240 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.ƒ
Damage a plane takes for flying into one flak cloud, before any reductions.ƒ
Each cloud in the pattern rolls this chance to spawn, so salvos average fewer clouds than the maximum. Often called flak 'hit chance', but spawned clouds always damage planes that fly into them - the roll is on spawning.ƒ
A new flak salvo (the AA explosions above) fires roughly every 2 s.ƒ
Flak keeps firing while at least one main battery mount is operational - even losing every dedicated AA mount does not stop it.ƒ
The 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 6 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.ƒ
top speed / 4 + 4.9 = 33 / 4 + 4.9 = 13.2 kt. Base value; speed modifiers scale it.ƒ
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.ƒ
Speed below which the engine's built-in power boost applies in reverse.ƒ
Time to reach 90% of top speed (29.7 kt of 33.0 kt).ƒ
Time to reach 99% of top speed (32.7 kt of 33.0 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.ƒ
With the rudder hard over the hull turns 5.5°/s, so a target drifts across the bow at that rate. Turret traverse minus hull turn: 25 − 5.5 = +19.5°/s, so the guns hold the target through the turn. Main Battery Mod. 2 (+20% traverse) and Mod. 3 (−15%) move this line.ƒ
Base value, no camouflage. With a Grade IV permanent camo (or any disposable camo): 12.8 km x 0.955 = 12.22 km. Camouflage does not change detectability by air.ƒ
Detectability by sea 12.8 km x 0.955 (Grade IV permanent camo or any disposable camo) = 12.22 km.ƒ
max(main battery range, sea detectability 12.8 km) = 15.34 km. Equal to the ship's main battery range (never below base detectability): firing makes you visible to everyone you can reach.ƒ
Air detectability 7.68 km + gun-firing bloom 3.04 km = 10.72 km. The bloom tracks main-battery caliber 152 mm × 0.020 = 3.04 km.ƒ
Sea detectability 12.8 km + 2.0 km while burning = 14.8 km.ƒ
Air detectability 7.68 km + 3.0 km while burning = 10.68 km.
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 60 s reload · 5 s active
Sonar2 charges · 180 s reload · 96 s active · 4.44 km ship detect ƒ
Derived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000):ƒ
Derived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000):
Defensive AA Fire3 charges · 140 s reload · 25 s active · ×2 flak burst boost ƒ
Repeats the flak burst pattern ×2 within each salvo - more clouds in the air over the salvo, at the same spots.
Surveillance Radar2 charges · 120 s reload · 30 s active · 9 km radar range ƒ
Derived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000):
Catapult Fighter4 charges · 80 s reload · 70 s active · 5 km patrol radius ƒ
Derived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000):
Repair Party2 charges · 80 s reload · 28 s active · 6,356 HP (14% of max HP) total heal (per charge) ƒ
0.005 of max HP per second (0.5%) × 28 s effective active time = 0.14 of max HP × 45,400 HP = 6,356 HP: up to 14% of max HP restored per charge.ƒ
0.14 of max HP per charge × 2 charges = 0.28 × 45,400 HP = 12,712 HP: up to 28% of max HP if the whole Repair Party loadout is used.ƒ
0.005 (0.5% of max HP) × 45,400 HP = 227 HP/s. WoWS heals a flat percent of MAX HP each second, so this rate holds at any health level.
Under the hood
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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
The standard cruiser dispersion curve.(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.(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.(500 × (8 − 1.1) / 1000 + 1.1) × 30 = 136.5 m. Horizontal scatter at a fixed 15 km, from the same dispersion model - the long-range anchor. Only shown when the ship's guns reach 15 km.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: at 0 m, at m, and at 15339 m. Below the kink: , so .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: at 0 m, at m, and at 15339 m. Above the kink: , so .How tall the scatter ellipse is at a fixed 15 km, from the same model. Only shown when the ship's guns reach 15 km. The height/width ratio is a piecewise-linear curve through three points from the ship's own dispersion data: at 0 m, at m, and at 15339 m. Above the kink: , so .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 , where 563.2 m/s is the shell's speed when it arrives at 5 km (from 762 m/s at the muzzle). Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.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 , where 424.8 m/s is the shell's speed when it arrives at 10 km (from 762 m/s at the muzzle). Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.AP penetration at a fixed 15 km, from the same ballistic curve as AP Pen Close/Far: the shell's impact velocity at that range fed through the AP formula , where 344.1 m/s is the shell's speed when it arrives at 15 km (from 762 m/s at the muzzle). Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.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, , where is air density from a standard-atmosphere profile and bundles the shell's drag coefficient, caliber and mass: . That runs from a 762 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.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, , where is air density from a standard-atmosphere profile and bundles the shell's drag coefficient, caliber and mass: . That runs from a 812 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.6 mounts × 2 barrels = 12; all 12 bear on the broadside.Model inputs
Armor-penetration constant of the AP shell; penetration scales straight with it, so a 10% higher Krupp is 10% more penetration at every range.Enters penetration as mass^0.69 and slows the shell's drag deceleration, so a heavier shell keeps more velocity at range.Air drag on the AP shell in flight; lower keeps velocity, and with it penetration, at long range.Starting speed of the AP shell; penetration scales with velocity^1.38.Starting speed of the HE shell; sets its flight time and lead.Horizontal dispersion growth per idealDistance of range, in 30 m units; the slope of the scatter-width line.Horizontal dispersion at zero range, in 30 m units; the intercept of the scatter-width line.Range step over which horizontal dispersion grows by idealRadius.Inside this range the scatter width tapers toward minRadius instead of following the line.Vertical scatter as a share of horizontal at zero range.Vertical scatter as a share of horizontal at the delim point.Vertical scatter as a share of horizontal at maximum range.Where the vertical-scatter curve bends, as a share of maximum range.AA defense
Only families that reach 6 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: 3in50 Twin Mark 33 11x2 -> 418 DPS @ 5 km; 3in50 MK34 Radar 2x1 -> 76 DPS @ 5 km; 20mm Oerlikon MK20 Twin12 12x2 -> 119 DPS @ 2 km; Far AA (?) -> 76 DPS @ 6 km.@ 6 km: 76 from one family; @ 5 km: 418 + 76 + 76 = 570; @ 2 km: 418 + 76 + 119 + 76 = 689. 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.418 + 76 + 119 + 76 = 689 DPS: the sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (2 km).418 × 5 + 76 × 5 + 119 × 2 + 76 × 6 = 3164. 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.Ship Charts
Background
Designed as an AA cruiser with dual-purpose 152 mm guns. Though classified as light cruisers, ships of this class had increased displacement and dimensions, compared with the Baltimore-class heavy cruisers. The main twin turrets were equipped with advanced autoloaders, substantially increasing the rate of fire.
Armor Beta
Hull HP 45,400, distributed across 5 hull zones, each with its own plate thicknesses, saturation cap, and pen thresholds.
Overmatched by 7 AP guns here: Incomparable SE 25IncomparableYamato and 4 more. Angling still helps against the rest.
AP can citadel a flat broadside even at range. Stay angled and avoid showing the full side.
Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 40%, fires burn 30s. Range-by-range in the Compare tool →
| Section | Plates | HP cap | Threats | Tactic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bow | 32 mm primary (range 32–40 mm) | 1,400 (3% of HP) | Overmatched by 460mm+ AP (Aki, Musashi)Angle bounces 410mm32 mm: HE pens from 203mm+ | Bow-tank fits behind this exterior plate. Saturation is FAST here; the cap is often only a few thousand HP. |
| Hull (midship) | 25 mm primary (range 6–102 mm) | 34,100 (75% of HP) | Overmatched by 380mm+ AP (Alsace, Bourgogne)Angle bounces 356mm25 mm: HE pens from 150mm+ | Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest. |
| Stern | 32 mm primary (range 6–102 mm) | 3,600 (8% of HP) | Overmatched by 460mm+ AP (Aki, Musashi)Angle bounces 410mm32 mm: HE pens from 203mm+ | Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation. |
| Citadel | 127 mm primary (range 25–127 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 | 16 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). |
| Turret (module, per magazine) | separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP | 22,700 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. |
| AA mount (76 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 | 13,600 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 Worcester. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.
Ministry of Balance: Anniversary Tune-Up
- Worcester: credit earnings increased by 2%.
Ministry of Balance: Italian Concerto
- Some ships have received updates to their armor models, but you shouldn’t notice any difference in gameplay: Worcester, Queen Elizabeth, AL Queen Elizabeth, Warspite.
February update: fortes fortuna adiuvat
- Main battery reload time decreased from 6 to 4.6 s.
- Fire-setting chances for HE shells increased from 10 to 12%.
- HE shell penetration increased from 25 to 30 mm*.
- Turning circle radius decreased from 750 to 740 m.
- Radar reload time decreased from 180 to 120 s.
- Shell grouping increased by 2.5%.
- *These represent raw penetration values, which must be greater than the armor you’re hitting by 1 mm to penetrate. This means that Worcester is now able to effectively penetrate 29 mm of armor with her HE shells.
Skins & permanent camouflages
Every custom exterior Worcester can equip.
DefaultThe ship’s standard exterior
DazzleDecorative
Battle-Hardened (Worcester)Permanent Camo- Stars and StripesStars and Stripes permanent camouflage for WorcesterStars and Stripes
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.
