World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Yahagi

Beta
HE fire-spam cruiserSustained HE and fires from range or island cover.
Playstyle
  • Sit 10-13 km from a contested cap where an island shadows you from the opposite battleship line
  • Avoid: Holding torpedoes for a perfect drop
Key characteristics
Long torps (12 km)2 sigma accuracyStrong AALobs over islandsVisible torps
Community Data

Yahagi Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Yahagi is a Tier IV Japanese IJN cruiser with the improved AP fuse: her AP shells arm at 60% of the standard armor threshold, so they citadel cruisers that would over-pen a normal CA round. Lean on AP into broadsides and short-angled cruisers - HE-spamming this hull leaves the cohort's best damage tool on the rack. Sonar (4.1 km on ships and 3 km on torpedoes, 90 s active, 180 s reload, long uptime) lights up DDs and torpedoes inside its bubble, which lets her contest the cap edge without taking the spotting cycle. AA (231 AA DPS at 3.5 km) is heavy enough to make her the team's air-defense anchor on top of the lead role; CV strikes route around her, not through.

Positioning

Sit 10-13 km from a contested cap where an island shadows you from the opposite battleship line. Hydro (4.1 km on ships, 3 km on torpedoes) lights up DDs and incoming torpedoes inside its bubble, so you can push the cap edge from cover without taking the spotting cycle; prefer cover positions over open-water flanks.

Potato Avoidance

Holding torpedoes for a perfect drop

The torps are a threat tool: putting them into a lane forces rotations even when they miss. Drops on probable lanes are worth more than waiting for a guaranteed broadside that never appears.

Signature Traits

Improved AP fuse (IJN cruiser)

AP arms at 60% of the standard armor threshold (vs 0.9 default). Lets your AP pen broadsiding cruisers that would over-pen a normal CA, citadel hunts the cohort can't pull off, shared by 4/21 T4 CAs.

Thick bow plate

30.0 mm bow, best of T4 CAs. Harder for same-tier guns to overmatch.

Top-tier AA

231.0 AA DPS, top decile of T4 CAs (median 156.0).

High-arc AP shells

41.8° impact angle at max range, top decile of T4 CAs. Lobs over island cover.

Visible torps

1.6 km torpedo detect, worst of T4 CAs. Easy to dodge if targets are looking.

Slow torp reload

120.0 s torpedo reload, worst of T4 CAs. Long wait between drops.

Acquisition

How to get Yahagi

Yahagi is a Premium ship and not available to unlock in the Tech Tree. Acquisition paths: Containers and Campaign. Container chances are shown as the listed odds of receiving this exact ship, dividing grouped ship-pool odds across the resolved ships and including nested container paths when a crate can drop another crate.

Best listed chance for this ship

  • Spectral Vault 2.0 0.178571% Tier IV Premium ship Event containers · Spectral Vault 2.0 · 1 of 14 ships
  • Santa Level 2 0.166667% Tier IV Premium ship Event containers · Santa Level 2 · 1 of 15 ships
  • Santa Level 1 0.078333% Tier IV Premium ship Event containers · Santa Level 1 · 2 paths combined · 1 of 15 ships
    Show 2 paths
    • Santa Level 10.053333%
    • Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 20.025%
Show all 7 containers (4 more)
  • Spectral Vault 1.0 0.073214% Tier IV Premium ship Event containers · Spectral Vault 1.0 · 2 paths combined · 1 of 14 ships
    Show 2 paths
    • Spectral Vault 1.00.057143%
    • Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.00.016071%
  • Secret Santa '22 0.055833% Premium Ship Event containers · Secret Santa '22 · 1 of 12 ships
  • Secret Santa '23 0.053333% Tier IV Premium ship Event containers · Secret Santa '23 · 1 of 15 ships
  • Mystic Box 0.05% Tier IV Premium ship Event containers · Mystic Box · 1 of 16 ships
Official WG availability sources
  • Big Mamie campaign breakdown Campaign Start: 2020-12-21 · End: 2021-01-31 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.
  • Official WoWS Legends container odds Containers Official container drop rows linked below include direct and nested effective ship odds.
Show direct source rows

Builds Beta

Build for reload, fire chance, rudder, concealment, torpedo utility, and survivability.

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Cohort position

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Where Yahagi sits among Tier IV CAs (21 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.

BestEnd plates30 mm (1 of 4 tied / 5/20) Top 10%Rudder shift6.7 s (2/21) Top 10%AA DPS231 (3/21) Top 10%AA threat732 (2/21) Top 10%Torpedo range12 km (2/20) Top 10%Torpedo damage17,233 (2/20) Top 25%Max speed35 kt (5/21) Top 25%HE shell damage2,600 (5/20) Top 25%HE fire chance13% (6/20) Top 25%Secondary DPM (per side)65,000 (3/15) Top 25%Displacement8,534 t (6/21) Top 25%Power-to-weight11.72 hp/t (5/21) Bottom 25%Traverse-to-turn ratio4.01 × (17/21) Bottom 25%AP DPM128,889 (17/21) Bottom 25%Main dispersion126.2 m (18/21) Bottom 25%HE alpha1,300 (13/15) Bottom 25%Citadel belt60 mm (17/20) Bottom 10%Acceleration11.6 s (20/21) WorstSecondary fire chance4% (1 of 3 tied) WorstSecondary HE pen13 mm (1 of 3 tied) WorstTorpedo reload120 s (20/20) WorstMax armor60 mm (1 of 2 tied)
See 21 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Yahagi -- 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 points25,700 HP(15/21) Concealment10.62 km(9/21) Air detection6.37 km(7/21) Main battery caliber152 mm(13/21) Main battery range13.51 km(12/21) Main battery reload8.1 s(10/21) Fires per minute5.78(9/20) HE DPM115,556(11/20) AP velocity850 m/s(14/21) HE velocity850 m/s(13/20) AP fuse timer0.03 s(12/21) AP arming threshold25 mm(9/21) Engine power100,000 hp(9/21) Turn-speed retention144.9 hp/m(7/21) AA range3.5 km(13/21) Torpedo speed60 kt(9/20) Deck armor25 mm(15/20) NormSigma2(19 of 21 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(19 of 21 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(19 of 21 tied at this value) NormSecondary range4 km(11 of 15 tied at this value)

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

Sonar 4.13 kmEngine BoostFighter
Survivability
Hit Points25,700
Displacement8,534 t
Armor range6–60 mm
Plate armor thicknesses6, 10, 13, 16, 20, 25, 30, 40, 55, 60 mm
Armor material/layer entries60
Fire resistance16.6%
Fire duration30 s
Torp Reduction0%
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.
12,900
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.
7,700
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 152 mm/50 Type41
Mounts / barrels3 mounts / 6 barrels
Reload time9 s
Firing range13.5 km
Turret traverse6 °/s
Shell Grouping (σ)
ƒShell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.
2
Max Horiz Disp
ƒHorizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (13507/30·(8−1.1)/1000 + 1.1)·30 = 126.2 m
126.2 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 126.2 × 0.6 = 75.7 m
75.7 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 126.2 × 0.319 (σ=2) = 40.3 m
40.3 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 75.7 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 24.2 m
24.2 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 6 deg/s traverse speed = 30 s.
30 s
Base shells/min
ƒ6 broadside guns x 60 / 9 s base reload = 40.
40
HE shells
HE Damage2,600
HE Velocity850 m/s
Fire Chance13%
HE penetration
ƒ25 mm ≈ 152 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
25 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ2,600 HE damage x 6 broadside guns = 15,600.
15,600
Base HE DPM
ƒ15,600 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 9 s base reload = 104,000.
104,000
Base fires/min
ƒ6 HE shells x 60 / 9 s reload x 13% fire chance = 5.2.
5.2
AP shells
AP Damage2,900
AP Velocity850 m/s
Min Ricochet45 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg
Fuse Timer0.025 s
Fuse Threshold25 mm
Improved AP FuseYes
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(152 mm caliber / 14.3) = 10 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
10 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 × 1900 × 45.4^0.69 × 0.152^-1.07 × 850^1.38 = 218.9 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
218.9 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (16.9 km), where the shell has slowed to 278.4 m/s: 1e-7 × 1900 × 45.4^0.69 × 0.152^-1.07 × 278.4^1.38 = 46.9 mm.
46.9 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ2,900 AP damage x 6 broadside guns = 17,400.
17,400
Base AP DPM
ƒ17,400 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 9 s base reload = 116,000.
116,000
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.
15
Torpedoes
ModuleTorpedoes: 610 mm quadruple
Launchers / tubes2 launchers × 4 tubes = 8 tubes
Reload time120 s
Projectile speed60 kt
Range12 km
Maximum simulated damage15,933 (est.)
Alpha damage47,800
Torpedo detectability1.6 km
Torpedo launcher traverse25 °/s
Torp Turn7.2 s
Torp Arming463 m
Per-side salvo damage
ƒper-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.
63,732
AA Defense
AA mount points28
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (65×3.5×0.85) + (12×3.5×0.9) = 231. 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.
231
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
3.5 km
25 mm Type96 mod. 110×3 25mm
25 mm/60 Type96 mod. 118×1 25mm
76 mm/60 Type98 (DP)2×2 76.2mm
Medium aura
DPS
ƒIncludes 12 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.
12
Range3.5 km
Near aura
DPS65
Range3.1 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒMedium 12 + Near 65 = 77
77
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts2
Firing range4.0 km
Shell Grouping (σ)1
Caliber76.2 mm
Reload time2.4 s
HE Damage1,300
Muzzle Velocity920 m/s
Fire Chance4%
Armor Pen13 mm
Min Ricochet91°
Max Ricochet60°
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 @ 4 km
ƒ4 km × 57 + 30 = 258 m.
258 m
Maneuverability
Engine moduleEngine: 100,000 hp
Engine power100,000 hp
Maximum speed35 kt
Turning circle radius690 m
Engine power multiplier speed threshold7 kt
Traverse-to-turn ratio4.0× drags
Concealment
Detectability by sea10.62 km
Detectability by air6.37 km
Smoke firing penalty4.82 km
Detect after firing main guns10.62 km
Detect Fire Sea12.62 km
Detect Fire Air9.37 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 60 s reload · 5 s active
Sonar2 charges · 180 s reload · 90 s active · 4.13 km ship detect · 2.97 km torpedo detect
Catapult Fighter2 charges · 60 s reload · 55 s active · 5.56 km patrol radius · 1 squadron size
Engine Boost2 charges · 180 s reload · 120 s active · +8% speed bonus
Module options (1)

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

HullUpgrade
  • Turret traverse6 → 10 °/s

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 Disp126.2 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (13507/30·(8−1.1)/1000 + 1.1)·30 = 126.2 m
Max Vert Disp75.7 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 126.2 × 0.6 = 75.7 m
Med Horiz Disp40.3 m
50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 126.2 × 0.319 (σ=2) = 40.3 m
Med Vert Disp24.2 m
50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 75.7 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 24.2 m
AP Pen Close218.9 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 × 1900 × 45.4^0.69 × 0.152^-1.07 × 850^1.38 = 218.9 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far46.9 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (16.9 km), where the shell has slowed to 278.4 m/s: 1e-7 × 1900 × 45.4^0.69 × 0.152^-1.07 × 278.4^1.38 = 46.9 mm.
HE penetration25 mm
25 mm ≈ 152 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
AP overmatch10 mm
floor(152 mm caliber / 14.3) = 10 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
AP AOE Radius15
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 time30 s
180 degrees / 6 deg/s traverse speed = 30 s.
HE full-salvo alpha15,600
2,600 HE damage x 6 broadside guns = 15,600.
AP full-salvo alpha17,400
2,900 AP damage x 6 broadside guns = 17,400.
Base HE DPM104,000
15,600 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 9 s base reload = 104,000.
Base AP DPM116,000
17,400 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 9 s base reload = 116,000.
Base shells/min40
6 broadside guns x 60 / 9 s base reload = 40.
Base fires/min5.2
6 HE shells x 60 / 9 s reload x 13% fire chance = 5.2.

Torpedoes

Torpedo detectability1.6 km
Estimated torpedo reaction time10.3 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 count8
2 launchers x 4 tubes.
Per-side salvo4 torpedoes
tube count / 2 (symmetric port/starboard launcher layout; common on cruisers and battleships with deck torpedoes).
Full-salvo damage127,464
tube count x per-torpedo simulated damage (all torpedoes hitting).
Per-side salvo damage63,732
per-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS231
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (65×3.5×0.85) + (12×3.5×0.9) = 231. 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 range3.5 km
Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
AA threat index732
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 range3.1 km

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 @ 4 km258 m
4 km × 57 + 30 = 258 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)65,000
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 76.2 mm (2/side) × 60/2.4 × 1300 = 65,000. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).
Max HE alpha1300
Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1300 from the 76.2 mm family.
Max HE fire chance4%
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
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.

Armor

Hull HP 25,700, 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
Bow30 mm primary (range 6–55 mm)2,400 (9% of HP)
Overmatch not possible at T VAngle bounces 410mm30 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)16 mm primary (range 16–25 mm)19,300 (75% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ (Nassau, Von Der Tann)Angle bounces 203mm16 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern30 mm primary (range 6–30 mm)1,400 (5% of HP)
Overmatch not possible at T VAngle bounces 410mm30 mm: HE pens from 203mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel60 mm primary (range 16–60 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).
Superstructure10 mm primary (range 10–40 mm)1,200 (5% 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 HP12,900 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 (76.2 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 (25 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 HP7,700 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.
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

  • Yahagi default exterior
    DefaultThe ship’s standard exterior

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