GamingDiver / WoWs Legends Ships / Yamato

World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Yamato

Also called: 大和 Beta

Japan · Tier ★ · Battleship · Premium

Sniper battleshipLong-range guns citadel broadsides from a backline peers cannot match.

Playstyle

Sit 14-17 km from the brawl line and bow toward the closest threat
Avoid: Pushing the brawl line to chase a kill

Key characteristics

460 mm AP overmatchHeavy AP pen2.1 sigma accuracy17.7 km gun rangeWide always-pen zoneSlow

On this page

Community stats
Playstyle
How to get Yamato
Builds
Cohort position
Stats and specs
Charts
Historical context
Armor
Balance history
Exteriors

Community Data

Yamato Community Stats

Across 55,000+ Standard battles from 400+ players, Yamato averages a 58% win rate, 105,000 damage and 1.1 kills per battle, and survives 39% of them.

Community Data

Yamato Community Stats

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

Playstyle

Overview

Yamato is a Legendary Japanese sniper battleship (17.7 km): the long main battery reach lets her land AP citadels from positions where peer BBs have to push to engage. HE pen sits at the 1/4 caliber ratio instead of the standard 1/6, so HE spam is a real damage option here. Standout traits: AP overmatch threshold in Legendary BBs (32.1 mm, 4th of 23) and best sigma in Legendary BBs (2.1, 2nd of 23). The trade is shallow effective HP in Legendary BBs (115,200, 21st of 23).

Positioning

Sit 14-17 km from the brawl line and bow toward the closest threat. The heavy bow plate holds an angle indefinitely against same-tier guns, which is what protects the citadel; the citadel sides do not survive a broadside trade even at long range. Rotate one map cell back if a flank starts to collapse rather than holding the angle, and keep bow on between salvos. Her handling reads as a contradiction and is not one: 19.2 s on the rudder means she starts turning late, while a 900 m circle means she comes around inside most of her cohort once she does. Decide a beat early and the turn itself will not let you down.

Potato Avoidance

Pushing the brawl line to chase a kill

The kit pays out at range; every map cell you push forward is one your sniper advantage shrinks, and you stop trading better than the peer BBs you out-range.

Signature Traits

ELITE MAIN BATTERY ↗

Big-caliber AP overmatch · 32.1 mm
Tight grouping
Close-range AP brick · 931.3 mm
Long-range AP brick · 613.81 mm
Long gun range · 17.7 km

ELITE ARMOR ↗

Thickest plate · 560 mm
Strong torpedo belt · 55%

Shallow effective HP ↗

115200 effective HP once Repair Party is counted, bottom quartile of Legendary BBs. What you start with is close to all you get; there is little healing back.

Stiff AP fuse ↗

77 mm AP arming threshold, bottom decile of Legendary BBs. Over-pens thin plates; the trade-off pays off when most targets are battleship belt armor.

Acquisition

How to get Yamato

Yamato is the Legendary ship of the Outranging Battleships branch of the Japan Tech Tree. It is not researched in the tree: it is obtained by completing its Research Bureau project. Acquisition path: Research Bureau. 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.

Research BureauComplete the Yamato Research Bureau project, which follows the Outranging Battleships line.
ContainersAppears in official container odds below; availability depends on the container being sold or awarded.

While you save up, check active promo codes for free doubloons, camouflages, and other rewards.

Best listed chance for this ship

Sabaton crate 0.1% ⭐ Yamato Collaboration · Sabaton crate

Official WG availability sources

Sabaton x Legends: Famous Band Now in the Game! Crates Start: 2026-03-27
- You can find the new content in a special Sabaton crate, which also has a small chance of dropping battleship Yamato!
Update: May 2020 Bureau project Start: 2020-05-14
- While you’ll be able to start researching the Legendary ships in this Update, it won’t be possible to complete that research before the next one rolls out.
- The first batch of ships includes Yamato, Großer Kurfürst, and Alaska.

Show direct source rows

Sabaton crate 0.1% · ⭐ Yamato

Want the full picture? Each container page charts the odds as you open more crates - including ~~pity~~ guaranteed-reward timers and, for GD Supporters, pack math personalized to your port.

Builds

Pair with a commander whose unique skill complements her main armament; check the build tool for current recommendations.

Isoroku Yamamoto

Shell precision

InspirationsNobutake Kondō · Tōgō Heihachirō

Kondo's Covert trait cuts Yamato's detectability and Togo's Good Consumer trait shortens every consumable cooldown. Land shells where they hurt and let raw caliber do the rest. Yamamoto's own tree is built for cruisers.

Nobutake Kondō

Armored sniper

InspirationsIsoroku Yamamoto · Tamon Yamaguchi

Kondo's tree carries the battleship survival skills, and his Covert trait cuts detectability so you choose when to be seen. Angle tightly, trade HP efficiently, and let her massive 460s punish anyone who peeks.

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 Yamato sits among Legendary BBs (22 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.

BestSigma2.1 (1 of 3 tied) BestSecondary HE alpha2,600 (1 of 3 tied) BestAP ricochet start50° (1 of 3 tied) BestAP auto-bounce angle65° (1 of 3 tied) BestAP pen at 10 km738 mm (1/23) BestMax armor560 mm (1 of 3 tied) Top 10%Secondary fire chance10% (3/21) Top 25%Turning circle900 m (4/23) Top 25%Main battery caliber460 mm (4/23) Top 25%Main battery range17.7 km (4/23) Top 25%HE shell damage7,300 (5/22) Top 25%Secondary DPM (per side)291,000 (6/23) Bottom 25%Max speed27 kt (20/23) Bottom 25%Rudder shift19.2 s (19/23) Bottom 25%Fires per minute6.3 (19/22) Bottom 25%Acceleration (0-12 kt)15 s (20/23) Bottom 25%AP arming threshold77 mm (20/23) Bottom 25%Engine power150,000 hp (20/23) Bottom 25%Power-to-weight2.06 hp/t (20/23) WorstNo torpedoes (17 of 23 in cohort) WorstRepair charges2 (1 of 8 tied)

See 28 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Yamato -- 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 points90,000 HP(11/23) Concealment16.07 km(16/23) Smoke fire bloom15.97 km(18/23) Air detection12.86 km(17/23) Main battery reload30 s(15/23) HE fire chance35%(16/22) HE DPM131,400(10/22) AP shell damage14,800(10/23) AP DPM266,400(15/23) Main dispersion211.4 m(13/23) Secondary HE pen26 mm(7/21) AP velocity780 m/s(11/23) HE velocity805 m/s(12/22) Time to 90% speed35.1 s(11/23) Power / turn radius166.7 hp/m(15/23) Displacement72,800 t(17/23) Effective HE DPM (incl. fire)183,042(13/22) AA DPS669(11/23) AA range5 km(17/23) AA threat2,252(15/23) Flak damage per salvo (expected)1,725(18/23) Citadel belt410 mm(7/23) NormSecondary dispersion bracket57(16 of 23 tied at this value) NormAP fuse timer0.033 s(20 of 23 tied at this value) NormSecondary range5 km(13 of 23 tied at this value) NormRepair heal rate0.5 %/s(15 of 23 tied at this value) NormBow armor32 mm(18 of 23 tied at this value) NormStern armor32 mm(18 of 23 tied at this value)

Peers in this cohort

Compare Legendary Battleships

Show all 22 peers

Stats & specs

Customize in the Build Tool →

Survivability

Hit Points90,000

Displacement72,800 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.

263 x 38.9 m

Armor range16–560 mm

Plate armor thicknesses16, 19, 25, 32, 50, 57, 75, 80, 100, 135, 140, 200, 230, 270, 290, 340, 350, 370, 410, 500, 560 mm

Armor material/layer entries71

Fire resistance

top hull: 1 − 0.6004 fire coefficient = 40%. 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.

40%

Fire duration60 s

Fire damage

One unattended fire: 0.003 of max HP per second (0.3%) × 60 s = 0.18 of the pool; 0.18 × 90,000 HP = 16,200 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: 0.005 of max HP per second (0.5%) × 40 s = 0.2 of the pool; 0.2 × 90,000 HP = 18,000 HP on this ship.

0.5% of HP per second

Torp Reduction

1 − 0.15 hull torpedo-damage coefficient / 0.333 unprotected baseline = 55%. Reduces torpedo hit damage. It does not affect flooding: floods start as often and tick at the full rate.

55%

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.

48,600

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.

27,000

Effective HP

Base 90,000 HP plus everything Repair Party can restore: 0.005 of max HP per second (0.5%) × 28 s × 90,000 HP = 12,600 HP per charge, × 2 charges = 25,200 HP. Ceiling, not a prediction: a charge only restores damage actually taken, and only the regeneratable share of it. In practice ships realize about half of this, mostly because half the charges go unspent; a charge that is used returns about 97% of the per-charge figure above.

100,000–115,200

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 × 7,200 = 14,400), 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.

7,200

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 × 8,700 = 17,400), 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.

8,700

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 × 67,500 = 135,000), 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.

67,500

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 × 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 ×. 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.

3,400

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 × 7,600 = 15,200), 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.

7,600

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: 460 mm Type94

Mounts / barrels3 mounts / 9 barrels

Reload time30 s

Firing range17.7 km

Turret traverse4 °/s

Turret armor650 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.

2x ±150°, ±148°

Guns to bear

180° − 148° (the most restricted aft-facing mount's arc) = 32° off bow; 180° − 150° (the most restricted forward-facing mount's arc) = 30° 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.

32° off bow / 30° off stern

See the firing-arcs diagram ↓

Shell Grouping (σ)2.1

Dispersion type

In practice: 11% tighter (better) horizontal dispersion and 19% more vertical spread at max range (17.7 km) than a standard battleship: about 211 m wide × 169 m tall, against 237 m × 142 m. Also on this curve (19): ARP Haruna, ARP Kirishima, ARP Musashi, Ashitaka, Daisen, Hizen, Hyūga, Hyūga W, Inamura, Ise, Ishizuchi, Iwami and 7 more.

Japanese battleship

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{17698}{30} \cdot \frac{10 - 2.8}{1000} + 2.8) \cdot 30 = 211.4 m

211.4 m at 17.7 km

Max Vert Disp

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range:

σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot radiusOnMax

= 211.4 \cdot 0.8 = 169.1 m

169.1 m at 17.7 km

Med Horiz Disp

50%-hit horizontal radius:

σ_{H, 50} = σ_{H} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}

= 211.4 \cdot \frac{0.6}{2.1} = 60.4 m

60.4 m at 17.7 km

Med Vert Disp

50%-hit vertical radius:

σ_{V, 50} = σ_{V} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}

= 169.1 \cdot \frac{0.6}{2.1} = 48.3 m

48.3 m at 17.7 km

Turret turn time

180 degrees / 4 deg/s traverse speed = 45 s.

45 s

Shells/min

Zero upgrades: 9 broadside guns x 60 / 30 s base reload = 18. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 9 broadside guns x 60 / 27 s all-upgrades reload (30 s × 0.9 Main Battery Mod. 3 = 27 s) = 20.

Initial: 18 → 20

HE shells

HE alpha7,300

HE Velocity805 m/s

Fire Chance35%

HE fire DPM vs T8 BB51642

Effective HE DPM vs T8 BB183042

HE penetration

115 mm ≈ 460 mm caliber / 4 (improved HE penetration: German BBs, Yamato-class, and a handful of others).

115 mm

HE full-salvo alpha

7,300 HE damage x 9 broadside guns = 65,700.

65,700

HE DPM

Zero upgrades: 65,700 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 131,400. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 65,700 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 27 s all-upgrades reload (30 s × 0.9 Main Battery Mod. 3 = 27 s) = 146,000.

Initial: 131,400 → 146,000

Fires/min

Zero upgrades: 18 shells/min × 0.35 (35% fire chance) = 6.3. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 20 shells/min × 0.35 (35% fire chance) = 7.

Initial: 6.3 → 7

AP shells

AP alpha14,800

AP Velocity780 m/s

Min Ricochet50 deg

Guaranteed Ricochet65 deg

Fuse Timer0.033 s

Fuse Threshold77 mm

AP pen max range614 mm

AP overmatch

floor(460 mm caliber / 14.3) = 32 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

32 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 2831 \cdot 1460^{0.69} \cdot {0.46}^{- 1.07} \cdot 780^{1.38} = 971.1 mm

971.1 mm point-blank

AP Pen Far

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (17.7 km), where the shell has slowed to 559.3 m/s:

P = 10^{- 7} \cdot 2831 \cdot 1460^{0.69} \cdot {0.46}^{- 1.07} \cdot {559.3}^{1.38} = 613.7 mm

613.7 mm at 17.7 km

AP full-salvo alpha

14,800 AP damage x 9 broadside guns = 133,200.

133,200

AP DPM

Zero upgrades: 133,200 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 266,400. All upgrades (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10% reload): 133,200 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 27 s all-upgrades reload (30 s × 0.9 Main Battery Mod. 3 = 27 s) = 296,000.

Initial: 266,400 → 296,000

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.

400

AA Defense

AA mount points60

Maximum AA range

Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 3.1 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.

5 km

25 mm/60 Type96 mod. 16×1 25mm

25 mm Type96 mod. 216×3 25mm

25 mm Type96 mod. 28×3 25mm

25 mm Type96 mod. 128×3 25mm

13 mm Type932×2 13mm

127 mm Type89 mod. 3 (DP)

Dual-purpose: your secondaries doing double duty against aircraft. The same mounts appear on the Secondary Battery card - shared guns, not extra hardware.

6×2 127mm

127 mm Type89 mod. 3 (DP)

Dual-purpose: your secondaries doing double duty against aircraft. The same mounts appear on the Secondary Battery card - shared guns, not extra hardware.

6×2 127mm

Guns127 mm Type89 mod. 3 (DP)

Continuous DPS

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 105 from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.

105

Range5 km

Guns25 mm Type96 mod. 1 + 25 mm Type96 mod. 2 + 25 mm/60 Type96 mod. 1

Continuous DPS

Effective DPS: 185 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.85 hit probability = 550 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.

550

Range3.1 km

Total DPS in Aura

Far 105 + Outer Near 550 = 655

655

Guns13 mm Type93

Continuous DPS

Effective DPS: 4 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.85 hit probability = 12 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.

Range1.2 km

Total DPS in Aura

Far 105 + Outer Near 550 + Inner Near 12 = 667

667

AA explosions

Each ~2 s salvo fires 2 AA explosions in quick succession, each leaving 4 clouds ahead of the attacking squadron, plus 2 stray clouds farther out that appear off-beat between salvos - up to 10 clouds per salvo × 230 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.

2 per salvo, 4 clouds each + 2 outer clouds

Cloud damage

Damage a plane takes for flying into one flak cloud, before any reductions.

230

Cloud spawn chance

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.

75%

Salvo interval

A new flak salvo (the AA explosions above) fires roughly every 2 s.

every ~2 s

Fired by

Flak keeps firing while at least one secondary battery mount is operational - even losing every dedicated AA mount does not stop it.

Secondary battery

Flak zone

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 5 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.

2.5-5 km

See the AA layers diagram ↓

Secondary Battery

Mounts14

Firing range5.0 km

Shell Grouping (σ)1

Total secondary fires/min (per side)

Sum of each gun family's fires/min (per side): 9.6 + 1.5 = 11.1. 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.

11.1

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: 12×2 127 mm (12/side) × 60/6 s × 2100 = 252,000 + 2×3 155 mm (3/side) × 60/12 s × 2600 = 39,000. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).

291,000

Secondary fire DPM vs T8 BB (per side)

Fires/min (per side) 11.1 × (1 − 0.4 fire resistance) × 60 s × 0.003 of max HP per second × 75,900 HP = 90,989. 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.

90,989

Total secondary DPM vs T8 BB (per side)

Secondary DPM (per side) 291,000 + secondary fire DPM 90,989 = 381,989: shell damage plus fire damage against one T8 battleship, every shell hitting.

381,989

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 @ 5 km

5 km × 57 + 30 = 315 m.

315 m

Caliber127 mm

Reload time6 s

HE alpha2,100

Muzzle Velocity725 m/s

Fire Chance8%

Secondary fires/min (per side)

12×2 barrels / 2 sides × 60 / 6 s × 0.08 (8% fire chance) = 9.6. 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.

9.6

HE Pen21 mm

Show 1 more gun family

Caliber155 mm

Reload time12 s

HE alpha2,600

Muzzle Velocity925 m/s

Fire Chance10%

Secondary fires/min (per side)

2×3 barrels / 2 sides × 60 / 12 s × 0.1 (10% fire chance) = 1.5. 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.

1.5

HE Pen26 mm

Maneuverability

Engine power150,000 hp

Maximum speed27.0 kt

Turning circle radius900 m

Rudder shift time19.2 s

Engine power-boost threshold7.0 kt

Engine spool-up time23 s

Reverse spool-up time11.5 s

Reverse speed

top speed / 4 + 4.9 = 27 / 4 + 4.9 = 11.7 kt. Base value; speed modifiers scale it.

11.7 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.

47.9 s

Engine boost threshold (reverse)

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

9.4 kt

Acceleration 0-90%

Time to reach 90% of top speed (24.3 kt of 27.0 kt).

35.1 s

Acceleration 0-99%

Time to reach 99% of top speed (26.7 kt of 27.0 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.

56 s

Guns in a full turn

With the rudder hard over the hull turns 3.3°/s, so a target drifts across the bow at that rate. Turret traverse minus hull turn: 4 − 3.3 = +0.7°/s, so the guns hold the target through the turn. Main Battery Mod. 2 (+20% traverse) and Mod. 3 (−15%) move this line.

hold target (+0.7°/s spare)

See the full acceleration curve ↓

Concealment

Detectability by sea

Base value, no camouflage. With a Grade IV permanent camo (or any disposable camo): 16.07 km x 0.955 = 15.35 km. Camouflage does not change detectability by air.

16.07 km

With Grade IV camouflage (sea)

Detectability by sea 16.07 km x 0.955 (Grade IV permanent camo or any disposable camo) = 15.35 km.

15.35 km

Detectability by air12.86 km

Smoke firing penalty15.97 km

Detect when firing (sea)

max(main battery range, sea detectability 16.07 km) = 17.7 km. Equal to the ship's main battery range (never below base detectability): firing makes you visible to everyone you can reach.

17.7 km

Detect when firing (air)

Air detectability 12.86 km + gun-firing bloom 9.2 km = 22.06 km. The bloom tracks main-battery caliber 460 mm × 0.020 = 9.2 km.

22.06 km

Detect when on fire (sea)

Sea detectability 16.07 km + 2.0 km while burning = 18.07 km.

18.07 km

Detect when on fire (air)

Air detectability 12.86 km + 3.0 km while burning = 15.86 km.

15.86 km

Guaranteed Detect2 km

✦

Consumables

Damage Control Party∞ charges · 80 s reload · 8 s active

Repair Party2 charges · 80 s reload · 28 s active · 12,600 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 × 90,000 HP = 12,600 HP: up to 14% of max HP restored per charge.
· 25,200 HP (28% of max HP) total heal (all charges)
ƒ
0.14 of max HP per charge × 2 charges = 0.28 × 90,000 HP = 25,200 HP: up to 28% of max HP if the whole Repair Party loadout is used.
· 450 HP/s (0.5% of max HP) heal per second
ƒ
0.005 (0.5% of max HP) × 90,000 HP = 450 HP/s. WoWS heals a flat percent of MAX HP each second, so this rate holds at any health level.

Choose one

Catapult Fighter4 charges · 80 s reload · 60 s active · 5 km patrol radius
ƒ
Derived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): $\frac{167 \times 30}{1000} = 5 km$
· 1 squadron size

Observation Seaplane4 charges · 200 s reload · 30 s active · 1 squadron size · Tightens main-battery shell grouping

Enhanced Secondary Targeting3 charges · 160 s reload · 30 s active · +100% grouping · -50% dispersion

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 BB11% tighter H · 19% taller V

H = horizontal, V = vertical spread. This ship's curve against the standard battleship curve, both evaluated at this ship's max range (17.7 km) with the same model as Max Horiz/Vert Disp: horizontal 211 / 237 m − 1 = -11%, vertical 169 / 142 m − 1 = +19%. Shell grouping (σ) is separate: it sets how shells bunch toward the centre of this ellipse.

Shell scatter width @ 5 km120 m

(166.7 × (10 − 2.8) / 1000 + 2.8) × 30 = 120 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 km156 m

(333.3 × (10 − 2.8) / 1000 + 2.8) × 30 = 156 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 width @ 15 km192 m

(500 × (10 − 2.8) / 1000 + 2.8) × 30 = 192 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.

Shell scatter height @ 5 km51.1 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,  $radiusOnDelim = 0.6$  at  $delim \cdot R_{m a x} = 0.5 \cdot 17698 = 8849$  m, and  $radiusOnMax = 0.8$  at 17698 m. Below the kink:  $k = 0.2 + (0.6 - 0.2) \cdot \frac{5000}{8849} = 0.426$ , so  $σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot k = 120 \cdot 0.426 = 51.1 m$ .

Shell scatter height @ 10 km97.7 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,  $radiusOnDelim = 0.6$  at  $delim \cdot R_{m a x} = 0.5 \cdot 17698 = 8849$  m, and  $radiusOnMax = 0.8$  at 17698 m. Above the kink:  $k = 0.6 + (0.8 - 0.6) \cdot \frac{10000 - 8849}{17698 - 8849} = 0.626$ , so  $σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot k = 156 \cdot 0.626 = 97.7 m$ .

Shell scatter height @ 15 km141.9 m

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:  $radiusOnZero = 0.2$  at 0 m,  $radiusOnDelim = 0.6$  at  $delim \cdot R_{m a x} = 0.5 \cdot 17698 = 8849$  m, and  $radiusOnMax = 0.8$  at 17698 m. Above the kink:  $k = 0.6 + (0.8 - 0.6) \cdot \frac{15000 - 8849}{17698 - 8849} = 0.739$ , so  $σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot k = 192 \cdot 0.739 = 141.9 m$ .

AP pen 5 km844 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  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v^{1.38}$   $= 10^{- 7} \cdot 2831 \cdot 1460^{0.69} \cdot {0.46}^{- 1.07} \cdot {704.7}^{1.38} = 844 mm$ , where 704.7 m/s is the shell's speed when it arrives at 5 km (from 780 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 km738 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  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v^{1.38}$   $= 10^{- 7} \cdot 2831 \cdot 1460^{0.69} \cdot {0.46}^{- 1.07} \cdot 639^{1.38} = 738 mm$ , where 639 m/s is the shell's speed when it arrives at 10 km (from 780 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 15 km651 mm

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  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v^{1.38}$   $= 10^{- 7} \cdot 2831 \cdot 1460^{0.69} \cdot {0.46}^{- 1.07} \cdot {583.9}^{1.38} = 651 mm$ , where 583.9 m/s is the shell's speed when it arrives at 15 km (from 780 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 km5.15 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:  $k = \frac{π C_{d} d^{2}}{8 m} = \frac{π \cdot 0.292 \cdot {0.46}^{2}}{8 \cdot 1460} = 1.66 \times 10^{- 5}$ . That runs from a 780 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 km5.54 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:  $k = \frac{π C_{d} d^{2}}{8 m} = \frac{π \cdot 0.543 \cdot {0.46}^{2}}{8 \cdot 1360} = 3.32 \times 10^{- 5}$ . That runs from a 805 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.

Improved HE PenYes

This ship's HE shells use a 1/4 (~0.25) caliber-to-pen ratio instead of the standard 1/6 (~0.167) - 0.25 in this case. Lets HE pen ~115mm armor instead of ~76mm. Hits every German cruiser (150mm CL, 203mm CA) and BB (350mm+), British heavy cruisers / Lion / Nelson, a handful of other premiums.

Guns per full salvo (alpha, DPM)9

3 mounts × 3 barrels = 9; all 9 bear on the broadside.

Model inputs

Krupp (AP)2,831

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 mass1,460 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 coefficient0.292

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

AP muzzle velocity780 m/s

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

HE muzzle velocity805 m/s

Starting speed of the HE shell; sets its flight time and lead.

idealRadius10

Horizontal dispersion growth per idealDistance of range, in 30 m units; the slope of the scatter-width line.

minRadius2.8

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.

radiusOnDelim0.6

Vertical scatter as a share of horizontal at the delim point.

radiusOnMax0.8

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 range106

Only families that reach 5 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: 13mm76 Type93 double 2x2 -> 12 DPS @ 1.2 km; 25mm Type96 single 6x1 -> 57 DPS @ 3.1 km; 25mm Type96 Triple closed 16x3 -> 152 DPS @ 3.1 km; 25mm Type96 Triple 1945 closed 8x3 -> 76 DPS @ 3.1 km; 25mm Type96 light 28x3 -> 266 DPS @ 3.1 km; 127mm40 Type89 Mod A3 6x2 -> 53 DPS @ 5 km; 127mm40 Type 89 6x2 -> 53 DPS @ 5 km.

AA DPS layered by range106 DPS @ 5 km, 657 DPS @ 3.1 km, 669 DPS @ 1.2 km

@ 5 km: 53 + 53 = 106; @ 3.1 km: 57 + 152 + 76 + 266 + 53 + 53 = 657; @ 1.2 km: 12 + 57 + 152 + 76 + 266 + 53 + 53 = 669. 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-blank669

12 + 57 + 152 + 76 + 266 + 53 + 53 = 669 DPS: the sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (1.2 km).

AA threat index2252

12 × 1.2 + 57 × 3.1 + 152 × 3.1 + 76 × 3.1 + 266 × 3.1 + 53 × 5 + 53 × 5 = 2252. 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 firepower

Max HE alpha2600

max(2100 (127 mm), 2100 (127 mm), 2600 (155 mm)) = 2600. Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 2600 from the 155 mm family.

Max HE fire chance10%

max(8% (127 mm), 8% (127 mm), 10% (155 mm)) = 10%. Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 10% from the 155 mm family.

Max HE pen26 mm

max(21 mm (127 mm), 21 mm (127 mm), 26 mm (155 mm)) = 26 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: 26 mm from the 155 mm family.

Open in Charting Tool

Ship Charts

Historical context

The real Yamato that gave this ship her name. Facts cross-checked against the linked Wikipedia article.

Background

The biggest warship of World War II and the world's largest battleship. Yamato was designed around the idea that an individual ship could have superiority over any battleship of a potential enemy. Her main guns had overwhelming firepower. The ship maintained a very high level of survivability due to reliable armor and robust torpedo protection. Yamato's AA capabilities were highly efficient due to carrying numerous AA artillery guns.

ClassYamato-class battleship (largest battleships ever built)

OperatorImperial Japanese Navy

Era1941–1945

WarsWorld War II

BuilderKure Naval Arsenal

Launched8 August 1940

Commissioned16 December 1941

DeploymentsServed as Combined Fleet flagship for much of her career, but rarely committed to combat owing to fuel scarcity.

Notable engagements

Battle of the Philippine Sea (June 1944) - Present but saw no significant surface action.
Battle off Samar (25 October 1944) - Part of Center Force at Leyte Gulf; engaged US escort carriers and destroyers.
Operation Ten-Go (April 1945) - One-way sortie toward Okinawa intended to beach and fight as a shore battery.

Fate

Sunk 7 April 1945 roughly 200 km north of Okinawa during Operation Ten-Go. Attacked by ~380 US carrier aircraft from Task Force 58; hit by ~10+ torpedoes and ~7 bombs, capsized and the forward magazine detonated. Around 3,055 dead; 269 survivors.

Armor Beta

Hull HP 90,000, distributed across 5 hull zones, each with its own plate thicknesses, saturation cap, and pen thresholds.

Bow & stern32 mm

Overmatched by 7 AP guns here: Incomparable SE 25IncomparableYamato and 4 more. Angling still helps against the rest.

Belt / citadel410 mm

Citadels come from a flat broadside at close range; held past ~30° of angle, AP shatters or bounces.

Farming19 mm

Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 40%, fires burn 60s. Range-by-range in the Compare tool →

Section	Plates	HP cap	Threats	Tactic
Bow	32 mm primary (range 32–370 mm)	7,200 (8% 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)	32 mm primary (range 25–560 mm)	67,500 (75% of HP)	Overmatched by 460mm+ AP (Aki, Musashi)Angle bounces 410mm32 mm: HE pens from 203mm+	Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern	32 mm primary (range 25–560 mm)	7,600 (8% of HP)	Overmatched by 460mm+ AP (Aki, Musashi)Angle bounces 410mm32 mm: HE pens from 203mm+	Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel	410 mm primary (range 16–410 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	19 mm primary (range 19–50 mm)	3,400 (4% 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	48,600 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 (155 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 (25 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	27,000 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.

Streamer videos

Watch Yamato in live play

YouTube · Hitman Gaming Yamato Gameplay | World of Warships: Legends Watch gameplay ↗ YouTube · Soopa-Dave Gaming Yamato World Of Warships Legends Guide Watch gameplay ↗ YouTube · Spartan Elite43 Is Yamato Still Good In 2025 in World of Warships Legends? Watch gameplay ↗

Balance History

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

Nerf ×9Buff ×2Rework ×1Main Battery ×2

2025-11-27

Holiday Update: Christmas on the Waves

Main battery shell grouping increased by 16.6% (from 1.8 to 2.1 sigma).
Changed dispersion parameters from U.S.-style dispersion to Japanese-style dispersion curve.
Updated Yamato's HP saturation to post-Tier VIII standards with no change to total HP:
Bow HP reduced from 19,500 to 7,200.
Casemate HP reduced from 23,500 to 8,700.
Stern HP reduced from 20,750 to 7,600.
Hull HP reduced from 72,900 to 67,500.
Steering gear HP reduced from 29,200 to 27,000.
Superstructure HP reduced from 3,750 to 3,400.
Engine HP reduced from 97,200 to 90,000.
Armor update:
Thickness of several bowls on the aft section of the ship, around the secondary battery and catapults, increased from 19 mm to 32 mm. This change has almost no impact on gameplay.
Removed rings from the barbettes. This change doesn't affect gameplay.

Read the full official post

2021-08-26

September update: the Redinforcements

Shell grouping decreased by 5%, rotation speed of main guns decreased from 4.5 degrees per second to 4.

Read the full official post

Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

Every custom exterior Yamato can equip.

DefaultThe ship’s standard exterior
ARP YamatoArpeggio
Frozen YamatoDecorative
Yamato: Sabaton EditionDecorative
Battle-Hardened (Yamato)Permanent Camo
Golden Week (Yamato)Permanent Camo
Queen's DiamondStar Trek

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.

2022-04-22 · Official ship feature / stats Golden Week 2022 Official source 2023-04-24 · Official ship feature / stats Golden Week '23 Official source 2025-08-28 · Official ship feature / stats Sneak Peek: New Japanese Hybrid Battleships Official source 2020-05-14 · Patch notes Update: May 2020 Patch notes 2021-08-26 · Patch notes September update: the Redinforcements Patch notes 2021-12-16 · Patch notes Holiday Update: Chilling With the Beasts Patch notes

Yamato

Yamato Community Stats

Yamato Community Stats

Yamato Community Stats

Playstyle

Overview

Positioning

Potato Avoidance

Signature Traits →

How to get Yamato

Best listed chance for this ship

Builds

Isoroku Yamamoto

Nobutake Kondō

Cohort position

Peers in this cohort

Stats & specs

Under the hood

Main battery formulas

Model inputs

AA defense

Secondary battery firepower

Ship Charts

Historical context

Background

Notable engagements

Fate

Armor Beta

Watch Yamato in live play

Balance History

Holiday Update: Christmas on the Waves

September update: the Redinforcements

Skins & permanent camouflages

Primary official WG sources

Signature Traits