GamingDiver / WoWs Legends Ships / Z-23
World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Z-23

Beta
Germany · Tier VII · Destroyer · Tech Tree: Area-Control Destroyers
Torpedo destroyerSpot and strike with torps; trade guns only when ahead.
Playstyle
  • Hold concealment edges on the contested cap at 6.8 km detection
  • Avoid: Burning the 6.8 km concealment advantage on guns
Key characteristics
Torpedoes (10 km)Smoke + SonarEngine BoostShort gun range
Community Data

Z-23 Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Z-23 is a Tier VII German stealth-leaning destroyer with strong surface detection (6.8 km). The kit opens detection windows most peer DDs cannot match, so her value is contesting caps from concealment edges where the detection band holds. Standout traits: end-plate armor (20 mm).

Positioning

Hold concealment edges on the contested cap at 6.8 km detection. The band opens windows for unspotted torpedo drops and clean repositions; lean into the gaps your peer DDs cannot read, and back out before detection closes.

Potato Avoidance

Burning the 6.8 km concealment advantage on guns

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

Signature Traits

Tight dispersion

87.6 m max horizontal dispersion, top decile of T7 DDs. Accurate at range.

Bow-tanker

Bow plate thicker than the cohort overmatch threshold. Angle straight on and shrug off same-tier guns.

Heavy belt

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

Short gun range

10.64 km main battery reach, bottom decile of T7 DDs. Outranged by peers; close distance or lean on terrain.

Low HE DPM

100000 HE DPM, bottom decile of T7 DDs. Don't bank on burn pressure.

Acquisition

How to get Z-23

Z-23 is available in the Area-Control Destroyers branch of the Germany Tech Tree for 18,000,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 4,950,000 credits.

Show Germany tech-tree branch diagram
Germany Tech Tree

Z-23 sits in the Area-Control Destroyers branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full Germany tree.

8 ships in highlighted branch · scroll to inspect all Germany lines.
GermanyIIIIIIIVVVIVIIVIII★
Destroyer
Destroyer Split
Cruiser
Battleship
Battleship Split
Carrier
Tier VIIIF. SchultzPGSD209 Tier VIIIP. RupprechtPGSB209 Tier VIIG. J. MaerkerPGSD208 Tier VIIZietenPGSB208 Tier VIZ-31PGSD207 Tier VIP. HeinrichPGSB207 Tier VMackensenPGSB206 Tier IVDerfflingerPGSB205 Tier ★Z-52PGSD110 Tier ★Großer KurfürstPGSB110 Tier ★Manfred von RichthofenPGSA110 Tier VIIIZ-46PGSD109 Tier VIIIRoonPGSC109 Tier VIIIFriedrich der GroßePGSB109 Tier VIIZ-23PGSD108 Tier VIIHipperPGSC108 Tier VIIBismarckPGSB108 Tier VIIAugust von ParsevalPGSA108 Tier VIMaassPGSD107 Tier VIYorckPGSC107 Tier VIGneisenauPGSB107 Tier VGaedePGSD106 Tier VNürnbergPGSC106 Tier VBayernPGSB106 Tier VWeserPGSA106 Tier IVT-22PGSD105 Tier IVKönigsbergPGSC105 Tier IVKönigPGSB105 Tier IIIV-170PGSD104 Tier IIIKarlsruhePGSC104 Tier IIIKaiserPGSB104 Tier IIIRheinPGSA104 Tier IIKolbergPGSC103 Tier IIV-25PGSD102 Tier IDresdenPGSC002

Builds Beta

Build for concealment, survivability, main-battery reload, torpedo reload, and Sonar-backed cap control. Commander choices should keep both gun pressure and torpedo uptime relevant.

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Cohort position

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Where Z-23 sits among Tier VII DDs (30 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%Main dispersion87.6 m (3/30) Top 25%Hit points19,500 HP (7/30) Top 25%Stealth profile6.82 km / 3.41 km (7/30 / 7/30) Top 25%AP shell damage3,000 (5/28) Top 25%Torpedo reload81 s (5/29) Bottom 25%Rudder shift5.9 s (25/30) Bottom 25%Displacement3,660 t (25/30) Bottom 25%Torpedo damage14,400 (23/29) Bottom 10%Traverse-to-turn ratio4.99 × (29/30) Bottom 10%Main battery range10.64 km (29/30) Bottom 10%HE DPM100,000 (29/30) WorstFires per minute4 (1 of 3 tied)
See 24 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Z-23 -- 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 speed37 kt(12/30) Main battery caliber128 mm(13/30) Main battery reload3.6 s(11/30) HE fire chance6%(21/30) AP DPM200,000(13/28) AP velocity830 m/s(17/28) HE velocity830 m/s(20/30) Acceleration10 s(11/30) AP arming threshold21 mm(12/28) Engine power70,000 hp(9/30) Turn-speed retention102.9 hp/m(13/30) Power-to-weight19.13 hp/t(19/30) AA DPS191(13/30) AA range3.5 km(19/30) AA threat535(15/30) Torpedo range9.51 km(15/29) Torpedo speed66 kt(12/29) Max armor20 mm(17/30) Citadel belt20 mm(16/29) Bow armor20 mm(14/29) Stern armor20 mm(14/29) NormAP fuse timer0.01 s(23 of 28 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(23 of 28 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(23 of 28 tied at this value)

Stats & specs

Customize in the Build Tool →Shell ballistics chartMore tools in the WoWS Legends Data Lab

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

Sonar 4.93 kmSmokeEngine Boost
Survivability
Hit PointsInitial: 14,700 → 19,500
Displacement3,660 t
Armor range13–20 mm
Plate armor thicknesses13, 16, 19, 20 mm
Armor material/layer entries25
Fire resistanceInitial: 33.3% → 36.6%
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.
9,800
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.
5,900
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 150 mm L/48 Tbts KC/36
Mounts / barrels4 mounts / 4 barrels
Reload time4 s
Firing range (base)9.7 km
Firing range (top fire control)10.6 km
Turret traverse8 °/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 = (9675/30·(8−0.5)/1000 + 0.5)·30 = 87.6 m
87.6 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 87.6 × 0.6 = 52.5 m
52.5 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 87.6 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 28 m
28 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 52.5 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 16.8 m
16.8 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 8 deg/s traverse speed = 22.5 s.
22.5 s
Base shells/min
ƒ4 broadside guns x 60 / 4 s base reload = 60.
60
HE shells
HE Damage1,500 → 2,200
HE Velocity830 m/s → 835 m/s
Fire Chance6% → 12%
HE penetration
ƒIn-game data: 25 mm = 128 mm caliber / 5.12 (non-standard HE penetration ratio).
25 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ2,200 HE damage x 4 broadside guns = 8,800.
8,800
Base HE DPM
ƒ8,800 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4 s base reload = 132,000.
132,000
Installed HE DPM
ƒ8,800 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.6 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 146,667.
146,667
Base fires/min
ƒ4 HE shells x 60 / 4 s reload x 12% fire chance = 7.2.
7.2
AP shells
AP Damage3,000 → 3,700
AP Velocity830 m/s → 835 m/s
Min Ricochet45 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg
Fuse Timer0.01 s
Fuse Threshold21 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(128 mm caliber / 14.3) = 8 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
8 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 × 1933 × 45.3^0.69 × 0.15^-1.07 × 835^1.38 = 220 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
220 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (13.3 km), where the shell has slowed to 273.8 m/s: 1e-7 × 1933 × 45.3^0.69 × 0.15^-1.07 × 273.8^1.38 = 47.2 mm.
47.2 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ3,700 AP damage x 4 broadside guns = 14,800.
14,800
Base AP DPM
ƒ14,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4 s base reload = 222,000.
222,000
Installed AP DPM
ƒ14,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.6 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 246,667.
246,667
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: G7 Schildbutt
Launchers / tubes2 launchers × 4 tubes = 8 tubes
Reload time81 s
Projectile speed66 kt
Range9.51 km
Maximum simulated damage13,400 (est.)
Alpha damage40,200
Torpedo detectability1.4 km
Torpedo launcher traverse25 °/s
Torp Turn7.2 s
Torp Arming204 m
Per-side salvo damage
ƒper-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.
107,200
AA Defense
AA mount pointsInitial: 8 → 10
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (29×3.5×1) + (27×3.5×0.95) = 191. 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.
191
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
3.5 km
37 mm Flak LM/42Initial: 37 mm Flakzwilling 30 (2×2) → 37 mm Flak LM/42 (4×2)
20 mm Flakvierling 38 (upgraded hull only)4×4 20mm
20 mm Flakzwilling 38 (upgraded hull only)2×2 20mm
20 mm Flak 38 (stock hull only)6×1 20mm
Medium aura
DPSInitial: 5 → 29
Range3.5 km
Near aura
DPSInitial: 19 → 27
Range2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒMedium 29 + Near 27 = 56
56
Maneuverability
Engine moduleEngine: 70,000 hp
Engine power70,000 hp
Maximum speed37 kt
Turning circle radius680 m
Engine power multiplier speed threshold7 kt
Traverse-to-turn ratio5.0× drags
Concealment
Detectability by sea6.82 km
Detectability by air3.41 km
Smoke firing penalty2.54 km
Detect after firing main guns6.82 km
Detect Fire Sea8.82 km
Detect Fire Air6.41 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
✦
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 40 s reload · 5 s active
Smoke Generator2 charges · 240 s reload · 15 s emit / 69 s cloud active
Engine Boost2 charges · 180 s reload · 120 s active · +8% speed bonus
Sonar2 charges · 180 s reload · 96 s active · 4.93 km ship detect · 3.47 km torpedo detect
Module options (3)

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

HullTrade-off
  • Hit points14,700 → 19,500
  • Rudder shift8.2 → 5.9 s
  • AA mounts8 → 10
  • Close-range AA DPS24 → 56
  • Turret traverse8 → 6 °/s
Fire controlUpgrade
  • Main battery range9,675 → 10642.5 m
TorpedoesUpgrade
  • Range8.49 → 9.51 km
  • Reload90 → 81 s
  • Speed65 → 66 kt

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 Disp87.6 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (9675/30·(8−0.5)/1000 + 0.5)·30 = 87.6 m
Max Vert Disp52.5 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 87.6 × 0.6 = 52.5 m
Med Horiz Disp28 m
50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 87.6 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 28 m
Med Vert Disp16.8 m
50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 52.5 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 16.8 m
Dispersion familyDD Disp.
Standard destroyer dispersion baseline.
AP Pen Close220 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 × 1933 × 45.3^0.69 × 0.15^-1.07 × 835^1.38 = 220 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far47.2 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (13.3 km), where the shell has slowed to 273.8 m/s: 1e-7 × 1933 × 45.3^0.69 × 0.15^-1.07 × 273.8^1.38 = 47.2 mm.
HE penetration25 mm
In-game data: 25 mm = 128 mm caliber / 5.12 (non-standard HE penetration ratio).
AP overmatch8 mm
floor(128 mm caliber / 14.3) = 8 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 alpha4
All 4 barrels bear on the broadside.
Turret turn time22.5 s
180 degrees / 8 deg/s traverse speed = 22.5 s.
HE full-salvo alpha8,800
2,200 HE damage x 4 broadside guns = 8,800.
AP full-salvo alpha14,800
3,700 AP damage x 4 broadside guns = 14,800.
Base HE DPM132,000
8,800 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4 s base reload = 132,000.
Base AP DPM222,000
14,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4 s base reload = 222,000.
Installed HE DPM146,667
8,800 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.6 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 146,667.
Installed AP DPM246,667
14,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.6 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 246,667.
Base shells/min60
4 broadside guns x 60 / 4 s base reload = 60.
Installed shells/min66.7
4 broadside guns x 60 / 3.6 s installed Artillery reload = 66.7.
Base fires/min7.2
4 HE shells x 60 / 4 s reload x 12% fire chance = 7.2.
Installed fires/min8
4 HE shells x 60 / 3.6 s installed reload x 12% fire chance = 8.

Torpedoes

Torpedo detectability1.4 km
Estimated torpedo reaction time8.2 s
detectability / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Torpedo speed66 kt
Travel time to max range55.4 s
range / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Tube count8
2 launchers x 4 tubes.
Per-side salvo8 torpedoes
8 (centerline launchers train across - full salvo to either side).
Full-salvo damage107,200
tube count x per-torpedo simulated damage (all torpedoes hitting).
Per-side salvo damage107,200
per-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS191
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (29×3.5×1) + (27×3.5×0.95) = 191. 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 index535
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 range2 km

Armor

Hull HP 14,700 → 19,500 with hull upgrade, 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
Bow20 mm primary (range 19–20 mm)2,900 (15% of HP)
Overmatched by 305mm+ (Toulon, Cherbourg)Angle bounces 283mm20 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Bow-tank fits behind this exterior plate. Saturation is FAST here; the cap is often only a few thousand HP.
Hull (midship)16 mm primary (range 16–19 mm)14,600 (75% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ (Scharnhorst, Scharnhorst '43)Angle bounces 203mm16 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern20 mm primary (range 16–20 mm)1,700 (9% of HP)
Overmatched by 305mm+ (Toulon, Cherbourg)Angle bounces 283mm20 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel20 mm primary (range 13–20 mm)≈ 165,500 (effectively no cap)
Citadel pen ×0.50 damageOver-pen: ×0.10 damage
Effectively no cap; citadel pool sits at ~165k HP on every ship. Damage is gated by pen/over-pen multipliers instead (×0.50 direct pen, ×0.10 over-pen).
Turret (module, per magazine)separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP9,800 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.
AA mount (37 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 HP5,900 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.

Balance History

Balance updates affecting Z-23. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.

Buff ×2Main Battery ×2
2023-06-15

Ministry of Balance: Italian Concerto

  • Upgraded Main Battery reload time reduced from 6.7 to 6.4 s.
  • Upgraded Torpedo reload time reduced from 90 to 81 s.
Read the full official post
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

Every custom exterior Z-23 can equip, from in-game data.

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.

2022-07-14 · Official ship feature / stats Strive for Greatness: Tier VIII development blog Official source 2025-11-27 · Patch notes Holiday Update: Christmas on the Waves Patch notes