World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Z-31

Beta
Germany · Tier VI · Destroyer · Tech Tree
Long-range gunboatOut-range peer DDs and kite cruisers; HE spam from open water.
Playstyle
  • Sit in open water at the edge of 11.6 km where peer DDs cannot return fire and most cruisers have to pu…
  • Avoid: Overstaying detection after a torpedo drop
Key characteristics
Heavy AP pen12 km gun rangeWide always-pen zoneStrong AASmokeStiff AP fuse
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Community Data

Z-31 Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Z-31 is a Tier VI German long-range gunboat destroyer reaching 11.6 km: her guns out-reach peer DDs and most cruisers can be kited at the edge of her range. The kit is HE spam from open water rather than cap contesting; the torpedoes are a backup, not the primary threat. AA (201 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. Standout traits: best AP overmatch threshold in T6 DDs (10.4 mm) and best long-range AP brick in T6 DDs (105.8 mm).

Positioning

Sit in open water at the edge of 11.6 km where peer DDs cannot return fire and most cruisers have to push to engage. The kit is HE pressure from distance, not cap contesting; let your peer DDs take the cap while you kite the rotating cruisers and BBs that come to support it.

Potato Avoidance

Overstaying detection after a torpedo drop

The detection window is a hard timer; if you are still firing guns when concealment closes again, you have already taken more damage than the drop earned.

Signature Traits

Engine Boost

+8% speed, 120 s duration. Engine Boost consumable temporarily raises top speed. Mobility on demand to reposition, chase a kill, or break contact.

ELITE MAIN BATTERY
  • Big-caliber overmatch · 10.4 mm
  • Long-range AP brick · 105.82 mm
  • Close-range AP brick · 213.9 mm
  • Fast HE shells · 5.71 s
  • Fast AP shells · 5.71 s
High HP pool

23300.0 HP, best of T6 DDs.

Stiff AP fuse

25.0 mm AP arming threshold, worst of T6 DDs. Over-pens thin plates; the trade-off pays off when most targets are battleship belt armor.

Acquisition

How to get Z-31

Z-31 is a Tech Tree ship. The normal acquisition path is researching and purchasing it in its nation/class line. 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

Official WG availability sources
Show direct source rows

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

Builds Beta

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

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Cohort position

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Where Z-31 sits among Tier VI DDs (41 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.

BestHit points23,300 HP (1/41) BestMain battery caliber150 mm (1 of 2 tied) BestHE fire chance12% (1 of 2 tied) BestAP shell damage3,700 (1 of 2 tied) BestMain dispersion51.8 m (1/41) BestAP fuse timer0.03 s (1 of 4 tied) BestAP ricochet start60° (1 of 3 tied) BestAP auto-bounce angle67.5° (1 of 3 tied) BestAP pen at 10 km113 mm (1/35) BestMax armor25 mm (1/41) BestCitadel belt25 mm (1/39) Top 10%Main battery range11.57 km (2/41) Top 10%AA DPS201 (3/41) Top 25%Traverse-to-turn ratio9.09 × (9/41) Top 25%Engine power70,000 hp (7/41) Top 25%Turn-speed retention104.5 hp/m (8/41) Top 25%AA threat549 (8/41) Bottom 25%Max speed35 kt (36/41) Bottom 25%Stealth profile7.19 km / 3.6 km (37/41 / 36/41) Bottom 25%Main battery reload6 s (32/41) Bottom 25%Torpedo range7.5 km (33/41) Bottom 10%Rudder shift4.8 s (38/41) Bottom 10%HE DPM72,000 (39/41) Bottom 10%Displacement3,691 t (39/41) Bottom 10%Effective HE DPM (incl. fire)107,895 (38/41) Bottom 10%Torpedo speed52 kt (38/41) Bottom 10%Torpedo reload120 s (39/41) WorstNo secondaries (37 of 41 in cohort) WorstAP arming threshold25 mm (1 of 2 tied)
See 12 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Z-31 -- 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.

HE shell damage1,800(18/41) Fires per minute4.8(22/41) AP DPM148,000(26/37) AP velocity835 m/s(17/37) HE velocity835 m/s(21/41) Acceleration17 s(17/41) Power-to-weight18.97 hp/t(27/41) AA range3.5 km(23/41) Torpedo damage≈11,867(29/41) NormTurn speed retained81%(37 of 41 tied at this value) NormBow armor16 mm(32 of 39 tied at this value) NormStern armor16 mm(32 of 39 tied at this value)
Survivability
Hit PointsInitial: 18,500 → 23,300
Displacement3,691 t
Armor range10–25 mm
Plate armor thicknesses10, 16, 19, 25 mm
Armor material/layer entries24
Fire resistanceInitial: 26.6% → 30%
Fire duration30 s
Torp Reduction0%
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 150 mm L/48 Tbts LC/36
Mounts / barrels3 mounts / 4 barrels
Reload time6 s
Firing range (base)10.5 km
Firing range (top fire control)11.6 km
Turret traverse14 °/s
HE fire DPM vs T6 BB35895
Effective HE DPM vs T6 BB107895
Shell Grouping (σ)2
Max Horiz Disp
ƒHorizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: σH=(R30·idealRadiusminRadiusidealDistance+minRadius)·30 =(1052030·40.51000+0.5)·30=51.8m
51.8 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: σV=σH·radiusOnMax =51.8·0.6=31.1m
31.1 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius: σH,50=σH·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =51.8·0.32(σ=2)=16.6m
16.6 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius: σV,50=σV·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =31.1·0.318(σ=2)=9.9m
9.9 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 14 deg/s traverse speed = 12.9 s.
12.9 s
Shells/min
ƒ4 broadside guns x 60 / 6 s base reload = 40.
40
HE shells
HE Damage1,800
HE Velocity835 m/s
Fire Chance12%
HE penetration
ƒ38 mm ≈ 150 mm caliber / 4 (improved HE penetration: German BBs, Yamato-class, and a handful of others).
38 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ1,800 HE damage x 4 broadside guns = 7,200.
7,200
HE DPM
ƒ7,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 6 s base reload = 72,000.
72,000
Fires/min
ƒ40 shells/min x 12% fire chance = 4.8.
4.8
AP shells
AP Damage3,700
AP Velocity835 m/s
Min Ricochet60 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet67.5 deg
Fuse Timer0.025 s
Fuse Threshold25 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(150 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: P=107·K·m0.69·d1.07·v01.38 =107·1933·510.69·0.151.07·8351.38=238.8mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
238.8 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (14.5 km), where the shell has slowed to 410.7 m/s: P=107·1933·510.69·0.151.07·410.71.38=89.7mm.
89.7 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ3,700 AP damage x 4 broadside guns = 14,800.
14,800
AP DPM
ƒ14,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 6 s base reload = 148,000.
148,000
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: 533 mm Vierling
Launchers / tubes2 launchers × 4 tubes = 8 tubes
Reload time120 s
Projectile speed52 kt
Range7.5 km
Maximum simulated damage
ƒEstimate of WG's in-game value; matches the in-game port screen within ±5%. Saturation: most targets only intersect one hull section, so the sim transfers ~1/3 of the warhead alpha (2/3 when the warhead blast >= 5000 and the burst reaches a second section). For this ship: Dsim=α·c=35,600·0.333=11,867.
≈ 11,867
Maximum damage (ammunition)
ƒThe ammunition card's 'Maximum Damage' stat, exact: warhead alpha / 3 plus the blast addend. This is the per-torpedo number most references quote; the 'Maximum simulated damage' row above is WG's separate geometry-sim stat from the launcher spec panel.
12,867
Torpedo detectability1.2 km
Reaction time
ƒHow long a target has to dodge after your torpedo is spotted at its detectability range (lower means less warning): treact=1.2 km52 kt×2.6=8.9 s, equivalently 5000×detectability/(13×speed). Base value; commander torpedo-concealment skills lower it further. Community torpedo-reaction calculator by u/LorenDovah and u/The_ColorOutofSpace.
8.9 s
Flooding chance
ƒRead straight from the game's own data: this torpedo carries a flooding-chance value of 2.27 per hit, shown as 2.27×100=227%. Torpedo flood values above 100% are normal: in battle the base chance is scaled down by the target's torpedo protection (the Torp Reduction stat on its Survivability card) and any flood-resistance modifiers, so a value above 100% keeps flooding likely even through partial protection. Not shown on the in-game port screen.
227%
Torpedo launcher traverse25 °/s
Torp Turn
ƒTime to rotate the launchers 180 deg: tturn=180°25°/s=7.2s.
7.2 s
Torp Arming161 m
Per-side salvo damage
ƒOne side firing, all torpedoes hitting: per-side tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 8 x 11,867 = 94,936.
94,936
AA Defense
AA mount points12
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (28×3.5×1) + (31×3.5×0.95) = 201. 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. Flak is NOT included: flak stops triggering once planes are inside 2.5 km, and its avoidable burst damage is shown separately in the Flak bursts section.
201
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
3.5 km
37 mm Flak LM/42Initial: 37 mm Flakzwilling 30 (4×2) → 37 mm Flak LM/42 (4×2)
20 mm Flakvierling 38 (upgraded hull only)2×4 20mm
20 mm Flakzwilling 38 (upgraded hull only)6×2 20mm
20 mm Flak 38 (stock hull only)8×1 20mm
Medium aura
Guns37 mm Flak LM/42
Continuous DPS
ƒEffective DPS: 28 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 1 hit probability = 98 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.
Initial: 32 → 98
Range3.5 km
Near aura
Guns20 mm Flakvierling 38 + 20 mm Flakzwilling 38
Continuous DPS
ƒEffective DPS: 31 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.95 hit probability = 103 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.
Initial: 80 → 103
Range2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒMedium 98 + Near 103 = 201
201
Maneuverability
Engine power70,000 hp
Maximum speed35 kt
Turning circle radius670 m
Rudder shift time4.8 s
Engine power-boost threshold7 kt
Engine spool-up time7.7 s
Reverse spool-up time3.8 s
Acceleration 0-90%
ƒTime to reach 90% of top speed (31.5 kt of 35 kt), from our in-house acceleration model.
17 s
Acceleration 0-99%
ƒTime to reach 99% of top speed (34.6 kt of 35 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.
29 s
Traverse-to-turn ratio
ƒHow many degrees the turret can swing for each degree the hull turns. Turn rate ωhull=180π·Vmax(m/s)Rturn=180π·35.0·0.5144670=1.54°/s, so ratio=ωturretωhull=141.54=9.1×. Below 5 the turrets drag in a turning fight; 25+ keeps up with any rudder.
9.1× ok
Concealment
Detectability by sea7.19 km
Detectability by air3.6 km
Smoke firing penalty3.09 km
Detect after firing main guns
ƒmax(base sea detectability, gun-firing bloom range). Firing never pulls your detection closer than base concealment.
7.19 km
Detect Fire Sea9.19 km
Detect Fire Air6.6 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 40 s reload · 5 s active
Smoke Generator2 charges · 240 s reload · 20 s emit / 65 s cloud active · 450 m radius
Engine Boost2 charges · 180 s reload · 120 s active · +8% speed bonus
Module options (2)

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

HullUpgrade
  • Hit points18,500 → 23,300
  • Rudder shift9.5 → 6.2 s
  • Close-range AA DPS33 → 59
Fire controlUpgrade
  • Main battery range10,520 → 11,572 m

See all derived stats

Show

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

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
Max Horiz Disp51.8 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: σH=(R30·idealRadiusminRadiusidealDistance+minRadius)·30 =(1052030·40.51000+0.5)·30=51.8m
Shell scatter width @ 5 km32.5 m
Horizontal scatter at a fixed 5 km, from the same verified dispersion model as the rows below - a knife-fight-range anchor comparable across ships.
Shell scatter width @ 10 km50 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.
Max Vert Disp31.1 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: σV=σH·radiusOnMax =51.8·0.6=31.1m
Shell scatter height @ 10 km29.5 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.
Med Horiz Disp16.6 m
50%-hit horizontal radius: σH,50=σH·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =51.8·0.32(σ=2)=16.6m
Med Vert Disp9.9 m
50%-hit vertical radius: σV,50=σV·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =31.1·0.318(σ=2)=9.9m
AP Pen Close238.8 mm
Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: P=107·K·m0.69·d1.07·v01.38 =107·1933·510.69·0.151.07·8351.38=238.8mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far89.7 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (14.5 km), where the shell has slowed to 410.7 m/s: P=107·1933·510.69·0.151.07·410.71.38=89.7mm.
AP pen 5 km164 mm
AP penetration at a fixed 5 km, read off the same PC-validated ballistic curve as AP Pen Close/Far: the shell's impact velocity at that range fed through the canonical community AP formula P=107·K·m0.69·d1.07·v1.38. Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.
AP pen 10 km113 mm
AP penetration at a fixed 10 km, read off the same PC-validated ballistic curve as AP Pen Close/Far: the shell's impact velocity at that range fed through the canonical community AP formula P=107·K·m0.69·d1.07·v1.38. Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.
HE penetration38 mm
38 mm ≈ 150 mm caliber / 4 (improved HE penetration: German BBs, Yamato-class, and a handful of others).
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) - 0.253 in this case. Lets HE pen ~37mm armor instead of ~25mm. Hits every German cruiser (150mm CL, 203mm CA) and BB (350mm+), British heavy cruisers / Lion / Nelson, a handful of other premiums.
AP overmatch10 mm
floor(150 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 alpha4
All 4 barrels bear on the broadside.
Turret turn time12.9 s
180 degrees / 14 deg/s traverse speed = 12.9 s.
HE full-salvo alpha7,200
1,800 HE damage x 4 broadside guns = 7,200.
AP full-salvo alpha14,800
3,700 AP damage x 4 broadside guns = 14,800.
HE DPM72,000
7,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 6 s base reload = 72,000.
AP DPM148,000
14,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 6 s base reload = 148,000.
Shells/min40
4 broadside guns x 60 / 6 s base reload = 40.
Fires/min4.8
40 shells/min x 12% fire chance = 4.8.

Torpedoes

Torpedo detectability1.2 km
Estimated torpedo reaction time8.9 s
detectability / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Torpedo speed52 kt
Travel time to max range55.5 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 damage94,936
All tubes hitting one target: tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 8 x 11,867 = 94,936.
Per-side salvo damage94,936
One side firing, all torpedoes hitting: per-side tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 8 x 11,867 = 94,936.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS201
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (28×3.5×1) + (31×3.5×0.95) = 201. 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. Flak is NOT included: flak stops triggering once planes are inside 2.5 km, and its avoidable burst damage is shown separately in the Flak bursts section.
Maximum AA range3.5 km
Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
AA threat index549
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 Beta

Hull HP 18,50023,300 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.

Bow & stern16 mm

Overmatched by 124+ guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.

Farming16 mm

Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 30%, fires burn 30s. Range-by-range in the Compare tool →

Section Plates HP cap Threats Tactic
Bow16 mm primary (range 16–19 mm)2,900 (12% of HP)
Overmatch not possible in its bracketAngle bounces 203mm16 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 mm16,100 (69% of HP)
Overmatch not possible in its bracketAngle bounces 203mm16 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern16 mm primary (range 16–19 mm)2,000 (9% of HP)
Overmatch not possible in its bracketAngle bounces 203mm16 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel25 mm primary (range 10–25 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.
Turret (module, per magazine)separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP10,700 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.
Engine (module, research)engine coefficient (unconfirmed)-0.100 research estimateLargest on BB/BC; zero on destroyersEngine durability isn't a per-ship value in the game data. This small negative coefficient is non-zero only on battleships, battlecruisers, and the heaviest cruisers, and is exactly zero on every destroyer, so it scales with hull displacement rather than any commander skill. Most likely an engine drag or power term in the same family as the deceleration stats; its exact meaning is not yet confirmed.
Rudder (module)separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP6,400 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.

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Ship Charts

Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

Every custom exterior Z-31 can equip, from in-game data.

  • Z-31 default exterior
    DefaultThe ship’s standard exterior

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.