World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Z-44

Beta
Torpedo destroyerSpot and strike with torps; trade guns only when ahead.
Playstyle
  • Hold concealment edges on the contested cap at 6.7 km detection
  • Avoid: Burning the 6.7 km concealment advantage on guns
Key characteristics
Long torps (12 km)SmokeEngine BoostShort AA reach
Community Data

Z-44 Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Z-44 is a Tier VIII German stealth-leaning destroyer with strong surface detection (6.7 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 6.7 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 6.7 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

Improved HE penetration

HE pen at the 1/4 caliber ratio instead of the standard 1/6. HE-spam is a real damage option here, not just a fire-starter; pens roughly 1.5x more armor than a same-caliber peer's HE, shared by 6/25 T8 DDs.

Heavy belt

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

Short AA reach

3.0 km AA reach, bottom decile of T8 DDs. Drops bombs and rockets land before AA bites.

Acquisition

How to get Z-44

Z-44 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

  • Super VIII Crate 5% One of the Tier VIII Premium ships Event containers · Super VIII Crate · 1 of 20 ships
  • Santa Level 5 1.25% Tier VIII Premium ship Event containers · Santa Level 5 · 1 of 10 ships
  • Spectral Vault 5.0 0.657895% Tier VIII Premium ship Event containers · Spectral Vault 5.0 · 1 of 19 ships
Show all 13 containers (10 more)
  • Santa Level 4 0.425% Tier VIII Premium ship Event containers · Santa Level 4 · 2 paths combined · 1 of 10 ships
    Show 2 paths
    • Santa Level 40.3%
    • Santa Level 4 → Santa Level 50.125%
  • Spectral Vault 4.0 0.256579% Tier VIII Premium ship Event containers · Spectral Vault 4.0 · 2 paths combined · 1 of 19 ships
    Show 2 paths
    • Spectral Vault 4.00.157895%
    • Spectral Vault 4.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.098684%
  • Santa Level 3 0.13625% Tier VIII Premium ship Event containers · Santa Level 3 · 4 paths combined · 1 of 10 ships
    Show 4 paths
    • Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 50.0625%
    • Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 40.045%
    • Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 4 → Santa Level 50.01875%
    • Santa Level 30.01%
  • Spectral Vault 3.0 0.053224% Tier VIII Premium ship Event containers · Spectral Vault 3.0 · 4 paths combined · 1 of 19 ships
    Show 4 paths
    • Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.019737%
    • Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.017368%
    • Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.010855%
    • Spectral Vault 3.00.005263%
  • Mystic Lantern 0.043478% Tier VIII Premium ship Event containers · Mystic Lantern · 1 of 23 ships
  • Santa Level 2 0.041688% Tier VIII Premium ship Event containers · Santa Level 2 · 6 paths combined · 1 of 10 ships
    Show 6 paths
    • Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 40.015%
    • Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 50.009375%
    • Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 40.00675%
    • Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 4 → Santa Level 50.00625%
    • Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 4 → Santa Level 50.002812%
    • Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 30.0015%
  • Champion's Box 0.02725% Tier VIII Premium ship Event containers · Champion's Box · 4 paths combined · 1 of 10 ships
    Show 4 paths
    • Champion's Box → Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 50.0125%
    • Champion's Box → Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 40.009%
    • Champion's Box → Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 4 → Santa Level 50.00375%
    • Champion's Box → Santa Level 30.002%
  • Spectral Vault 2.0 0.010454% Tier VIII Premium ship Event containers · Spectral Vault 2.0 · 6 paths combined · 1 of 19 ships
    Show 6 paths
    • Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.003158%
    • Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.001974%
    • Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 4.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.001974%
    • Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.001737%
    • Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.001086%
    • Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.00.000526%
  • Santa Level 1 0.009878% Tier VIII Premium ship Event containers · Santa Level 1 · 8 paths combined · 1 of 10 ships
    Show 8 paths
    • Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 50.003125%
    • Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 40.00225%
    • Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 50.001406%
    • Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 40.001012%
    • Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 4 → Santa Level 50.000938%
    • Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 30.0005%
    • Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 3 → Santa Level 4 → Santa Level 50.000422%
    • Santa Level 1 → Santa Level 2 → Santa Level 30.000225%
  • Spectral Vault 1.0 0.001295% Tier VIII Premium ship Event containers · Spectral Vault 1.0 · 9 paths combined · 1 of 19 ships
    Show 9 paths
    • Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.000284%
    • Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.000197%
    • Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.000178%
    • Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.000174%
    • Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.00.000156%
    • Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.000109%
    • Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.0 → Spectral Vault 4.0 → Spectral Vault 5.00.000098%
    • Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 3.00.000053%
    • Spectral Vault 1.0 → Spectral Vault 2.0 → Spectral Vault 3.00.000047%
Official WG availability sources
  • "Wagen Un Winnen" Campaign Breakdown Campaign Start: 2023-08-28 · End: 2023-10-01 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.
  • Through the Spy Glass: Z-44 Ship feature / release Start: 2023-08-30 · End: open/unknown end Official Through the Spy Glass feature for this ship; useful as a release/availability source, but not a guaranteed current-store listing.
Show direct source rows

Builds Beta

Erich Bey is the official recommended commander direction, with concealment from Shifty and skills that support torpedo-boat play. Prioritize concealment, torpedo reload/reach, and enough gun handling or health to survive the defensive fights you cannot avoid.

Open in Build Tool →

Commanders frequently paired with this ship Erich Bey

Have a build you swear by? Open it in the Build Tool and hit Save build to share it here.

Cohort position

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Where Z-44 sits among Tier VIII DDs (25 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 25%Stealth profile6.74 km / 3.37 km (5/25 / 4/25) Top 25%AP shell damage3,000 (5/23) Top 25%Torpedo range12 km (6/24) Top 25%Torpedo speed68 kt (7/24) Top 25%Torpedo reload85 s (7/24) Bottom 25%Main battery range10.68 km (22/25) Bottom 25%HE shell damage1,550 (21/24) Bottom 25%Fires per minute5 (21/24) Bottom 25%Acceleration12.6 s (21/25) Bottom 10%Traverse-to-turn ratio5.61 × (24/25) WorstAA range3 km (25/25)
See 24 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Z-44 -- 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 points19,400 HP(15/25) Max speed36.5 kt(11/25) Rudder shift5.7 s(11/25) Main battery caliber128 mm(11/25) Main battery reload3.6 s(12/25) HE fire chance6%(17/24) HE DPM129,167(18/24) AP DPM250,000(9/23) Main dispersion95.1 m(19/25) AP velocity830 m/s(13/23) HE velocity830 m/s(15/24) AP fuse timer0.01 s(13/23) AP arming threshold21 mm(11/23) Engine power70,000 hp(10/25) Turn-speed retention104.5 hp/m(9/25) Displacement3,542 t(11/25) Power-to-weight19.76 hp/t(12/25) AA DPS243(11/25) AA threat728(18/25) Torpedo damage14,400(18/24) NormAP ricochet start45°(17 of 23 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(17 of 23 tied at this value) NormMax armor20 mm(22 of 25 tied at this value) NormCitadel belt20 mm(21 of 24 tied at this value)

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

SmokeEngine Boost
Survivability
Hit Points19,400
Displacement3,542 t
Armor range13–20 mm
Plate armor thicknesses13, 19, 20 mm
Armor material/layer entries22
Fire resistance40%
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.
9,700
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.
5,800
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 128 mm L/45 LC/34
Mounts / barrels5 mounts / 5 barrels
Reload time4 s
Firing range10.7 km
Turret traverse9 °/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 = (10683/30·(8−0.5)/1000 + 0.5)·30 = 95.1 m
95.1 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 95.1 × 0.6 = 57.1 m
57.1 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 95.1 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 30.4 m
30.4 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 57.1 × 0.319 (σ=2) = 18.2 m
18.2 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 9 deg/s traverse speed = 20 s.
20 s
Base shells/min
ƒ5 broadside guns x 60 / 4 s base reload = 75.
75
HE shells
HE Damage1,550
HE Velocity830 m/s
Fire Chance6%
HE penetration
ƒ32 mm ≈ 128 mm caliber / 4 (improved HE penetration: German BBs, Yamato-class, and a handful of others).
32 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ1,550 HE damage x 5 broadside guns = 7,750.
7,750
Base HE DPM
ƒ7,750 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4 s base reload = 116,250.
116,250
Installed HE DPM
ƒ7,750 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.6 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 129,167.
129,167
Base fires/min
ƒ5 HE shells x 60 / 4 s reload x 6% fire chance = 4.5.
4.5
AP shells
AP Damage3,000
AP Velocity830 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 × 1640 × 28^0.69 × 0.128^-1.07 × 830^1.38 = 157.4 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
157.4 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (13.4 km), where the shell has slowed to 273.3 m/s: 1e-7 × 1640 × 28^0.69 × 0.128^-1.07 × 273.3^1.38 = 34 mm.
34 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ3,000 AP damage x 5 broadside guns = 15,000.
15,000
Base AP DPM
ƒ15,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4 s base reload = 225,000.
225,000
Installed AP DPM
ƒ15,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.6 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 250,000.
250,000
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.
10
Torpedoes
ModuleTorpedoes: 533 mm Fünfling
Launchers / tubes2 launchers × 5 tubes = 10 tubes
Reload time85 s
Projectile speed68 kt
Range12 km
Maximum simulated damage13,400 (est.)
Alpha damage40,200
Torpedo detectability1.3 km
Torpedo launcher traverse25 °/s
Torp Turn7.2 s
Torp Arming210 m
Per-side salvo damage
ƒper-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.
134,000
AA Defense
AA mount points7
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (73×3.5×0.95) = 243. 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.
243
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
3 km
30 mm Flak 387×4 30mm
Near aura
DPS73
Range3 km
Maneuverability
Engine moduleEngine: 70,000 hp
Engine power70,000 hp
Maximum speed36.5 kt
Turning circle radius670 m
Engine power multiplier speed threshold7 kt
Traverse-to-turn ratio5.6× slow
Concealment
Detectability by sea6.74 km
Detectability by air3.37 km
Smoke firing penalty2.53 km
Detect after firing main guns6.74 km
Detect Fire Sea8.74 km
Detect Fire Air6.37 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 40 s reload · 5 s active
Smoke Generator2 charges · 240 s reload · 15 s emit / 77 s cloud active
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 traverse9 → 6 °/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 Disp95.1 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (10683/30·(8−0.5)/1000 + 0.5)·30 = 95.1 m
Max Vert Disp57.1 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 95.1 × 0.6 = 57.1 m
Med Horiz Disp30.4 m
50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 95.1 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 30.4 m
Med Vert Disp18.2 m
50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 57.1 × 0.319 (σ=2) = 18.2 m
AP Pen Close157.4 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 × 1640 × 28^0.69 × 0.128^-1.07 × 830^1.38 = 157.4 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far34 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (13.4 km), where the shell has slowed to 273.3 m/s: 1e-7 × 1640 × 28^0.69 × 0.128^-1.07 × 273.3^1.38 = 34 mm.
HE penetration32 mm
32 mm ≈ 128 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) - 0.25 in this case. Lets HE pen ~32mm armor instead of ~21mm. Hits every German cruiser (150mm CL, 203mm CA) and BB (350mm+), British heavy cruisers / Lion / Nelson, a handful of other premiums.
AP overmatch8 mm
floor(128 mm caliber / 14.3) = 8 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
AP AOE Radius10
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 alpha5
All 5 barrels bear on the broadside.
Turret turn time20 s
180 degrees / 9 deg/s traverse speed = 20 s.
HE full-salvo alpha7,750
1,550 HE damage x 5 broadside guns = 7,750.
AP full-salvo alpha15,000
3,000 AP damage x 5 broadside guns = 15,000.
Base HE DPM116,250
7,750 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4 s base reload = 116,250.
Base AP DPM225,000
15,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 4 s base reload = 225,000.
Installed HE DPM129,167
7,750 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.6 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 129,167.
Installed AP DPM250,000
15,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 3.6 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 250,000.
Base shells/min75
5 broadside guns x 60 / 4 s base reload = 75.
Installed shells/min83.3
5 broadside guns x 60 / 3.6 s installed Artillery reload = 83.3.
Base fires/min4.5
5 HE shells x 60 / 4 s reload x 6% fire chance = 4.5.
Installed fires/min5
5 HE shells x 60 / 3.6 s installed reload x 6% fire chance = 5.

Torpedoes

Torpedo detectability1.3 km
Estimated torpedo reaction time7.4 s
detectability / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Torpedo speed68 kt
Travel time to max range67.9 s
range / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Tube count10
2 launchers x 5 tubes.
Per-side salvo10 torpedoes
10 (centerline launchers train across - full salvo to either side).
Full-salvo damage134,000
tube count x per-torpedo simulated damage (all torpedoes hitting).
Per-side salvo damage134,000
per-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS243
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (73×3.5×0.95) = 243. 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 km
Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
AA threat index728
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 km

Armor

Hull HP 19,400, 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+ (Cherbourg, Brandenburg)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)19 mm14,600 (75% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ (Scharnhorst '43, Schill)Angle bounces 203mm19 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 19–20 mm)1,600 (8% of HP)
Overmatched by 305mm+ (Cherbourg, Brandenburg)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 HP9,700 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 (30 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 HP5,800 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-44. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.

Buff ×2Main Battery ×3
2024-12-12

Ministry of Balance: Breaking the Ice

  • The destroyer battleground in and around Tier VIII has become very dynamic in the past year, so Z-44 is getting an improvement to her main battery so she can defend herself in battle.
  • Main battery gun reload time reduced from 4.2 to 4.0 s.
  • Main battery HE shell maximum damage increased from 1,500 to 1,550.
Read the full official post
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

Every custom exterior Z-44 can equip, from in-game data.

  • Z-44 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.