Zaō Build & Guide | WoWs Legends

Playstyle

Overview

Zaō is a Legendary Japanese IJN cruiser with the improved AP fuse: her AP shells arm at 60% of the standard armor threshold, so they citadel cruisers that would over-pen a normal CA round. Lean on AP into broadsides and short-angled cruisers - HE-spamming this hull leaves the cohort's best damage tool on the rack. Sonar (4.9 km on ships and 3.5 km on torpedoes, 96 s active, 180 s reload, long uptime) lights up DDs and torpedoes inside its bubble, which lets her contest the cap edge without taking the spotting cycle. Standout traits: best torpedo alpha in Legendary CAs (23,767).

Positioning

Sit 12-15 km from a contested cap where an island shadows you from the opposite battleship line. Hydro (4.9 km on ships, 3.5 km on torpedoes) lights up DDs and incoming torpedoes inside its bubble, so you can push the cap edge from cover without taking the spotting cycle; prefer cover positions over open-water flanks.

Potato Avoidance

Open-water broadside trading

Her 203mm shells citadel cruisers on the wrong frame, and her 44,900-HP hull does not recover from a punished salvo. Pick rotations and angles deliberately; the chip-damage role pays better than the trade-blow role on a cruiser of this profile.

Signature Traits

Improved AP fuse (IJN cruiser)

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

Heavy torpedoes

23767.0 damage per torpedo, best of Legendary CAs.

Hardened superstructure

203.0 mm superstructure, best of Legendary CAs. HE farms less.

Fast torpedoes

67.0 kt torpedo speed, top decile of Legendary CAs. Less reaction time for targets to dodge.

Slow torp reload

171.0 s torpedo reload, worst of Legendary CAs. Long wait between drops.

Visible torps

1.7 km torpedo detect, bottom decile of Legendary CAs. Easy to dodge if targets are looking.

Acquisition

How to get Zaō

Zaō is a Premium ship and not available to unlock in the Tech Tree. Acquisition path: Premium/Event.

Premium/EventAvailability usually depends on store rotations, event reruns, collaborations, coupons, or special offers.

Official WG availability sources

Through the Spy Glass: Zaō Ship feature / release Start: 2023-12-01 · 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.
Join the Planet Clash—Fight Against Evil Forces! Store price varies 2024-03-24

Builds Beta

Isoroku Yamamoto is the official recommended direction, with a build aimed at improving hit-and-run cruiser play. Favor main-battery range, accuracy or reload, concealment, and agility so Zaō can keep accurate 203 mm pressure active without being trapped.

Open in Build Tool →

Commanders frequently paired with this ship Isoroku Yamamoto

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 Zaō sits among Legendary CAs (21 ships). Notable standouts are shown first; the rest of the cohort-ranked stats are in the expand below. Acquisition variants (Black Friday, Founders Edition) are counted once with their base ship, not as separate peers.

BestTorpedo damage23,767 (1/13) Top 10%Rudder shift10 s (3/21) Top 10%Main dispersion131.1 m (2/21) Top 25%AP velocity920 m/s (6/21) Top 25%HE velocity920 m/s (6/20) Top 25%Displacement17,958 t (6/21) Top 25%Torpedo speed67 kt (3/13) Bottom 25%Hit points44,900 HP (17/21) Bottom 25%Secondary HE pen17 mm (11/13) Bottom 25%AA DPS471 (18/21) Bottom 25%AA threat1,780 (19/21) WorstTorpedo reload171 s (13/13)

See 36 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Zaō -- 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 speed34.5 kt(8/21) Concealment12.74 km(9/21) Air detection7.64 km(9/21) Traverse-to-turn ratio4.96 ×(15/21) Main battery caliber203 mm(13/21) Main battery range15.48 km(16/21) Main battery reload12.2 s(11/21) Sigma2.05(13/21) HE shell damage3,400(11/20) HE fire chance19%(9/20) Fires per minute11.21(8/20) HE DPM200,656(9/20) AP shell damage5,400(12/21) AP DPM318,689(12/21) Secondary DPM (per side)204,000(5/14) HE alpha1,700(8/13) Secondary fire chance6%(7/13) Acceleration10.52 s(12/21) AP arming threshold34 mm(10/21) Engine power159,000 hp(10/21) Turn-speed retention189.3 hp/m(11/21) Power-to-weight8.85 hp/t(7/21) AA range5 km(15/21) Torpedo range11.01 km(6/13) Repair heal rate0.6 %/s(9/21) Max armor203 mm(11/21) Citadel belt152 mm(11/21) Deck armor89 mm(14/21) NormSecondary dispersion bracket57(11 of 14 tied at this value) NormAP fuse timer0.03 s(11 of 21 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(14 of 21 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(14 of 21 tied at this value) NormSecondary range5 km(11 of 14 tied at this value) NormRepair charges2(15 of 21 tied at this value) NormBow armor25 mm(14 of 21 tied at this value) NormStern armor25 mm(13 of 21 tied at this value)

Peers in this cohort

Show all 20 peers

Stats & specs

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

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

Sonar 4.93 kmRepair 2Def-AAFighter

Survivability

Hit Points44,900

Displacement17,958 t

Armor range6–203 mm

Plate armor thicknesses6, 16, 25, 30, 40, 50, 55, 65, 67, 75, 89, 90, 100, 105, 127, 130, 152, 160, 203 mm

Armor material/layer entries62

Fire resistance40%

Fire duration30 s

Torp Reduction19%

Magazine HP

ƒ

The 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.

22,500

Steering gear HP

ƒ

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.

13,500

Main Battery

ModuleArtillery: 203 mm 18th Year Type

Mounts / barrels4 mounts / 12 barrels

Reload time13.5 s

Firing range15.5 km

Turret traverse6 °/s

Shell Grouping (σ)

ƒ

Shell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.

2.05

Max Horiz Disp

ƒ

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (15479/30·(8−0.5)/1000 + 0.5)·30 = 131.1 m

131.1 m

Max Vert Disp

ƒ

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 131.1 × 0.6 = 78.7 m

78.7 m

Med Horiz Disp

ƒ

50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 131.1 × 0.314 (σ=2.05) = 41.1 m

41.1 m

Med Vert Disp

ƒ

50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 78.7 × 0.314 (σ=2.05) = 24.7 m

24.7 m

Turret turn time

ƒ

180 degrees / 6 deg/s traverse speed = 30 s.

30 s

Base shells/min

ƒ

12 broadside guns x 60 / 13.5 s base reload = 53.3.

53.3

HE shells

HE Damage3,400

HE Velocity920 m/s

Fire Chance19%

HE penetration

ƒ

34 mm ≈ 203 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).

34 mm

HE full-salvo alpha

ƒ

3,400 HE damage x 12 broadside guns = 40,800.

40,800

Base HE DPM

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40,800 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 13.5 s base reload = 181,333.

181,333

Installed HE DPM

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40,800 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 12.2 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 200,656.

200,656

Base fires/min

ƒ

12 HE shells x 60 / 13.5 s reload x 19% fire chance = 10.13.

10.13

AP shells

AP Damage5,400

AP Velocity920 m/s

Min Ricochet45 deg

Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg

Fuse Timer0.033 s

Fuse Threshold34 mm

Improved AP FuseYes

AP overmatch

ƒ

floor(203 mm caliber / 14.3) = 14 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

14 mm

AP Pen Close

ƒ

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 × 2468 × 155^0.69 × 0.203^-1.07 × 920^1.38 = 542.9 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.

542.9 mm

AP Pen Far

ƒ

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (19.3 km), where the shell has slowed to 438.1 m/s: 1e-7 × 2468 × 155^0.69 × 0.203^-1.07 × 438.1^1.38 = 195 mm.

195 mm

AP full-salvo alpha

ƒ

5,400 AP damage x 12 broadside guns = 64,800.

64,800

Base AP DPM

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64,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 13.5 s base reload = 288,000.

288,000

Installed AP DPM

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64,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 12.2 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 318,689.

318,689

AP AOE Radius

ƒ

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.

35

◇

Torpedoes

ModuleTorpedoes: 610 mm quintuple

Launchers / tubes4 launchers × 5 tubes = 20 tubes

Reload time171 s

Projectile speed67 kt

Range11.01 km

Maximum simulated damage22,267 (est.)

Alpha damage66,800

Torpedo detectability1.7 km

Torpedo launcher traverse25 °/s

Torp Turn7.2 s

Torp Arming207 m

Per-side salvo damage

ƒ

per-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.

222,670

AA Defense

AA mount points40

Close-range AA DPS

ƒ

Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (49×3.5×0.9) + (61×3.5×0.85) + (43×3.5×0.9) = 471. 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.

471

Maximum AA range

ƒ

Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.

5 km

40 mm/60 Type 59×2 40mm

25 mm Type96 mod. 111×3 25mm

25 mm/60 Type96 mod. 120×1 25mm

100 mm Type98 (DP)6×2 100mm

DPS

ƒ

Includes 43 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.

43

Range5 km

DPS49

Range3.5 km

Total DPS in Aura

ƒ

Far 43 + Medium 49 = 92

92

DPS61

Range3.1 km

Total DPS in Aura

ƒ

Far 43 + Medium 49 + Near 61 = 153

153

S

Secondary Battery

Mounts6

Firing range5.0 km

Shell Grouping (σ)1

Caliber100 mm

Reload time3 s

HE Damage1,700

Muzzle Velocity1000 m/s

Fire Chance6%

Armor Pen17 mm

Min Ricochet91°

Max Ricochet60°

Secondary dispersion type

ƒ

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

ƒ

5 km × 57 + 30 = 315 m.

315 m

Maneuverability

Engine moduleEngine: 159,000 hp

Engine power159,000 hp

Maximum speed34.5 kt

Turning circle radius840 m

Engine power multiplier speed threshold7 kt

Traverse-to-turn ratio5.0× drags

Concealment

Detectability by sea12.74 km

Detectability by air7.64 km

Smoke firing penalty7.29 km

Detect after firing main guns12.74 km

Detect Fire Sea14.74 km

Detect Fire Air10.64 km

Guaranteed Detect2 km

✦

Consumables

Damage Control Party∞ charges · 60 s reload · 5 s active

Choose one

Sonar2 charges · 180 s reload · 96 s active · 4.93 km ship detect · 3.47 km torpedo detect

Defensive AA Fire3 charges · 140 s reload · 25 s active · +100% flak burst boost

Catapult Fighter3 charges · 70 s reload · 55 s active · 5.56 km patrol radius · 1 squadron size

Repair Party2 charges · 60 s reload · 28 s active · 0.6% heal per second · 16.8% of max HP total heal

Module options (2)

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

HullUpgrade

Turret traverse6 → 7.6 °/s

TorpedoesTrade-off

Range8.01 → 11.01 km
Reload104 → 171 s
Alpha damage59,600 → 66,800
Display damage19,867 → 22,267
Speed76 → 67 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)2.05

Shell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.

Max Horiz Disp131.1 m

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (15479/30·(8−0.5)/1000 + 0.5)·30 = 131.1 m

Max Vert Disp78.7 m

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 131.1 × 0.6 = 78.7 m

Med Horiz Disp41.1 m

50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 131.1 × 0.314 (σ=2.05) = 41.1 m

Med Vert Disp24.7 m

50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 78.7 × 0.314 (σ=2.05) = 24.7 m

AP Pen Close542.9 mm

Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: 1e-7 × Krupp × mass^0.69 × caliber_m^-1.07 × v0^1.38 = 1e-7 × 2468 × 155^0.69 × 0.203^-1.07 × 920^1.38 = 542.9 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.

AP Pen Far195 mm

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (19.3 km), where the shell has slowed to 438.1 m/s: 1e-7 × 2468 × 155^0.69 × 0.203^-1.07 × 438.1^1.38 = 195 mm.

HE penetration34 mm

34 mm ≈ 203 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).

AP overmatch14 mm

floor(203 mm caliber / 14.3) = 14 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

AP AOE Radius35

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 alpha12

All 12 barrels bear on the broadside.

Turret turn time30 s

180 degrees / 6 deg/s traverse speed = 30 s.

HE full-salvo alpha40,800

3,400 HE damage x 12 broadside guns = 40,800.

AP full-salvo alpha64,800

5,400 AP damage x 12 broadside guns = 64,800.

Base HE DPM181,333

40,800 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 13.5 s base reload = 181,333.

Base AP DPM288,000

64,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 13.5 s base reload = 288,000.

Installed HE DPM200,656

40,800 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 12.2 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 200,656.

Installed AP DPM318,689

64,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 12.2 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 318,689.

Base shells/min53.3

12 broadside guns x 60 / 13.5 s base reload = 53.3.

Installed shells/min59

12 broadside guns x 60 / 12.2 s installed Artillery reload = 59.

Base fires/min10.13

12 HE shells x 60 / 13.5 s reload x 19% fire chance = 10.13.

Installed fires/min11.21

12 HE shells x 60 / 12.2 s installed reload x 19% fire chance = 11.21.

Torpedoes

Torpedo detectability1.7 km

Estimated torpedo reaction time9.8 s

detectability / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).

Torpedo speed67 kt

Travel time to max range63.2 s

range / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).

Tube count20

4 launchers x 5 tubes.

Per-side salvo10 torpedoes

tube count / 2 (symmetric port/starboard launcher layout; common on cruisers and battleships with deck torpedoes).

Full-salvo damage445,340

tube count x per-torpedo simulated damage (all torpedoes hitting).

Per-side salvo damage222,670

per-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS471

Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (49×3.5×0.9) + (61×3.5×0.85) + (43×3.5×0.9) = 471. 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 range5 km

Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.

AA threat index1780

SUM over AA auras of (aura DPS x aura range km). A plane crossing the AA bubble is exposed to each aura for a time proportional to that aura's range, so long-reach DPS is worth more than the same DPS in a short bubble. Units: DPS*km; used to rank overall AA threat across the cohort.

Near aura range3.1 km

Secondary battery dispersion

Secondary dispersion typeStandard

Max dispersion = range (km) × 57 + 30. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.

Max secondary dispersion @ 5 km315 m

5 km × 57 + 30 = 315 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)204,000

Sum across all secondary families of (per-side barrels × 60 / reload_s × alpha), where per-side barrels = mounts × barrels-per-mount / 2 (the guns that bear on one broadside target). Per-family: 6×2 100 mm (6/side) × 60/3 × 1700 = 204,000. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).

Max HE alpha1700

Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1700 from the 100 mm family.

Max HE fire chance6%

Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 6% from the 100 mm family.

Max HE pen17 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: 17 mm from the 100 mm family.

Armor

Hull HP 44,900, 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
Bow	25 mm primary (range 25–40 mm)	1,900 (4% of HP)	Overmatched by 380mm+ (Bismarck, Richelieu)Angle bounces 356mm25 mm: HE pens from 150mm+	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 16–203 mm)	33,700 (75% of HP)	Overmatched by 283mm+ (Scharnhorst '43, Schill)Angle bounces 203mm16 mm: HE pens from 127mm+	Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern	25 mm primary (range 25–40 mm)	2,700 (6% of HP)	Overmatched by 380mm+ (Bismarck, Richelieu)Angle bounces 356mm25 mm: HE pens from 150mm+	Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel	152 mm primary (range 6–152 mm)	≈ 165,500 (effectively no cap)	Citadel pen ×0.33 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 (×0.33 direct pen, ×0.10 over-pen).
Superstructure	203 mm	2,200 (5% of HP)	Any HE ≥16 mm pens at full damage	Any HE ≥16 mm pens at full damage. HE-spam target, and the section saturates fast (often only a few thousand HP).
Turret (module, per magazine)	separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP	22,500 magazine HP	Magazine detonation1–30% chance · below ~75% HP	Per-turret powder-magazine HP. Detonation chance scales from 1% (no mag damage) to 30% (full mag damage); this range is the in-game value. Detonation can't roll while the ship is above ~75% HP (the standard detonation-protection threshold, not a per-ship stat). Smaller magazines saturate to the 30% ceiling faster.
Secondary mount (100 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 (40 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	13,500 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.

Shell ballistics chart

AP penetration, impact velocity, flight time and impact angle vs range. Click to load the interactive chart.

Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

DefaultThe ship’s standard exterior
Decorative
Zao ZayaDecorative

Zaō

Zaō Community Stats