GamingDiver / WoWs Legends Ships / Zara

World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Zara

Beta

Italy · Tier VI · Cruiser · Tech Tree: Evasive Cruisers

Utility cruiserFlexible support -- spot, screen, and farm where the team needs it.

Playstyle

Hold 12-15 km angles with islands close enough to break line of sight when focus comes; pick broadsides…
The AP kit pays best when you choose your salvo target, not when you chase one
Avoid: Open-water broadside trading

Key characteristics

Long torps (10 km)Heavy AP pen2 sigma accuracyDefensive AAWeak torpedoes

Community Data

Zara Community Stats

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

Playstyle

Overview

Zara is a Tier VI Italian heavy cruiser carrying 203mm guns at 14.6 km, 13.1-second reload. The guns earn citadels on broadside cruisers and chip pressure on battleships; she is not a brawler.

Positioning

Hold 12-15 km angles with islands close enough to break line of sight when focus comes; pick broadsides as they rotate rather than baiting them. The AP kit pays best when you choose your salvo target, not when you chase one.

Potato Avoidance

Open-water broadside trading

Her 203mm shells citadel cruisers on the wrong frame, and her 37,100-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

Long-range AP brick

160.2 mm AP pen at max range, top decile of T6 CAs. Threatens citadels even from range.

Thick deck armor

150.0 mm armor deck, best of T6 CAs. Eats plunging fire and HE that peers don't.

Heavy magazine armor

150.0 mm magazine protection, best of T6 CAs. Detonation-resistant.

Armored casemates

150.0 mm casemate / secondary armor, best of T6 CAs. Brawling secondaries survive volleys that knock out peers.

Strong torpedo belt

19.0% torpedo damage reduction, top decile of T6 CAs.

Weak torpedoes

13500.0 damage per torpedo, bottom decile of T6 CAs.

Acquisition

How to get Zara

Zara is available in the Evasive Cruisers branch of the Italy Tech Tree for 9,000,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 2,475,000 credits.

Show Italy tech-tree branch diagram

Italy Tech Tree

Zara sits in the Evasive Cruisers branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full Italy tree.

8 ships in highlighted branch · scroll to inspect all Italy lines.

ItalyIIIIIIIVVVIVIIVIII★

Destroyer

Cruiser

Battleship

Tier ★A. RegoloPISD110 Tier ★VeneziaPISC110 Tier ★C. ColomboPISB110 Tier VIIIAdriaticoPISD109 Tier VIIIBrindisiPISC109 Tier VIIILepantoPISB109 Tier VIIVittorio CunibertiPISD108 Tier VIIAmalfiPISC108 Tier VIIVittorio VenetoPISB108 Tier VILuca TarigoPISD107 Tier VIZaraPISC107 Tier VIFrancesco CaraccioloPISB107 Tier VAvierePISD106 Tier VTrentoPISC106 Tier VAndrea DoriaPISB106 Tier IVMaestralePISD105 Tier IVMontecuccoliPISC105 Tier IVCavourPISB105 Tier IIITurbinePISD104 Tier IIIGiussanoPISC104 Tier IIIDante AlighieriPISB104 Tier IINazario SauroPISD103 Tier IITarantoPISC103 Tier INino BixioPISC102

Builds Beta

Build for SAP damage, reload timing, concealment, rudder, and survivability. Commander skills that reward post-reload volleys fit her rhythm.

Open in Build Tool →

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Cohort position

Hide ▾

Where Zara sits among Tier VI CAs (32 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.

BestAP fuse timer0.03 s (1 of 13 tied) BestDeck armor150 mm (1 of 7 tied) Top 10%Concealment10.92 km (3/32) Top 25%Hit points37,100 HP (7/32) Top 25%Air detection6.55 km (5/32) Top 25%Main battery caliber203 mm (9/32) Top 25%Main dispersion124.9 m (6/32) Top 25%Turn-speed retention163.8 hp/m (9/32) Top 25%Torpedo range9.99 km (7/24) Top 25%Torpedo reload71 s (7/24) Top 25%Max armor150 mm (7/32) Top 25%Citadel belt150 mm (5/32) Bottom 25%Max speed32 kt (26/32) Bottom 25%Rudder shift12.8 s (27/32) Bottom 25%Traverse-to-turn ratio4.3 × (27/32) Bottom 25%Main battery reload13.1 s (27/32) Bottom 25%Fires per minute5.5 (25/30) Bottom 25%HE DPM104,427 (26/30) Bottom 25%AP DPM175,878 (26/31) Bottom 25%Displacement14,530 t (25/32) Bottom 25%Power-to-weight6.54 hp/t (27/32) Bottom 25%AA range4 km (27/32) Bottom 10%Torpedo damage13,500 (23/24) Bottom 10%Torpedo speed53 kt (23/24)

See 19 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Zara -- 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.

Main battery range14.65 km(24/32) Sigma2(17/32) HE shell damage2,850(11/30) Secondary DPM (per side)90,000(15/27) HE alpha1,500(14/27) Secondary fire chance6%(15/27) Secondary HE pen17 mm(19/27) AP velocity900 m/s(11/31) HE velocity850 m/s(17/30) Acceleration9.6 s(12/32) AP arming threshold34 mm(23/31) Engine power95,000 hp(19/32) AA DPS263(20/32) AA threat834(22/32) Bow armor30 mm(13/32) Stern armor30 mm(15/32) NormAP ricochet start45°(26 of 31 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(25 of 31 tied at this value) NormSecondary range4.5 km(18 of 27 tied at this value)

Peers in this cohort

Show all 31 peers

Francesco Ferruccio vs

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.

Def-AASmokeFighter

Survivability

Hit PointsInitial: 32,700 → 37,100

Displacement14,530 t

Armor range13–150 mm

Plate armor thicknesses13, 16, 19, 20, 25, 30, 65, 70, 80, 90, 120, 140, 150 mm

Armor material/layer entries63

Fire resistanceInitial: 26.6% → 30%

Fire duration30 s

Torp Reduction19%

Magazine HP

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.

18,600

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.

11,100

Main Battery

ModuleArtillery: 203 mm/53 Ansaldo 1927

Mounts / barrels4 mounts / 8 barrels

Reload time14.5 s

Firing range (base)13.3 km

Firing range (top fire control)14.6 km

Turret traverse7 °/s

Shell Grouping (σ)

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

Max Horiz Disp

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (13317/30·(8−1.1)/1000 + 1.1)·30 = 124.9 m

124.9 m

Max Vert Disp

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 124.9 × 0.6 = 74.9 m

74.9 m

Med Horiz Disp

50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 124.9 × 0.319 (σ=2) = 39.9 m

39.9 m

Med Vert Disp

50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 74.9 × 0.319 (σ=2) = 23.9 m

23.9 m

Turret turn time

180 degrees / 7 deg/s traverse speed = 25.7 s.

25.7 s

Base shells/min

8 broadside guns x 60 / 14.5 s base reload = 33.1.

33.1

HE shells

HE Damage2,850

HE Velocity850 m/s

Fire Chance15%

HE penetration

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

34 mm

HE full-salvo alpha

2,850 HE damage x 8 broadside guns = 22,800.

22,800

Base HE DPM

22,800 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 14.5 s base reload = 94,345.

94,345

Base fires/min

8 HE shells x 60 / 14.5 s reload x 15% fire chance = 4.97.

4.97

AP shells

AP Damage4,800

AP Velocity900 m/s

Min Ricochet45 deg

Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg

Fuse Timer0.033 s

Fuse Threshold34 mm

AP overmatch

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

14 mm

AP Pen Close

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 × 2450 × 125.3^0.69 × 0.203^-1.07 × 900^1.38 = 451.4 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.

451.4 mm

AP Pen Far

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (18.3 km), where the shell has slowed to 424.8 m/s: 1e-7 × 2450 × 125.3^0.69 × 0.203^-1.07 × 424.8^1.38 = 160.2 mm.

160.2 mm

AP full-salvo alpha

4,800 AP damage x 8 broadside guns = 38,400.

38,400

Base AP DPM

38,400 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 14.5 s base reload = 158,897.

158,897

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.

◇

Torpedoes

ModuleTorpedoes: 533 mm tubo lanciasiluri

Launchers / tubes2 launchers × 3 tubes = 6 tubes

Reload time71 s

Projectile speed53 kt

Range9.99 km

Maximum simulated damage12,500 (est.)

Alpha damage37,500

Torpedo detectability1 km

Torpedo launcher traverse25 °/s

Torp Turn7.2 s

Torp Arming164 m

Per-side salvo damage

per-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.

37,500

AA Defense

AA mount pointsInitial: 10 → 20

Close-range AA DPS

Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (41×3.5×0.9) + (26×3.5×0.85) + (18×3.5×0.9) = 263. 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.

263

Maximum AA range

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

4 km

37 mm/54 Breda 1938Initial: 4×2 → 6×2 37mm

20 mm/65 Breda 1939 (upgraded hull only)10×1 20mm

20 mm/65 Breda 19354×2 20mm

13.2 mm/76 Breda 1931 (stock hull only)2×2 13mm

100 mm /47 OTO 1928 (DP)6×2 100mm

DPS

Includes 18 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.

Range4 km

DPSInitial: 29 → 41

Range3.5 km

Total DPS in Aura

Far 18 + Medium 41 = 59

DPSInitial: 10 → 26

Range2 km

Total DPS in Aura

Far 18 + Medium 41 + Near 26 = 85

Secondary Battery

Mounts6

Firing range4.5 km

Shell Grouping (σ)1

Caliber100 mm

Reload time6 s

HE Damage1,500

Muzzle Velocity850 m/s

Fire Chance6%

Armor Pen17 mm

Min Ricochet91°

Max Ricochet60°

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 @ 4.5 km

4.5 km × 57 + 30 = 286.5 m.

286.5 m

Maneuverability

Engine moduleEngine: 95,000 hp

Engine power95,000 hp

Maximum speed32 kt

Turning circle radius580 m

Engine power multiplier speed threshold7 kt

Traverse-to-turn ratio4.3× drags

Concealment

Detectability by sea10.92 km

Detectability by air6.55 km

Smoke firing penalty6.02 km

Detect after firing main guns10.92 km

Detect Fire Sea12.92 km

Detect Fire Air9.55 km

Guaranteed Detect2 km

✦

Consumables

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

Choose one

Exhaust Smoke Generator2 charges · 180 s reload · 20 s emit / 35 s cloud active

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

Module options (3)

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

HullTrade-off

Hit points32,700 → 37,100
Rudder shift17.9 → 12.8 s
AA mounts10 → 20
Close-range AA DPS45 → 67
Turret traverse7 → 6 °/s

Fire controlUpgrade

Main battery range13,317 → 14648.7 m

TorpedoesTrade-off

Range12 → 9.99 km
Alpha damage35,000 → 37,500
Display damage11,667 → 12,500
Speed51 → 53 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 Disp124.9 m

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (13317/30·(8−1.1)/1000 + 1.1)·30 = 124.9 m

Max Vert Disp74.9 m

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 124.9 × 0.6 = 74.9 m

Med Horiz Disp39.9 m

50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 124.9 × 0.319 (σ=2) = 39.9 m

Med Vert Disp23.9 m

50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 74.9 × 0.319 (σ=2) = 23.9 m

Dispersion familyCruiser Disp.

Standard cruiser dispersion baseline.

AP Pen Close451.4 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 × 2450 × 125.3^0.69 × 0.203^-1.07 × 900^1.38 = 451.4 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.

AP Pen Far160.2 mm

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (18.3 km), where the shell has slowed to 424.8 m/s: 1e-7 × 2450 × 125.3^0.69 × 0.203^-1.07 × 424.8^1.38 = 160.2 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 Radius30

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 alpha8

All 8 barrels bear on the broadside.

Turret turn time25.7 s

180 degrees / 7 deg/s traverse speed = 25.7 s.

HE full-salvo alpha22,800

2,850 HE damage x 8 broadside guns = 22,800.

AP full-salvo alpha38,400

4,800 AP damage x 8 broadside guns = 38,400.

Base HE DPM94,345

22,800 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 14.5 s base reload = 94,345.

Base AP DPM158,897

38,400 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 14.5 s base reload = 158,897.

Base shells/min33.1

8 broadside guns x 60 / 14.5 s base reload = 33.1.

Base fires/min4.97

8 HE shells x 60 / 14.5 s reload x 15% fire chance = 4.97.

Torpedoes

Torpedo detectability1 km

Estimated torpedo reaction time7.3 s

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

Torpedo speed53 kt

Travel time to max range72.5 s

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

Tube count6

2 launchers x 3 tubes.

Per-side salvo3 torpedoes

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

Full-salvo damage75,000

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

Per-side salvo damage37,500

per-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS263

Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (41×3.5×0.9) + (26×3.5×0.85) + (18×3.5×0.9) = 263. 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 range4 km

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

AA threat index834

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

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 @ 4.5 km286.5 m

4.5 km × 57 + 30 = 286.5 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)90,000

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) × 60/6 × 1500 = 90,000. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).

Max HE alpha1500

Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1500 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 32,700 → 37,100 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
Bow	30 mm primary (range 16–30 mm)	3,100 (8% of HP)	Overmatch not possible at T VIIAngle bounces 410mm30 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)	140 mm primary (range 19–150 mm)	27,800 (75% of HP)	No common caliber overmatches140 mm: no common HE pens	Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern	30 mm primary (range 16–120 mm)	2,500 (7% of HP)	Overmatch not possible at T VIIAngle bounces 410mm30 mm: HE pens from 203mm+	Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel	150 mm primary (range 13–150 mm)	≈ 165,500 (effectively no cap)	Citadel pen ×0.10 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 (×0.10 direct pen, ×0.10 over-pen).
Superstructure	19 mm primary (range 19–150 mm)	2,200 (6% 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	18,600 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 (37 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	11,100 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.

Balance History

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

Buff ×1Main Battery ×2

2023-01-12

Ministry of Balance Reports: Big Small Changes!

Added SAP upgrade module — Artillery: 203 mm/53 Model 1927 SAP.
Increases reload time to 16 s.
SAP shell damage: 5,050.
Penetrates 55 mm of armor.

Read the full official post

Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

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.

2021-08-26 · Patch notes September update: the Redinforcements Patch notes 2022-01-27 · Patch notes February update: fortes fortuna adiuvat Patch notes 2022-09-29 · Patch notes Halloween Update: New Friends, Old Foes Patch notes 2023-03-02 · Patch notes March Update: Seeing Green Patch notes 2024-01-11 · Patch notes January Update: The Hunt Begins Patch notes