World of Warships: Legends

World of Warships: Legends is available on PlayStation, Android, Microsoft, and other platforms.

I won't tell you how to conduct your ship, aim your guns or use the HUD. I won't tell you what to buy or how to deploy the seemingly endless requisite resources. This website began in 2020 as one page. It was simply my own mental checklist before I entered any Standard Battle game in World of Warships: Legends.

Destroyers

Don't leave it there though! Keep assessing the situation.

History

Naval history is a fascinating subject and forms an integral part of human culture and the English language. There are over one hundred words and phrases that are derived from the operation of ships at sea. Many such lists exist online. If you have a keen understanding of naval warfare then you will have an advantage when playing this game. If you can't be bothered to read the thousands of free articles on Wikipedia, then shame on you. However, watching a few films will definitely help. For old ones, I suggest Gift Horse (1952), The Cruel Sea (1953), In Which We Serve (1942) and Sink the Bismarck! (1960). For more recent, I recommend Greyound (2020) and Midway (2019), the latter more for the spectacle. The 2005 Japanese film Yamato is also worth a watch to illustrate how useless battleships can be against sustained air assault. If like me you are an avid reader, then start with Hornblower. Yes, I know he's a reluctant character in the Age of Sail, but his patient nature when making calculations under duress sets a good example. Also by C.S. Forester is The Good Shepherd, in which the protagonist is captain of a Fletcher-class destroyer, as featured in the game. Greyhound was based on this book.

What to Expect

Defeat-Defeat-Defeat. Get used to it. Get accustomed to being slapped around hard. Feel the punishment and endure being a massive loser. That's what this game will require of you. You will lose battle after battle. You must still expose your ship to danger and continue to handle it under fire. Learning how to lose is vital in this game, as it is in real life.

Defeat Brings Understanding.

(Yamato, 2005)

Ship Types

Each class of ships has a certain role. Think of it a bit like rock, paper, scissors, but not totally: battleships kill cruisers, cruisers kill destroyers and destroyers (can) kill battleships but that doesn't mean that's their primary goal, because it isn't. Before each game study the order of battle. The following are hull classification codes for vessels featured in the game. Click on each one to learn more, and read about which ones are my favourites:

Destroyers	DD
Light Cruisers	CL
Heavy Cruisers	CA
Battleships	BB

Aircraft Carriers

When you play as a carrier, you're mostly playing a flying game and controlling planes - you may as well go and play World of Warplanes. I think commanders should only be allowed to control the carrier itself, with the AI doing the bombing runs based on a priority target list. World of Warships: Legends doesn't feature submarines, unlike the PC version of the game. It would be interesting to be able to use depth charges, although most of the community think submarines should not be added to the game either. As for carriers, I can't give much advice because I rarely take one to sea. I do think they are a positive addition to the game, as they add a whole new dimension and shooting down planes is very rewarding (even though the AI does it for you).

Clear Skies

With the old carrier mechanics, if you shot down 20 enemy aircraft, you earned a Clear Skies medal. This is definitely one of the more rewarding medals. However, this medal can only be earned once per battle. 62 was my record prior to 2024, achieved in Småland. The updated 2024 carrier mechanics made it easier to shoot down planes. The medal requirement was therefore increased to 40. 66 was my record, achieved in Friesland. On 18 November 2024, the medal requirement was reduced to 30 planes shot down. This is a fair change since I only managed to attain this medal three times when 40 planes was needed. On 5 January 2025, I achieved 96 planes shot down in Friesland. On 5 October 2025, I achieved 119 planes shot down in Friesland, which remains my second best XP game (4,911 base).

Hints & Tips

Although not a true guide to the game, this page offers some hints and tips to aid new commanders in getting to grips with the game. The game itself has an extensive Codex which new players might find helpful. One of the best and most enjoyable ways to win more often is to find friends to play with. I played the game solo for my first three years until I started to connect with other captains. Now I am fortunate to regularly set sail some formiddable companions. In the image you may observe Tribal-class ships of the 4th Destroyer Flotilla engaging the enemy.

First to Fire

Be the first to fire. At Jutland, the British spotted the Germans first but it was the Germans who scored the first hits. If you can spot for your team and allow them to get the opening salvo (and hopefully First Blood), then that is an important psychological victory. Also, even though your ship may not be able to do much damage against an enemy, sometimes you should open fire to give the enemy another target to consider or to draw fire away from a struggling ally. Only do this if you are confident you can evade incoming fire and escape intact.

Blind Firing

Blind Firing is when you aim to score a hit on an enemy ship which isn't detected, either by vision, sonar, or radar. When an enemy commander is firing at you and you're hidden in smoke or spotted only on the minimap, take note. It means they know their business. After a while, firing at muzzle flashes and scoring hits is not only possible, it is relatively simple. An enemy commander who sits inside or behind a smokescreen and remains stationary, firing away, makes themselves a target not only for torpedoes but also blind fire. Since we are aiming at muzzle flashes, it's not true blind firing as we have some form of visual reference. In this example, I was detected by enemy sonar, could not see them, and still managed to successfully blind fire using muzzle flashes (whilst burning a Bismarck on the side).

Dead reckoning is the process of calculating the current position of a moving object by using a previously determined position. In this example, it was easy to work out where the enemy ship was likely to be after it disappeared inside a smokescreen. In another example, following the ship's course made for an easy kill. In a very fine example, Cossack '38 missed its initial salvo, but this did not save an enemy Friesland.

True blind firing is when you have no visual reference at all. Sometimes it pays to fire blindly into smoke even when there are no muzzle flashes to aim at; just make sure you won't make yourself a target for other enemy ships if you're detected. In this example, the enemy commander practiced fire discipline to avoid detection, so I fired random patterns into the smoke and started a fire on their ship. Extremely rewarding! I've even seen examples of people scoring hits by firing into the distant, empty sea. That is the purest expression of blind firing and is one of the greatest achievements in the game.

In this example, the enemy player almost scored the hit of the century!

Double and Triple Strikes

If you manage to destroy two enemy ships within ten seconds, you are awarded the much celebrated Double Strike medal. In Paolo Emilio, a ship designed to achieve such results with its hard-hitting torpedoes, I once achieved a Double Strike with its main battery guns. Here is humourous Double Strike with Brazilian Tier V destroyer Juruá which instantly took out two cruisers.

If you should manage to destroy three enemy ships within ten seconds, there is no reward, despite this representing one third of the enemy team. A 'Triple Strike' is therefore unofficial but still highly sought after. Here are some examples I recorded:

So close! Yet denied: In this example, French Tier VIII destroyer Mogador refuses to give up and comes tantalizing close to a Triple Strike-Kraken.

It's Not Over Until It's Over

Never give up hope that the game can be swung in the final fraction of a second. In this example, the enemy is ahead on points as we enter the final second of the match...

The AI

Playing against bots is a great way to complete Bureau Projects because 99% of the time you are guaranteed a victory. I spent my first few months playing against the AI to learn the basic mechanics of the game. The developers state that AI is supposed to be the 'chill' mode. When you've suffered a run of defeats, it helps to play a few AI battles to let off steam and get back into a winning mode. You can always rely on AI destroyers to push to the Cap. You can rely on their cruisers and battleships to do it too. This means you can all advance together, guns blazing. If you just want to sail your battleship forward and fire its guns for fun, play AI. Don't underestimate the Legendary level AI. They can take a battleship out in one salvo (this happened to me when I was stupid enough to sail my Marlborough close to a Yamato).

Interaction

Mute your microphone. I also suggest muting your team. In thousands of matches I've only had a handful of games where a teammate dispensed useful advice. It's usually people playing music, yelling in frustration or offering abuse to their team. Make sure you can't hear such things as they are distractions. Also, set the options on your console so random people cannot message you. After a losing game, losers tend to send abusive messages to the members of their team they deem deserving of it. Make sure this cannot happen or it will further put you off the game and its playerbase. I also disable the in-game music as I find this makes for a more atmospheric, realistic, and immersive experience.

The above doesn't apply if you're in a division or party, of course.

Break

The value of a break cannot be overestimated. I tend to play this game in spurts. I'll play it daily for one to two months and then fatigue and frustration will make me step away from it for maybe the same amount of time. If you aren't enjoying a game, then stop. If you keep getting defeated and find yourself stressing out, then stop. This game has so many resources to keep track of. The makers also designed it with a great deal of deviousness to keep you hooked. Don't let them beat you. Play it on your own terms and don't feel pressured into paying for ships or premium time. There is easily enough free content in the game. I will admit that I have spent at least $800 Canadian on the game, and do not take as many breaks as I should!

Warning

This is a very difficult game and it will take you at least a year to master. Expect many frustrating battles where you get blown up instantly or your entire team dies because they don't know what they're doing. Stay calm and play the cards you were dealt. Good Luck, Commander.

Last updated: 21 February 2026.