World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Bellerophon

Also called: 柏勒罗丰 Beta
U.K. · Tier III · Battleship · Premium
Fire-starter battleshipImproved HE means fires and chip damage on anything angled; heal back the trade.
Playstyle
  • Anchor a flank at 10-13 km with bow toward the closest threat, then use the speed advantage at 24 kn to…
  • Avoid: Using the 24-kn speed to push rather than to rotate
Key characteristics
305 mm overmatchHeavy HE shellsImproved HE penHeavy magazine armorSlow acceleration
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Community Data

Bellerophon Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Bellerophon is a Tier III British fire-starter battleship: her improved-penetration HE farms fires and chips angled targets her AP cannot crack, so the kit is sustained HE pressure from range rather than bow-in trading. A heavy Repair Party sustains the trade. HE pen sits at the 1/4 caliber ratio instead of the standard 1/6, so HE spam is a real damage option here - pens roughly 1.5x more armor than a same-caliber peer's HE round. Standout traits: best HE alpha in T3 BBs (5,200) and best magazine armor in T3 BBs (76 mm).

Positioning

Anchor a flank at 10-13 km with bow toward the closest threat, then use the speed advantage at 24 kn to rotate to the cap that needs a second battleship rather than the one your team already has. Mobility means you can pick which fight you are in; do not waste it by holding center the whole match.

Potato Avoidance

Using the 24-kn speed to push rather than to rotate

The mobility advantage is about picking which cap fight you arrive at, not about leading the brawl line; a fast BB that overextends loses HP that the kit cannot trade back.

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 8/19 T3 BBs.

ELITE MAIN BATTERY
  • Heavy HE shells · 5200.0 damage
  • Overmatch specialist
ELITE ARMOR
  • Heavy magazine · 76.0 mm
  • Bow-tanker
Fast flanking BB

Speed in the top bracket. Rotates flanks and dictates engagement angles.

Slow acceleration

~40.0 s to 90% of top speed, worst of T3 BBs. Sluggish rebuild after a turn or stop; the engine power-boost fades early, so the mid-range crawls.

Low AP DPM

129600 AP DPM, bottom quartile of T3 BBs. Citadel windows matter more than spam.

Acquisition

How to get Bellerophon

Bellerophon is a Premium ship and not available to unlock in the Tech Tree. Acquisition path: Containers. 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

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 Bellerophon sits among Tier III BBs (19 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.

BestHE shell damage5,200 (1 of 2 tied) Top 25%Max speed24 kt (3/19) Top 25%Rudder shift10.2 s (3/19) Top 25%HE fire chance32% (5/19) Top 25%AP fuse timer0.01 s (3/19) Top 25%Deck armor76 mm (4/19) Bottom 25%Traverse-to-turn ratio2.38 × (18/19) Bottom 25%Secondary DPM (per side)84,000 (17/19) Bottom 25%HE alpha1,500 (16/18) Bottom 25%Secondary fire chance6% (15/18) Bottom 25%Secondary HE pen17 mm (17/18) Bottom 25%Engine power25,000 hp (16/18) Bottom 25%Turn-speed retention44.6 hp/m (17/18) WorstAP DPM129,600 (1 of 2 tied) WorstAcceleration40 s (18/18)
See 26 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Bellerophon -- 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 points38,100 HP(11/19) Concealment12.45 km(10/19) Air detection9.96 km(11/19) Main battery caliber305 mm(9/19) Main battery range13.63 km(12/19) Main battery reload30 s(12/19) Sigma1.8(7/19) Fires per minute5.12(8/19) HE DPM83,200(9/19) AP shell damage8,100(13/19) Main dispersion196.3 m(14/19) AP velocity831 m/s(11/19) HE velocity831 m/s(14/19) AP arming threshold51 mm(11/19) Displacement22,456 t(7/19) Power-to-weight1.11 hp/t(13/18) Secondary range4.5 km(8/19) AA DPS71(9/19) AA range3 km(9/19) AA threat181(8/16) Repair charges3(9/19) Max armor279 mm(15/19) Citadel belt254 mm(9/19) Bow armor19 mm(9/19) Stern armor19 mm(10/19) NormSecondary dispersion bracket57(17 of 19 tied at this value)
Survivability
Hit Points38,100
Displacement22,456 t
Armor range13–279 mm
Plate armor thicknesses13, 19, 25, 30, 32, 38, 51, 57, 76, 102, 127, 152, 178, 203, 229, 254, 279 mm
Armor material/layer entries75
Fire resistance10%
Fire duration60 s
Torp Reduction13%
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 305 mm/45 Mk X
Mounts / barrels5 mounts / 10 barrels
Reload time30 s
Firing range13.6 km
Turret traverse3 °/s
Shell Grouping (σ)1.8
Max Horiz Disp
ƒHorizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: σH=(R30·idealRadiusminRadiusidealDistance+minRadius)·30 =(1363230·1221000+2)·30=196.3m
196.3 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: σV=σH·radiusOnMax =196.3·0.6=117.8m
117.8 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius: σH,50=σH·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =196.3·0.344(σ=1.8)=67.5m
67.5 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius: σV,50=σV·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =117.8·0.344(σ=1.8)=40.5m
40.5 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 3 deg/s traverse speed = 60 s.
60 s
Base shells/min
ƒ8 broadside guns x 60 / 30 s base reload = 16.
16
HE shells
HE Damage5,200
HE Velocity831 m/s
Fire Chance32%
HE penetration
ƒ76 mm ≈ 305 mm caliber / 4 (improved HE penetration: German BBs, Yamato-class, and a handful of others).
76 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ5,200 HE damage x 8 broadside guns = 41,600.
41,600
Base HE DPM
ƒ41,600 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 83,200.
83,200
Base fires/min
ƒ16 shells/min x 32% fire chance = 5.12.
5.12
AP shells
AP Damage8,100
AP Velocity831 m/s
Min Ricochet45 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg
Fuse Timer0.015 s
Fuse Threshold51 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(305 mm caliber / 14.3) = 21 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
21 mm
AP Pen Close
ƒCanonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: P=107·K·m0.69·d1.07·v01.38 =107·2187·389.80.69·0.3051.07·8311.38=510.9mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
510.9 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (17 km), where the shell has slowed to 389.2 m/s: P=107·2187·389.80.69·0.3051.07·389.21.38=179.4mm.
179.4 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ8,100 AP damage x 8 broadside guns = 64,800.
64,800
Base AP DPM
ƒ64,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 129,600.
129,600
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.
40
AA Defense
AA mount points6
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (3×3.5×0.75) + (24×3.5×0.75) = 71. 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.
71
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
3 km
76.2 mm/45 HA Mk IV2×1 76mm
40 mm/39 Vickers QF Mk.II on a Mk.II HA mount4×1 40mm
Far aura
DPS3
Range3 km
Medium aura
DPS24
Range2.5 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 3 + Medium 24 = 27
27
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts14
Firing range4.5 km
Shell Grouping (σ)1
Caliber102 mm
Reload time7.5 s
HE Damage1,500
Muzzle Velocity873 m/s
Fire Chance6%
Armor Pen17 mm
Min Ricochet91°
Max Ricochet60°
Secondary dispersion type
ƒMax 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
ƒ4.5 km × 57 + 30 = 286.5 m.
286.5 m
Maneuverability
Engine moduleEngine: 25,000 hp
Engine power25,000 hp
Maximum speed24 kt
Turning circle radius560 m
Rudder shift time10.2 s
Engine power-boost threshold7 kt
Engine spool-up time23 s
Reverse spool-up time11.5 s
Acceleration 0-90%
ƒTime to reach 90% of top speed (21.6 kt of 24 kt), from our in-house acceleration model.
40 s
Acceleration 0-99%
ƒTime to reach 99% of top speed (23.8 kt of 24 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.
66.9 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·24.0·0.5144560=1.26°/s, so ratio=ωturretωhull=31.26=2.4×. Below 5 the turrets drag in a turning fight; 25+ keeps up with any rudder.
2.4× drags
Concealment
Detectability by sea12.45 km
Detectability by air9.96 km
Smoke firing penalty9.5 km
Detect after firing main guns
ƒmax(base sea detectability, gun-firing bloom range). Firing never pulls your detection closer than base concealment.
12.45 km
Detect Fire Sea14.45 km
Detect Fire Air12.96 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 80 s reload · 15 s active
Repair Party3 charges · 80 s reload · 28 s active · 5,334 HP (14% of max HP) total heal (per charge)
ƒHeal per second (0.5%) x effective active time (28 s) = up to 14% of max HP restored per charge.
· 16,002 HP (42% of max HP) total heal (all charges)
ƒ14% per charge x 3 charges = up to 42% of max HP if the whole Repair Party loadout is used.
· 190 HP/s (0.5% of max HP) heal per second
ƒ0.5% of max HP (38,100 HP) per second = 190 HP/s. WoWS heals a flat percent of MAX HP each second, so this rate holds at any health level.
Secondary Battery Booster3 charges · 160 s reload · 30 s active · +100% grouping · -50% dispersion

See all derived stats

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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)1.8
Max Horiz Disp196.3 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: $\sigma_H = \left(\dfrac{R}{30}\cdot\dfrac{\text{idealRadius}-\text{minRadius}}{\text{idealDistance}} + \text{minRadius}\right)\cdot 30$ $= \left(\dfrac{13632}{30}\cdot\dfrac{12-2}{1000} + 2\right)\cdot 30 = 196.3\,\text{m}$
Shell scatter width @ 10 km160 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 Disp117.8 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: $\sigma_V = \sigma_H \cdot \text{radiusOnMax}$ $= 196.3 \cdot 0.6 = 117.8\,\text{m}$
Shell scatter height @ 10 km87.5 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 Disp67.5 m
50%-hit horizontal radius: $\sigma_{H,50} = \sigma_H \cdot \text{GetHalfHitsRatio}(\sigma)$ $= 196.3 \cdot 0.344\;(\sigma = 1.8) = 67.5\,\text{m}$
Med Vert Disp40.5 m
50%-hit vertical radius: $\sigma_{V,50} = \sigma_V \cdot \text{GetHalfHitsRatio}(\sigma)$ $= 117.8 \cdot 0.344\;(\sigma = 1.8) = 40.5\,\text{m}$
AP Pen Close510.9 mm
Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: $P = 10^{-7}\cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{-1.07} \cdot v_0^{1.38}$ $= 10^{-7}\cdot 2187 \cdot 389.8^{0.69} \cdot 0.305^{-1.07} \cdot 831^{1.38} = 510.9\,\text{mm}$. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far179.4 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (17 km), where the shell has slowed to 389.2 m/s: $P = 10^{-7}\cdot 2187 \cdot 389.8^{0.69} \cdot 0.305^{-1.07} \cdot 389.2^{1.38} = 179.4\,\text{mm}$.
HE penetration76 mm
76 mm ≈ 305 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) - 0.249 in this case. Lets HE pen ~76mm armor instead of ~50mm. Hits every German cruiser (150mm CL, 203mm CA) and BB (350mm+), British heavy cruisers / Lion / Nelson, a handful of other premiums.
AP overmatch21 mm
floor(305 mm caliber / 14.3) = 21 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
AP AOE Radius40
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
Barrels that can bear on one beam (8 of 10); casemate/wing mounts only fire one side.
Turret turn time60 s
180 degrees / 3 deg/s traverse speed = 60 s.
HE full-salvo alpha41,600
5,200 HE damage x 8 broadside guns = 41,600.
AP full-salvo alpha64,800
8,100 AP damage x 8 broadside guns = 64,800.
Base HE DPM83,200
41,600 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 83,200.
Base AP DPM129,600
64,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 129,600.
Base shells/min16
8 broadside guns x 60 / 30 s base reload = 16.
Base fires/min5.12
16 shells/min x 32% fire chance = 5.12.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS71
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (3×3.5×0.75) + (24×3.5×0.75) = 71. 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 index181
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.

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)84,000
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: 14×1 102 mm (7/side) × 60/7.5 × 1500 = 84,000. 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 102 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 102 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 102 mm family.

Armor Beta

Hull HP 38,100, 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 & stern19 mm

Overmatched by 48+ guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.

Belt / citadel254 mm

Citadels come from a flat broadside at close range; held past ~30° of angle, AP shatters or bounces.

Farming13 mm

Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 10%, fires burn 60s. Range-by-range in the ballistics tool →

Section Plates HP cap Threats Tactic
Bow19 mm primary (range 19–178 mm)2,500 (7% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ (Nassau, Von Der Tann)Angle bounces 203mm19 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)32 mm primary (range 19–254 mm)28,600 (75% of HP)
Overmatch not possible in its bracketAngle bounces 410mm32 mm: HE pens from 203mm+
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern19 mm primary (range 19–127 mm)1,500 (4% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ (Nassau, Von Der Tann)Angle bounces 203mm19 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel254 mm primary (range 19–254 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.
Superstructure13 mm primary (range 13–279 mm)1,400 (4% of HP)
Any HE ≥16 mm pens at full damageDamage multiplier ×0.6
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 HP19,100 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.
Secondary mount (102 mm mount)separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP800 per-mount HPDestroyed at 0 HPPer-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 (76 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 HP11,400 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.

Approximated side profile.
Open the 3D armor viewer →
3D armor viewer
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Acceleration and Ballistics Chart

Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

  • Bellerophon 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.