World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Courbet

Also called: 孤拔 Beta
Bow-tank battleshipHold the line bow-in; top-decile plate shrugs what peers can't crack while the team trades.
Playstyle
  • Anchor a flank at 12-15 km with bow toward the closest threat
  • Avoid: Leading the push alone
Key characteristics
305 mm overmatchStrong AAThick bow plateFlat HE shellsEasily spotted
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Community Data

Courbet Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Courbet is a Tier III French bow-tank battleship: top-decile bow and deck plate shrugs what peer guns cannot crack, so she holds the line bow-in and soaks fire while the team trades around her. A heavy Repair Party stretches the trade further. Standout traits: top-decile flat HE shells in T3 BBs (905).

Positioning

Anchor a flank at 12-15 km with bow toward the closest threat. Rotate one or two map cells with the team rather than holding solo; a battleship alone on a flank is a free focus target for the enemy.

Potato Avoidance

Leading the push alone

A battleship caught broadside by two same-tier guns at mid range loses more HP than any single salvo trades back, so rotate with the team or hold your angle instead of charging in first.

Signature Traits

ELITE ARMOR
  • Thick bow plate · 30.0 mm
  • Bow-tanker
ELITE MAIN BATTERY
  • Flat HE shells · 905.0 m
  • Overmatch specialist
ELITE AA
  • Top-tier · 193.0 AA
  • AA specialist
Easily spotted

12.76 km surface detect, bottom decile of T3 BBs. Visible before you can react; position early.

Thin deck

13.0 mm armor deck, bottom quartile of T3 BBs. Plunging fire and HE eat through.

Acquisition

How to get Courbet

Courbet is available in the Fast Battleships branch of the France Tech Tree for 85,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 21,240 credits.

Show France tech-tree branch diagram
France Tech Tree

Courbet sits in the Fast Battleships branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full France tree.

Builds Beta

Pair with a commander whose unique skill complements her main armament; check the build tool for current recommendations.

Open in Build Tool →

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 Courbet 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.

BestBow armor30 mm (1 of 2 tied) Top 25%Main battery range14.09 km (5/19) Top 25%HE alpha2,000 (5/18) Top 25%HE velocity905 m/s (3/19) Top 25%AA DPS193 (3/19) Bottom 25%Stealth profile12.76 km / 10.21 km (17/19 / 17/19) Bottom 25%Power-to-weight1.09 hp/t (15/18) WorstSecondary range3.5 km (1 of 7 tied) WorstDeck armor13 mm (1 of 2 tied)
See 31 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Courbet -- 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 points41,000 HP(9/19) Max speed21 kt(13/19) Rudder shift12.3 s(11/19) Traverse-to-turn ratio2.81 ×(13/19) Main battery caliber305 mm(9/19) Main battery reload30 s(12/19) Sigma1.8(7/19) HE shell damage4,200(11/19) HE fire chance22%(13/19) Fires per minute4.4(15/19) HE DPM84,000(7/19) AP shell damage8,300(8/19) AP DPM166,000(11/19) Main dispersion191.5 m(9/19) Secondary DPM (per side)132,000(9/19) Secondary fire chance8%(11/18) Secondary HE pen23 mm(9/18) AP velocity798 m/s(15/19) Acceleration36.2 s(11/18) AP arming threshold51 mm(11/19) Engine power28,000 hp(11/18) Turn-speed retention48.3 hp/m(13/18) Displacement25,579 t(13/19) AA range3 km(9/19) AA threat284(7/16) Repair charges3(9/19) Max armor300 mm(10/19) Citadel belt250 mm(13/19) Stern armor19 mm(10/19) NormSecondary dispersion bracket57(17 of 19 tied at this value) NormAP fuse timer0.01 s(15 of 19 tied at this value)
Survivability
Hit PointsInitial: 38,200 → 41,000
Displacement25,579 t
Armor range12–300 mm
Plate armor thicknesses12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 24, 28, 30, 40, 48, 70, 90, 120, 135, 142, 145, 150, 160, 175, 180, 200, 232, 235, 250, 270, 280, 300 mm
Armor material/layer entries95
Fire resistanceInitial: 6.7% → 10%
Fire duration60 s
Torp Reduction10%
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 305 mm/45 Mle 1910
Mounts / barrels6 mounts / 12 barrels
Reload time30 s
Firing range (base)12.8 km
Firing range (top fire control)14.1 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 =(1280530·122.21000+2.2)·30=191.5m
191.5 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: σV=σH·radiusOnMax =191.5·0.6=114.9m
114.9 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius: σH,50=σH·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =191.5·0.344(σ=1.8)=65.8m
65.8 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius: σV,50=σV·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =114.9·0.344(σ=1.8)=39.5m
39.5 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 3 deg/s traverse speed = 60 s.
60 s
Base shells/min
ƒ10 broadside guns x 60 / 30 s base reload = 20.
20
HE shells
HE Damage4,200
HE Velocity905 m/s
Fire Chance22%
HE penetration
ƒ51 mm ≈ 305 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
51 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ4,200 HE damage x 10 broadside guns = 42,000.
42,000
Base HE DPM
ƒ42,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 84,000.
84,000
Base fires/min
ƒ20 shells/min x 22% fire chance = 4.4.
4.4
AP shells
AP Damage8,300
AP Velocity798 m/s
Min Ricochet45 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg
Fuse Timer0.01 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 =107·2300·428.350.69·0.3051.07·7981.38=542.3mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
542.3 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (17.6 km), where the shell has slowed to 356 m/s: P=107·2300·428.350.69·0.3051.07·3561.38=178mm.
178 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ8,300 AP damage x 10 broadside guns = 83,000.
83,000
Base AP DPM
ƒ83,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 166,000.
166,000
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.
40
AA Defense
AA mount pointsInitial: 8 → 24
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (11×3.5×0.75) + (67×3.5×0.7) = 193. 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.
193
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
3 km
75 mm/50 Mle 19228×1 75mm
13.2 mm/76 CAD Mle 1929 (upgraded hull only)8×2 13mm
13.2 mm/76 Mle 1929 (upgraded hull only)8×1 13mm
Far aura
DPSInitial: 8 → 11
Range3 km
Near aura
DPS67
Range1.2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 11 + Near 67 = 78
78
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts22
Firing range3.5 km
Shell Grouping (σ)1
Caliber139 mm
Reload time10 s
HE Damage2,000
Muzzle Velocity840 m/s
Fire Chance8%
Armor Pen23 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 @ 3.5 km
ƒ3.5 km × 57 + 30 = 229.5 m.
229.5 m
Maneuverability
Engine moduleEngine: 30,000 hp
Engine power28,000 hp
Maximum speed21 kt
Turning circle radius580 m
Rudder shift time12.3 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 (18.9 kt of 21 kt), from our in-house acceleration model.
36.2 s
Acceleration 0-99%
ƒTime to reach 99% of top speed (20.8 kt of 21 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.
60 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·21.0·0.5144580=1.07°/s, so ratio=ωturretωhull=31.07=2.8×. Below 5 the turrets drag in a turning fight; 25+ keeps up with any rudder.
2.8× drags
Concealment
Detectability by sea12.76 km
Detectability by air10.21 km
Smoke firing penalty9.74 km
Detect after firing main guns
ƒmax(base sea detectability, gun-firing bloom range). Firing never pulls your detection closer than base concealment.
12.76 km
Detect Fire Sea14.76 km
Detect Fire Air13.21 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 80 s reload · 15 s active
Repair Party3 charges · 80 s reload · 28 s active · 5,740 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.
· 17,220 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.
· 205 HP/s (0.5% of max HP) heal per second
ƒ0.5% of max HP (41,000 HP) per second = 205 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
Module options (2)

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

HullUpgrade
  • Hit points38,200 → 41,000
  • Rudder shift22.5 → 16 s
  • AA mounts8 → 24
  • Close-range AA DPS8 → 78
Fire controlUpgrade
  • Main battery range12,805 → 14085.5 m

See all derived stats

Show

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 Disp191.5 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: $\sigma_H = \left(\dfrac{R}{30}\cdot\dfrac{\text{idealRadius}-\text{minRadius}}{\text{idealDistance}} + \text{minRadius}\right)\cdot 30$ $= \left(\dfrac{12805}{30}\cdot\dfrac{12-2.2}{1000} + 2.2\right)\cdot 30 = 191.5\,\text{m}$
Shell scatter width @ 10 km164 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 Disp114.9 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: $\sigma_V = \sigma_H \cdot \text{radiusOnMax}$ $= 191.5 \cdot 0.6 = 114.9\,\text{m}$
Shell scatter height @ 10 km91.2 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 Disp65.8 m
50%-hit horizontal radius: $\sigma_{H,50} = \sigma_H \cdot \text{GetHalfHitsRatio}(\sigma)$ $= 191.5 \cdot 0.344\;(\sigma = 1.8) = 65.8\,\text{m}$
Med Vert Disp39.5 m
50%-hit vertical radius: $\sigma_{V,50} = \sigma_V \cdot \text{GetHalfHitsRatio}(\sigma)$ $= 114.9 \cdot 0.344\;(\sigma = 1.8) = 39.5\,\text{m}$
Dispersion familyEU BB Disp.
Standard BB dispersion. Used as the baseline for cross-family comparisons.
AP Pen Close542.3 mm
Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: $P = 10^{-7}\cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{-1.07} \cdot v_0^{1.38}$ $= 10^{-7}\cdot 2300 \cdot 428.35^{0.69} \cdot 0.305^{-1.07} \cdot 798^{1.38} = 542.3\,\text{mm}$. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far178 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (17.6 km), where the shell has slowed to 356 m/s: $P = 10^{-7}\cdot 2300 \cdot 428.35^{0.69} \cdot 0.305^{-1.07} \cdot 356^{1.38} = 178\,\text{mm}$.
HE penetration51 mm
51 mm ≈ 305 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
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 alpha10
Barrels that can bear on one beam (10 of 12); casemate/wing mounts only fire one side.
Turret turn time60 s
180 degrees / 3 deg/s traverse speed = 60 s.
HE full-salvo alpha42,000
4,200 HE damage x 10 broadside guns = 42,000.
AP full-salvo alpha83,000
8,300 AP damage x 10 broadside guns = 83,000.
Base HE DPM84,000
42,000 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 84,000.
Base AP DPM166,000
83,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 30 s base reload = 166,000.
Base shells/min20
10 broadside guns x 60 / 30 s base reload = 20.
Base fires/min4.4
20 shells/min x 22% fire chance = 4.4.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS193
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (11×3.5×0.75) + (67×3.5×0.7) = 193. 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 index284
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 range1.2 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 @ 3.5 km229.5 m
3.5 km × 57 + 30 = 229.5 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)132,000
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: 22×1 139 mm (11/side) × 60/10 × 2000 = 132,000. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).
Max HE alpha2000
Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 2000 from the 139 mm family.
Max HE fire chance8%
Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 8% from the 139 mm family.
Max HE pen23 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: 23 mm from the 139 mm family.

Armor Beta

Hull HP 38,20041,000 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.

Bow & stern30 mm

Nothing in its bracket overmatches it. Angled, every AP shell in matchmaking bounces.

Belt / citadel250 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
Bow30 mm primary (range 24–200 mm)1,400 (3% of HP)
Overmatch not possible in its bracketAngle 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)270 mm primary (range 12–270 mm)30,800 (75% of HP)
No common caliber overmatches270 mm: no common HE pens
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern19 mm primary (range 19–200 mm)2,200 (5% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ (Nassau, Von Der Tann)Angle bounces 203mm19 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel250 mm primary (range 13–250 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 13–300 mm)1,300 (3% 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 HP20,500 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 (139 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 (75 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.
Engine (module, research)engine coefficient (unconfirmed)-0.050 research estimateLargest on BB/BC; zero on destroyersEngine durability isn't a per-ship value in the game data. This small negative coefficient is non-zero only on battleships, battlecruisers, and the heaviest cruisers, and is exactly zero on every destroyer, so it scales with hull displacement rather than any commander skill. Most likely an engine drag or power term in the same family as the deceleration stats; its exact meaning is not yet confirmed.
Rudder (module)separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP12,300 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
Open in Charting Tool

Acceleration and Ballistics Chart

Balance History

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

Rework ×1
2025-05-15

Ministry of Balance: New Horizons, Greater Heights

  • The Superior AP Damage ship trait has been replaced with Long Reach. This doesn't affect the ship's performance.
Read the full official post
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

  • Courbet 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.