World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Cyclone

Beta
France · Tier IV · Destroyer · Premium
Gunboat destroyerWins cap trades with gun output; the torpedoes are a bonus, not the core threat.
Playstyle
  • Hold mid-cap distance and lean into gunboat trades from cover where the peer destroyer cannot match you…
  • Avoid: Trading guns in open water against peer DDs
Key characteristics
Heavy HE shellsHigh fire chanceSmokeEngine BoostDeep-fuse APStiff AP fuse
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Community Data

Cyclone Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Cyclone is a Tier IV French gunboat destroyer: her damage comes from sustained main battery pressure on caps and open-water trades. Torpedoes are a secondary threat for closing lanes, not her main damage. Standout traits: best HE alpha in T4 DDs (2,050) and best HE fire chance in T4 DDs (9).

Positioning

Hold mid-cap distance and lean into gunboat trades from cover where the peer destroyer cannot match your fires-per-minute. Avoid open-water duels with ships running smoke or radar; your damage is mostly gunfire, and gunfire from cover wins more than from blue water. Your guns lose penetration at range, so aim AP at broadsides you can still citadel and put HE into superstructures and upper-hull sections, rather than the bow-in or belt armor your shells bounce and shatter on.

Potato Avoidance

Trading guns in open water against peer DDs

Your damage is sustained main-battery pressure from cover (the torpedoes are a secondary threat), so open-water duels just stack incoming HE on you while you fire back.

Signature Traits

Engine Boost

+20% speed, 120 s duration. Engine Boost consumable temporarily raises top speed. Mobility on demand to reposition, chase a kill, or break contact.

ELITE MAIN BATTERY
  • Heavy HE shells · 2050.0 damage
  • High fire chance · 9.0%
  • Deep-fuse AP · 0.03 s
  • Big-caliber overmatch · 9.0 mm
  • Overmatch specialist
Stiff AP fuse

22.0 mm AP arming threshold, worst of T4 DDs. Over-pens thin plates; the trade-off pays off when most targets are battleship belt armor.

Slow acceleration

~17.9 s to 90% of top speed, bottom decile of T4 DDs. Sluggish rebuild after a turn or stop; the engine power-boost fades early, so the mid-range crawls.

Acquisition

How to get Cyclone

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

Official WG availability sources
  • Loyalty Reward 2023 Event/store source Start: 2023-04-10 · End: open/unknown end Official ship/event post that can indicate store, collaboration, event, return, or limited availability.
  • 5 Years Strong: Loyalty Reward for All Captains! Event/store source Start: 2024-03-25 · End: open/unknown end Official ship/event post that can indicate store, collaboration, event, return, or limited availability.
  • 7 Years Strong: New Golden Anchor Event & Loyalty Rewards Event/store source Start: 2026-03-30 · End: open/unknown end Official ship/event post that can indicate store, collaboration, event, return, or limited availability.

Builds Beta

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

Open in Build Tool →

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Cohort position

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Where Cyclone sits among Tier IV DDs (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.

BestMain battery caliber130 mm (1 of 8 tied) BestHE shell damage2,050 (1 of 2 tied) BestAP fuse timer0.03 s (1 of 4 tied) Top 25%Fires per minute3.6 (5/21) Top 25%AP shell damage2,450 (5/19) Bottom 25%Main dispersion90.1 m (17/21) Bottom 25%Acceleration17.9 s (19/21) Bottom 25%Engine power33,000 hp (19/21) Bottom 25%Turn-speed retention58.9 hp/m (19/21) Bottom 25%Power-to-weight17.37 hp/t (17/21) Bottom 25%AA DPS17 (17/21) Bottom 25%AA threat26 (17/21) Bottom 25%Torpedo reload84 s (18/21) WorstAP velocity725 m/s (1 of 4 tied) WorstHE velocity725 m/s (1 of 4 tied) WorstAP arming threshold22 mm (1 of 8 tied) WorstMax armor10 mm (1 of 10 tied) WorstCitadel belt10 mm (1 of 10 tied) WorstDeck armor10 mm (1 of 10 tied)
See 17 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Cyclone -- 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 points11,700 HP(13/21) Max speed36 kt(15/21) Concealment5.98 km(10/21) Air detection2.99 km(11/21) Rudder shift3.1 s(15/21) Traverse-to-turn ratio5.28 ×(9/21) Main battery range10.02 km(9/21) Main battery reload6 s(9/21) HE DPM82,000(7/21) AP DPM98,000(9/19) Displacement1,900 t(9/21) AA range3 km(13/21) Torpedo range6 km(15/21) Torpedo damage≈11,233(14/21) Torpedo speed65 kt(7/21) NormSigma2(20 of 21 tied at this value) NormRepair heal rate0.5 %/s(2 of 3 tied at this value)
Survivability
Hit Points11,700
Displacement1,900 t
Armor range10–10 mm
Plate armor thicknesses10 mm
Armor material/layer entries25
Fire resistance16.6%
Fire duration30 s
Torp Reduction0%
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 130 mm/40 Mle 1919
Mounts / barrels4 mounts / 4 barrels
Reload time
patched
  1. baseline6
    In-game data
  2. 2024-03-216.5
    Ministry of Balance: Spring Changes Main Battery Reload Time decreased from 10 to 6.5 seconds.
  3. 2025-04-036
    April Update: The Bonds of Loyalty Main battery reload time reduced from 6.5 to 6.0 s.
6 s
Firing range10 km
Turret traverse10 °/s
Shell Grouping (σ)2
Max Horiz Disp
ƒHorizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: σH=(R30·idealRadiusminRadiusidealDistance+minRadius)·30 =(1002030·80.51000+0.5)·30=90.1m
90.1 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: σV=σH·radiusOnMax =90.1·0.6=54.1m
54.1 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius: σH,50=σH·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =90.1·0.32(σ=2)=28.8m
28.8 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius: σV,50=σV·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =54.1·0.32(σ=2)=17.3m
17.3 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 10 deg/s traverse speed = 18 s.
18 s
Base shells/min
ƒ4 broadside guns x 60 / 6 s base reload = 40.
40
HE shells
HE Damage2,050
HE Velocity725 m/s
Fire Chance9%
HE penetration
ƒ22 mm ≈ 130 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
22 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ2,050 HE damage x 4 broadside guns = 8,200.
8,200
Base HE DPM
ƒ8,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 6 s base reload = 82,000.
82,000
Base fires/min
ƒ40 shells/min x 9% fire chance = 3.6.
3.6
AP shells
AP Damage2,450
AP Velocity725 m/s
Min Ricochet45 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg
Fuse Timer0.025 s
Fuse Threshold22 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(130 mm caliber / 14.3) = 9 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
9 mm
AP Pen Close
ƒCanonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: P=107·K·m0.69·d1.07·v01.38 =107·1803·32.050.69·0.131.07·7251.38=155mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
155 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (12.5 km), where the shell has slowed to 295.1 m/s: P=107·1803·32.050.69·0.131.07·295.11.38=44.8mm.
44.8 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ2,450 AP damage x 4 broadside guns = 9,800.
9,800
Base AP DPM
ƒ9,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 6 s base reload = 98,000.
98,000
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.
10
Torpedoes
ModuleTorpedoes: 550 mm lance-torpilles
Launchers / tubes2 launchers × 3 tubes = 6 tubes
Reload time84 s
Projectile speed65 kt
Range6 km
Maximum simulated damage
ƒEstimate of WG's in-game value; matches the in-game port screen within ±5%. Saturation: most targets only intersect one hull section, so the sim transfers ~1/3 of the warhead alpha (2/3 when the warhead blast >= 5000 and the burst reaches a second section). For this ship: Dsim=α·c=33,700·0.333=11,233.
≈ 11,233
Torpedo detectability1.2 km
Flooding chance199%
Torpedo launcher traverse25 °/s
Torp Turn
ƒTime to rotate the launchers 180 deg: tturn=180°25°/s=7.2s.
7.2 s
Torp Arming201 m
Per-side salvo damage
ƒOne side firing, all torpedoes hitting: per-side tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 6 x 11,233 = 67,398.
67,398
AA Defense
AA mount points4
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (1×3.5×1) + (4×3.5×0.95) = 17. 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.
17
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
3 km
37 mm/50 CA Mle 19252×1 37mm
13.2 mm/76 CAD Mle 19292×2 13mm
Medium aura
DPS1
Range3 km
Near aura
DPS4
Range1.2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒMedium 1 + Near 4 = 5
5
Maneuverability
Engine moduleEngine: 33,000 hp
Engine power33,000 hp
Maximum speed36 kt
Turning circle radius560 m
Rudder shift time3.1 s
Engine power-boost threshold7 kt
Engine spool-up time7.7 s
Reverse spool-up time3.8 s
Acceleration 0-90%
ƒTime to reach 90% of top speed (32.4 kt of 36 kt), from our in-house acceleration model.
17.9 s
Acceleration 0-99%
ƒTime to reach 99% of top speed (35.6 kt of 36 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.
30.7 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·36.0·0.5144560=1.89°/s, so ratio=ωturretωhull=101.89=5.3×. Below 5 the turrets drag in a turning fight; 25+ keeps up with any rudder.
5.3× slow
Concealment
Detectability by sea5.98 km
Detectability by air2.99 km
Smoke firing penalty2.31 km
Detect after firing main guns
ƒmax(base sea detectability, gun-firing bloom range). Firing never pulls your detection closer than base concealment.
5.98 km
Detect Fire Sea7.98 km
Detect Fire Air5.99 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 40 s reload · 5 s active
Smoke Generator2 charges · 240 s reload · 20 s emit / 73 s cloud active
Engine Boost2 charges · 180 s reload · 120 s active · +20% speed bonus
Repair Party2 charges · 80 s reload · 28 s active · 1,638 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.
· 3,276 HP (28% of max HP) total heal (all charges)
ƒ14% per charge x 2 charges = up to 28% of max HP if the whole Repair Party loadout is used.
· 58 HP/s (0.5% of max HP) heal per second
ƒ0.5% of max HP (11,700 HP) per second = 58 HP/s. WoWS heals a flat percent of MAX HP each second, so this rate holds at any health level.

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)2
Max Horiz Disp90.1 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: $\sigma_H = \left(\dfrac{R}{30}\cdot\dfrac{\text{idealRadius}-\text{minRadius}}{\text{idealDistance}} + \text{minRadius}\right)\cdot 30$ $= \left(\dfrac{10020}{30}\cdot\dfrac{8-0.5}{1000} + 0.5\right)\cdot 30 = 90.1\,\text{m}$
Shell scatter width @ 10 km90 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 Disp54.1 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: $\sigma_V = \sigma_H \cdot \text{radiusOnMax}$ $= 90.1 \cdot 0.6 = 54.1\,\text{m}$
Shell scatter height @ 10 km54 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 Disp28.8 m
50%-hit horizontal radius: $\sigma_{H,50} = \sigma_H \cdot \text{GetHalfHitsRatio}(\sigma)$ $= 90.1 \cdot 0.32\;(\sigma = 2) = 28.8\,\text{m}$
Med Vert Disp17.3 m
50%-hit vertical radius: $\sigma_{V,50} = \sigma_V \cdot \text{GetHalfHitsRatio}(\sigma)$ $= 54.1 \cdot 0.32\;(\sigma = 2) = 17.3\,\text{m}$
AP Pen Close155 mm
Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: $P = 10^{-7}\cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{-1.07} \cdot v_0^{1.38}$ $= 10^{-7}\cdot 1803 \cdot 32.05^{0.69} \cdot 0.13^{-1.07} \cdot 725^{1.38} = 155\,\text{mm}$. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far44.8 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (12.5 km), where the shell has slowed to 295.1 m/s: $P = 10^{-7}\cdot 1803 \cdot 32.05^{0.69} \cdot 0.13^{-1.07} \cdot 295.1^{1.38} = 44.8\,\text{mm}$.
HE penetration22 mm
22 mm ≈ 130 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
AP overmatch9 mm
floor(130 mm caliber / 14.3) = 9 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
AP AOE Radius10
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 alpha4
All 4 barrels bear on the broadside.
Turret turn time18 s
180 degrees / 10 deg/s traverse speed = 18 s.
HE full-salvo alpha8,200
2,050 HE damage x 4 broadside guns = 8,200.
AP full-salvo alpha9,800
2,450 AP damage x 4 broadside guns = 9,800.
Base HE DPM82,000
8,200 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 6 s base reload = 82,000.
Base AP DPM98,000
9,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 6 s base reload = 98,000.
Base shells/min40
4 broadside guns x 60 / 6 s base reload = 40.
Base fires/min3.6
40 shells/min x 9% fire chance = 3.6.

Torpedoes

Torpedo detectability1.2 km
Estimated torpedo reaction time7.1 s
detectability / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Torpedo speed65 kt
Travel time to max range35.5 s
range / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Tube count6
2 launchers x 3 tubes.
Per-side salvo6 torpedoes
6 (centerline launchers train across - full salvo to either side).
Full-salvo damage67,398
All tubes hitting one target: tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 6 x 11,233 = 67,398.
Per-side salvo damage67,398
One side firing, all torpedoes hitting: per-side tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 6 x 11,233 = 67,398.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS17
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (1×3.5×1) + (4×3.5×0.95) = 17. 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 index26
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

Armor Beta

Hull HP 11,700, 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 & stern10 mm

Overmatched by 134+ guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.

Farming10 mm

Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 17%, fires burn 30s. Range-by-range in the ballistics tool →

Section Plates HP cap Threats Tactic
Bow10 mm1,800 (15% of HP)
Overmatched by 150mm+ (De Ruyter, Karlsruhe)Angle bounces 127mm10 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.
Stern10 mm1,100 (9% of HP)
Overmatched by 150mm+ (De Ruyter, Karlsruhe)Angle bounces 127mm10 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel10 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.
Superstructure10 mm600 (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 HP5,900 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.
AA mount (37 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 HP3,500 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 Cyclone. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.

Buff ×5Main Battery ×2Torpedo ×2Consumable ×2
2025-04-03

April Update: The Bonds of Loyalty

  • Maximum speed increased from 30 to 36 kts.
  • Main battery reload time reduced from 6.5 to 6.0 s.
Read the full official post
2024-03-21

Ministry of Balance: Spring Changes

  • Main Battery Reload Time decreased from 10 to 6.5 seconds.
  • Torpedo speed increased from 57 to 65 knots.
  • Repair Party moved from slot 2 to slot 4, making this an additional consumable for the ship.
  • Overview traits changed: Added Slow trait. Agile trait was changed to Heal Consumable.
  • Italian destroyers from Tier VI and up quickly lose the ability to stand in gun duels and aren't designed for torpedo warfare. We're improving the reload on these SAP gunboats to bridge the gap:
Read the full official post
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

  • Cyclone 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.