World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Druid

Beta
U.K. · Tier VIII · Destroyer · Premium
Smoke destroyerBuilt around smoke: hold cap edges and trade gunfire from inside the cloud.
Playstyle
  • Anchor near a smoke cycle on a contested cap and trade gunfire from inside the cloud
  • The smoke is your sustain tool; rotating mid-smoke wastes the cycle for the next contest
  • Avoid: Rotating mid-smoke
Key characteristics
Wide always-pen zoneStrong AASmoke + SonarClose-range AP brickLate auto-bounceSluggish for the tonnage
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Community Data

Druid Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Druid is a Tier VIII British smoke destroyer with 6 smoke charges on a short cooldown: the many smokes are the kit, setting up aggressive and defensive plays that one-smoke DDs cannot. Hold cap edges and trade gunfire from cover, then re-smoke before the next window closes. AA (408 AA DPS at 5 km) is heavy enough to make her the team's air-defense anchor on top of the lead role; CV strikes route around her, not through. Standout traits: top-decile close-range AP pen in T8 DDs (269.6 mm) and best AP always-pen window in T8 DDs (60°).

Positioning

Anchor near a smoke cycle on a contested cap and trade gunfire from inside the cloud. The smoke is your sustain tool; rotating mid-smoke wastes the cycle for the next contest. Your AP loses penetration at range, so aim at superstructures or pen-able hull armor, not the bow-in or belt armor it bounces and shatters on.

Potato Avoidance

Rotating mid-smoke

The smoke is a static firing position; if you leave it before the cycle ends, you give up the trade you set up and the next contest opens without a smoke to fall back on.

Signature Traits

ELITE MAIN BATTERY
  • Close-range AP brick · 269.6 mm
  • Wide always-pen zone · 60.0°
  • Late auto-bounce · 75.0°
  • Sensitive AP fuse · 12.0 mm
Extra smoke charges

6.0 Smoke Generator charges, best of T8 DDs.

Long-duration sonar

180.0 s Sonar duration, best of T8 DDs.

WEAK MOBILITY
  • Sluggish for the tonnage · 11.91 hp
  • Sluggish rudder · 5.4 s
Acquisition

How to get Druid

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

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 Druid sits among Tier VIII DDs (27 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 arming threshold12 mm (1/25) BestAP ricochet start60° (1 of 6 tied) BestAP auto-bounce angle75° (1/25) Top 10%Main battery reload1.9 s (3/27) Top 10%AP velocity975 m/s (2/25) Top 10%AA DPS408 (3/27) Top 10%AA threat1,408 (3/27) Top 25%Hit points22,000 HP (5/27) Top 25%Traverse-to-turn ratio16.72 × (5/27) Top 25%Main battery range11.13 km (6/27) Top 25%Main dispersion76.2 m (4/27) Top 25%Acceleration7.8 s (4/27) Bottom 25%Max speed35 kt (23/27) Bottom 25%Rudder shift5.4 s (25/27) Bottom 25%Turn-speed retention87 hp/m (22/27) Bottom 10%Displacement5,039 t (26/27) WorstAP fuse timer0.01 s (25/25) WorstPower-to-weight11.91 hp/t (27/27) WorstNo torpedoes (1 of 27 in cohort)
See 12 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Druid -- 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.

Concealment7.06 km(17/27) Air detection3.53 km(17/27) Main battery caliber127 mm(18/27) AP shell damage2,200(17/25) AP DPM277,895(8/25) Engine power60,000 hp(19/27) AA range5 km(15/27) Repair heal rate1 %/s(7/11) Deck armor19 mm(11/21) NormMax armor20 mm(23 of 27 tied at this value) NormCitadel belt20 mm(23 of 27 tied at this value) NormBow armor19 mm(26 of 27 tied at this value)
Survivability
Hit Points22,000
Displacement5,039 t
Armor range13–20 mm
Plate armor thicknesses13, 16, 19, 20 mm
Armor material/layer entries21
Fire resistance40%
Fire duration30 s
Torp Reduction0%
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 127 mm/56 QF Mk.N2
Mounts / barrels2 mounts / 4 barrels
Reload time2.1 s
Firing range11.1 km
Turret traverse25 °/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 =(1113030·60.51000+0.5)·30=76.2m
76.2 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: σV=σH·radiusOnMax =76.2·0.6=45.7m
45.7 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius: σH,50=σH·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =76.2·0.32(σ=2)=24.4m
24.4 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius: σV,50=σV·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =45.7·0.319(σ=2)=14.6m
14.6 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 25 deg/s traverse speed = 7.2 s.
7.2 s
Base shells/min
ƒ4 broadside guns x 60 / 2.1 s base reload = 114.3.
114.3
HE shells
HE penetration
ƒfloor(127 mm caliber / 6): standard HE penetration.
21 mm
AP shells
AP Damage2,200
AP Velocity975 m/s
Min Ricochet60 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet75 deg
Fuse Timer0.005 s
Fuse Threshold12 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(127 mm caliber / 14.3) = 8 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
8 mm
AP Pen Close
ƒCanonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: P=107·K·m0.69·d1.07·v01.38 =107·3000·230.69·0.1271.07·9751.38=316.6mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
316.6 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (13.9 km), where the shell has slowed to 358.7 m/s: P=107·3000·230.69·0.1271.07·358.71.38=79.6mm.
79.6 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ2,200 AP damage x 4 broadside guns = 8,800.
8,800
Base AP DPM
ƒ8,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 2.1 s base reload = 251,429.
251,429
Installed AP DPM
ƒ8,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 1.9 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 277,895.
277,895
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
AA Defense
AA mount points12
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (61×3.5×1) + (31×3.5×0.95) + (26×3.5×1) = 408. 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.
408
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
5 km
40 mm Bofors Mk VI4×6 40mm
20 mm Oerlikon Mk V8×2 20mm
Far aura
DPS
ƒIncludes 26 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose main battery firing as AA in this range band.
26
Range5 km
Medium aura
DPS61
Range3.5 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 26 + Medium 61 = 87
87
Near aura
DPS31
Range2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 26 + Medium 61 + Near 31 = 118
118
Maneuverability
Engine moduleEngine: 60,000 hp
Engine power60,000 hp
Maximum speed35 kt
Turning circle radius690 m
Rudder shift time5.4 s
Engine power-boost threshold32.5 kt
Engine spool-up time7.7 s
Reverse spool-up time3.8 s
Acceleration 0-90%
ƒTime to reach 90% of top speed (31.5 kt of 35 kt), from our in-house acceleration model.
7.8 s
Acceleration 0-99%
ƒTime to reach 99% of top speed (34.6 kt of 35 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.
20.4 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·35.0·0.5144690=1.50°/s, so ratio=ωturretωhull=251.50=16.7×. Below 5 the turrets drag in a turning fight; 25+ keeps up with any rudder.
16.7× snappy
Concealment
Detectability by sea7.06 km
Detectability by air3.53 km
Smoke firing penalty2.63 km
Detect after firing main guns
ƒmax(base sea detectability, gun-firing bloom range). Firing never pulls your detection closer than base concealment.
7.06 km
Detect Fire Sea9.06 km
Detect Fire Air6.53 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 40 s reload · 5 s active
Smoke Generator6 charges · 60 s reload · 10 s emit / 40 s cloud active
Sonar2 charges · 180 s reload · 180 s active · 3.21 km ship detect
ƒDerived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): 107×301000=3.21 km
· 2.79 km torpedo detect
ƒDerived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): 93×301000=2.79 km
Repair Party2 charges · 80 s reload · 10 s active · 2,200 HP (10% of max HP) total heal (per charge)
ƒHeal per second (1%) x effective active time (10 s) = up to 10% of max HP restored per charge.
· 4,400 HP (20% of max HP) total heal (all charges)
ƒ10% per charge x 2 charges = up to 20% of max HP if the whole Repair Party loadout is used.
· 220 HP/s (1% of max HP) heal per second
ƒ1% of max HP (22,000 HP) per second = 220 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 Disp76.2 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: $\sigma_H = \left(\dfrac{R}{30}\cdot\dfrac{\text{idealRadius}-\text{minRadius}}{\text{idealDistance}} + \text{minRadius}\right)\cdot 30$ $= \left(\dfrac{11130}{30}\cdot\dfrac{6-0.5}{1000} + 0.5\right)\cdot 30 = 76.2\,\text{m}$
Shell scatter width @ 10 km70 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 Disp45.7 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: $\sigma_V = \sigma_H \cdot \text{radiusOnMax}$ $= 76.2 \cdot 0.6 = 45.7\,\text{m}$
Shell scatter height @ 10 km40.6 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 Disp24.4 m
50%-hit horizontal radius: $\sigma_{H,50} = \sigma_H \cdot \text{GetHalfHitsRatio}(\sigma)$ $= 76.2 \cdot 0.32\;(\sigma = 2) = 24.4\,\text{m}$
Med Vert Disp14.6 m
50%-hit vertical radius: $\sigma_{V,50} = \sigma_V \cdot \text{GetHalfHitsRatio}(\sigma)$ $= 45.7 \cdot 0.319\;(\sigma = 2) = 14.6\,\text{m}$
AP Pen Close316.6 mm
Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: $P = 10^{-7}\cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{-1.07} \cdot v_0^{1.38}$ $= 10^{-7}\cdot 3000 \cdot 23^{0.69} \cdot 0.127^{-1.07} \cdot 975^{1.38} = 316.6\,\text{mm}$. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far79.6 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (13.9 km), where the shell has slowed to 358.7 m/s: $P = 10^{-7}\cdot 3000 \cdot 23^{0.69} \cdot 0.127^{-1.07} \cdot 358.7^{1.38} = 79.6\,\text{mm}$.
HE penetration21 mm
floor(127 mm caliber / 6): standard HE penetration.
AP overmatch8 mm
floor(127 mm caliber / 14.3) = 8 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 time7.2 s
180 degrees / 25 deg/s traverse speed = 7.2 s.
AP full-salvo alpha8,800
2,200 AP damage x 4 broadside guns = 8,800.
Base AP DPM251,429
8,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 2.1 s base reload = 251,429.
Installed AP DPM277,895
8,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 1.9 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 277,895.
Base shells/min114.3
4 broadside guns x 60 / 2.1 s base reload = 114.3.
Installed shells/min126.3
4 broadside guns x 60 / 1.9 s installed Artillery reload = 126.3.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS408
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (61×3.5×1) + (31×3.5×0.95) + (26×3.5×1) = 408. 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 range5 km
Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
AA threat index1408
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

Armor Beta

Hull HP 22,000, 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 129+ guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.

Farming19 mm

Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 40%, fires burn 30s. Range-by-range in the ballistics tool →

Section Plates HP cap Threats Tactic
Bow19 mm primary (range 19–20 mm)3,800 (17% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ (Scharnhorst '43, Schill)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)19 mm primary (range 16–19 mm)16,500 (75% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ (Scharnhorst '43, Schill)Angle bounces 203mm19 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern19 mm primary (range 16–20 mm)1,500 (7% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ (Scharnhorst '43, Schill)Angle bounces 203mm19 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel20 mm primary (range 13–20 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.
Superstructure19 mm1,300 (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 HP11,000 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 (40 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 HP6,600 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 Druid. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.

Nerf ×1Buff ×1Main Battery ×3
2024-12-12

Ministry of Balance: Breaking the Ice

  • Druid could use some improvements, so we've combined the most popular suggestions by reducing her main battery AP shell fuse thresholds and increasing her turret durability by 50%, giving her a better edge in gunnery duels against other destroyers.
  • Main battery AP shell fuse threshold decreased from 21 to 12 mm.
  • Main battery gun HP increased from 4,000 to 6,000.
Read the full official post
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

  • Druid 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.