World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Minekaze

Beta
Stealth destroyerOpen detection windows peers can't match; contest caps from concealment edges.
Playstyle
  • Hold concealment edges on the contested cap at 5.8 km detection
  • Avoid: Burning the 5.8 km concealment advantage on guns
Key characteristics
SmokeEngine BoostHeavy magazine armorFast for the classTight dispersionFragile
On this page
Community Data

Minekaze Community Stats

Log in to GamingDiver and upload your data to see Community Data for Minekaze: community win rate, damage, survival, spotting, and your own comparison.

Log in & upload to see Community Data

Playstyle

Overview

Minekaze is a Tier IV Japanese stealth-leaning destroyer with strong surface detection (5.8 km). The kit opens detection windows most peer DDs cannot match, so her value is contesting caps from concealment edges where the detection band holds. Standout traits: best magazine armor in T4 DDs (12 mm) and top-decile torpedo reload in T4 DDs (42 s).

Positioning

Hold concealment edges on the contested cap at 5.8 km detection. The band opens windows for unspotted torpedo drops and clean repositions; lean into the gaps your peer DDs cannot read, and back out before detection closes. 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

Burning the 5.8 km concealment advantage on guns

Every salvo lights you up and gives back the detection edge that makes the kit work; reserve guns for finishing damage on already-spotted ships, and prioritize torpedo drops you can fire while undetected.

Signature Traits

Engine Boost

+8% speed, 120 s duration. Engine Boost consumable temporarily raises top speed. Mobility on demand to reposition, chase a kill, or break contact.

ELITE ARMOR
  • Heavy magazine · 12.0 mm
  • Heavy citadel belt · 18.0 mm
Fast torp reload

42.0 s torpedo reload, top decile of T4 DDs. More frequent drops than peers.

Fast for the class

39.0 kt, top decile of T4 DDs. Lets you rotate flanks or escape disengagements.

Slow reload

10.9 s reload, worst of T4 DDs. Salvos punish more, but cycle is slower than peers.

Fragile HP pool

10900.0 HP, bottom decile of T4 DDs. Trade hits sparingly.

Acquisition

How to get Minekaze

Minekaze is available in the Gunboat Destroyers branch of the Japan Tech Tree for 500,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 125,000 credits.

Show Japan tech-tree branch diagram
Japan Tech Tree

Minekaze sits in the Gunboat Destroyers branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full Japan 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

Hide

Where Minekaze 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.

BestRudder shift2.2 s (1 of 2 tied) BestMain dispersion80.3 m (1 of 2 tied) BestTorpedo reload42 s (1/21) Top 10%Max speed39 kt (3/21) Top 10%Displacement1,650 t (2/21) Top 10%Citadel belt18 mm (3/21) Top 25%Stealth profile5.84 km / 2.92 km (6/21 / 6/21) Top 25%AP arming threshold20 mm (5/19) Top 25%Power-to-weight23.33 hp/t (5/21) Top 25%Max armor18 mm (6/21) Top 25%Deck armor18 mm (6/20) Bottom 25%Main battery range9.58 km (19/21) Bottom 25%AP DPM44,037 (18/19) Bottom 25%Acceleration17.5 s (17/21) Bottom 25%Torpedo damage≈9,933 (18/21) Bottom 10%Hit points10,900 HP (20/21) Bottom 10%Fires per minute1.54 (20/21) Bottom 10%HE DPM37,431 (20/21) WorstMain battery reload10.9 s (21/21)
See 14 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Minekaze -- 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.

Traverse-to-turn ratio4.31 ×(15/21) Main battery caliber120 mm(16/21) HE fire chance7%(16/21) AP velocity825 m/s(7/19) HE velocity825 m/s(9/21) Engine power38,500 hp(11/21) Turn-speed retention70 hp/m(11/21) AA DPS41(13/21) AA range3.1 km(9/21) AA threat75(14/21) Torpedo range6 km(15/21) Torpedo speed59 kt(13/21) NormSigma2(20 of 21 tied at this value) NormAP fuse timer0.01 s(15 of 19 tied at this value)
Survivability
Hit PointsInitial: 9,600 → 10,900
Displacement1,650 t
Armor range6–18 mm
Plate armor thicknesses6, 10, 12, 14, 18 mm
Armor material/layer entries27
Fire resistanceInitial: 13.3% → 16.6%
Fire duration30 s
Torp Reduction0%
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 120 mm 3rd Year Type
Mounts / barrels4 mounts / 4 barrels
Reload time10.9 s
Firing range (base)8.7 km
Firing range (top fire control)9.6 km
Turret traverse9 °/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 =(871130·80.51000+0.5)·30=80.3m
80.3 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: σV=σH·radiusOnMax =80.3·0.6=48.2m
48.2 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius: σH,50=σH·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =80.3·0.32(σ=2)=25.7m
25.7 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius: σV,50=σV·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =48.2·0.32(σ=2)=15.4m
15.4 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 9 deg/s traverse speed = 20 s.
20 s
Base shells/min
ƒ4 broadside guns x 60 / 10.9 s base reload = 22.
22
HE shells
HE Damage1,700
HE Velocity825 m/s
Fire Chance7%
HE penetration
ƒ20 mm ≈ 120 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
20 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ1,700 HE damage x 4 broadside guns = 6,800.
6,800
Base HE DPM
ƒ6,800 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 10.9 s base reload = 37,431.
37,431
Base fires/min
ƒ22 shells/min x 7% fire chance = 1.54.
1.54
AP shells
AP Damage2,000
AP Velocity825 m/s
Min Ricochet45 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg
Fuse Timer0.01 s
Fuse Threshold20 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(120 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 =107·1750·20.30.69·0.121.07·8251.38=143mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
143 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (12 km), where the shell has slowed to 255 m/s: P=107·1750·20.30.69·0.121.07·2551.38=28.3mm.
28.3 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ2,000 AP damage x 4 broadside guns = 8,000.
8,000
Base AP DPM
ƒ8,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 10.9 s base reload = 44,037.
44,037
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.
7
Torpedoes
ModuleTorpedoes: 533 mm double
Launchers / tubes3 launchers × 2 tubes = 6 tubes
Reload time42 s
Projectile speed59 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=29,800·0.333=9,933.
≈ 9,933
Torpedo detectability1.2 km
Flooding chance175%
Torpedo launcher traverse25 °/s
Torp Turn
ƒTime to rotate the launchers 180 deg: tturn=180°25°/s=7.2s.
7.2 s
Torp Arming182 m
Per-side salvo damage
ƒOne side firing, all torpedoes hitting: per-side tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 6 x 9,933 = 59,598.
59,598
AA Defense
AA mount pointsInitial: 2 → 4
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (4×3.5×1) + (8×3.5×0.95) = 41. 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.
41
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
3.1 km
25 mm Type96 mod. 1 (upgraded hull only)1×2 25mm
13 mm Type93 (upgraded hull only)1×2 13mm
13 mm Type93 (upgraded hull only)2×1 13mm
7.7 mm Type92 (stock hull only)2×1 8mm
Medium aura
DPS4
Range3.1 km
Near aura
DPS8
Range1.2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒMedium 4 + Near 8 = 12
12
Maneuverability
Engine moduleEngine: 38,500 hp
Engine power38,500 hp
Maximum speed39 kt
Turning circle radius550 m
Rudder shift time2.2 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 (35.1 kt of 39 kt), from our in-house acceleration model.
17.5 s
Acceleration 0-99%
ƒTime to reach 99% of top speed (38.6 kt of 39 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.
29.7 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·39.0·0.5144550=2.09°/s, so ratio=ωturretωhull=92.09=4.3×. Below 5 the turrets drag in a turning fight; 25+ keeps up with any rudder.
4.3× drags
Concealment
Detectability by sea5.84 km
Detectability by air2.92 km
Smoke firing penalty2.1 km
Detect after firing main guns
ƒmax(base sea detectability, gun-firing bloom range). Firing never pulls your detection closer than base concealment.
5.84 km
Detect Fire Sea7.84 km
Detect Fire Air5.92 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 · +8% speed bonus
Module options (2)

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

HullUpgrade
  • Hit points9,600 → 10,900
  • Rudder shift4.2 → 2.8 s
  • AA mounts2 → 4
  • Close-range AA DPS3 → 12
  • Maximum AA range1 → 3.1 km
Fire controlUpgrade
  • Main battery range8,711 → 9582.1 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)2
Max Horiz Disp80.3 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: $\sigma_H = \left(\dfrac{R}{30}\cdot\dfrac{\text{idealRadius}-\text{minRadius}}{\text{idealDistance}} + \text{minRadius}\right)\cdot 30$ $= \left(\dfrac{8711}{30}\cdot\dfrac{8-0.5}{1000} + 0.5\right)\cdot 30 = 80.3\,\text{m}$
Max Vert Disp48.2 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: $\sigma_V = \sigma_H \cdot \text{radiusOnMax}$ $= 80.3 \cdot 0.6 = 48.2\,\text{m}$
Med Horiz Disp25.7 m
50%-hit horizontal radius: $\sigma_{H,50} = \sigma_H \cdot \text{GetHalfHitsRatio}(\sigma)$ $= 80.3 \cdot 0.32\;(\sigma = 2) = 25.7\,\text{m}$
Med Vert Disp15.4 m
50%-hit vertical radius: $\sigma_{V,50} = \sigma_V \cdot \text{GetHalfHitsRatio}(\sigma)$ $= 48.2 \cdot 0.32\;(\sigma = 2) = 15.4\,\text{m}$
Dispersion familyDD Disp.
Standard destroyer dispersion baseline.
AP Pen Close143 mm
Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: $P = 10^{-7}\cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{-1.07} \cdot v_0^{1.38}$ $= 10^{-7}\cdot 1750 \cdot 20.3^{0.69} \cdot 0.12^{-1.07} \cdot 825^{1.38} = 143\,\text{mm}$. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far28.3 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (12 km), where the shell has slowed to 255 m/s: $P = 10^{-7}\cdot 1750 \cdot 20.3^{0.69} \cdot 0.12^{-1.07} \cdot 255^{1.38} = 28.3\,\text{mm}$.
HE penetration20 mm
20 mm ≈ 120 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
AP overmatch8 mm
floor(120 mm caliber / 14.3) = 8 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
AP AOE Radius7
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 time20 s
180 degrees / 9 deg/s traverse speed = 20 s.
HE full-salvo alpha6,800
1,700 HE damage x 4 broadside guns = 6,800.
AP full-salvo alpha8,000
2,000 AP damage x 4 broadside guns = 8,000.
Base HE DPM37,431
6,800 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 10.9 s base reload = 37,431.
Base AP DPM44,037
8,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 10.9 s base reload = 44,037.
Base shells/min22
4 broadside guns x 60 / 10.9 s base reload = 22.
Base fires/min1.54
22 shells/min x 7% fire chance = 1.54.

Torpedoes

Torpedo detectability1.2 km
Estimated torpedo reaction time7.8 s
detectability / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Torpedo speed59 kt
Travel time to max range39.1 s
range / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Tube count6
3 launchers x 2 tubes.
Per-side salvo6 torpedoes
6 (centerline launchers train across - full salvo to either side).
Full-salvo damage59,598
All tubes hitting one target: tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 6 x 9,933 = 59,598.
Per-side salvo damage59,598
One side firing, all torpedoes hitting: per-side tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 6 x 9,933 = 59,598.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS41
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (4×3.5×1) + (8×3.5×0.95) = 41. 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 range3.1 km
Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
AA threat index75
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 9,60010,900 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 & stern10 mm

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

Farming6 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 mm primary (range 10–14 mm)1,600 (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 mm primary (range 10–14 mm)1,200 (11% of HP)
Overmatched by 150mm+ (De Ruyter, Karlsruhe)Angle bounces 127mm10 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel18 mm primary (range 10–18 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.
Superstructure6 mm primary (range 6–18 mm)400 (4% 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 HP5,500 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.
AA mount (25 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 HP3,300 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

Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

  • Minekaze default exterior
    DefaultThe ship’s standard exterior

Primary official WG sources

GamingDiver has indexed official WG mentions for this ship, but none are focused enough to show as a primary source card here. Low-context list, crate, comparison, or passing mentions are intentionally filtered out.

Source status No high-context source card yet Filtered for precision