World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Ranger

Beta
HE bomber carrierRepeated HE dive-bombs chip everything; pick soft targets and keep squadrons alive.
Playstyle
  • Use aircraft to reveal destroyer lanes first, then attack isolated ships or targets already under surfa…
  • Avoid: Do not tunnel on damage and ignore vision or aircraft economy
Key characteristics
Big squadronsStrong AATough flight deckHigh HP poolBurny secondariesSlow acceleration
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Community Data

Ranger Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Ranger is the Tier V American bomber carrier. HE dive bombers are her main battery, hitting for 4,600 per drop, so match impact comes from repeated bombing runs on broadside and angled targets rather than a single torpedo strike. Air torpedoes are a secondary option. The hull also tanks unusually well for a CV (44,900 HP, cohort-best), so she can stay in match longer than peer carriers. AA (587 DPS at 4.2 km) is heavy enough to make her the team's air-defense anchor; CV strikes route around her, not through.

Positioning

Use aircraft to reveal destroyer lanes first, then attack isolated ships or targets already under surface pressure. Ranger benefits from improved strike consistency, but she still needs safe approaches and preserved planes to matter late.

Potato Avoidance

Tunnel on damage and ignore vision or aircraft economy

Ranger’s balance history shows she depends on getting efficient value from each squadron; repeated bad drops leave her unable to spot or finish key ships.

Signature Traits

ELITE AIRCRAFT
  • Tough flight deck · 22500.0 HP
  • Fast squadron restore · 32.0 s
High HP pool

44900.0 HP, best of T5 CVs.

ELITE SECONDARIES
  • Burny · 9.0%
  • Punch-through · 21.0 mm
Top-tier AA

587.0 AA DPS, best of T5 CVs (median 377.0).

WEAK MOBILITY
  • Slow acceleration
  • Bleeds speed in turns · 53.0 hp
Acquisition

How to get Ranger

Ranger is available in the Bomber Carriers branch of the U.S. Tech Tree for 6,000,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 1,290,000 credits.

Show U.S.A. tech-tree branch diagram
U.S. Tech Tree

Ranger sits in the Bomber Carriers branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full U.S. tree.

U.S. aircraft carriers are all-rounders, effective with both dive bombers and torpedo bombers. However, they have a bias toward their powerful high-explosive bombs over torpedoes.
Advantages
Powerful HE dive bombers, Large hangars
Disadvantages
Poor torpedo performance

Builds Beta

Build for aircraft restoration, survivability, speed, and torpedo/bomb consistency. Current advice should reflect post-balance torpedo damage, aircraft speed, bomber accuracy, aircraft HP, and detectability changes.

Open in Build Tool →

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Cohort position

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Where Ranger sits among Tier V CVs (8 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.

BestHit points44,900 HP (1/8) BestSecondary fire chance9% (1/7) BestSecondary HE pen21 mm (1 of 3 tied) BestAA DPS587 (1/8) BestAA threat1,587 (1/8) BestAir torpedo stealth1.1 km (1 of 3 tied) BestSquadron restore time32 s (1 of 2 tied) BestDeck HP22,500 HP (1/8) Top 25%Deck armor51 mm (2/8) Bottom 25%Stealth profile13.03 km / 9.12 km (7/8 / 7/8) Bottom 25%Engine power53,500 hp (7/8) Bottom 25%AA range4.2 km (7/8) Bottom 25%Bomb damage4,600 (7/8) WorstSecondary DPM (per side)96,000 (7/7) WorstAcceleration36.8 s (8/8) WorstTurn-speed retention53 hp/m (8/8) WorstPower-to-weight2.69 hp/t (8/8)
See 17 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Ranger -- 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.

Max speed29.5 kt(6/8) Rudder shift11.5 s(5/8) HE alpha1,800(3/7) Displacement19,907 t(6/8) Max armor51 mm(6/8) Citadel belt51 mm(5/8) Bow armor19 mm(4/8) Stern armor19 mm(4/8) Bomb fire chance24%(6/7) Bomb AP penetration42.7 mm(4/7) Air torpedo damage5,500(4/8) Air torpedo range3.5 km(5/8) Air torpedo speed49 kn(5/8) Plane HP1,700 HP(5/8) NormSecondary dispersion bracket57(6 of 7 tied at this value) NormSecondary range4.5 km(4 of 7 tied at this value) NormSquadron size18(5 of 8 tied at this value)
Survivability
Hit PointsInitial: 43,700 → 44,900
Displacement19,907 t
Armor range6–51 mm
Plate armor thicknesses6, 10, 13, 16, 19, 21, 25, 30, 38, 51 mm
Armor material/layer entries41
Fire resistanceInitial: 20% → 23.3%
Fire duration60 s
Torp Reduction0%
Squadrons
Total plane capacity58
Flight deck HP22,500
Hangar HP22,500
Dive bomber
Plane HP1,700
OrdnanceHE bomb, 4,600 dmg
Fire chance24%
Bomb penetration42.7 mm
Hangar max16
Hangar restore+1 every 36 s, start 12
Recovery time36 s
Torpedo bomber
Plane HP1,700
Ordnancetorpedo, 5,267 dmg
Flooding chance45%
Hangar max16
Hangar restore+1 every 39 s, start 12
Recovery time39 s
Dive bomber
Plane HP1,820
OrdnanceHE bomb, 4,600 dmg
Fire chance24%
Bomb penetration42.7 mm
Hangar max18
Hangar restore+1 every 32 s, start 14
Recovery time32 s
Torpedo bomber
Plane HP1,800
Ordnancetorpedo, 5,500 dmg
Flooding chance45%
Hangar max16
Hangar restore+1 every 39 s, start 12
Recovery time39 s
AA Defense
AA mount pointsInitial: 30 → 52
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (42×3.5×1) + (106×3.5×0.95) + (25×3.5×1) = 587. 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.
587
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
4.2 km
40 mm Bofors Mk2 (upgraded hull only)5×4 40mm
20 mm Oerlikon Mk4 (upgraded hull only)47×1 20mm
28 mm Mk2 mod. 2 (stock hull only)6×4 28mm
12.7 mm Browning M2 mod. 2 (stock hull only)24×1 13mm
127 mm Mk19 mod. 6 (DP)8×1 127mm
Far aura
DPS
ƒIncludes 25 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.
25
Range4.2 km
Medium aura
DPS42
Range3.5 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 25 + Medium 42 = 67
67
Near aura
DPS106
Range2 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 25 + Medium 42 + Near 106 = 173
173
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts8
Firing range4.5 km
Shell Grouping (σ)1
Caliber127 mm
Reload time4.5 s
HE Damage1,800
Muzzle Velocity657 m/s
Fire Chance9%
Armor Pen21 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: 53,500 hp
Engine power53,500 hp
Maximum speed29.5 kt
Turning circle radius1010 m
Rudder shift time11.5 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 (26.6 kt of 29.5 kt), from our in-house acceleration model.
36.8 s
Acceleration 0-99%
ƒTime to reach 99% of top speed (29.2 kt of 29.5 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.
59.6 s
Concealment
Detectability by sea13 km
Detectability by air8.4 km
Detect after firing main guns
ƒmax(base sea detectability, gun-firing bloom range). Firing never pulls your detection closer than base concealment.
13 km
Detect Fire Sea15 km
Detect Fire Air11.4 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Automatic Damage Control Party∞ charges · 90 s reload · 60 s active
Automatic Fighter4 charges · 40 s reload · 150 s active · 5 km patrol radius
ƒDerived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): 167×301000=5 km
· 4 squadron size
Module options (1)

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

HullUpgrade
  • Hit points43,700 → 44,900
  • Rudder shift20.8 → 14.9 s
  • AA mounts30 → 52
  • Close-range AA DPS92 → 148
  • Maximum AA range3.1 → 3.5 km

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.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS587
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (42×3.5×1) + (106×3.5×0.95) + (25×3.5×1) = 587. 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 range4.2 km
Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
AA threat index1587
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

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)96,000
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: 8×1 127 mm (4/side) × 60/4.5 × 1800 = 96,000. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).
Max HE alpha1800
Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1800 from the 127 mm family.
Max HE fire chance9%
Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 9% from the 127 mm family.
Max HE pen21 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: 21 mm from the 127 mm family.

Armor Beta

Hull HP 43,70044,900 with hull upgrade, distributed across 5 hull zones, each with its own plate thicknesses, saturation cap, and pen thresholds. HP caps are estimated from the standard WoWs damage-allocation model.

Bow & stern19 mm

Overmatched by 90+ guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.

Belt / citadel51 mm

Thin belt: battleship AP citadels straight through it broadside. Rely on angle, speed and concealment, never sit flat.

Farming6 mm

Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 23%, fires burn 60s. Range-by-range in the ballistics tool →

Section Plates HP cap Threats Tactic
Bow19 mm primary (range 16–30 mm)≈ 2,245 (~5% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ (Moltke, Graf Spee)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)30 mm primary (range 19–51 mm)≈ 33,675 (~75% of HP)
Overmatch not possible in its bracketAngle bounces 410mm30 mm: HE pens from 203mm+
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern19 mm≈ 2,245 (~5% of HP)
Overmatched by 283mm+ (Moltke, Graf Spee)Angle bounces 203mm19 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel51 mm primary (range 13–51 mm)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 6–51 mm)no cap
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).

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 Ranger. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.

Nerf ×11Buff ×15Rework ×3Airstrike ×3Torpedo ×12
2024-06-27

Ministry of Balance: Aerial Adjustments

  • Torpedo.
  • Stock torpedo bomber restoration time increased from 30 to 39 s.
  • Stock torpedo bomber base speed reduced from 111 to 105 kts.
  • Upgraded torpedo bomber restoration time increased from 30 to 39 s.
  • Upgraded torpedo bomber base speed reduced from 123 to 112 kts.
  • Stock dive bomber restoration time increased from 26 to 36 s.
  • Stock dive bomber base speed reduced from 128 to 116 kts.
  • Upgraded dive bomber restoration time increased from 24 to 32 s.
  • Upgraded dive bomber base speed reduced from 128 to 116 kts.
Read the full official post
2024-05-24

Ministry of Balance: Carriers 2.0 – First Wave

  • Aiming speed increased (aiming circle shrinks faster).
  • Aiming time reduced from 8 to 7 seconds.
  • Dive bomber accuracy (likelihood of an individual bomb hitting the inner circle) increased from 25 to 50%.
  • Bombs per aircraft increased from 1 to 3.
  • Number of aircraft in squadron increased from 6 to 8.
  • Maximum HP per aircraft reduced from 2,500 to 1,700 (squadron HP reduced from 15,000 to 13,600).
  • Base speed increased from 97 to 128 knots.
  • Maximum flight range set to 33 kilometers.
  • Maximum hangar aircraft increased from 10 to 16.
  • Starting hangar aircraft increased from 10 to 12.
  • +4 more official change lines in the source post.
Read the full official post
2022-12-09

Ministry of Balance Reports: Carrier Changes

  • This ship has had her ups and downs, and right now, she’s at the bottom of the damage board for Tier V carriers. We’ve decided to help her out with improvements to her torpedo aircraft:
  • Stock torpedo damage increased from 6,033 to 6,367.
  • Upgraded torpedo damage increased from 6,400 to 6,600.
  • Upgraded torpedo arming time decreased from 3.66 to 3 seconds.
  • Upgraded torpedo speed increased from 47 to 49 knots.
Read the full official post
2022-09-29

Halloween Update: New Friends, Old Foes

  • Surface detectability range changed from 12 to 13 km; air detectability range changed from 8.4 to 9.1 km.
  • Stock dive bomber HP changed from 2,450 to 2,500; stock torpedo bomber HP changed from 2,350 to 2,420.
  • Upgraded dive bomber HP changed from 2,600 to 2,650; upgraded torpedo bomber HP changed from 2,450 to 2,525.
Read the full official post
2021-09-30

Halloween Update: Double the Fun, Double the Trouble

  • Detectability range by sea increased from 10 to 12 km.
  • Detectability range by air increased from 7.7 to 8.4 km.
Read the full official post
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

  • Ranger 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.