World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Romulus

Also called: 罗慕路斯 Beta
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
Long torps (8 km)Heavy AP penHeavy HE shellsEngine BoostHigh fire chanceFragile
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Community Data

Romulus Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Romulus is a Tier II European 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: top-decile long-range AP brick in T2 DDs (32.5 mm) and best AA reach in T2 DDs (3.5 km).

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

+8% 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
  • Long-range AP brick · 32.5 mm
  • Heavy HE shells · 1550.0 damage
  • Flat AP trajectory
Long-reach AA

3.5 km AA reach, best of T2 DDs.

Long-range torps

8.01 km torpedo range, top decile of T2 DDs.

Visible torps

1.2 km torpedo detect, worst of T2 DDs. Easy to dodge if targets are looking.

Easily spotted

6.14 km surface detect, worst of T2 DDs. Visible before you can react; position early.

Acquisition

How to get Romulus

Romulus is available in the Area-Denial Destroyers branch of the Pan-Europe Tech Tree for 13,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 2,600 credits. Official source cards below may also show its temporary Early Access window before it became a normal Tech Tree unlock.

Show Pan-Europe tech-tree branch diagram
Pan-Europe Tech Tree

Romulus sits in the Area-Denial Destroyers branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full Pan-Europe tree.

Official WG availability sources

Builds Beta

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Cohort position

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Where Romulus sits among Tier II DDs (24 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.

BestAA range3.5 km (1/24) Top 10%Torpedo range8.01 km (3/24) Top 25%Rudder shift2.1 s (7/24) Top 25%Main battery range8.8 km (7/24) Top 25%HE DPM55,800 (7/24) Top 25%Main dispersion75 m (6/24) Top 25%AA DPS38 (4/24) Top 25%AA threat135 (3/18) Bottom 25%Main battery caliber100 mm (19/24) Bottom 25%Engine power19,000 hp (20/24) Bottom 25%Turn-speed retention43.2 hp/m (20/24) WorstHit points6,800 HP (24/24) WorstConcealment6.14 km (24/24) WorstTorpedo damage≈5,033 (1 of 2 tied) WorstMax armor6 mm (1 of 8 tied) WorstCitadel belt6 mm (1 of 8 tied) WorstDeck armor6 mm (1 of 9 tied)
See 19 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Romulus -- 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 speed34 kt(14/24) Air detection2.78 km(11/24) Traverse-to-turn ratio4.39 ×(18/24) Main battery reload5 s(11/24) HE fire chance6%(11/24) Fires per minute2.16(11/24) AP shell damage1,650(13/22) AP DPM59,400(9/22) AP velocity840 m/s(7/22) HE velocity840 m/s(9/24) Acceleration16.6 s(16/24) AP arming threshold17 mm(11/22) Displacement995 t(10/24) Power-to-weight19.1 hp/t(17/24) Torpedo speed55 kt(9/24) Torpedo reload35 s(11/24) NormAP fuse timer0.01 s(19 of 22 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(21 of 22 tied at this value) NormStern armor6 mm(22 of 24 tied at this value)
Survivability
Hit Points6,800
Displacement995 t
Armor range6–6 mm
Plate armor thicknesses6 mm
Armor material/layer entries20
Fire resistanceInitial: 0% → 3.3%
Fire duration30 s
Torp Reduction0%
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 120 mm/45 Bofors M1924
Mounts / barrels3 mounts / 3 barrels
Reload time5 s
Firing range (base)8 km
Firing range (top fire control)8.8 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 =(800330·80.51000+0.5)·30=75m
75 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: σV=σH·radiusOnMax =75·0.6=45m
45 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius: σH,50=σH·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =75·0.32(σ=2)=24m
24 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius: σV,50=σV·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =45·0.32(σ=2)=14.4m
14.4 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 10 deg/s traverse speed = 18 s.
18 s
Base shells/min
ƒ3 broadside guns x 60 / 5 s base reload = 36.
36
HE shells
HE Damage1,550 → 1,600
HE Velocity840 m/s → 800 m/s
Fire Chance6% → 7%
HE penetration
ƒIn-game data: 20 mm = 100 mm caliber / 5 (non-standard HE penetration ratio).
20 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ1,600 HE damage x 3 broadside guns = 4,800.
4,800
Base HE DPM
ƒ4,800 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 5 s base reload = 57,600.
57,600
Base fires/min
ƒ36 shells/min x 7% fire chance = 2.52.
2.52
AP shells
AP Damage1,650 → 2,000
AP Velocity840 m/s → 800 m/s
Min Ricochet45 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg
Fuse Timer0.01 s
Fuse Threshold17 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(100 mm caliber / 14.3) = 6 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
6 mm
AP Pen Close
ƒCanonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: P=107·K·m0.69·d1.07·v01.38 =107·1721·210.69·0.121.07·8001.38=137.9mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
137.9 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (11 km), where the shell has slowed to 266.8 m/s: P=107·1721·210.69·0.121.07·266.81.38=30.3mm.
30.3 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ2,000 AP damage x 3 broadside guns = 6,000.
6,000
Base AP DPM
ƒ6,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 5 s base reload = 72,000.
72,000
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.
7
Torpedoes
ModuleTorpedoes: 450 mm Quadruple
Launchers / tubes2 launchers × 4 tubes = 6 tubes
Reload time35 s
Projectile speed55 kt
Range8.01 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=15,100·0.333=5,033.
≈ 5,033
Torpedo detectability1.2 km
Flooding chance63%
Torpedo launcher traverse25 °/s
Torp Turn
ƒTime to rotate the launchers 180 deg: tturn=180°25°/s=7.2s.
7.2 s
Torp Arming170 m
Per-side salvo damage
ƒOne side firing, all torpedoes hitting: per-side tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 6 x 5,033 = 30,198.
30,198
AA Defense
AA mount points2
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (11×3.5×1) = 38. 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.
38
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
3.5 km
40 mm/60 Bofors M1936 (upgraded hull only)2×1 40mm
20 mm/65 Breda M1935 (stock hull only)2×2 20mm
Medium aura
DPS11
Range3.5 km
Maneuverability
Engine moduleEngine: 19,000 hp
Engine power19,000 hp
Maximum speed34 kt
Turning circle radius440 m
Rudder shift time2.1 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 (30.6 kt of 34 kt), from our in-house acceleration model.
16.6 s
Acceleration 0-99%
ƒTime to reach 99% of top speed (33.7 kt of 34 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.
28.1 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·34.0·0.5144440=2.28°/s, so ratio=ωturretωhull=102.28=4.4×. Below 5 the turrets drag in a turning fight; 25+ keeps up with any rudder.
4.4× drags
Concealment
Detectability by sea6.14 km
Detectability by air2.78 km
Smoke firing penalty2.02 km
Detect after firing main guns
ƒmax(base sea detectability, gun-firing bloom range). Firing never pulls your detection closer than base concealment.
6.14 km
Detect Fire Sea8.14 km
Detect Fire Air5.78 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 40 s reload · 5 s active
Engine Boost2 charges · 180 s reload · 120 s active · +8% speed bonus
Module options (3)

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

HullUpgrade
  • Rudder shift3.8 → 2.7 s
  • Close-range AA DPS4 → 11
  • Maximum AA range2 → 3.5 km
Fire controlUpgrade
  • Main battery range8,003 → 8803.3 m
ArtilleryUpgrade
  • HE fire chance6 → 7 %

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 Disp75 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: $\sigma_H = \left(\dfrac{R}{30}\cdot\dfrac{\text{idealRadius}-\text{minRadius}}{\text{idealDistance}} + \text{minRadius}\right)\cdot 30$ $= \left(\dfrac{8003}{30}\cdot\dfrac{8-0.5}{1000} + 0.5\right)\cdot 30 = 75\,\text{m}$
Max Vert Disp45 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: $\sigma_V = \sigma_H \cdot \text{radiusOnMax}$ $= 75 \cdot 0.6 = 45\,\text{m}$
Med Horiz Disp24 m
50%-hit horizontal radius: $\sigma_{H,50} = \sigma_H \cdot \text{GetHalfHitsRatio}(\sigma)$ $= 75 \cdot 0.32\;(\sigma = 2) = 24\,\text{m}$
Med Vert Disp14.4 m
50%-hit vertical radius: $\sigma_{V,50} = \sigma_V \cdot \text{GetHalfHitsRatio}(\sigma)$ $= 45 \cdot 0.32\;(\sigma = 2) = 14.4\,\text{m}$
AP Pen Close137.9 mm
Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: $P = 10^{-7}\cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{-1.07} \cdot v_0^{1.38}$ $= 10^{-7}\cdot 1721 \cdot 21^{0.69} \cdot 0.12^{-1.07} \cdot 800^{1.38} = 137.9\,\text{mm}$. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far30.3 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (11 km), where the shell has slowed to 266.8 m/s: $P = 10^{-7}\cdot 1721 \cdot 21^{0.69} \cdot 0.12^{-1.07} \cdot 266.8^{1.38} = 30.3\,\text{mm}$.
HE penetration20 mm
In-game data: 20 mm = 100 mm caliber / 5 (non-standard HE penetration ratio).
AP overmatch6 mm
floor(100 mm caliber / 14.3) = 6 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 alpha3
All 3 barrels bear on the broadside.
Turret turn time18 s
180 degrees / 10 deg/s traverse speed = 18 s.
HE full-salvo alpha4,800
1,600 HE damage x 3 broadside guns = 4,800.
AP full-salvo alpha6,000
2,000 AP damage x 3 broadside guns = 6,000.
Base HE DPM57,600
4,800 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 5 s base reload = 57,600.
Base AP DPM72,000
6,000 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 5 s base reload = 72,000.
Base shells/min36
3 broadside guns x 60 / 5 s base reload = 36.
Base fires/min2.52
36 shells/min x 7% fire chance = 2.52.

Torpedoes

Torpedo detectability1.2 km
Estimated torpedo reaction time8.4 s
detectability / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Torpedo speed55 kt
Travel time to max range56 s
range / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Tube count6
2 launchers x 4 tubes.
Per-side salvo6 torpedoes
6 (centerline launchers train across - full salvo to either side).
Full-salvo damage30,198
All tubes hitting one target: tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 6 x 5,033 = 30,198.
Per-side salvo damage30,198
One side firing, all torpedoes hitting: per-side tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 6 x 5,033 = 30,198.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS38
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (11×3.5×1) = 38. 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 range3.5 km
Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
AA threat index135
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.

Armor Beta

Hull HP 6,800, 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 & stern6 mm

Overmatched by 106+ 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 3%, fires burn 30s. Range-by-range in the ballistics tool →

Section Plates HP cap Threats Tactic
Bow6 mm1,300 (19% of HP)
Overmatched by 127mm+ (Farragut, Shenyang)6 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.
Stern6 mm700 (10% of HP)
Overmatched by 127mm+ (Farragut, Shenyang)6 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel6 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 mm300 (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 HP3,900 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 (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 HP2,300 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
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Acceleration and Ballistics Chart

Balance History

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

Buff ×3Main Battery ×3
2022-08-25

Autumn Update: In the Shadow of Leaves

  • Reload time for torpedo launchers decreased from 40 s to 35 s.
  • Reload time for upgraded main battery decreased from 6.5 s to 5.5 s.
  • HE shell maximum damage for stock main battery increased from 1,450 to 1,550.
Read the full official post
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

  • Romulus 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.