This World of Warships combat guide covers the mechanics every captain needs to understand: gunnery, shell selection, secondary armament, fires and flooding, and how to use your consumables effectively. For ship-class-specific guides see battleships, cruisers, destroyers, and carriers.
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Main battery gunnery
Locking guns and aiming
Press X to lock your guns on a target — they hold the last aimed direction instead of snapping to your ship’s heading when you change course. Essential when kiting away from an enemy: you can sail away while keeping guns trained on the target behind you.
To follow your shell impacts in flight, the shell camera (configurable in settings) lets you track where your salvo lands and correct for next shot. See how to follow shells in World of Warships for a full breakdown.
Firing all guns at once
By default, firing in rapid succession splits your main battery salvos. Pressing Backspace fires all guns simultaneously instead of alternately. A full simultaneous salvo concentrates your damage in one hit corridor — critical for citadel attempts where you need maximum shells on target. See how to fire all guns at once for the detailed keybind and when to use each mode.
Leading moving targets
Your shells take several seconds to reach their target. You must aim ahead of where the ship is now to where it will be when your shells arrive. The distance to lead depends on your shell velocity and flight time. Crosshair mods like the Nomogram (available through Aslain’s ModPack) add a time-to-target readout that helps calibrate lead estimates — see the mods guide if you want to set one up.
Sigma and dispersion
Every ship’s guns have a dispersion ellipse — the area your shells spread across at any given range. Sigma is the accuracy stat: higher sigma means shells cluster tighter toward the centre of the ellipse. Ships with high sigma (Yamato, Colossus) are notably more reliable at extreme range than ships with low sigma. Dispersion also increases with range, which is why most competent players engage at 10–16 km rather than maximum range. See what is sigma in World of Warships for the full mechanic.
Shell types: AP, HE, and SAP
AP (Armor-Piercing)
AP shells penetrate armour and detonate inside the ship. They deal high damage when they penetrate successfully and enormous damage on citadel hits. They ricochet at steep angles and over-penetrate thin targets (destroyers) for reduced damage.
Use AP when:
- A cruiser or battleship is showing you broadside
- You’re targeting a broadside cruiser at mid-range from any ship class
- You have a clear angle on a citadel
HE (High-Explosive)
HE shells deal moderate direct damage to any target on impact, regardless of armour, and have a chance to start fires. They cannot over-penetrate or ricochet but deal less damage than AP against well-armoured broadside targets.
Use HE when:
- The target is bow-on or heavily angled (AP will bounce)
- Shooting destroyers (AP over-penetrates; HE and fires are more effective)
- Setting fires on a battleship to drain its Damage Control Party
- Using destroyer or light cruiser guns with shells too small to penetrate belt armour
SAP (Semi-Armor-Piercing)
SAP is used by Italian cruisers and some secondary batteries. It has good penetration without fire chance — strong alpha damage against medium-armoured targets where AP might over-penetrate (destroyers) or ricochet, and where HE damage would be low. If you’re playing Italian cruisers, SAP is your default and only main ammunition — you have no HE or AP.
Ammo selection by ship class
| Ship class | Default ammo | Switch to |
|---|---|---|
| Battleship | AP | HE vs angled/bow-on targets; HE vs destroyers |
| Cruiser | AP (on broadsides) | HE vs angled targets; HE to set fires |
| Destroyer | HE | AP at close range on cruiser broadsides |
| Italian cruiser | SAP (only option) | — |
For a detailed breakdown see what ammo to use in World of Warships.
Secondary guns
Your secondary battery fires automatically at the nearest target within range. You can’t aim them manually, but you can set a priority target by holding CTRL and left-clicking a ship. All secondary guns in range will concentrate on that target instead of splitting between multiple enemies.
The Manual Secondary Battery Aiming commander skill reduces reload time and dispersion when a priority target is set, and improves dispersion further the longer your secondaries fire at the same target. German and American battleships built around secondary builds benefit most from this skill.
- All secondary anti-ship batteries fire HE shells exclusively
- Submarine secondaries use SAP
- Secondary range varies by ship and can be extended through commander skills and ship upgrades
See how to use secondary guns in World of Warships for the full guide.
Anti-aircraft guns
AA guns fire automatically at enemy aircraft within range. However, your AA firing range exceeds your detection range — if an enemy carrier is near, your AA can fire before you’ve been spotted, revealing your position.
Press P to toggle AA on and off. Turn it off when stealth matters (playing destroyer or ambush cruiser). Turn it back on once you’re already engaged or need the protection.
You can also assign a Priority AA Sector to boost defensive fire against aircraft approaching from a specific direction. See how to turn off AA in World of Warships for the full toggle guide.
Fires, flooding, and damage control
Fires
HE hits have a percentage chance to start fires. Each fire deals continuous damage over time and can be stacked (multiple fires burning simultaneously). Fires cannot burn on already-burning sections until the previous one is extinguished.
Damage Control Party (consumable) extinguishes all fires and floods instantly and makes your ship immune to both for a brief period (typically 5–8 seconds for battleships, longer on destroyers and cruisers). After DCP expires, fires can be re-set immediately.
The standard tactic against battleships: set fires with HE, wait for them to use DCP, then immediately fire your next HE salvo to re-start fires during the cooldown window.
Flooding
Torpedo hits deal direct damage and have a chance to cause flooding — continuous HP drain similar to fires but usually faster. Use DCP to stop flooding as a priority over fires where possible, since flooding typically drains HP faster.
Repair Party
Some ships carry Repair Party (battleships have it universally; some cruisers and destroyers do at high tiers). It restores HP over 28 seconds, recovering a percentage of damage taken from most sources. Use it after accumulating meaningful damage (15–20% HP loss), not preemptively. Don’t save it indefinitely — an unused Repair Party at end of match is wasted.
Fuel spills (submarines)
Submarines hit while submerged produce visible fuel spills on the surface, revealing their approximate position. Damage Control Party removes fuel spills.
In-battle consumables: overview
| Consumable | Key use | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Damage Control Party | Extinguish fires, stop floods | Limited charges on submarines; unlimited on surface ships |
| Repair Party | Restore HP | Battleships, some cruisers/DDs at high tier |
| Smoke Generator | Tactical concealment | Cruisers and destroyers; know your Hydro counters |
| Hydroacoustic Search | Detect torpedoes and ships through terrain | DDs and some cruisers; essential for cap fighting |
| Surveillance Radar | Reveal ships in range regardless of concealment | US, Soviet, UK cruisers mostly |
| Defensive AA Fire | Boost AA effectiveness vs carriers | Range and DPS boost on activation |
| Engine Boost | Temporary speed increase | French and some Soviet/DD lines; evasion and repositioning |
How do I aim in World of Warships?
Aim your reticle at the target and lead ahead of moving ships based on their speed and the shell flight time. Zoom in (Shift) for better precision. At typical mid-range combat distances (12–16 km), a large ship moving at full speed needs roughly 2–4 ship-lengths of lead. Practise estimating this in co-op before randoms.
When should I use AP vs HE?
AP for broadside cruisers and battleships where you can penetrate the citadel or belt. HE for bow-on or angled targets, destroyers, and to set fires when the enemy has angled well. Italian cruisers ignore this — SAP is their only ammunition. See what ammo to use in World of Warships for every scenario.
What does sigma mean in World of Warships?
Sigma is the gun accuracy stat. Higher sigma concentrates shells toward the centre of the dispersion ellipse, making hits more likely at long range. Ships like Yamato and some high-tier snipers have notably higher sigma than average. See what is sigma in World of Warships.
How do I stop flooding in World of Warships?
Use your Damage Control Party consumable immediately — it stops flooding and all fires simultaneously. Prioritise flooding over fires where possible as flooding typically drains HP faster. DCP has a cooldown after use, so on a ship without Repair Party, avoid using it for a single fire when flooding is a bigger threat incoming.