European Battleships in World of Warships August 2026

Torpedo Armament: The Great Equalizer

Tier V+ every one packs torps – not desperation tubes, core weapons reshaping fights. Lower tier torpedoes (IV-VII): WWI underwater junk. Yavuz’s 500s hit 13k to 6km at 60kts – fire if idiots charge. Chios ups to 18k dmg 9km, still arc-prayer situational. Higher tier transformation (VIII-X): Tier VIII swaps to deck mounts, fat arcs, 7.2s turns. Aim for real. Enigheten’s eight 17.5k 10km 65kts. Gustav twelve to 12km. Thor sixteen 70kts 12km.

Tactical applications:

• Ambush play: Stealth close, radar smoke, torp before they blink
• Area denial: Sixteen-fish islands/chokes force scatters or eats
• Finishing wounded targets: 20k HP runner? Torp goodbye
• Brawling insurance: Close rush? Point-blank delete
• Psychological warfare: Torp fear warps their maps pre-shot

Torps flip gunboats to wild hybrids. Sharp foes dodge range – you own space anyway.

Concealment and Mobility: The Vanishing Act

Stealth shames cruisers. Tier IV Yavuz 11.4km – BBs don’t do that. Chios 13.1km VII. Thor 14.6km X – insane for 406s. Pick fights unseen, hit, ghost before payback.

Emergency Engine Power consumable:

• Chios (Tier VII): 90 seconds total, +20% speed boost, 30-second cooldown between activations
• Enigheten (Tier VIII): 105 seconds total, +25% boost
• Gustav den Store (Tier IX): 120 seconds total, +25% boost
• Thor (Tier X): 135 seconds total, +25% boost

15s min bursts – commit to runs.

Practical applications:

• Engagement dictation: Spot far, boost close/open as fits
• Flank swaps: A losing, C winning? Boost crosses faster than slugs
• Escape maneuvers: Pack fire? Boost vanish, stealth reset
• Pursuit: Lame cruiser? 33kt Thor to 41.25kt hunter
• Objective rushing: Cap rush? Boost shocks teams

Stealth + boost = chaos enemies can’t read. 16km ghost to 12km radar-torp in heartbeats.

Surveillance Radar: The Destroyer’s Nightmare

Tier VIII+ radar wrecks smoke meta.

Radar specifications:

• Detection range: 10 kilometers (excellent range for spotting)
• Duration: 30 seconds (long enough to wreck someone’s day)
• Charges: 2 at Tier VIII, 3 at Tiers IX-X
• Cooldown: 120 seconds

DDs assume BBs blind in smoke – torp farm free. Radar nukes it. Smoke Shimakaze spamming? Ping, delete, team freaks. Cap Daring? 30s spotlight for focus.

Tactical implementations:

• Cap contesting: Radar-push caps, expose hiders for you/allies
• Smoke countering: Cruiser farms? Drag ’em out for pain
• Ambush setups: Stealth + radar first, then guns on “safe” foes
• Destroyer hunting: Trap with team; smoke = radar reveal/kill
• Information warfare: No kill? Spots still gold intel

Resource management: No spam – save for caps, torp dodges, value hides. VIII’s two force picks; IX-X three flex but smart.

DDs spot you have it? They choke – your win pre-radar.

Survivability and Armor: The Glass Cannon Reality

Truth hurts: HP pools suck, plating won’t bail bad spots.

The HP problem:

• Yavuz Sultan Selim: 37,600 HP at Tier IV
• Chios: 52,200 HP at Tier VII
• Enigheten: 54,700 HP at Tier VIII
• Gustav den Store: 62,700 HP at Tier IX
• Thor: 72,700 HP at Tier X

Montana X at 97k. Yamato same. Kremlin 98k. Thor’s 74% – no trades with beasts.

Armor considerations:

• Lower tiers (IV-VII): 19-26 mm plating bounces basically nothing; you’ll eat full penetrations from all angles
• Higher tiers (VIII-X): 32 mm plating is respectable and will bounce some shells at severe angles, but most battleship AP will still penetrate
• Torpedo protection ranges from 13% (Turgut Reis) to 22% (Chios, Enigheten) – torpedoes will devastate you

The armor does have one advantage: It’s well-distributed enough that you won’t suffer catastrophic citadel damage from every salvo like some glass-jaw cruisers. You’ll take regular penetrations that chunk your HP steadily, but instant deletions are relatively rare if you avoid showing perfect broadsides.

Survival tactics:

• Selective engagement: Don’t sit in the open trading with multiple enemies; you’ll lose the HP race every time
• Concealment abuse: Your detection range lets you reset engagements – take some damage, disengage, use Repair Party, re-engage from better position
• Angling discipline: Even with mediocre armor, proper angling reduces damage taken; bow-in or stern-in positions force enemy AP to penetrate at less effective angles
• Speed positioning: Use Emergency Engine Power to stay mobile; moving targets are harder to hit, and you can control engagement ranges
• Island cover: Play around hard cover more aggressively than traditional battleships; your mobility lets you use islands for protection then speed-boost out when needed

Repair Party efficiency: Your HP pool is small, but Repair Party heals are percentage-based. Thor’s 363.5 HP/second over 28 seconds heals 10,178 HP per charge with four charges total – that’s 40,712 HP of total healing potential. Combined with your 72,700 base HP, you effectively have around 113,000 HP total if you use all four Repair Party charges efficiently.

The trick is getting that value without dying to focused fire first.

Playstyle Summary: The Tactical Predator

Ditch backline farm/tank. You’re predator: stealth strike, torp/radar mess, ghost out.

Core gameplay loop:

1. Approach phase: Use concealment to close to medium range (12-14 km) without being spotted
2. Strike phase: Activate Surveillance Radar to reveal hidden targets, open fire with main battery, launch torpedoes if targets are clustered
3. Damage phase: Pump damage into revealed enemies for 30 seconds while radar is active
4. Disengage phase: Before radar expires and enemies focus you, activate Emergency Engine Power and reposition behind cover or to another flank
5. Reset phase: Use concealment to reset, heal with Repair Party, prepare for next engagement

Positioning principles:

• Never be the closest battleship to enemy forces unless you’re specifically hunting a lone target
• Play around island cover more than other battleships; your mobility makes island-hopping viable
• Stay within 14 km of objectives you want to contest; radar range is 10 km, so you need positioning flexibility
• Avoid open water brawls with multiple enemy battleships; you’ll lose the HP race

Target prioritization:

• Destroyers first when radar is available – remove spotting and torpedo threats
• Cruisers in smoke second – they’re vulnerable and high-value
• Isolated battleships third – especially wounded ones within torpedo range
• Grouped enemies last – your torpedoes excel at area damage against clusters

Team coordination:

• You’re not a frontline tank; stay behind cruisers and destroyers initially
• Use radar to support cap contests; coordinate timing with team pushes
• Your torpedoes can support teammate pushes by zoning enemies off retreat paths
• Emergency Engine Power lets you respond to flank collapses faster than normal battleships

Common mistakes to avoid:

• Pushing too early and eating focused fire from multiple enemies
• Wasting radar charges on low-value targets
• Trying to tank damage like Montana or Kremlin
• Forgetting you have torpedoes until it’s too late
• Activating Emergency Engine Power without a clear plan for where you’re going

Advanced techniques:

• Torpedo area prediction: Fire torpedoes not at where enemies are, but where they’ll need to go when contesting objectives or retreating
• Radar baiting: Show yourself briefly to bait enemy destroyers into smoking, then radar them when they think they’re safe
• Speed feinting: Activate Emergency Engine Power as if you’re pushing, force enemies to adjust positioning, then disengage and strike elsewhere
• HP management: Take calculated damage early to bait enemy focus, disengage before critical HP levels, heal, then re-engage when enemies have shifted attention

Hunt smart, not slug. Patience and picks carry; dumb brawls sink you.

Turgut Reis (Tier VIII): The Ottoman Gunboat

Turgut skips tech tree torp focus – leans guns hard, torps desperation only.

Survivability:

• Hit points: 59,200
• Armor plating: 32 mm (after testing adjustments)
• Torpedo protection: 13% (torp magnet)

Main battery – the star of the show:

• Unique configuration: 1×3 419 mm stern turret, 2×2 419 mm bow turrets (seven guns total)
• Maximum range: 18.5 km
• HE shells: 6,150 max damage, 70 mm penetration, absolutely bonkers 47% fire chance
• AP shells: 13,050 max damage
• Reload time: 35 seconds (slower than tech tree)
• 180-degree turret traverse: 30 seconds (faster turret rotation)
• Maximum dispersion: 203 meters (excellent accuracy)
• Sigma value: 1.90 (superior to tech tree ships)

Airstrike consumable:

• Reload: 30 seconds
• Available flights: 2
• Maximum range: 10 km
• Bombs per payload: 2
• Maximum bomb damage: 4,200

Torpedo armament:

• Launchers: 4×1 533 mm (four torpedoes total – minimal compared to tech tree)
• Maximum damage per torpedo: 17,500
• Range: 6 km (extremely short; truly a last resort)
• Speed: 70 knots (fast when you can use them)
• Reload: 80 seconds (faster than tech tree)
• Detection range: 1.5 km

Secondary armament:

• 4×2 113 mm guns (6.6 km range, 5s reload)
• 12×2 152 mm guns (6.6 km range, 12s reload)
• Heavy secondary battery that benefits from secondary builds

AA defense: Short-range DPS 403, mid-range DPS 312, long-range DPS 42 – solid AA performance.

Maneuverability:

• Top speed: 31.9 knots (genuinely fast)
• Turning circle: 950 meters (wider than tech tree)
• Rudder shift: 14.9 seconds

Concealment:

• Surface detection: 14.8 km
• Air detection: 10 km
• Firing in smoke detection: 15.1 km

Consumables: Damage Control Party, Repair Party (296 HP/sec), Surveillance Radar with unique characteristics (15-second duration, 10 km detection, 90-second cooldown, 4 charges).

What makes Turgut Reis different: Turret oddity demands broadside for all seven – four bow, three stern. Firepower vs. survive choice every angle. 47% HE fires? Salvo pyros. 1.90 sigma + tight dispersion snipes cruisers clean. AP 13k bites broadsides reliable. Radar tweaks wild: 15s short but 90s CD (vs 120), four charges. Quick peeks, not holds – pop, spot, salvo, repeat. Torps? Four 6km jokes – ignore. Gameplay approach: Fast BB with DD hunt. 31.9kts owns range, laser guns consistent pain, HE infernos. Radar spam for intel bursts. 59k HP fragile but 32mm + speed dodges packs. 12-16km sweet spot – guns peak, legs save.

Viribus Unitis (Tier V): The Doom Turtle

Cutest BB ever – 152m, beats Elbing (169m), Felix Schultz (154m). Packs BB punch tiny.

Historical significance: Austro-Hungarian flagship, last dread class. WWI end: Italian frogmen mine her mid-handover to Slavs – poof.

Gameplay performance: Insane stats: 104k dmg, 5 kills, 8 cits, 1.5k XP solo. Kraken, Dev Strike, CQC, Confed, High Cal.

Why she works: Tiny frame close-range nightmare – overshoots, bad leads. Slow armored nugget, nimble-ish, shreds up close. Tier V MM skips hell; foes undervalue BB push. Island bait, close, broadside hell.

Collection value: Premium Austro nod – fun quirk, not OP. Rewards ram, skips standard BB snooze.

Standard Commanders

Pan-Euro roster fits BBs solid:

• Conrad Helfrich: Dutch WWII Allied boss; defensive grind skills.
• Janko Vukovich: Austro-Hungarian; accuracy/survive lean.
• Jerzy Świrski: Polish interwar chief; DD/CL focus, BB ok.
• Marisa La Loca: Wild picks, personality.
• Stig Ericson: Swede for line; speed/turn buffs.

John Augustine Collins: The Commonwealth Legend

Euro/Commonwealth unique – clutch skills for pushers.

Historical background: Aussie cruiser king Sydney/Shropshire Med/Pacific. Postwar RAN chief.

Enhanced standard skills:

• Aircraft Armor (for carriers): Continuous AA damage reduction – 12.5% (improved from standard – 10%) – less relevant for battleships but noteworthy for carrier players
• Adrenaline Rush (all ship types): Reduction of reload time for all armaments per 1% HP lost: – 0.25% (improved from standard – 0.2%) – this is significant; at 50% HP you’re getting 12.5% faster reload times instead of 10%

Unique talents – where Collins truly shines:

“Rise and Fight Again”: Activates automatically once per battle when your HP drops to 10%. Provides 2% HP regeneration per second for 5 seconds – that’s 10% of your total HP pool healed when you’re at death’s door. On Thor with 72,700 HP, that’s 7,270 HP healed instantly right when you need it most. This talent has saved countless matches by letting European battleships survive focus fire that should have killed them.

“Tria Juncta in Uno”: Triggers up to three times per battle after dealing 60,000 damage (cumulative). Each trigger increases maximum ship speed by 2% and consumable duration by 5%. Three triggers mean +6% speed and +15% consumable duration – absolutely massive for European battleships that rely on Emergency Engine Power and Surveillance Radar.

Let’s break down what Tria Juncta in Uno means practically: Thor with 33-knot base speed gets +6% for 34.98 knots permanently (before Emergency Engine Power). Emergency Engine Power’s 30-second duration becomes 34.5 seconds. Surveillance Radar’s 30-second duration becomes 34.5 seconds. This isn’t minor – this is fundamentally altering your ship’s performance profile mid-match.

How to obtain Collins: Complete the “Honor, Integrity, Virtue” historical collection containing 60 elements. Elements drop from:

• Standard containers: 100% chance for 1 collection element
• Premium containers:
  • Slot 1: 100% – 1 collection element
  • Slot 2: 40% – 13 Rare Economic bonuses; 30% – 1,900,000 Credits; 30% – 32,000 Free XP
  • Slot 3: 100% – 1 collection element

Both container types become permanently available in the Armory starting Update 15.8, meaning you can grind Collins at your own pace rather than during a limited event.

Is Collins worth it? For dedicated European battleship players, absolutely. Rise and Fight Again turns desperate situations into clutch survivals. Tria Juncta in Uno rewards aggressive play – exactly how European battleships should be played – with progressive buffs that compound throughout the match. The enhanced Adrenaline Rush synergizes perfectly with the low HP pools European battleships carry; you’ll spend much of each match at reduced HP where the reload buff really matters.

Austria-Hungary: The Adriatic Empire

Austria grabbed sea in 1382 via land grabs. Navy bloomed post-1797 Venice snatch – fleet handover instant. 1867 Hungary deal birthed Austro-Hungarian Navy – Adriatic/Med muscle despite budget scraps. Trend-setters: early self-prop torps. WWI Fleet-in-Being – trapped, subs sank 196k GRT Allied tonnage. Surface? Mixed bags – some humiliations, Kaiserin Elisabeth Asia jaunt. 1918 collapse: ships scattered chaos. Flag Viribus mined by Italians mid-transfer. Landlocked Austria now – no seas.

In-game representation: Viribus Unitis (Tier V) captures cramped ambition.

Sweden: Armed Neutrality

Svenska marinen since 1522 – one old guard. Neutral armed since 1814, Baltic coast guard. No true BBs – coastal pansers from ’86: small, shallow, Baltic-tuned. Homebuilt all – 20th cent capacity. Cold War nuke fears killed big hulls – frigates max. Småland museum in Gothenburg – rare Swede tin can.

In-game representation: Enigheten VIII, Gustav IX, Thor X – what-ifs if Sweden went full BB.

Greece: Ancient Heritage, Modern Fleet

Hellenic roots ancient. Modern: 1821 Independence. 1909 Averof armored cruiser owned region – Kountouriotis Elli/Lemnos wins Aegean lock. WWI neutral-ish, French grab/return. Interwar tight wallet. WWII Axis smash – heavy losses, survivors RN allies. Averof Suez watch. Post: US surplus, NATO ’52.

In-game representation: Chios VII Mackensen reparations dream – Greek capital ship alt-history.

Turkey: Ottoman Legacy to Modern Navy

Ottoman seas 14th cent – Preveza ’38 peak, Lepanto ’71 crash. 19th Russ losses slide. Pre-WWI Brit dreads seized ’14. Germans send Goeben/Breslau – Yavuz Black Sea brawler, mine survivor. Post-empire: Turkish Republic inherits, Yavuz flags interwar. WWII neutral to ’45 late. Post Brit/US buys, NATO ’52. ’74 Cyprus friendly-fire sinks Kocatepe – oops.

In-game representation: Yavuz IV real, Turgut VIII 419mm hypo.

Norway, Yugoslavia, Poland: Northern and Eastern Representatives

• Norway: Sjøforsvaret 1814, Viking roots. 1905 indep. WWI neutral U-boat bites. 1940 Nazi rush: Oscarsborg sinks Blücher. Norge/Eidsvold early losses. Exiles RN side. Post NATO founder, ASW vs Soviets. Now DDs, patrols, subs.
• Yugoslavia: 1918 Austro chaos – Viribus sunk transfer. 1921 Royal Navy Brit/French buys, Dubrovnik flag. ’41 Axis: sunk/captured. Exiles, postwar Partisans reparations/homebuild. ’90s split: states grab bits, Serbia rivers.
• Poland: Geo-limits fleet. 1918 Piłsudski start. Interwar subs/DDs/mines – Baltic tricks. Depression caps: 4 DDs, 5 subs, Gryf. ’39 Peking evac Błyskawica etc to Scots – war vets. Warsaw/NATO: sub/Baltic focus.

Update 15.0: European Battleships Arrive

15.0 drops full tree, early access grind rush.

Ships included in early access:

• Yavuz Sultan Selim (Tier IV)
• Tegetthoff (Tier V)
• Laudon (Tier VI)
• Chios (Tier VII)
• Enigheten (Tier VIII)
• Gustav den Store (Tier IX)
• Thor (Tier X)

Permanent camouflages announced:

• Bore Kulle (for Enigheten) – named after Swedish archaeological sites
• Mora Stenar (for Gustav den Store) – referencing Swedish cultural heritage
• Gullmarn (for Thor) – named after Swedish fjord systems

Fighter Mechanics Overhaul

15.0 fighter rework hits Euro BBs vs CVs:

• Spotting removal: Fighters no longer spot enemy ships independently – ending the passive spotting meta where fighters provided free intelligence.
• Enhanced anti-airstrike capability: Fighters now attack HE and ASW airstrikes much more efficiently, engaging almost immediately after airstrikes enter patrol areas. This provides genuine defensive value against the airstrike consumable many ships carry.
• Sequential engagement: Fighters can attack multiple airstrikes before leaving the battlefield but only engage one squadron simultaneously. They can sequentially attack several different Airstrikes but only engage other squadron types once before leaving battle.
• Damage limitations: Fighters cannot completely destroy an Airstrike or ASW Airstrike – they can damage and reduce effectiveness but not eliminate the threat entirely.

Implications for European battleships: The changes make fighter consumables more valuable for European battleships operating aggressively – fighters now provide genuine protection against enemy airstrikes without providing excessive spotting that could reveal your position prematurely.

Asymmetric Battle Updates

Maps receive alternative-balance versions where AI opponents get different damage and health pool tweaks. Alternative versions exist alongside originals with variable appearance probability – creating variety in PvE content without completely replacing existing balance.

Salvage for Victory Event: Surcouf Preview

While not a battleship, the Legendary-rarity French submarine Surcouf represents major new content arriving alongside the European battleship line:

• Unique armament: 203mm twin-gun turret plus powerful non-guided torpedoes in two stern and four bow launchers – making Surcouf a hybrid submarine/cruiser design unlike anything else in the game.
• Event mechanics: Players can obtain Surcouf and other premium ships during the event in exchange for free resources – Coal, Rare Economic Bonuses, and Unique Economic Bonuses. No mandatory premium currency spending required.

Steel conversion: For a limited time during Update 15.0, players can convert Steel into Coal in a one-way conversion – allowing veteran players to liquidate excess Steel for ships available for Coal. The conversion is permanent (Coal cannot be converted back into Steel).

Testing and Balance Adjustments

Multiple testing phases resulted in significant ship adjustments before final release:

September 29, 2025 fixes:

• Enigheten: Surveillance Radar charges decreased from 3 to 2 (reducing her spotting capability)
• Turgut Reis: Armor plating increased from earlier values to 32 mm (improving survivability)

October 1, 2025 fix:

• Chios: Missing secondary battery caliber information added (correcting incomplete stat blocks)

Closed Testing periods: Ships underwent multiple rounds of adjustments during Closed Test 15.0 and Closed Test 14.11 based on player feedback and performance data:

• Affected tech tree ships: Tegetthoff, Laudon, Chios, Enigheten, Gustav den Store, Thor
• Affected premium ships: Turgut Reis, Hoche (French battleship), Messina (Italian cruiser), Châteaurenault (French cruiser), Independencia (Brazilian battleship)

Specific adjustment details remain proprietary to Wargaming’s balance process, but testing clearly revealed overperforming and underperforming aspects requiring tuning before public release.