Damage System

Health in World of Warships is modeled as health pools containing points (typically referred to as health points, hit points, or just HP). An item is completely healthy when its health pool contains the maximum number of points. An item is destroyed when its health pool contains no points.

Damage is modeled as deducting points from one or more health pools.

This article deals with how damage, once inflicted, affects the target, and what can be done to decrease its effects.

The Ship Model

The model of a ship in World of Warships is deceptively simple. Obvious to the viewer there is the hull, the superstructure, and various armaments. However, unseen except through the Armor Viewer, there are layers of armor and structure. Further, the ship is divided into logical sections and modules, each affected differently by enemy actions.

Causes of Damage

A complex item such as a ship is comprised of a number of health pools: that of the ship itself, segments of the larger pool corresponding to ship sections, and modules.

Damage may be caused in several ways:

• the impact of shells (e.g. over-penetration by AP shells)
• the detonation of explosive charges on the exterior of a ship (torpedoes, non-penetrating HE shells, bombs, rockets )
• the detonation of explosive charges in the interior of a ship (penetrating shells, bombs, rockets)
• blast damage from non-impacting explosions, including depth charges against submarines
• fire
• flooding
• anti-aircraft artillery against aircraft
• ship-to-ship collision, or ramming
• internal explosion of a ship's magazines, or detonation

Damage may be immediate or caused over time (damage-over-time or DOT), such as continuing fire or flooding. Fire is a major threat to all warships except, oddly, aircraft carriers.

Gunfire

The way shells fired from enemy guns interact with the target ship, its armor and modules, is very complex. To a slightly lesser extent the same is true of air-dropped bombs and rockets.

Fire

Modern warships are made of steel. While steel itself may not burn, nearly everything else in the ship does.

Flooding

Ships float because their hull keeps the water out. Put a hole in the hull and the ship has a tendency to sink. Torpedoes can cause flooding.

Damage Saturation

Damage Saturation occurs when a ship has taken excessive damage to a specific area (bow, stern, superstructure, casemate). When saturated, an area is no longer capable of taking damage exceeding 10% of the ordnance's listed alpha damage.

Detonation

Detonation is the destruction of a ship caused by ignition of the ship's magazine modules. Aircraft Carriers and submarines are the only classes of ship that cannot be detonated.

Detonation may be triggered by the blast from any explosive ordnance, even from a near-miss.

Ramming

Ramming is a collision with another ship which results in damage or destruction.

Damage Mitigation

Upgrades

'Standard' upgrades Main Armaments Modification 1 , Magazine Modification 1 , Auxiliary Armaments Modification 1 , Sonar Modification 1 , Damage Control System Modification 1 , Engine Room Protection , Damage Control System Modification 2 directly impact how a ship takes damage.

Other upgrades affect it indirectly — AA Guns Modification 1 , Airstrike Modification 1 , Torpedo Lookout System , Concealment System Modification 1  — by improving defense systems or improving spotting and concealment.

A number of others improve the ship's ability to dodge by improving the performance of the propulsion, rudder, or diving planes.

A few Unique Upgrades also affect damage mitigation.

Damage Control Party

All ships have Damage Control Party  consumables (DCP). Most have unlimited charges with a relatively slow reload or 'cooldown' time. Damage control parties stop, and for a short time prevent, Damage Over Time (DOT), notably fire and flooding. They also repair incapacitated modules, such as main battery turrets, torpedo tubes, engines, and steering. An active DCP also terminates and prevents any submarine 'ping lock' on the ship.

Skillful use of the DCP consumable takes knowledge and practice. It may be wise not to use one's DCP, saving it for later. For instance, DOT is 100% repairable (if the ship has a Repair Party), and fires are greater or lesser threats depending on ship type and applied modifications, so letting one fire burn may be the best move. On the other hand, four fires or two floods practically demand the immediate use of one's Damage Control Party.

There is also a Special Upgrade that affects the performance of the Damage Control Party consumable: Damage Control Party Modification 1 .

Repair Party

All battleships, higher tier cruisers, and a few destroyers can deploy a Repair Party .

Repair Parties restore points over time, some more or less effectively, e.g. Royal Navy repair parties are particularly effective.

Increasing the Health Pool

Commander Skills

Vigilance
Survivability Expert

WASD Haxx

The best way to mitigate damage is not to get hit in the first place.