Detonation

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Module damage at 2:05 and Detonation at 5:48.

Detonation in World of Warships is caused by the ignition of at least one of a ship's magazine modules. On a gunship, the magazines are spaces where the powder charges and shells are stored. In game, the magazines for the main battery are represented by magazine modules. Damage sufficient to cause a magazine module to explode results in the destruction of the entire ship.

Causing Detonation

The Armor Viewer in the Port Screen can be used to show the locations of the magazines, such as the ones on Admiral Graf Spee.

To cause a detonation to occur, damage needs to be dealt to the magazines, which are found underneath the primary turrets and/or primary artillery. In other words ships, like Novik, that have non-enclosed rifles behind blast shields have magazines located beneath the deck. Damage to the magazines can be caused by penetrating damage from direct hits by armor-piercing shells or splash damage from high explosive shells or torpedoes.

Detonation Chance

It should be noted that there is no situation in the game that warrants a 100% detonation chance. With that said, certain actions or choices will increase the probability of Detonation; a few of them are highlighted below:

• Damage to a magazine increases the chances of detonation occurring. When a magazine loses all of its health points (HP), the chance of detonation will increase to its maximum native value. (Note that this is still below 100%.) Each ship has its own metric for calculating detonation chance based upon magazine HP.
  • Aircraft carriers and submarines cannot detonate since they have no magazine.
• Each ship has its own armor value for the magazines, therefore ships with thinner magazine armor have a higher detonation chance.
• Mounting either India X-Ray  or Juliet Whiskey Unaone  increases magazine detonation chance.
• A ship with a health pool greater than 75% of its maximum cannot detonate.
  • A damage source that drops a ship's HP below 75% will not itself cause a detonation. However, the next hit might.

Example: A ship at 80% health is hit by a salvo of three shells, each causing 10% damage. The hits are evaluated in order. The first drops the ship HP to 70%; the next two each have a chance to detonate the magazines (all other conditions met).

Detonation Damage

A magazine detonation is fatal to the ship. The Detonated achievement is awarded (in modes where achievement awards are enabled.)

Juliet Charlie

Mitigating Detonation

The chance of detonation can be decreased in these ways:

• Mounting the Juliet Charlie  signal flag pegs the chance of magazine detonation to 0%, making detonation impossible.
• Using Magazine Modifications 1 as the module upgrade in Slot 1 decreases the chance of magazine detonation by 70%. (With Juliet Charlie available, there is little point to this upgrade.)
• Avoid taking torpedo hits near the magazines.
• Use angling to increase the effective thickness of the ship's armor and increase the possibility of a bounce. Presenting the bow, or if necessary the stern, to incoming fire at a steep angle also minimizes the apparent size of the target (you). Presenting flat broadside to incoming fire increases the chance of detonation.