Commander

Revision as of 16:57, 11 August 2020

The Commander recruitment window.

Recruiting

Once Account Level 7 is unlocked, a ship may not be queued for battle without a commander assigned to it. Thereafter, a commander can be recruited for a ship without one.^[1] There are several options offered when recruiting a new commander:

• Send to a Senior Commanders Course for 25 to earn three (3) skill points.
• Send to the Naval Academy for 7,500 to earn one (1) skill point.
• Be content with Basic Training at no cost for zero (0) skill points.
• Clicking the small, circular icon below the commander's name (middle left) in the recruitment window generates a new name and portrait for the commander. This can be repeated until the player is satisfied with the combination.

Recruiting is not the only way to obtain commanders. Certain missions, campaigns, and Scenarios award commanders. Experienced commanders can be bought in the Arsenal for Coal or Doubloons, or from the Premium Shop for real money. Awarded ships and some purchased ship bundles include experienced commanders.

When a ship is purchased from the tech tree, it can be with a newly recruited commander or without one. The latter option is useful when you intend to assign a commander from Reserve or another ship.

A Commander can be Dismissed at any time. This will free up a reserve slot. A dismissed commander can be recalled within 60 minutes. After that the dismissal is permanent.

Managing Commanders

Clicking on the Commander portrait in the top right of the Port screen brings up the Commander interface. This screen allows players to manage their Commanders in various ways.

The Commander Interface: current skills (Red 1), redistribution (Orange 2), reserve Commanders (Green 3), current Commander (Blue 4), and Elite Commander experience (Purple 5).

The currently selected Commander is shown in the top right; the Commander skills trained are shown in the center. The drop down menu next to the Commander's name allows players to assign the Commander to another ship, send him to Reserve, dismiss him, or Go to their Personal File. Directly below the currently selected Commander is shown other Commanders that are eligible for use on the selected ship. The toggle at the top shows either commanders currently assigned to other ships, or those that are in Reserve.

The center of the Commander Interface displays the Commander skill tree — discussed in detail below — with currently trained skills highlighted. At the far left is the Redistribute function, that allows players to "respec" their Commanders by clearing their skill selections, thus allowing skill points to be assigned again.

Commander Skill Points

The crux of the Commander system — and the main portion of the Commander interface — revolves around the various skills available to train. Players accomplish this by earning Commander experience, then spending that experience on Commander skills.

Commanders who have available skill points to spend will show unspent points in the Port screen.

Earning Commander Experience

Commanders earn commander experience (CXP) in the same way that ships do, including any bonuses to ship XP earnings. Additional bonuses that affect only commander XP — such as from Restless Fire  camo or the Zulu Hotel 🚫 signal — are added on top of this number. Therefore, it is possible to earn considerably more commander XP in a match than ship XP. See the Economics article for details of how CXP is calculated. Players can view how much commander XP they earned in a given match on the 'Credits and XP' tab of the post-battle report.

The table at right shows the experience requirements for a Commander to buy skill points.

The skill confirmation window.

Spending Commander Experience

Each commander displays his skill points overlaid on his portrait as available/total. Thus a commander with 15 points, only 3 assigned, would show "12/15" on the lower left of his portrait. Clicking on the commander's portrait brings up the Commander Interface screen (see the graphic above), where a new skill may be selected. The interface will ask for confirmation.

Some skills are only useful to certain classes or to ships with certain weapon systems. Skills that are not useful to the current ship are marked as such. They may still be selected. (If a skill is not useful on the current ship, it may become so when the commander is moved to a different ship.) However, considering the amount of time it takes to train a highly skilled Commander, it is best to focus his skills on ones that are immediately useful. A complete list of skills, their point costs and effects, appears below.^[2]

When training skills in Rows 2, 3 or 4, Commanders must have at least one skill trained from the previous row. Commanders are free to train any skill in a row before selecting any skill in the subsequent row; they are not confined to skills only within the sub-groupings shown below (and in the skill tree in the Commander interface).

Try the World of Warships Commander Skill Builder

Note that the skill Direction Center for Fighters does NOT add one fighter to the Patrol Fighters consumable on aircraft carrier squadrons.

Main article: Commander

Base Skills

Icon	Skill Name	Skill Point Cost	Description	Effect	Notes
	Situational Awareness	Free.	An alert to the commander that the ship has been spotted by the enemy.	An indicator is displayed when your ship is detected by an enemy ship or aircraft.	Functions during commander re-training and on ships without a commander.

Battleship Skills

Gun Feeder	Demolition Expert	Consumables Specialist	Emergency Repair Specialist	Incoming Fire Alert	Preventive Maintenance
Grease the Gears	Inertia Fuse for HE Shells	Brisk	Vigilance	Priority Target	AA Defense and ASW Expert
Super-Heavy AP Shells	Long-Range Secondary Battery Shells	Adrenaline Rush	Basics of Survivability	Improved Repair Party Readiness	Focus Fire Training
Furious	Manual Secondary Battery Aiming	Close Quarters Combat	Emergency Repair Expert	Concealment Expert	Fire Prevention Expert

Icon	Skill Name	Skill Point Cost	Description	Effect	Notes
	Gun Feeder	1	Accelerates shell-type switching of main battery guns.	−40% to the ship's minimum shell-type switching time.	It's complicated. See Shell-type switching time.
	Demolition Expert	1	A better chance of causing fires on enemy ships or damage to submarines.	+1% chance of main and secondary HE shells causing a fire. +15% to the underwater explosion radius of main and secondary battery shells when attacking submarines.
	Consumables Specialist	1	Better availability of consumables.	−7.5% cooldown time of all Consumables except: Damage Control Party Repair Party	Specialized Repair Teams, Heavy Repair Teams, and Fast Damage Control Teams are also unaffected.
	Emergency Repair Specialist	1	More efficient damage control and repair parties.	−3% cooldown time of Damage Control Party and Repair Party.
	Incoming Fire Alert	1	Provides a warning of long-range main battery fire.	Receive a warning of a salvo fired at your ship from a distance of more than 4.5 km.	Think of this as a "turn now!" warning.
	Preventive Maintenance	1	Reduces the risk of main turrets, torpedo tubes, steering gear, and engine becoming incapacitated.	−30% to the risk of incapacitation of modules. +15% to the HP of secondary and AA guns.
	Grease the Gears	2	Faster turret rotation.	+20% main battery turrets traverse speed.
	Inertia Fuse for HE Shells	2	Increases the armor penetration of high explosive (HE) main and secondary shells, while decreasing their chance of setting the enemy ship on fire.	+25% armor penetration of HE shells. Base fire chance reduced by half.	The mechanics for HE penetration can be found in the Armor Penetration article. Also see Armor thresholds and Fire. This skill is frequently paired with Demolition Expert.
	Brisk	2	Activated if the ship is undetected.	When activated: 10% increase in speed.	This skill allows the ship to re-position more rapidly during a battle.
	Vigilance	2	Extends ship's torpedo acquisition range and improves torpedo protection.	+25% detection range of enemy torpedoes. +7% to the ship's torpedo protection.	Provides additional time to react to incoming torpedoes. Stacks with both Torpedo Lookout System and Hydroacoustic Search .
	Priority Target	2	The detection indicator displays the number of opponents that are currently aiming at your ship.	The detection indicator will show the number of enemies targeting you with main battery.	Used skillfully, can detect the launch of a torpedo salvo at you (the number will temporarily decrease by one).
	AA Defense and ASW Expert	2	Increased anti-aircraft fire effectiveness. Bigger depth charges. Decreased consumable reload while AAA is active.	+15% damage from continuous AAA and flak. +10% to damage inflicted by depth charges. While AA defenses are operating: −40% ship consumables reload time.
	Super-Heavy AP Shells	3	Increase AP shell damage in exchange for vulnerability to fire and flood.	+7.5% AP shell damage −10% fire and flood damage received +25% fire and flood duration.	Does not increase shell penetration. Recall that fire and flood damage is 100% repairable.
	Long-Range Secondary Battery Shells	3	Longer range secondaries.	+20% secondary battery firing range.	Does not affect the range of anti-aircraft fire.
	Adrenaline Rush	3	Increases reload speed of all armament as the ship's health decreases.	For each 1% HP lost: −0.2% reload time of all armaments +0.2% AA continuous damage.
	Basics of Survivability	3	Quicker firefighting, flooding control, and module repair teams.	−15% to time of module restoration, firefighting, and recovery from flooding.	Has no effect on consumables.
	Improved Repair Party Readiness	3	Activated when the ship takes potential damage equal to 100% of its base HP.	For each potential damage multiple: −0.8% reload time of the Repair Party  consumable. After receiving 2M HP potential damage: +1 charge of Repair Party .	The effect increases with every multiple of base HP.
	Focus Fire Training	3	Decreased aircraft and airstrike reload time. More AA explosions. When Sector Reinforcement is activated, stronger damage shift to the priority sector.	−10% aircraft preparation time. −15% reload time of Airstrike armament. In an active priority AA sector: +1.5% (to 5%) immediate damage. +25% continuous damage.[4] +1 flak burst per salvo.	A flak burst is not added to a ship with no long-range AAA. Stacks with Air Groups Modification 3.
	Furious	4	Activated if the ship is on fire or flooding.	1st fire / flood   −10% Main battery reload time 2nd etc. (up to 5), each   −5% Main battery reload time.	Fire is motivational. Maximum -35% MB reload time with 4 fires and 2 floods.
	Manual Secondary Battery Aiming	4	Greatly increases the accuracy of secondary guns against a designated target (if any) over time. Guns that cannot bear on a designated target will fire with improved reload and accuracy.	−10% secondary battery reload time. −10% secondary battery dispersion. When firing at the designated target: dispersion will decrease to −50% over 45 sec. Some focus is retained when pausing or shifting targets.	This is not manual aim; the guns still aim automatically. To activate, the player must manually designate a target by holding down Ctrl and left-clicking on it.[5] See here for a complete description.
	Close Quarters Combat	4	When an enemy ship is spotted within the range of the secondary batteries, a main battery bonus is activated.	When activated: −10% reload time of main battery.
	Emergency Repair Expert	4	Better damage control and repair.	Damage Control Party and Repair Party: +1 charge (each). +10% action time.	Damage Control Party already has unlimited charges on most ships.
	Concealment Expert	4	Reduces detectability range.	−10% detectability range of the ship.	Stacks with other detection range reduction bonuses such as Concealment System Modification 1.
	Fire Prevention Expert	4	Reduces the risk of catching fire. The maximum number of fires on a ship is reduced to three.	−10% to the risk of fire. −1 maximum number of fires burning at one time.	Caps the number of fires in the superstructure of a ship at one (normally there are two fire zones there). See the Fire article.

Cruiser Skills

Grease the Gears	Swift Fish	Consumables Specialist	Gun Feeder	Incoming Fire Alert	Last Stand
Demolition Expert	Fill the Tubes	Consumables Enhancements	Eye in the Sky	Priority Target	Focus Fire Training
Heavy HE and SAP Shells	Pack A Punch	Adrenaline Rush	Heavy AP Shells	Superintendent	Survivability Expert
Top Grade Gunner	Outnumbered	Radio Location	Inertia Fuse for HE Shells	Concealment Expert	AA Defense and ASW Expert

Icon	Skill Name	Skill Point Cost	Description	Effect	Notes
	Grease the Gears	1	Faster turret rotation to help turrets keep up with maneuvers.	+15% main battery turrets traverse speed.
	Swift Fish	1	Faster torpedoes means less reaction time at the target.	+5% torpedo speed. +5% aerial torpedo speed.
	Consumables Specialist	1	Better availability of consumables.	−7.5% cooldown time of all Consumables except: Damage Control Party Repair Party	Specialized Repair Teams, Heavy Repair Teams, and Fast Damage Control Teams are also unaffected.
	Gun Feeder	1	Accelerates shell-type switching of main battery guns.	−40% to the ship's minimum shell-type switching time.	It's complicated. See Shell-type switching time.
	Incoming Fire Alert	1	Provides a warning of long-range main battery fire.	Receive a warning of a salvo fired at your ship from a distance of more than 4.5 km.	Think of this as a "turn now!" warning.
	Last Stand	1	When the engine or steering gears are incapacitated, they continue to operate (but with a penalty).	The ship remains able to move and maneuver - slowly - while the engine or steering gears are incapacitated.	As of Update 0.10.0, all ships retain 20% propulsion and 0% steering when the modules are incapacitated. Ships with Last Stand retain 50% of each.
	Demolition Expert	2	A better chance of causing fires on enemy ships.	+1% chance of main and secondary HE shells causing a fire. +15% to the underwater explosion radius of main and secondary battery shells when attacking submarines.	See Fire.
	Fill the Tubes	2	Faster torpedo rack reloads. Put more metal fish into the water.	−10% torpedo tubes reload time.
	Consumables Enhancements	2	Longer-lasting consumables.	+10% action time of: Smoke Generator Hydroacoustic Search Engine Boost Surveillance Radar.
	Eye in the Sky	2	A quick-response spotter plane.	Spotting Aircraft: +2 charges −50% cooldown time
	Priority Target	2	The detection indicator displays the number of opponents that are currently aiming at your ship.	The detection indicator will show the number of enemies targeting you with main battery.
	Focus Fire Training	2	Faster aircraft preparation. Quicker Air Strikes. More AA explosions. When Sector Reinforcement is activated, stronger damage shift to the priority sector.	−10% aircraft preparation time. −15% reload time of Airstrike armament. In an active priority AA sector: +1.5% (to 5%) immediate damage. +25% continuous damage.[4] +1 flak burst per salvo.	A flak burst is not added to a ship with no long-range AAA. Stacks with Air Groups Modification 3.
	Heavy HE and SAP Shells	3	More ship damage from penetrating non-AP shells, potentially with a cost.	+10% main battery HE and SAP shell damage. +15% detectability of ships with a main battery caliber of 149 mm and above.	This skill will be useful to small-gun cruisers, of questionable value to most. Note, that HE and SAP shells cause ship damage only when they penetrate. See here.
	Pack A Punch	3	Improved performance of secondary armament.	+20% secondary battery range. +15% torpedo damage.
	Adrenaline Rush	3	Increases reload speed of all armament as the ship's health decreases.	For each 1% HP lost: −0.2% reload time of all armaments +0.2% AA continuous damage.
	Heavy AP Shells	3	More damage for penetrating AP shells of heavy cruisers.	+5% damage for AP shells 190mm and larger.	Does not increase penetration. Does not function on light cruisers.
	Superintendent	3	Increases capacity of consumables.	+1 additional charge to all consumables mounted on a ship.
	Survivability Expert	3	Increases the size of the ship's Health Pool.	+450 ship HP for each ship tier.	Example: a Tier V ship would gain 2,250 (5x450) additional HP. Has greater value on smaller ships.
	Top Grade Gunner	4	If an enemy ship is spotted within the ship's standard detectability range,[6] this skill is activated.	−10% reload time of secondary batteries. When activated: −8% reload time of the main battery.	Thus concealment bonuses would seem to decrease the utility of this skill.
	Outnumbered	4	When there are as many or more visible hostile ships than allies within the ship's standard main battery firing range, this skill is activated.[6]	When activated: +8% ship speed −10% main battery dispersion.	The speed bonus also applies when there are no enemies or allies within your ship's main battery firing range.
	Radio Location	4	Shows the direction to the nearest enemy ship, detected or not.	In battle, an azimuth range arc appears. The enemy is alerted that a bearing has been taken.	Locates submarines at all depths except maximum.
	Inertia Fuse for HE Shells	4	Increases the armor penetration of high explosive (HE) main and secondary shells, while decreasing their chance of setting the enemy ship on fire.	+25% armor penetration of HE shells. Base fire chance reduced by half.	The mechanics for HE penetration can be found in the Armor Penetration article. Also see Armor thresholds and Fire. This skill is frequently paired with Demolition Expert.
	Concealment Expert	4	Reduces detectability range.	−10% detectability range of the ship.	Stacks with other detection range reduction bonuses such as Concealment System Modification 1.
	AA Defense and ASW Expert	4	Increased anti-aircraft and ASW effectiveness. Quicker consumable reload while AAA is active.	+25% damage from continuous AAA and flak. +15% damage from depth charges. While AA defenses are operating: −50% ship consumables reload time.

Destroyer Skills

Grease the Gears	Liquidator	Consumables Specialist	Gun Feeder	Incoming Fire Alert	Preventive Maintenance
Demolition Expert	Swift Fish	Consumables Enhancements	Extra-Heavy Ammunition	Priority Target	Last Stand
Main Battery and AA Specialist	Fill the Tubes	Adrenaline Rush	Inertia Fuse for HE Shells	Superintendent	Survivability Expert
Main Battery and AA Expert	Swift in Silence	Radio Location	Fearless Brawler	Concealment Expert	Dazzle

Icon	Skill Name	Skill Point Cost	Description	Effect	Notes
	Grease the Gears	1	Faster turret rotation to help turrets keep up with maneuvers.	+15% main battery turrets traverse speed.
	Liquidator	1	Increased chance to cause flooding on a torpedo strike.	+30% chance (multiplicative) of causing flooding.	See Flooding.
	Consumables Specialist	1	Shorter cooldown time of certain consumables.	−7.5% cooldown time of all Consumables except: Damage Control Party Repair Party	Specialized Repair Teams, Heavy Repair Teams, and Fast Damage Control Teams are also unaffected.
	Gun Feeder	1	Accelerates shell-type switching of main battery guns.	−40% to the ship's minimum shell-type switching time.	It's complicated. See Shell-type switching time.
	Incoming Fire Alert	1	Provides a warning of long-range main battery fire.	Receive a warning of a salvo fired at your ship from a distance of more than 4.5 km.	Think of this as a "turn now!" warning.
	Preventive Maintenance	1	Reduces the risk of main turrets, torpedo tubes, steering gears, and engine becoming incapacitated.	−30% to the risk of incapacitation of modules. +15% to the HP of secondary and AA guns.
	Demolition Expert	2	A better chance of causing fires on ships.	+1% chance of main and secondary HE shells causing a fire. +15% to the underwater explosion radius of main and secondary battery shells when attacking submarines.	The effect of this bonus might be surprising. See Fire.
	Swift Fish	2	Faster torpedoes.	+5% torpedo speed. +5% aerial torpedo speed.	More speed means less reaction time.
	Consumables Enhancements	2	Longer action time of certain consumables.	+10% action time of: Smoke Generator Hydroacoustic Search Engine Boost Surveillance Radar.
	Extra-Heavy Ammunition	2	More damage from armor-piercing penetrations and from ASW depth charges.	+7.5% main battery AP shell damage. +10% to damage inflicted by depth charges.	Does not increase armor penetration.
	Priority Target	2	The detection indicator displays the number of opponents that are currently aiming at your ship.	The detection indicator will show the number of enemies targeting you with main battery.
	Last Stand	2	When the engine or steering gears are incapacitated, they continue to operate (but with a penalty).	The ship remains able to move and maneuver - slowly - while the engine or steering gears are incapacitated.	As of Update 0.10.0, all ships retain 20% propulsion and 0% steering when the modules are incapacitated. Ships with Last Stand retain 50% of each.
	Main Battery and AA Specialist	3	Improved firepower.	−5% main battery reload time. +10% continuous AA damage.
	Fill the Tubes	3	Put more metal fish in the water.	−10% torpedo tubes reload time.
	Adrenaline Rush	3	Increases reload speed of all armament as the ship's health decreases.	For each 1% HP lost: −0.2% reload time of all armaments +0.2% AA continuous damage.
	Inertia Fuse for HE Shells	3	Increases the armor penetration of high explosive (HE) main and secondary shells, while decreasing their chance of setting the enemy ship on fire.	+25% armor penetration of HE shells. Base fire chance reduced by half.	The mechanics for HE penetration can be found in the Armor Penetration article. Also see Armor thresholds and Fire. This skill is frequently paired with Demolition Expert.
	Superintendent	3	Increases capacity of consumables.	+1 charge to all consumables mounted on a ship.
	Survivability Expert	3	Increases the size of the ship's Health Pool.	+350 ship HP for each ship tier.	Example: a Tier V ship would gain 1,750 (5x350) additional HP. Has greater value on smaller ships.
	Main Battery and AA Expert	4	Even more firepower.	+20% main battery range. +15% flak damage.
	Swift in Silence	4	So long as the ship remains undetected, the speed bonus is activated.	+5% main battery reload time. While undetected: +8% ship speed.	The skill is especially suitable for stealthy torpedo destroyers.
	Radio Location	4	Shows the direction to the nearest enemy ship, detected or not.	In battle, an azimuth range arc appears. The enemy is alerted that a bearing has been taken.	Locates submarines at all depths except maximum.
	Fearless Brawler	4	When the ship is detected, the main battery reload bonus is activated.	+1 flak burst per salvo. When activated: -10% main battery reload time.	A flak burst is not added to ships with no long-range AAA. "The skill is especially useful for artillery destroyers — French and Soviet — as well as when fighting for Key Areas." - WG
	Concealment Expert	4	Reduces detectability range.	−10% detectability range of the ship.	Stacks with other detection range reduction bonuses such as Concealment System Modification 1.
	Dazzle	4	When an undetected ship is spotted, reduces the accuracy of hostile fire directed at it, and kicks up the speed.	When activated, for 15 seconds: +20% dispersion of enemy shells. +8% ship speed.	The shell dispersion effect is applied when the guns are fired.

Aircraft Carrier Skills

Last Gasp	Improved Engine Boost	Engine Techie	Air Supremacy	Direction Center for Fighters	Search and Destroy
Torpedo Bomber	Swift Fish	Improved Engines	Repair Specialist	Secondary Armament Expert	Patrol Group Leader
Sight Stabilization	Enhanced Armor-Piercing Ammunition	Pyrotechnician	Aircraft Armor	Survivability Expert	Interceptor
Bomber Flight Control	Proximity Fuze	Close Quarters Expert	Enhanced Aircraft Armor	Hidden Menace	Enhanced Reactions

Icon	Skill Name	Skill Point Cost	Description	Effect	Notes
	Last Gasp	1	Completely restores engine boost for the last attack flight of a carrier's planes.	Restores engine boost.
	Improved Engine Boost	1	Increases the engine boost time for a carrier's squadrons.	+5% aircraft engine boost duration.	Stacks with Aircraft Engines Modification 1
	Engine Techie	1	Faster Engine Cooling consumable reload time.	−20% Engine Cooling cooldown time.
	Air Supremacy	1	Decreases aircraft servicing time to get your planes back in the air.	−5% aircraft restoration time.
	Direction Center for Fighters	1	When the carrier's CAP Fighter  consumable is activated, an additional fighter is launched.	+1 Fighter.	Does not apply to Patrol Fighter .
	Search and Destroy	1	Extends the patrol radius of Patrol Fighter or Interceptor squadrons.	+10% patrol radius.
	Torpedo Bomber	2	Enables torpedo bombers to drop closer to the target for better accuracy.	−10% torpedo arming distance.
	Swift Fish	2	Faster aerial torpedoes == less reaction time at the target.	+5% to torpedo speed.
	Improved Engines	2	Increases the cruising speed of a carrier's squadrons.	+2.5% Squadron speed.	Stacks with Flight Control Modification 2
	Repair Specialist	2	Improves the In-flight Repair consumable	+1 charge. +10% the action time of the consumable.
	Secondary Armament Expert	2	Improves anti-surface, anti-air and anti-submarine firepower.	−10% secondary battery reload time. +10% flak and continuous AA damage. +10% depth charge damage.	Interesting combination.
	Patrol Group Leader	2	More fighter squadrons on call.	+1 charge to Patrol Fighter or Interceptor consumable.
	Sight Stabilization	3	Speeds up the aiming of a carrier's attack squadrons.	+7.5% Aiming speed for all type attack squadrons.
	Enhanced Armor-Piercing Ammunition	3	Increased damage from airborne armor-piercing munitions.	+3% damage from AP bombs and rockets.	Does not increase penetration.
	Pyrotechnician	3	Increases the chance of causing a fire on the target.	+1% for HE rockets. +5% for HE bombs.	See Fire to explore explore how effective this is.
	Aircraft Armor	3	Reduces continuous damage to aircraft in all AA defense zones.	−10% to continuous AA damage	See the Anti-Aircraft Fire article.
	Survivability Expert	3	A more survivable aircraft is a more effective aircraft. Has no effect on the carrier's health pool.	+25 aircraft HP per ship tier.	Carrier-based aircraft HP ranges roughly 1500-2400.
	Interceptor	3	The Patrol Fighters consumable is replaced by Interceptor.	+10% patrol radius. Invulnerable to fighters. Cannot attack fighters. Cannot spot ships.	Interceptors are called to defend friendlies against incoming enemy attack squadrons.
	Bomber Flight Control	4	Faster bombers.	+5% cruising speed of bombers.	Does not affect torpedo bombers.
	Proximity Fuze	4	Partially negates the effect of a ship's Torpedo Protection System (TPS), increasing damage and the chance of flooding.	−10 percentage points to the target's torpedo protection.	Has no effect on ships with no TPS (destroyers). See Flooding.
	Close Quarters Expert	4	Much more dangerous anti-surface batteries.	Secondary batteries: +20% range −30% dispersion.
	Enhanced Aircraft Armor	4	Flak vest.	−25% damage from flak.
	Hidden Menace	4	Makes the ship more capable of operating close to the front at the cost of making the ship harder for returning planes to find.	−15% ship detectability range. −20% Damage Control Party cooldown. −50% Safe flight altitude. −50% speed of returning squadrons.	Aircraft do not receive concealment benefits. Currently affects squadron climb-out speed as well as return cruise. This effect can be partially offset by Air Groups Modification 1.
	Enhanced Reactions	4	With the Patrol Fighters or Interceptor consumables activated, the time it takes to start attacking enemy aircraft is reduced.	−80% time before attack. +25% action time of the consumable. +50% arrival time.	Effectiveness TBD.

Submarine Skills

Enhanced Sonar	Liquidator	Helmsman	Priority Target	Incoming Fire Alert
Improved Battery Capacity	Torpedo Crew Training	Consumables Enhancements	Preventive Maintenance	Last Stand
Enhanced Impulse Generator	Sonarman	Consumables Specialist	Watchful	Superintendent
Adrenaline Rush	Torpedo Aiming Master	Sonarman Expert	Improved Battery Efficiency	Enlarged Propeller Shaft

Icon	Skill Name	Skill Point Cost	Description	Effect	Notes
	Enhanced Sonar	1	Activated if your ship is detected by the enemy.	When activated: -10% Sonar reload time.
	Liquidator	1	Increased chance to cause flooding on a torpedo strike.	+30% chance (multiplicative) of causing flooding.	See Flooding.
	Helmsman	1	Reduces rudder shift time within 15 seconds of using the Hydrophone consumable.	When activated: −10% rudder shift time. −10% diving plane shift time.
	Priority Target	1	The detection indicator displays the number of opponents that are currently aiming at your ship.	The detection indicator will show the number of enemies targeting you with main battery.
	Incoming Fire Alert	1	Provides a warning of long-range main battery fire.	Receive a warning of a salvo fired at your ship from a distance of more than 4.5 km.	Think of this as a "turn now!" warning.
	Improved Battery Capacity	2		+10% dive capacity. -20% dive capacity recharge rate on the surface.
	Torpedo Crew Training	2	Activated if your ship is detected by the enemy.	When activated: -15% torpedo tube reload time.
	Consumables Enhancements	2		+5% action time of the ship's consumables.
	Preventive Maintenance	2	Reduces the risk of main turrets, torpedo tubes, steering gear, and engine becoming incapacitated.	−30% to the risk of incapacitation of modules.	This skill does not apply to secondary or AA batteries, or a submarine's sonar.
	Last Stand	2	When the engine or steering gears are incapacitated, they continue to operate (but with a penalty).	The ship remains able to move and maneuver - slowly - while the engine or steering gears are incapacitated.	As of Update 0.10.0, all ships retain 20% propulsion and 0% steering when the modules are incapacitated. Ships with Last Stand retain 50% of each.
	Enhanced Impulse Generator	3	Increases ping velocity if less than 33% of the maximum dive capacity remains.	When activated: +15% sonar ping velocity.
	Sonarman	3		+25% duration of a ping effect on a sector highlighted once. -15% duration of a ping effect on a sector highlighted twice.
	Consumables Specialist	3	Improved consumables preperation and cooldown time.	−15% preparation and reload time of ship's consumables.
	Watchful	3	Displays the warning "in detection range" when the undetected submarine is in the range of an activated Submarine Surveillance , Surveillance Radar  or Hydroacoustic Search  consumable but is not detected because of its current depth.[7]	The warning "in detection range" is displayed.	Submarines are detected by Hydroacoustic Search at all depths but at maximum depth only within 2 km. Submarines are detected by Surveillance Radar only at the surface level. Submarines are detected by Submarine Surveillance at periscope and maximum depth.
	Superintendent	3	Increases capacity of consumables.	+1 charge to all consumables mounted on a ship.
	Adrenaline Rush	4	Increases reload speed of all armament as the ship's health decreases.	For each 1% HP lost: −0.25% torpedo tubes reload time. −0.25% Sonar reload time. −0.25% Secondary battery reload time. −0.25% Main battery reload time.
	Torpedo Aiming Master	4	[tl/dr: On active double ping sector before launching torpedoes]	When activated: +15% torpedo damage.	Only works with homing torpedoes.
	Sonarman Expert	4	Increases the ping effect after hydrophone use. Activated if a sector was highlighted within 30 seconds of using the Hydrophone consumable.	When activated: +25% duration of a ping effect on a sector highlighted once. +25% duration of a ping effect on a sector highlighted twice.
	Improved Battery Efficiency	4	Activated if less than 50% of the maximum dive capacity remains.	When activated: +25% dive capacity recharge rate on the surface.
	Enlarged Propeller Shaft	4	Activated if less than 50% of the maximum dive capacity remains.	When activated: +18% speed at surface and periscope depth.	Does not work at maximum depth.

Redistribute Commander Skills

Players will sometimes want to change the skill selections on one of their Commanders. This is accomplished in the Commander Interface by utilizing the "Redistribute" button (shown highlighted in orange on the graphic above). Redistributing Commander skill points costs either 25 or 10,000 Elite Commander XP per spent skill point; players are not charged to redistribute unspent skill points. Upon confirming the redistribution, all currently trained Commander skills are cleared, the corresponding skill points are refunded, and players may begin assigning those skill points again as they see fit.

Note that when using Elite Commander XP, up to level 7 it is cheaper to recruit a new commander and accelerate their training than to redistribute skills of an existing commander. This will also result in two commanders instead of one.

On occasion — such as Christmas or other holidays — Wargaming offers sales on redistribution. Clan Battle participants have been enjoying one week of free redistribution at the beginning and at the end of Clan Battle seasons.

Reserve Slots

Reserve slots — (shown highlighted in green on the graphic above) — hold unassigned commanders. Commanders in the Reserve can be assigned to any ship (of the same nation) as normal, subject to re-training costs (see below).

Each player starts with four (4) Reserve slots. Additional Reserve slots can be purchased with doubloons -- normally four (4) slots for 100. Slots are very rarely available through other means.

If a player receives a ship with a Commander, either from Premium shop, Armory, or a Container, the player receive an extra Reserve slot for that Commander.

Retraining Commanders

Once trained to a non-premium ship from the tech tree, a Commander's skills can be fully utilized only on that ship. Transferring to a new tech tree ship requires the commander to re-training to that ship, which is usually accomplished by earning a certain amount of Commander XP in his new ship (see the table to the right). Normal commander training resumes once re-training has been accomplished.

When re-training is required, players are offered several options. Commanders can spend:

• 500, completing re-training instantly.
• 200,000, requiring them to earn 1/2 the Commander XP normally required (see table) to completely re-train (or spend the full amount of doubloons).
• nothing, requiring them to earn Commander XP in order to fully re-train for their new ships.

Commanders can also spend Elite Commander XP (and/or Free XP) equal to the remaining cost of re-training, finishing re-training instantly. This can be combined with the 200,000 option in order to save ECXP.

Premium Ships

A commander can be assigned to a premium ship of the same nation at any time without undergoing re-training. His skills will continue to work at full strength on the premium ship. Commander XP earned while assigned to a premium ship counts toward re-training on his specialized ship. This makes premium ships a great way to re-train commanders while avoiding retraining penalties. The commander can be moved back to his specialized ship without penalty.

Elite Commander Experience

A commander who earns nineteen (19) Skill Points becomes an Elite Commander. Elite Commanders continue to earn experience as do lower-ranked commanders. However, an Elite Commander no longer accumulates CXP; his experience is earned as Elite Commander Experience (ECXP) that accumulates in a common pool (like Free XP). (The current ECXP balance is shown highlighted in purple on the graphic above).

The Accelerated Training window.

As Free XP is available to all ships, Elite Commander XP is available to all commanders on a player account.

Using Elite Commander XP

Elite Commander XP can be:

• Applied to any non-elite commander to gain additional skill points.
• Used to retrain any commander moved to a different, non-premium ship (instead of spending doubloons).
• Used to redistribute skill points (in lieu of using doubloons).
• Converted into Free XP for doubloons.

Spending Free XP on Commanders

After all ECXP is spent, Free XP can be used instead of Elite Commander XP.^[8]

For a single operation, Elite Commander XP and Free XP can be spent together, just as Ship XP and Free XP can be spent together researching ships and ship modules. When Elite Commander XP and Free XP are spent, the following rules apply:

• To retrain a commander, promote him to a new rank, or redistribute his skill points, the available ECXP and/or FXP must be sufficient to fully complete the operation (no partial operations).
• When an operation can be completed, Elite Commander XP is spent first then Free XP is used only if there is not enough ECXP.

Converting Elite Commander XP to Free XP

Elite Commander XP can be converted to Free XP in the same way as Elite (ship) XP — ( 25 ECXP + 1 => 25 Free XP ). Free XP cannot be converted to Elite Commander XP.

Unique Commanders

Some commanders have unique talents or modified commander skills. Check out the list of unique commanders to learn more.

Commander Ranks

As a Commander gains levels, they are given ranks based on their nation. These roughly correspond to the historical ranks awarded to officers of their nation's respective navies. The table below lists these ranks as they appear in game.

Skill Points	Japan	USA	USSR	Germany	UK	France	Pan-Asia	Italy
0	Kaigun Shōi Kōhosei	Warrant Officer	Michman	Oberfähnrich zur See	Warrant Officer	Aspirant	Midshipman	Aspirante Guardiamarina
1 - 2	Kaigun Shōi	Lieutenant Junior Grade	Leytenant	Leutnant zur See	Sub-Lieutenant	Enseigne de deuxième classe	Sub-Lieutenant	Guardiamarina
3 - 4	Kaigun Chūi	Lieutenant	Starshiy-Leytenant	Oberleutnant zur See	Lieutenant	Enseigne de première classe	Lieutenant	Sottotenente di Vascello
5 - 6	Kaigun Daii	Lieutenant Commander	Kapitan-Leytenant	Kapitänleutnant	Lieutenant Commander	Lieutenant de vaisseau	Lieutenant Commander	Tenente di Vascello
7 - 8	Kaigun Shōsa	Commander	Kapitan 3 Ranga	Korvettenkapitän	Commander	Capitaine de corvette	Commander	Capitano di Corvetta
9 - 10	Kaigun Chūsa	Captain	Kapitan 2 Ranga	Fregattenkapitän	Captain	Capitaine de frégate	Captain	Capitano di Fregata
11 - 12	Kaigun Daisa	Commodore	Kapitan 1 Ranga	Kapitän zur See	Commodore	Capitaine de vaisseau	Commodore	Capitano di Vascello
13 - 14	Kaigun Shōshō	Rear Admiral	Kontr-Admiral	Konteradmiral	Rear Admiral	Contre-amiral	Rear Admiral	Contrammiraglio
15 - 16	Kaigun Chūjo	Vice Admiral	Vitse-Admiral	Vizeadmiral	Vice Admiral	Vice-amiral	Vice Admiral	Ammiraglio di Divisione
17 - 18	Kaigun Taishō	Admiral	Admiral	Admiral	Admiral	Vice-amiral d'escadre	Admiral	Ammiraglio
19	Gensui Kaigun Taishō	Fleet Admiral	Admiral flota	Großadmiral	Admiral of the Fleet	Amiral	Admiral of the Fleet	Ammiraglio di Armata

Skill Points	Commonwealth	Europe				Pan-America
		Austro-Hungary	Poland	Netherlands	Sweden
0	Warrant Officer	Seefähnrich	Chorąży marynarki	Adjudant-Onderofficier	Fänrik	Guardiamarina
1 - 2	Sub-Lieutenant	Korvettenleutnant	Podporucznik marynarki	Luitenant ter Zee der 3e klasse	Underlöjtnant	Teniente de Corbeta
3 - 4	Lieutenant	Fregattenleutnant	Porucznik marynarki	Luitenant ter Zee der 2e klasse	Löjtnant	Teniente de Fragata
5 - 6	Lieutenant Commander	Linienschiffsleutnant	Kapitan marynarki	Luitenant ter Zee der 1e klasse	Kapten	Teniente de Navío
7 - 8	Commander	Korvettenkapitän	Komandor podporucznik	Kapitein-Luitenant ter Zee	Kommendörkapten av 2 graden	Capitán de Corbeta
9 - 10	Captain	Fregattenkapitän	Komandor porucznik	Kapitein ter Zee	Kommendörkapten av 1 graden	Capitán de Fragata
11 - 12	Commodore	Linienschiffkapitän	Komandor	Commandeur	Kommendör	Capitán de Navío
13 - 14	Rear Admiral	Kontreadmiral	Kontradmirał	Schout-bij-Nacht	Konteramiral	Contralmirante
15 - 16	Vice Admiral	Vizeadmiral	Wiceadmirał	Viceadmiraal	Viceamiral	Vicealmirante
17 - 18	Admiral	Admiral	Admirał floty	Luitenant-Admiraal	Amiral	Almirante de Escuadra
19	Admiral of the Fleet	Großadmiral	Admirał	Admiraal	Amiral	Almirante

Notes

• Everything You Need to Know About Commanders. 3 Mar 2020.

1. ↑ To recruit a commander to Reserve, temporarily move the commander of a ship to reserve, recruit a new commander, then swap back.
2. ↑ With Update 0.8.0, a number of skills have changed. See this and nearby WoWS News articles: https://worldofwarships.com/en/news/development/cv8-how-to-tune/#customization
3. ↑ Aircraft Carrier skills do not apply to hybrid ships such as Ise and Tone.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} When activated, the continuous AA damage in the priority sector instantly gains 25% and rises to its default maximum plus 25%. Meanwhile, the weak side loses an additional 25%.
5. ↑ Secondary target designation can be tricky at first. To make it more sure, with the Alternate Interface Mode set to Full (highly recommended on the Settings.Controls panel) <ctrl-left click> on the red damage bar just above the range number. A target icon will appear above the ship.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} The standard main battery firing range or standard detectability range are those values shown in port. They are not changed by in-battle effects such as gun bloom, spotting aircraft, smoke, or weather.
7. ↑ This means:
   • If the submarine gets the warning on the surface, it is in the range of an activated Submarine Surveillance.
   • If the submarine gets the warning at periscope depth, it is in the range of an activated Surveillance Radar.
   • If the submarine gets the warning at maximum depth, it is either in the range of an activated Surveillance Radar or Hydroacoustic Search (but more than 2 km away).
8. ↑ Free XP becomes available at Account Level 5. Commander operations and ECXP become available at Account Level 7. Since at that point the account will have no ECXP, accumulated FXP may be used in its place.