Bureau Picker

Twenty-four current Legendary projects. Pick once. Pick well.

Bureau progress doesn't refund. The ship you commit to drives your country, your fleet, your commanders, and the next several months of your account. This page is the survey work the in-game UI doesn't make easy.

The 90-Second Pick

  1. Pick the endpoint, not the starter. Scroll the four class sections below. Which ship would you genuinely want to play for the next several months? Country and class are downstream of that.
  2. Match it to your invested country, or accept the new-country cost. A nation you've already grinded means cheap patrons and a ready fleet. A new nation means leveling commanders from Rank 1 and building Tier IV-VII ships up. Both work; only one is faster.
  3. Confirm playstyle fit. Bureau is a months-long commitment. Brawler, mid-range, kiter, sniper, torpboat, smoke-and-shoot. The archetype tags on each card make this fast.
  4. Pair your second slot if you have premium. Same-country pairings (two Italian projects, say) share fleet and patron pools, so lockstep is fine. Cross-country pairings (Italian plus German) should be staggered: start the second project when the first is roughly half done. The offset keeps both slots productive without splitting your daily-trial focus 50/50 across two countries, and the first finished Legendary ship joins your fleet partway through the second project's grind.
  5. Commit, then don't switch. Burning project progress to chase a new ship is the most expensive mistake in this game. Confirm she's currently in the in-game Bureau Store before spending anything.

Skip the rest of the page if you already know the ship. Otherwise read by class.

Jump to Cruisers 8 Destroyers 8 Battleships 7 Carriers 1 Glossary

Before you commit: the WoWS Legends Progression page covers the survey-first principle, same-country logic, and the daily-trials > patrons > fleet feed priority. If you haven't read it yet, that's the prerequisite for getting value from this page.

Two ways to choose: this page picks by playstyle and specs. To choose by the ships and captains you already own, use the Bureau Matcher instead.

If anything below reads as jargon (SAP, MBRB, kiter, overmatch, DefAA, DPM, citadel), jump to the Glossary at the bottom of the page.

Class 1 of 4

Cruisers

Eight current Bureau projects. The class with the most playstyle variation: AP gun cruisers, HE fire-starters, smoke-and-torp specialists, brawlers with SAP, and a hybrid airstrike cruiser.

Cruiser cross-reference: only Minotaur, Venezia, Jinan, and Castilla carry torpedoes. Only Venezia and Castilla are built around brawl/mid-range with torps and a smoke or speed escape. Des Moines is the gun-cruiser bow-tanker. Worcester and Henri IV are kiters. Gouden Leeuw substitutes airstrikes for torps.

Des Moines

Cruiser · USA

Rapid-fire AP bow-tank gun cruiser with radar.

Mid-range
9× 203mm fast-reload No torps Radar + Sonar

StandoutBow-tank armor plus a fast 203mm reload sustains citadel pressure on any broadside.

Watch outNo torps, no smoke. Push-and-pray if outflanked.

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Worcester

Cruiser · USA

Light-cruiser HE fire-starter with radar and top-tier AA.

Kiter Support
12× 152mm rapid-fire HE No torps Radar

StandoutHighest HE DPM at tier; sets fires on everything; deletes destroyers with radar.

Watch outLight armor. One Yamato salvo erases her if broadside.

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Minotaur

Cruiser · UK

Smoke-and-AP citadel hunter (no HE shells at all).

Mid-range Support
10× 152mm AP-only 2×4 torps at 10 km Smoke OR Radar

StandoutAP-only main battery hits citadels through angles. Smoke or radar choice fits her to your team. Improved Repair Party heals 100% of fire and flood damage.

Watch outNo HE means no fire damage as a fallback. Paper armor outside smoke.

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Henri IV

Cruiser · France

Fast 240mm kiter with main-battery reload booster.

Kiter
9× 240mm HE/AP No torps MBRB (2 charges) 2× Engine Boost

StandoutTop-tier cruiser speed plus reload booster gives her burst windows from kiting range.

Watch outNo torps, no smoke. Lives or dies on positioning.

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Venezia

Cruiser · Italy

Mid-range SAP smoker with stealth torpedoes.

Mid-range Brawler
15× 254mm SAP (3×5) 2×4 stealth torps Exhaust Smoke

StandoutFifteen SAP guns broadside plus full-speed smoke. Flex between mid-range fire and brawl on demand. Very good turret angles for a 5-turret layout.

Watch outOnly 2 of 5 turrets bear when bow-in. Slow reload. Fragile turrets.

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Jinan

Cruiser · Pan-Asia

Smoke-and-torp ambusher with reload booster.

Torpboat
5× twin 127mm 4×5 deepwater torps (20) Smoke + TRB + DefAA

StandoutTwenty deepwater torps with a Torpedo Reload Booster. Second salvo refills on demand.

Watch outDWT can't hit destroyers. 127mm guns are weak against cruisers and battleships. No Sonar.

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Gouden Leeuw

Cruiser · Netherlands

Battlecruiser-caliber guns with bombing-run airstrikes.

Kiter Mid-range
9× 283mm HE/AP No torps Airstrike (2 charges, 100s)

StandoutBattleship-caliber guns plus bombing-run pressure on big targets. Light-cruiser concealment for ambushes.

Watch outWorst raw DPM among current Legendary cruisers. Airstrike isn't torpedoes; play accordingly.

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Castilla

Cruiser · Spain

Burst-fire brawler with close-range torpedoes.

Brawler
254mm with 2-salvo burst Close-range torps High speed

StandoutHeavy 254mm guns with a revolver-style 2-salvo burst, plus brawl-spec torps. Designed for close-range fights from launch announcement.

Watch outArmor and handling aren't her strengths. Spanish commander pool is shallow, which thins out patron contributions.

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Class 2 of 4

Destroyers

Eight current Bureau projects. The class with the steepest playstyle divergence: pure torpboats, gunboats, smoke-and-shoot platforms, AP brawlers, and a radar-DD. DDs are also the steepest learning curve at Legendary tier.

DD cross-reference: Shimakaze and Halland are the dedicated torpboats; Z-52 is the AP-spec brawler; Kléber and Khabarovsk are open-water gunboats with no traditional smoke playstyle; Daring is the heal-and-shoot platform; Gearing is the all-rounder; Gdańsk is the only radar-DD.

Gearing

Destroyer · USA

Balanced hybrid gunboat with long torpedoes.

Hybrid
6× 127mm HE/AP 2×5 torps at 16.5 km, 66 kt 3.0 s reload Smoke + Engine Boost

StandoutLong 16.5 km torps paired with high HE/AP DPM at a 3-second reload. Most flexible DD at tier.

Watch outWorst muzzle velocity among Legendary DDs. Mid-to-long-range gun duels suffer.

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Shimakaze

Destroyer · Japan

Pure torpboat with 15-torpedo deepwater salvos.

Torpboat
6× 127mm (slow reload) 3×5 deepwater torps at 76 kt Smoke + Engine Boost

StandoutFifteen deepwater torpedoes per salvo at 76 knots. Stealth-launch wall-of-skill on enemy push lanes.

Watch outLowest HP at tier (17,900). 6.5 s gun reload, weak gun DPM. All-in on torps.

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Daring

Destroyer · UK

Short-cycle smoker with Repair Party sustain.

Support Hybrid
6× 113mm HE/AP 2×5 torps at 10 km 6-charge short Smoke Repair Party + Sonar

StandoutOnly Legendary DD with both Repair Party and short-cycle smoke. Effective HP around 24,960 from the heal-plus-smoke combo.

Watch outSlowest at tier (35 kt). Small-caliber HE struggles into heavy armor.

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Z-52

Destroyer · Germany

Long-Sonar DD-hunter with AP punch.

Brawler
6× 128mm (3,000 AP alpha) 2×4 torps at 10.5 km Long Sonar (118 s) Smoke + Engine Boost

StandoutSonar at 5.7 km ship / 3.9 km torp detection. 3,000 AP damage per shell for cruiser broadsides. Best DD-vs-DD knife fighter.

Watch outWeakest HE damage at tier (1,500). Needs targets that show armor.

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Kléber

Destroyer · France

Open-water gunboat sprinter. No smoke.

Kiter
8× 139mm HE/AP 4×3 torps at 6 km, 75 kt MBRB + Engine Boost 44 kt top speed

Standout44 knots and MBRB burst windows make her the fastest pressure DD at tier. Biggest DD guns.

Watch outNo smoke at all. 7-second base reload makes her vulnerable between MBRB cycles.

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Khabarovsk

Destroyer · USSR

Pocket cruiser with 50mm armor belt.

Kiter
8× 130mm at 12.3 km 2×5 torps at 6 km Smoke OR Repair Party 50mm belt armor

StandoutEffective HP near 28,800 with Repair Party. The 50mm belt bounces battleship AP. Longest gun range at tier.

Watch out7.7 km surface detection (worst at tier). Cannot reliably contest caps the way other DDs do.

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Halland

Destroyer · Pan-European

Long-torp boat with anti-carrier utility.

Torpboat Support
4× 120mm (only 4 guns) 2×5 torps at 15 km, 86 kt DefAA (329 DPS) + Heal

StandoutFastest torps at tier (86 kt) at 15 km range. Defensive AA at 329 DPS neutralizes a carrier strike. The anti-CV insurance policy.

Watch outOnly four guns. Lowest HP at tier (19,200) and worst raw alpha.

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Gdańsk

Destroyer · Pan-European

Radar destroyer with smoke or DefAA choice.

Hybrid Support
7× 138.6mm HE-only 2×5 torps at 10 km, 82 kt Smoke OR DefAA Radar (9 km, 15 s, 3 charges)

StandoutOnly Legendary DD with surveillance radar. Cap-denial tool the others can't replicate. 24,400 HP and 43 kt speed.

Watch outHorrendous firing angles. Large profile. No AP shells, only HE.

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Class 3 of 4

Battleships

Seven current Bureau projects. Includes Cristoforo Colombo, who's classified as a battleship by Wargaming despite carrying SAP secondaries and Exhaust Smoke. Playstyle splits cleanly: long-range snipers, mid-range generalists, HE arsonist, secondary-spec brawler, and fast MBRB kiters.

BB cross-reference: Yamato is the long-range AP sniper; Conqueror is the HE arsonist; Großer Kurfürst is the dedicated brawler; Cristoforo Colombo is the SAP smoke-brawler; Bourgogne is the fast MBRB kiter; Louisiana is the airstrike hybrid; Montana is the AP-DPM generalist.

Louisiana

Battleship · USA

Hybrid BB with stern-quad turret and airstrike utility.

Mid-range Kiter
10× 406mm (2×3 + 1×4 stern) Airstrike (2.4 km drop) Repair Party (3 charges)

StandoutTen-gun broadside with airstrike utility. Stern quad turret rewards kiting.

Watch outLarge aircraft hangar superstructure is a citadel-adjacent fire and HE magnet.

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Montana

Battleship · USA

Mid-range generalist BB with best AP DPM at tier.

Mid-range
12× 406mm 28mm overmatch 1.90 sigma 30 kt

StandoutHighest tech-tree AP DPM at Legendary (around 324k). Strong AA. Fast for a BB.

Watch out28mm overmatch can't punch Yamato's bow. Slow turret traverse.

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Yamato

Battleship · Japan

460mm AP sniper with 32mm overmatch (only BB at tier that can).

Sniper
9× 460mm 14,800 AP alpha 32mm overmatch 27 kt

StandoutOvermatches 32mm bows that no other BB can. Citadels broadsides through autobounce angles.

Watch outExposed cheek citadel. Worst speed and rudder shift in the BB lineup. Positional setup ship, not a pusher.

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Conqueror

Battleship · UK

HE-spam arsonist with the strongest heal at tier.

Kiter Support
12× 419mm HE/AP 172,800 HE DPM (highest at tier) Heal at 1.6%/sec DefAA

StandoutHE-spam reputation holds in Legends. Strongest BB heal at tier means she out-sustains return fire.

Watch outSoft 74,600 HP base. 1.80 sigma gives inconsistent salvos. No torps.

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Großer Kurfürst

Battleship · Germany

Secondary-spec brawler with Sonar and the largest HP pool at tier.

Brawler
12× 406mm 7.0 km secondaries Sonar (6 km / 4 km) 105,800 HP

StandoutLongest BB secondaries at tier (7 km) plus Sonar for torp defense. Dedicated close-range BB.

Watch out1,050 m turning circle (worst at tier). Soft to HE without a secondary build. No torpedoes in Legends (PC version has them, Legends does not).

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Bourgogne

Battleship · France

Fast MBRB kiter battleship.

Kiter
12× 380mm (3 quad turrets) 28 s base reload MBRB (-50%, 15 s, 2 charges) 32 kt

StandoutSpeed plus MBRB lets her ambush and disengage. 55% torpedo protection. Fastest base reload of the BB lineup.

Watch out26mm overmatch is the lowest at tier. 74,700 HP and softer armor than the USN and German peers.

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Cristoforo Colombo

Battleship · Italy

SAP-secondary brawler-battleship with Exhaust Smoke at full speed.

Brawler
16 main battery guns SAP secondaries at 6.5 km Exhaust Smoke at full speed Turrets rotate 360°

StandoutBattleship-scale SAP from a smoke screen. The 360-degree turrets fully resolve any turret-arc complaint. Pairs naturally with Venezia for a same-country dual-project setup.

Watch outSmoke-up brawler playstyle takes practice. Vulnerable when smoke is on cooldown.

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Class 4 of 4

Carriers

One current Bureau project. Carriers are their own game inside the game. The skill set doesn't transfer from surface ships. Treat this as a parallel hobby, not the next ship to grind into.

CV note: the carrier path is a slower payoff than any surface line. If you've never played a CV before, run one in random battles for two weeks before committing the Bureau project. The mechanic is different enough that "I like surface ships in Legends" doesn't translate to "I'll like Manfred."

Manfred von Richthofen

Carrier · Germany

Armored carrier with AP rockets and high-speed torpedo bombers.

Support
AP rockets (9 planes, 3 strikes, 12 rockets each) Fast torpedo bombers 50mm armored flight deck 32 kt, 14 km concealment

StandoutAP rockets citadel broadside cruisers. Armored deck plus turtleback survives bomb runs. High plane speed reacts across the map.

Watch outAP rockets over-pen destroyers and ricochet at sharp angles, so aim for cruiser/BB broadsides. Carrier gameplay is a separate learning curve from anything surface-ship.

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Reference

Glossary

Terms used throughout this page. Skim it if anything reads as jargon.

Playstyles

Brawler
Fights inside roughly 8 km. Tanks shots, secondaries matter. Wins close-range, loses if held at distance.
Mid-range
Sustained gun-trading between 10 and 14 km. Lives on positioning and angling, not on speed or sustain.
Kiter
Faces stern toward the enemy and runs away while still shooting. Needs a speed advantage and rear-firing guns or 360-degree turrets.
Sniper
Long-range gun-fighter from 15+ km, usually a battleship. Punishes broadsides at autobounce angles before the target closes.
Torpboat
DD or cruiser built around torpedo damage as the main output. Smoke-launch and ambush, not gun-trade.
Gunboat
DD built around guns; torpedoes are secondary. Often limited or no smoke. Open-water gun-trading.
Hybrid
Flexible between two of the above based on consumables and loadout. Less specialized, more options.
Support
Team utility (radar, AA, smoke for allies, spotting) over personal damage.

Ammunition

HE
High Explosive. Sets fires, hurts thin armor and superstructure. Standard cruiser shell.
AP
Armor Piercing. Highest single-shot damage on citadel penetration. Bounces or over-pens at the wrong angle or against thin armor.
SAP
Semi-Armor-Piercing. Italian and Spanish main battery shell. No fires, no over-pen risk, auto-bounces at flat angles. Reliable medium damage.
DWT
Deepwater torpedoes. Lower detection range than normal torps, but can't hit destroyers. Used by Pan-Asian DDs and Jinan.

Consumables

DCP
Damage Control Party. Clears fires and floods. Every ship has one.
Heal / Repair Party
Restores HP. Returns 100% of fire/flood/ram damage, 50% of citadel, 10% of penetration. Higher tiers heal a larger pool faster.
Smoke Generator
Creates a smokescreen. RN short-cycle smoke has 6 quick charges; standard smoke has 2 to 3 charges with longer durations.
Exhaust Smoke
Italian smoke the ship can run at full speed while concealed. The Italian signature consumable.
Sonar
Reveals ships and torpedoes inside a radius (typically 4 to 6 km ship, 3 to 4 km torp). Doesn't pierce islands. PC players and many community guides call this Hydro or Hydroacoustic Search; the Legends UI label is Sonar.
Radar
Reveals ships (only, not torps) inside a radius regardless of smoke or terrain. Typically 9 to 12 km. Game-changer for cap denial.
DefAA
Defensive AA Fire. Boosts AA damage and disrupts enemy carrier bomber accuracy for a duration. Neutralizes an incoming strike.
MBRB
Main Battery Reload Booster. Roughly halves your gun reload for a short window. French and a few other lines.
TRB
Torpedo Reload Booster. Refills torpedo tubes quickly for a second salvo on demand. Pan-Asian DDs and Jinan.
Engine Boost
Temporary speed bump.

Damage mechanics

Citadel
The armored heart of a ship around the magazines and machinery. AP penetrations of citadel armor deal full damage.
Overmatch
When shell caliber exceeds 14.3 times the armor thickness, the shell penetrates regardless of angle. 32mm bows resist everything except Yamato's 460mm. 28mm bows resist 406mm. 26mm bows resist 380mm.
Penetration
Clean armor pierce. Roughly one-third of alpha damage.
Over-penetration
Shell passes through a soft target without detonating inside. Roughly one-tenth of alpha.
Bounce / Ricochet
Shell deflects off armor at too sharp an angle. No damage.
DPM
Damage Per Minute. Theoretical max if every shell penetrates.
Alpha
Single-shot maximum damage.

Tactical

Bow-tank / Bow-in
Point your bow at the enemy so frontal armor angles shells away. Sacrifices rear turrets but greatly reduces incoming damage.
Broadside
Turning the side of your ship to the enemy. Maximum guns firing, maximum citadel exposure.
Angling
Partial bow-tank. Neither fully bow-in nor broadside. Most common battleship stance.
Cap / Cap point
The circular zones that score points for your team when occupied.
Cap denial
Using radar or sustained gun pressure to keep the enemy out of the cap.
After you pick

Next steps

Survey done. Project decision in hand. The links below are what the page can't do for you.

Bureau Fast-Track →

How to grind a project: must-have ships and which patrons to level.

Bureau Matcher →

Choose a bureau by the ships and captains you own; see which project is closest.

Progression Page →

The daily and weekly playbook, from account level 1 to Legendary tier.

Line Picker →

Pick a tech-tree line by playstyle, with the commander that fits.