The essential characteristics of any ship in WoWs can be improved thanks to various upgrades that increase stats, the set of which can be selected individually.
Various upgrades mostly reveal the ship’s potential, and the number of victorious battles and experiences gained increases.
All about ship upgrades in World of Warships: what they give, what they are, how to improve your ship with their help and what is better to choose.
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What Does Ship Upgrades Give You
To access upgrades, you need to get level 11 of the service list, after which the corresponding tab will become active in the Port building’s “Modules” section.
Upgrades allow you to significantly increase the essential characteristics, which can be installed in the corresponding slots. The maximum number of slots reaches six and increases with the ship’s level.
Improvement of some parameters will be accompanied by deterioration of others, in particular, increasing the range of guns is accompanied by an increase in the hit area of ammunition.
Modifications are slot-specific and often only applicable to specific combat vessels (aircraft carriers or submarines), but they can be universally applicable.
Depending on preference, this can be achieved through enhancements:
- balancing performance by eliminating weaknesses (increasing battleship maneuverability or destroyer damage);
- an existing essential advantage (increased battleship damage or destroyer maneuverability).
Types of Upgrades in WoWs in 2024
Depending on how upgrades are obtained, they can be divided into:
- Standard – provided to players to purchase regular credits in the corresponding tab in the port;
- Special – received as a prize for achieving ranks in certain types of battles or through purchase in the Admiralty for coal;
- Unique – obtained by completing a sequence of combat missions or in the Research Bureau of the Admiralty if you have research points.
Standard Modifications
Publicly available are standard enhancements that are slot-specific:
| Slot Number | Ship level | Cost, credits |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | I | 125000 |
| 2 | III | 250000 |
| 3 | V | 500000 |
| 4 | VI | 1000000 |
| 5 | VIII | 2000000 |
| 6 | IX | 3000000 |
The following standard-type upgrades are available:
| Slot | Title | Level | Action | Effect, % | Applicability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Basic Armament | 1 | reduces the probability of main caliber and torpedo tube failure | -20 | For ships with main caliber (MC) and torpedo tubes (T.T.) |
| increases the safety margin of the MC and T.T. | 50 | ||||
| accelerates recovery of M.C.s and TTs | -20 | ||||
| Ammunition vaults | 1 | explosion possibility is reduced | -70 | All, excluding aircraft carriers and submarines | |
| Auxiliary armament | 1 | air defense and ASM strength are increased | 100 | Ships with air defense (ASW) and auxiliary calibers (ASM) | |
| Air Groups | 1 | aircraft return is accelerated | 20 | All aircraft carriers | |
| Guidance systems | 0 | acceleration of MC and T.T. rotation | 20 | Japanese Premium Cruisers: Katori (level III), Iwaki Alpha (level IV), and Yubari (level IV) | |
| reduced dispersion of MC and TMC ammunition | -40 | ||||
| increase the firing range of TMCs | 20 | ||||
| Sonar | 1 | decreases the probability of breakage | -25 | All submarines | |
| repairs are accelerated | -25 | ||||
| II | Survivability system | 1 | reduces the possibility of flooding | -3 | All units |
| fire risk is reduced | -5 | ||||
| Engine room protection | – | reduces the risk of critical damage to the engine and steering machinery | -20 | All ships, excluding aircraft carriers | |
| accelerates recovery of engine and steering gear | -20 | ||||
| Aircraft engines | 1 | aircraft acceleration works longer | 10 | On all aircraft carriers | |
| III | MC guns | 2 | MC turrets’ aiming time is reduced | -20 | All ships with gun turrets |
| Air Defence | 1 | the preferred sector preparation period is reduced | -20 | All ships with air defense turrets, excluding aircraft carriers | |
| ASW | 1 | increases the engagement distance from the TMC | 20 | Ships with ASMC, excluding destroyers | |
| tMC spread is reduced | -20 | ||||
| Guidance systems | 1 | the area of impact of MC shells is reduced | -7 | Ships with MC guns (excluding U.S. battleships), T.A. or TMC guns (excluding aircraft carriers) | |
| accelerates TA turn | 20 | ||||
| tMC firing range is increased | 5 | ||||
| PMC ammunition dispersion is reduced | -5 | ||||
| Central artillery post | 1 | the firing distance of the main guns is increased | 16 | American battleships | |
| pMC range is extended | 5 | ||||
| tMC projectile dispersion is reduced | -5 | ||||
| Torpedo carriers | 1 | attack is extended | 5 | Aircraft carriers | |
| Stormtroopers | 1 | 2 | |||
| Topmast bombers | 1 | 2 | |||
| Torpedo tubes | 1 | accelerated T.A. position change | 20 | Ships with T.A. | |
| Reduces the risk of critical damage to TA | -40 | ||||
| torpedoes move faster | 5 | ||||
| Aircraft torpedoes | 1 | torpedoes move faster | 5 | Aircraft carriers | |
| Autonomy | 1 | reduces the air reserve consumed during illumination | -10 | Submarines | |
| Sonar | 2 | momentum acceleration | 10 | ||
| Mine barrage | 1 | mine clearance active time is extended | 15 | Aircraft carriers with minesweepers | |
| IV | Anti-survival system | 2 | accelerating the repair of breaches and extinguishing fires | -15 | All units |
| Power plant | 1 | shortens the time it takes to reach maximum power | -50 | All ships (excluding destroyers, U.K. light and some premium heavy cruisers, U.S. battleships Kansas, Minnesota, Vermont, and aircraft carriers) | |
| increases initial power when underway | |||||
| Steering machines | 1 | accelerates rudder position change when switching sides | -20 | All ships, excluding aircraft carriers and submarines | |
| Torpedo carriers | 2 | combat capability enhancement | 7,5 | Aircraft carriers | |
| Bombers | 2 | ||||
| Topmast Bombers | 2 | ||||
| Stormtroopers | 2 | ||||
| Submarine steering machines | 2 | depth rudders and inboard rudders are moved faster | -20 | Submarines | |
| Depth bombs | 1 | increased number of ammunition | 2 units. | All ships using depth bombs | |
| Airstrike | 1 | speeds up the recharge of the Air Strike | -20 | All ships with Air Strike | |
| increases the combat effectiveness of the aircraft | 25 | ||||
| increases the damage from depth charges | 15 | ||||
| Air Groups | 3 | increases the combat effectiveness of aircraft | 15 | Hybrid ships | |
| squadrons move faster | 5 | ||||
| aircraft training is accelerated | -5 | ||||
| Mine-layers | 1 | increased combat capability | 7,5 | Aircraft carriers equipped for minesweeping | |
| V | Torpedo countermeasures system | – | the guaranteed range of visibility of torpedoes is increased | up to 1.8 km | All ships, excluding aircraft carriers |
| Cloaking system | 1 | visibility of ships and aircraft is reduced | -10 | Except for submarines | |
| the projectile dispersion of enemy vessels is increased | 5 | ||||
| Steering machines | 2 | accelerated repair | -80 | Cruisers and destroyers | |
| inboard rudders can be repaired faster | -40 | ||||
| Flight control | 1 | aircraft preparation is accelerated | -5 | Aircraft carriers | |
| the number of aircraft has increased | 2 units. | ||||
| Ship’s equipment | 1 | the duration of the active state of the equipment is prolonged | 10 | All ships, excluding aircraft carriers | |
| Squadron equipment | 1 | active status of aircraft equipment is extended | 50 | Aircraft carriers only | |
| Submarine steering machines | 3 | recovery of steering units is accelerated | -80 | Submarines | |
| the duration of re-laying of depth and inboard rudders is reduced | -40 | ||||
| VI | MC guns | 3 | main gun reloading is accelerated | -12 | Ships with M.C.s |
| the duration of aiming of MC turrets is reduced | -13 | ||||
| Auxiliary armament | 2 | change of charges in PMK is accelerated | -20 | Ships with air defense and IPC | |
| increases permanent damage from air defense | 15 | ||||
| more significant damage from long-range air defense bursts | 15 | ||||
| added explosions when activating “Air Defense Barrage” equipment | 2 units. | ||||
| Torpedo tubes | 2 | speeds up TA reloading | -15 | Ships with T.A. | |
| increased chance of TA decommissioning | 50 | ||||
| Fire control system | 2 | increases the range of shots from the main armament | 16 | Ships with M.C.s, excluding Soviet destroyers and line ships | |
| Central artillery post | 2 | shell dispersion is reduced | -11 | American battleships | |
| Flight control | 2 | aircraft fly faster | 5 | Aircraft carriers | |
| Air Groups | 2 | aircraft safety margins are increased | 7,5 | ||
| Autonomy | 2 | air reserve is increased | 20 units | Submarines |
Special Upgrades
These upgrades extend the activity time of various equipment and are only applicable to the ships on which they are used:
| slot no | Name | Level | Equipment | Bonus, % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Fire Adjuster | 1 | “Fire Adjuster” /
“Accelerated Fire Adjuster” |
30 |
| Emergency team | 1 | “Emergency team” /
“Emergency unit” |
40 | |
| II | Afterburner | 1 | “Afterburner” / “Combat Afterburner” | 30 |
| Hydroacoustic search | 1 | “Hydroacoustic Search” / “Short Range Hydroacoustic Search” | 20 | |
| Barrage | 1 | “Barrage” | duration: 20
update: -10 |
|
| Search Radar | 1 | “Search Radar” | 20 | |
| III | Smoke generator | 1 | “Smoke generator” / “Smoke bomb” / “Small stroke smoke generator” / “Full stroke smoke generator” | 20 |
How to Improve Your Ship in WoWs in 2024
To upgrade your ship, you need to:
- Reach level 11 of the service record by playing 19 battles.
- Go to the port building and find the appropriate tab in the “Modules” section.
- Select an upgrade slot and purchase the necessary modification.
Any modification can be dismantled:
- irrevocably and free of charge, returning half of the cost in credits;
- by putting it in the virtual warehouse, you will have to spend 15 doubloons.
Tips for Improving Your Ship
The choice of a particular upgrade depends on the chosen battle tactics but has general principles:
- It is better to improve the strengths because modernization will not eliminate weaknesses.
- It is necessary to strengthen the equipment used more often or give a more significant effect.
- Upgrades specialized for ships of a particular nation usually have higher effects.
- Special upgrades are justified if the equipment to be upgraded is available and in use.
