Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the questions that come up most often. Where an honest answer is “it depends” or “we will not guess”, that is what it says.
Is World of Warships really free?
Yes. The client is free to download and there is no subscription requirement. Money buys premium ships, cosmetics, the in-game currency called doubloons, and an account bonus that increases how fast you earn credits and experience. Every ship in the research tree can be reached without spending anything.
Is it pay-to-win?
Not in the crude sense: premium ships are balanced against researched ships of the same tier rather than placed above them, and no purchase gives a plain statistical advantage. But money does buy progression speed, a better economy, and access to premium and special ships that cannot be researched at all. Anyone who tells you flatly that everything can be earned by playing is wrong.
How long does it take to reach tier X?
Longer than you expect, and the honest answer is that it depends entirely on how much you play, how well you play and whether you buy anything. We will not print an hours figure, because any number we gave would be a guess dressed up as data. Play tiers V to VII for a while and see how the pace feels to you.
What are the system requirements?
The game is not demanding by modern standards, but the requirements are published by the developer and change over time. Read them on the official site rather than trusting a figure in an article — including this one.
Is this the same game as World of Warships: Legends?
No. Legends is the console game. It has its own ships, its own progression and its own balance. Guides for the PC game do not transfer cleanly.
Are all the ships real?
No, and this is the claim most often got wrong. Many ships are real and carefully researched. Many others — especially at high tiers — are designs that were drawn but never built, ships cancelled before completion, or invented refits. It is a game with historical materials, not a historical simulation.
Which class should I start with?
Cruisers teach you the most about how the game works in the shortest time. Destroyers teach faster but punish harder. There is a fuller answer on our ship classes page.
Why do I keep meeting ships two tiers above mine?
Because the queue normally matches ships within roughly two tiers of each other. Being bottom tier is a normal state, not a fault. Play a supporting role in those battles rather than trying to duel ships above you.
What is a citadel hit?
A shell that penetrates into the armoured box protecting a ship's machinery and magazines. It does far more damage than an ordinary penetration, which is why showing your full side to a battleship is so dangerous. Most destroyers have no citadel at all.
Why did my ship keep burning after I used damage control?
Damage Control Party puts out fires and stops flooding for a short window, and then goes on cooldown. Experienced opponents set a second fire while it is unavailable. Holding the consumable rather than pressing it at the first fire is one of the largest single improvements a new player can make.
Does this site collect any data about me?
No. There are no cookies, no analytics, no pixels and no third-party requests of any kind. The cookie policy explains how to verify that in your browser's developer tools.
How does this site make money, then?
Affiliate commission. If you register with an advertiser through a partner link, the publisher may be paid by that advertiser. It costs you nothing extra, and it does not buy a favourable review — see the advertising disclosure and the editorial policy.
Sources: the publisher's official site and patch notes, and the game client, checked at the time of writing. Where anything here differs from the publisher's own information, the publisher's information prevails. Something wrong? Write to info@zlatoris.online and we will correct it.
See also the full guide and the glossary.