Ammunition types | Game mechanics World of Warships Guide

Selecting the ammunition type is one of the most important decisions made during a battle. On ammunition type it depends how effective will your attack be, what sort of damage will you do and how much hit points will you take from enemy ship. You can choose from two ammunition types - high explosive and armor piercing. Each of them should be used in some specific conditions. You shouldn't be afraid of constantly changing ammunition type during the battle. It all depends on the class of the ship you are aiming at, the distance to it and even the specific ship part you're aiming at. Below you will find description of various ammunition types including their effectiveness against all ship types. At the end of the chapter you will find information about torpedoes.

High explosive ammunition

High explosive (HE) ammunition is the default and most frequently used type. Those bullets have low penetration, low damage dealt to ship's hit points, but high damage to various ship modules. Each hit with such bullet also has a chance to set enemy ship on fire. There might be more than one fire on a ship simultaneously and all random damage done by them is added to your score. By shooting with this ammunition you can be sure that, once hitting the enemy, you will deal some damage. However, usually it will be low damage.

An effective high explosive fire can destroy even much stronger opponent.

HE ammunition is used in few specific situations. Most of all, it should be used when shooting from long distance. On such distance you have low chance to penetrate the armor, but you can set enemy on fire or destroy some important module. High explosive ammunition should be also used when shooting at the bow (front) or the stern (back) of the warship. The armor is set there under such angle that the HE bullets will ricochet. Your cannon's caliber is very important as well. The lower it is, the more often you should use HE ammunition.

Armor piercing ammunition

Second type is armor piercing ammunition. It is used less frequently, only in specific situations. AP bullets deal high damage (usually twice as much as high explosive ammunition) and have higher penetration. However, they don't damage most of the modules, only a direct hit will temporary deactivate them. Proper aiming is very important in case of this ammunition. Not only must you hit the proper place on the ship, but at the right angle as well. You should avoid shooting at enemy warship positioned front or back towards you. Virtually every bullet will bounce off from the armor and you won't deal any damage. Shooting at the side of the ship will be most effective, in place where the bullet will have as little armor to penetrate as possible.

Check two things before loading armor piercing ammunition: your artillery caliber and the class of the ship you will be shooting at. It is not recommended to use AP ammunition if you have low caliber cannon. The lower the caliber, the smaller the penetration of the bullet. You should also remember that various ships differ in armor thickness. The general rule is as follows: destroyers and aircraft carriers have the weakest armor, and then there are the cruisers and finally battleships that have the best armor. Of course, there are exceptions from the rule. You should remember not to use AP ammunition against a ship that is from higher class. For example, by shooting the AP bullet from a destroyer, you have very low chance for penetrating enemy cruiser or battleship. You can try your strength only against destroyers and aircraft carriers. It's different in case of battleships. Their cannons have so large penetration that it is possible for their bullet to fly back to fro enemy ship. Because of that, you shouldn't use AP bullets against enemy destroyers. However, they will be perfect against cruisers or other battleships.

Torpedoes

Torpedoes are special ammunition type available only for some warships (mostly destroyers and cruisers). Before using them, you must check what model you have. Most important information to learn are maximum range and speed. The range is vital as it determines from how far away you can shoot the torpedo.

After hitting, torpedoes might cause additional effect of flooding. It works similarly as fire and is regularly taking away small amount of hit points from enemy ship. To get rid of the hole in the hull one must use Damage Control Party and wait for a long time.

Summary

• Use high explosive ammunition against targets that are far away, angled or strongly armored;
• While using HE ammunition, aim at the bow, stern or quarterdeck of the ship;
• Armor piercing ammunition works well against enemies turned side towards you;
• Low caliber AP ammunition should be aimed at the front and the back of the ship;
• When shooting with high caliber cannons, aim under the chimneys, more or less on the water line level. It gives you chance to hit the citadel;
• Check torpedo range before shooting it;
• You should use torpedoes against slow targets (battleships, aircraft carriers) or inside narrow passages between islands. You can do it even "blindly".