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Tier XCruiser
JapanEliteCommonGlobal
JapanEliteCommonGlobalZaō
WoWS World of Warships Japan Cruiser · Tier X
- Main Battery
- 203 mm/50 3rd Year Type No.2 in a triple-gun turret
- 4 turrets × 3 barrels
- Range 16.2 km
- Secondaries
- 100 mm HE Type 98
- Range 7.3 km
- Torpedoes
- 610 mm Quintuple
- 4 launchers × 5 tubes
- Range 8 km
Specifications
Zaō Win Rate & Combat Stats
Sample of 495.2K players · as of 2026-10-15ServerBattlesWin rateAvg damage
EUBattles 6,115,952
6.1M6,115,952
Win rate
49.93%
#49 of 61
Avg damage
76,146
#28 of 61
ASIABattles 3,312,069
3.3M3,312,069
Win rate
49.72%
#51 of 60
Avg damage
73,809
#34 of 60
NABattles 2,296,808
2.3M2,296,808
Win rate
49.75%
#48 of 60
Avg damage
75,039
#33 of 60
Averages from our own crawled player sample, not official server-wide data. The sample skews toward active clan players, so its overall win rate runs about 1 point above the true server average. Battle counts are career totals and include games played before this ship’s past balance changes.
Survivability
Hit Points44,900
#47 of 66
Group avg 51,901Flood Damage19%
Main Belt Armor152 mm
Deck Armor30 mm
Bow / Stern Armor25 mm
Ship Length218.3 m
Ship Width21.2 m
Main Battery
Main battery layout4×3(Total barrels 12)
Caliber203 mm
Firing Range16.2 km
#44 of 66
Group avg 17.2 kmReload Time13.0 s
Rotation Time30.0 s
Max Dispersion136 m
Sigma2.05
Shell Types
AP Shell
AP ShellDamage5,400
Shell Velocity920 m/s
Overmatch Threshold14.2 mm
Ricochet Angle45° / 60°
Normalization7°
Fuse Threshold34 mm
Air Drag0.337
Flight Time9.22 s
Nominal all-gun DPM299,077
#33 of 66
Group avg 364,584HE Shell
HE ShellDamage3,400
Shell Velocity920 m/s
Fire Chance19%
Penetration34 mm
Air Drag0.337
Flight Time9.22 s
Nominal all-gun DPM188,308
Torpedoes
Type F3
Type F3Torpedo Tubes4
Speed76 knots
Range8.0 km
#28 of 38
Group avg 10.3 kmDamage21,366
#4 of 38
Group avg 16,802Alpha Damage59,600
Splash Damage1,500
Flood Chance361%
Detectability1.80 km
Reload Time104.0 s
#20 of 38
Group avg 107.8 s180° Rotation7.2 s
Arming Time1 s
Resurface Distance6.8 m
Spread Angle6° / 20°
Torpedo Caliber610 mm
Tube Module HP1,200
Fuse Depth0.14 m
Secondary Battery
Secondary Guns6
Range7.3 km
Sigma1.00
Max Dispersion446.1 m
Accuracy★☆☆☆☆ Decorative
Total DPM408,000
100 mm HE Shell(6×2)
Damage1,700
HE Penetration30 mm
Fire Chance6%
Rate of Fire20 rpm
AA Defense
Flak Bursts6
Flak Damage1,540
AA Ranges
Long range5.8 km151 dps
Mid range3.5 km172 dps
Short range2.5 km151 dps
Maneuverability
Max Speed34.5 knots
#17 of 66
Group avg 33.8 knotsTurning Radius840 m
#39 of 66
Group avg 818 mRudder Shift Time7.7 s
Engine Power159,000 hp
Displacement17,958 t
Power-to-Weight8.85 hp/t
Concealment
Max Surface Detection12.22 km
#16 of 66
Group avg 13.66 kmMin Surface Detection9.90 km
Air Detection7.46 km
Submarine Detection7.46 km
Detectability Firing in Smoke7.18 km
Consumables
Slot 1
Damage Control Party
Damage Control Party
Extinguishes fires, removes instances of flooding, and repairs damaged modules. Prevents enemy acoustic torpedoes from homing.
Reload60 s
Duration5 s
Charges∞
Slot 2
Auxiliary and Torpedo Armament Booster
Auxiliary and Torpedo Armament Booster
Temporarily boosts the performance of secondary, torpedo, and airstrike armaments.
Reload120 s
Duration30 s
Charges3
Secondary battery damage+10%
Torpedo tube reload time-20%
Airstrike armament reload time-20%
or
Hydroacoustic Search
Hydroacoustic Search
Increases the range of assured acquisition of enemy ships and torpedoes, including those within smoke screens.
Reload120 s
Duration100 s
Charges3
Ship Detect5.0 km
Torp. Detect3.5 km
Slot 3
Fighters
Fighters
Follow the ship and automatically attack enemy aircraft. Can attack Airstrike squadrons multiple times before returning to the ship. Cannot spot enemy ships.
Reload90 s
Duration60 s
Charges3
Fighters4
or
Spotting Aircraft
Spotting Aircraft
Extends main battery firing range.
Reload240 s
Duration100 s
Charges4
Range Boost+20%
Slot 4
Submarine Surveillance
Submarine Surveillance
Detects submarines at maximum and periscope depths.
Reload120 s
Duration20 s
Charges3
Radar Range7.0 km
Slot 5
Repair Party
Repair Party
Partially restores the ship's HP by repairing any light damage.
Reload80 s
Duration28 s
Charges3
Heal Rate0.5%/s
Citadel33%
Non-Citadel50%
Armament
Depth Charge Airstrike
Depth Charge Airstrike
Carries out aerial bombardment of the marked area with depth charges. Depth charges can hit enemy submarines. They also have chances of causing fire, flooding, and incapacitating modules. Increased chances of incapacitating sonar. Effective against enemy mines. Cannot spot enemy ships.
Reload30 s
Charges2
Strike Range0.5–8.0 km
Planes8
Flights2
Bomb Damage4900
Fire Chance28%
Zaō Change History
- Buffmain battery 180 degree rotation time36 → 30 s
Ballistics
Armor Model
Overview
Eight heavy cruisers were supposed to be built under the Japanese naval building program. They were a further development of the Takao, Tone, and Mogami classes. It was planned to arm these ships with twelve 203 mm guns in four turrets—a traditional arrangement. Their armor was designed to withstand 203 mm HE shell hits. The number of ships was later reduced to four, and their construction was then canceled altogether.
Modules
203 mm/50 3rd Year Type No.2 in a triple turret
203 mm/50 3rd Year Type No.2 in a triple turret
Main Battery
Rate of Fire:4.4
Max AP Damage:5,400
Max HE Damage:3,400
Rotation Time:30s
Type F3
Type F3
Torpedoes
Range:0 km
Max Damage:21,366
Reload Time:0.6 knots
Torpedo Speed:76 knots
Type93 mod. 3
Type93 mod. 3
Torpedoes
Range:0 km
Max Damage:23,766
Reload Time:0.4 knots
Torpedo Speed:67 knots
Zaō
Zaō
Hull
AA Guns:46
Main Guns:4
Secondary Guns:6
HP:44,900
Range:16-203
Torpedo Tubes:4
Propulsion: 159,000 hp
Propulsion: 159,000 hp
Engine
Max Speed:34.5 knots
Type10 mod. 1
Type10 mod. 1
Fire Control
Range:0 km
Upgrades
Slot 1
Auxiliary Armaments Modification 1
Auxiliary Armaments Modification 1
AA mount survivability: +100%
Secondary battery survivability: +100%
Main Armaments Modification 1
Main Armaments Modification 1
Risk of main battery becoming incapacitated: -20%
Main battery survivability: +50%
Main battery repair time: -20%
Risk of torpedo tubes becoming incapacitated: -20%
Torpedo tubes survivability: +50%
Torpedo tubes repair time: -20%
Damage Control Party Modification 1
Damage Control Party Modification 1
Consumable action time: +40%
Spotting Aircraft Modification 1
Spotting Aircraft Modification 1
Spotting Aircraft consumable action time: +30%
Slot 2
Engine Room Protection
Engine Room Protection
Risk of steering gears becoming incapacitated: -20%
Steering gears repair time: -20%
Risk of engine becoming incapacitated: -20%
Engine repair time: -20%
Damage Control System Modification 1
Damage Control System Modification 1
Risk of catching fire: -5%
Risk of flooding: -3%
Hydroacoustic Search Modification 1
Hydroacoustic Search Modification 1
Consumable action time: +20%
Slot 3
Torpedo Tubes Modification 1
Torpedo Tubes Modification 1
Risk of torpedo tubes becoming incapacitated: -40%
Torpedo tubes traverse speed: +20%
Torpedo speed: +5%
Aiming Systems Modification 1
Aiming Systems Modification 1
Maximum main battery shell dispersion: -7%
Maximum secondary battery shell dispersion: -5%
Secondary battery firing range: +5%
Torpedo tubes traverse speed: +20%
AA Guns Modification 1
AA Guns Modification 1
Priority AA sector preparation time: -20%
Secondary Battery Modification 1
Secondary Battery Modification 1
Maximum secondary battery shell dispersion: -20%
Secondary battery firing range: +20%
Main Battery Modification 2
Main Battery Modification 2
Main battery traverse speed: +15%
Submarine Surveillance Modification 1
Submarine Surveillance Modification 1
Submarine Surveillance preparation and cooldown time: -20%
Slot 4
Airstrike Modification 1
Airstrike Modification 1
Airstrike aircraft HP: +25%
Airstrike armament reload time: -20%
Depth charge damage: +15%
Steering Gears Modification 1
Steering Gears Modification 1
Rudder shift time: -20%
Propulsion Modification 1
Propulsion Modification 1
Maximum reverse speed at full power: +140%
Time to reach full engine power when decelerating: -50%
Maximum forward speed at full power: +140%
Time to reach full engine power when accelerating: -50%
Damage Control System Modification 2
Damage Control System Modification 2
Fire extinguishing time: -15%
Flooding recovery time: -15%
Slot 5
Ship Consumables Modification 1
Ship Consumables Modification 1
Ship consumable action time: +10%
Steering Gears Modification 2
Steering Gears Modification 2
Steering gears repair time: -80%
Rudder shift time: -40%
Concealment System Modification 1
Concealment System Modification 1
Squadron detectability range: -10%
Dispersion of shells fired by enemies attacking your ship: +5%
Ship's detectability range: -10%
Ship detectability for submarines when underwater: -10%
Torpedo Lookout System
Torpedo Lookout System
Assured acquisition range of torpedoes: 1.8km
Slot 6
Auxiliary Armaments Modification 2
Auxiliary Armaments Modification 2
Continuous AA damage: +15%
Damage from AA shell explosions: +15%
Number of explosions produced by AA defense salvos when the Defensive AA Fire consumable is active: +2
Secondary battery reload time: -20%
Gun Fire Control System Modification 2
Gun Fire Control System Modification 2
Main battery firing range: +16%
Torpedo Tubes Modification 2
Torpedo Tubes Modification 2
Risk of torpedo tubes becoming incapacitated: +50%
Torpedo tube reload time: -15%
Main Battery Modification 3
Main Battery Modification 3
Main battery traverse speed: -13%
Main battery reload time: -12%
Improved Bridge
Improved Bridge
Maximum main battery shell dispersion: -7%
Main battery firing range: +8%