Prince of Wales is a Tier VIII British premium battleship in World of Warships known for its fast-firing guns, strong HE focus, and tactical utility that rewards active engagement and intelligent positioning. As part of the Royal Navy lineup, it leans into the unique British style of reliable accuracy, stealthy profiles, and flexible combat options rather than raw armor brawling.
Basic Details
- Type: Battleship
- Tier: VIII
- Nation: United Kingdom
- Rarity: Premium
- Release: Update 15.3 (2026)
- Price Value: 11,300 Doubloons
- Primary Role: Mid-range battleship with strong HE and flexible utility options
Key Features
- Fast-Firing, Accurate Main Guns: 10 × 356 mm guns fire quickly for their tier with solid accuracy, especially effective at medium ranges where broadsides and multiple hits rack up damage swiftly.
- HE-Focused Damage Potential: Prince of Wales excels with high-chance HE shells, which makes it great at setting fires on enemy cruisers and even battleships alike if they present broadside or concealment angles.
- Rapid Takeoff Spotter: A unique consumable that boosts its main battery firing range when used, helping mitigate its base range disadvantage and letting it contribute from safer distances.
- Heavy Repair Teams: repair party heals more total HP than the standard battlewagon heal at the expense of a slower rate, perfect for surviving longer brawls if used thoughtfully.
- Stealthy Profile: Good concealment for a battleship helps with position for ambushes and engage selectively, and avoid being spotted by too many enemies at once.
- Shorter Main Battery Range: firing range is a bit short for a tier-VIII BB, which means positioning and consumable timing (like Spotter) are crucial to staying effective.
- Weaker Armor/HP: Unlike some heavily armored battleships, Prince of Wales has a lighter protection profile and lower HP, making it vulnerable to sustained focus unless angled smartly or healed strategically.
How to Obtain the Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is introduced as a premium Tier VIII British battleship. It will be available for Doubloons in the Armory, with a listed value of around 11,300 Doubloons at release.
Premium ships often rotate out of the Armory but usually return periodically in special events, discounted sales, or community campaigns, so it can come back if it isn’t currently on sale.
Ship Stats
Armor
- 19-381mm
Survivability
- Hitpoints: 60,400
- Torpedo Protection, Damage Reduction: 22%
Artillery
Main Battery
- 1 x 2 356 mm/45 Mk.VII on an Mk.II mount
- 2 x 4 356 mm/45 Mk.VII on an Mk.III mount
- Firing range: 17.1 km
- Reload time: 20.0s
- 180-degree turn time: 45.0s
- HE Shells: 10x 356 mm HE Mk VIb
- HE Shells Max Damage: 6,100
- HE Shells Chance of Fire: 41%
- HE Shells Armor Penetration: 89mm
- AP Shells: 10x 356 mm AP Mk VIIb
- AP Shells Max Damage: 9,500
Secondary Battery
- 8 x 2 133 mm HE Mk IC
- Firing range: 6.6 km
- Reload time: 6.7s
- HE Shells Max Damage: 1,900
- HE Shells Chance of Fire: 8%
- HE Shells Armor Penetration: 22mm
Airstrike
- Reload time: 30s
- Available Flights: 2
- Aircraft: 1
- Aircraft HP: 2000
- Airstrike Range: 10 km
- Bombs in Payload: 2x 350 lb Bomb Mk VIII
- Max Damage: 4,200
AA Defence
Long Range
- 8 x 2 133 mm/50 QF Mk.I on a Mk.I mount
- Firing range: 5.2 km
- Hit Probability: 75%
- Damage by Shell Explosions: 1,540
- Continuous Damage: 123
Medium Range
- 1 x 1 40.0 mm
- 4 x 8 40.0 mm
- Firing Range: 3.5 km
- Hit Probability: 75%
- Damage: 165
Maneuverability
- Maximum speed: 28.0 kt
- Turning circle radius: 790 m
- Rudder shift time: 15 s
Concealment
- Detectability range by Sea: 14.6 km
- Detectability range by Depths: 0.0-10 km
- Detectability Range by Air: 10 km
- Detectability after firing a main gun shell: 17.1 km
- Detectability after firing main guns in smoke: 13.1 km
- Detectability when the ship is on fire: 16.6 km
Tips to Play Prince of Wales
Capitalize on HE Damage: Use high fire-chance HE shells to apply pressure to enemy cruisers and battleships, lighting fires and forcing Damage Control Party usage early.
Manage Your Spotter: “Rapid Takeoff Spotter” is your friend; use it to extend your combat reach when enemies are just out of comfortable range or to surprise a flank push.
Angle Carefully: Because it doesn’t have extremely thick armor or massive HP, proper angling matters to bounce incoming shells and avoid citadel hits.
Heal Proactively: Don’t wait until you’re almost dead. Prince of Wales’s Heavy Repair Teams work best when used earlier in engagements to maintain long-term presence.
Leverage Stealth: its competitive concealment helps it set up advantageous engagements, use islands and terrain to stay hidden until you’re ready to fire.
Play Mid-Range: It’s not meant for long-range sniping nor pure brawling, find that medium distance where guns fire reliably, and utility can shine without over-exposing the ship.
