World of Warships commander skills: the first 10 points for every class

Commanders unlock at Access Level 9, as explained in the beginner guide. If you are not sure what your class does, read ship classes explained first. All guides: World of Warships hub.

How the skill system works

Every ship has a commander, and commanders earn Commander XP in battle. Commander XP buys skill points, up to 21. Skills are arranged in four rows that cost 1, 2, 3 and 4 points each. To buy a skill in a row, you need at least one skill from the cheaper row before it, so the cheap rows come first.

The important part: each commander has a separate skill set for each class: destroyers, cruisers, battleships, carriers and submarines. One commander can carry a destroyer build and a battleship build at the same time, and uses whichever fits the ship he commands. The same skill can cost different amounts in different classes. Inertia Fuse for HE Shells, for example, costs 2 points on battleships, 3 on destroyers and 4 on cruisers.

Points get more expensive as you go. The first ten come quickly; the last few take a long time. Once a commander reaches 21 points, the Commander XP he earns becomes Elite Commander XP, which you can spend on any other commander, as explained in how to make credits and resources.

Resets, retraining and unique commanders

• Resetting skills costs doubloons or Elite Commander XP, per point spent. Resetting one class's set leaves the other classes untouched. When Wargaming changes skills, it usually announces a free reset window: in Update 15.6, for example, every commander could be reset for free during the first two weeks.
• Retraining happens when you move a commander to a new tech tree ship of the same nation. Until retraining finishes, his skills do not work on the new ship. On premium ships of his nation, skills work without retraining, which makes premium ships great commander trainers.
• Unique commanders (historic and collaboration commanders) come with talents on top of skills. Talents were reworked in Update 15.6: they no longer depend on achievements and work in more battle types.

Rule of thumb: always keep your main commander on your main line, take him along as you climb, and wait for a free reset after big skill changes before rebuilding.

Mechanics and Design: Commanders (official World of Warships channel)

The first 10 points: destroyers

Destroyers live on concealment. Everything before it is about survival and information.

1. Preventive Maintenance (1): fewer knocked out engines, rudders and torpedo tubes.
2. Priority Target (2): shows how many enemies are aiming at you, which tells you when to turn or smoke.
3. Last Stand (2): keeps you moving and steering when your engine or rudder is knocked out.
4. Survivability Expert (3) or Adrenaline Rush (3): extra health for gunboats, faster reload when damaged for torpedo ships.

That is 8 points. Save the rest: the next big skill is Concealment Expert (4), which every destroyer wants first at 12 points. If you would rather have it sooner, skip the 3 point skill and take Concealment Expert at 9 points.

The first 10 points: cruisers

1. Priority Target (2): cruisers die to focus fire. Knowing when three ships aim at you is the warning to turn behind an island.
2. Grease the Gears (1) or Gun Feeder (1): faster turret traverse on slow turrets, faster shell switching on ships that alternate AP and HE.
3. Consumables Enhancements (2): longer lasting consumables, good on radar and smoke cruisers.
4. Superintendent (3) or Adrenaline Rush (3): an extra consumable charge for radar or heal cruisers, faster reload for brawlers.

That is 8 points. Then go straight for Concealment Expert (4), the skill most cruisers want early, so a 12 point cruiser commander can choose when to fight.

The first 10 points: battleships

1. Gun Feeder (1): switch between AP and HE much faster.
2. Priority Target (2) or Brisk (2): a warning before focus fire, or more speed when nobody is aiming at you.
3. Basics of Survivability (3): shorter fires and flooding. The best defensive skill for new battleship players.
4. Adrenaline Rush (3): faster reload as you lose health, which helps in every battleship.

That is 9 points. The 4 point row is where builds split: Emergency Repair Expert for extra Damage Control and Repair Party charges, Fire Prevention Expert to cut the number of fire zones, or Manual Secondary Battery Aiming for German brawlers. For a first battleship, survival beats secondaries. More in the battleship guide.

After 10 points: where to go next

Once the basics are in place, the remaining 11 points are where commanders become specialised. Some directions that make sense for most players:

• Destroyers: Concealment Expert first, then a 3 point skill you skipped, and later a second 4 point skill that suits your ship, such as Swift in Silence for stealthy torpedo boats or Radio Location for destroyer hunters.
• Cruisers: Concealment Expert, then Superintendent if you skipped it on a radar or heal cruiser, and later Inertia Fuse for HE Shells on cruisers whose HE cannot penetrate high tier plating.
• Battleships: one of Emergency Repair Expert or Fire Prevention Expert, then the other, or Concealment Expert on battleships that rely on staying hidden between salvos.

Before each purchase, read the tooltip in the game: skill numbers are adjusted from time to time, and the tooltip always shows the current value.

Carriers and submarines

Carrier and submarine trees have their own skills, built around aircraft and sonar. For carriers, the first points usually go into aircraft engines and armor. For submarines, the early skills that improve the sonar and battery matter most. Both classes change more often than the surface ships, so check the in game tooltips after each update before buying.

These builds are our recommendation for new and returning players, built from the current skill list on the official wiki. Skill names and costs are correct for Update 15.10; Wargaming adjusts individual skills from time to time, so read the tooltip before you confirm.

Training commanders faster

Commander XP comes from playing, so the more battles a commander sees, the faster he grows. Three ways to speed it up without spending money:

• Put him on a premium ship of his nation. Skills work there without retraining, and every battle trains him.
• Use commander XP signals and camouflages from containers and missions in battles where you expect to do well.
• Keep a 21 point commander active. All his Commander XP turns into Elite Commander XP, which you can push into the commanders that still need points.

Finally, think about your nation's ships before you specialise. A Japanese commander who will move from a destroyer line to a battleship line later already has a skill tree for both classes. Decide which class he will sail most and build that tree with care first: a well planned build saves you a paid reset later.

Common skill mistakes

• Spending points on a commander you will not keep. Pick one main commander per nation and stay with him.
• Buying four 1 point skills. You only need one skill per row to unlock the next.
• Skipping Concealment Expert on destroyers and cruisers. It decides when you can fight.
• Building secondaries on a battleship that has weak secondaries. Only some battleships are built for it.
• Paying for a reset right before an update. Wait: big skill changes usually come with a free reset.

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