How to make credits in World of Warships, and what every resource is for

If you are new, read the beginner guide first: it explains research and access levels. This page is about what to do with everything you earn on the way. All of it ties back to the World of Warships hub.

Every resource at a glance

Credits: why you go broke at tier VIII

Credits are the currency you will think about most. Low tier ships cost almost nothing to run. From the mid tiers the post battle service cost rises sharply, and many players notice their balance dropping in tier VIII to X ships after average games. That is by design: the high tiers are where the game nudges you toward Premium Account and premium ships. The ways around it, from most to least effective:

1. Play a premium ship. Premium ships earn more credits than tech tree ships of the same tier and do not need research. One good tier VIII premium is the classic credit farmer.
2. Use Premium Account when you grind. According to the official wiki and Wargaming support, Warships Premium Account adds 65% XP and 50% credits to every battle. Activate it for the days you actually play.
3. Mount economic signals and camouflages. Signal flags and camouflages with credit bonuses drop from containers and missions. Use them in battles where you expect to earn well.
4. Use economic bonuses on your best ship. They multiply what a battle earns, so they work best on the ship where you play your strongest games.
5. Drop a tier when you are short. Tier VI and VII ships cost far less to run. A night of tier VI battles rebuilds a balance quicker than losing money at tier X.
6. Sell modules and ships you will not play. Old stock modules and ships you have outgrown are dead credits in your inventory.

XP, Free XP and Elite Commander XP

Ship XP stays on the ship that earned it and researches its modules and the next ship in its line. A share of each battle's base experience goes into Free XP, which you can spend on any research. The best uses: skipping a stock module that makes a ship miserable, or finishing the last few thousand XP to the next ship. Converting ship XP into Free XP costs doubloons and is rarely worth it for a free player.

Commander XP buys skill points, up to 21 per commander. Once a commander reaches 21 points, all the commander XP he earns becomes Elite Commander XP; other commanders also feed a small share into it. Elite Commander XP can push any commander's skills forward or pay for retraining, so a single 21 point commander quietly helps your whole fleet. Our commander skills guide covers what to buy with those points.

Coal: the free player's best friend

Coal buys ships, commanders and items in the Armory. You get it mostly from daily containers: up to three per day for earning XP. You choose which type of container you want in the Port, and the More Coal option is the one we pick on almost every account, because coal adds up into a free premium or special ship every few months.

Two rules for coal: buy ships that fill a gap in your fleet, especially a credit earner or a ship for Ranked, and never spend it on cosmetics while you still lack a good tier VIII. Some events, such as the Holiday Convoy that runs across several updates in 2026, also let you convert coal, steel or research points into event tokens. Read the conversion rate before you do: most of the time the resource is worth more in the Armory.

Steel: the competitive currency

Steel is scarce. It comes mainly from Ranked Battles, Clan Battles and Supercontainers, and it buys the strongest ships in the Armory. According to the official wiki, steel can be converted into coal at 1 to 10, but coal cannot become steel, so never convert steel unless the Armory has nothing you want. Patience pays: steel ships are among the best tier X ships in the game, which you can see in our best tier X ships list.

Research points and the Research Bureau

The Research Bureau opens once you have researched five tier X ships. You can then reset a tech tree line back to tier I. The ships go back into research, and you earn research points each time you take a tier V to X ship of that line again and win, or earn enough base XP in a battle with it. The official wiki and independent guides agree on the base values: 200 points at tier V, 500 at tier VI and VII, 1,500 at tier VIII and IX and 6,000 at tier X. The first reset of each season pays double.

Research points buy special tier IX and X ships and unique upgrades. Reset a line you enjoy playing again, not the line that pays the most on paper. A reset you never finish is just a line you can no longer play.

Doubloons and Premium Account: what is worth money

If you spend money, spend it where it saves the most time. In our experience the best value is Premium Account during the weeks you play a lot, followed by a single well chosen tier VIII premium ship for credits and commander training. Converting XP, buying random containers and skipping Dockyard phases are the worst value for money. Port slots are worth a few doubloons once your Port is full.

Before you buy anything, check our codes page and the returning player offers in the beginner guide: free Premium days sometimes come from those.

How It Works: Economics, XP and Credits (official World of Warships channel)

Credit traps to avoid

Most players who run out of credits do it in the same few ways. Avoid these and the economy stays comfortable even without Premium:

• Buying the next tier the moment it unlocks. The new ship arrives stock, you need credits for its modules and upgrades, and you cannot afford either. Wait until you have the price of the ship plus its upgrades.
• Running expensive consumables everywhere. Premium versions of consumables cost credits or doubloons every battle. Use them on the ships you play seriously, not on every ship in the Port.
• Grinding two tier X ships at once. Two expensive ships losing money in parallel is the fastest way to zero. Finish one, then the other.
• Ignoring the PvE modes. Operations and event scenarios pay well for their difficulty, especially when the team completes the secondary tasks.
• Keeping every ship. A ship you have not played in a year is credits sitting in a slot. Sell it, unless you are keeping it for a commander or a collection.

A weekly routine that keeps you rich

• Every day you play: collect your three daily containers and finish the easy combat missions.
• In each session: earn credits in a premium or tier VI to VII ship, then spend them grinding your tier VIII to X ship.
• Every week: spend Free XP only on stock modules or the last step to a new ship.
• Each season: play enough Ranked or Clan Battles to collect the steel rewards you can reach comfortably.
• Before an Armory sale or a new ship: check what coal and steel will buy and whether it fills a gap in your fleet.

FAQ