Japan · Tier X Destroyer
Shimakaze
Stealth Torpedo Destroyer (area denial, spotting and survival)
Destroyer Commander Skills — verified — 24 skills
Recommended role
Stealth Torpedo Destroyer (area denial, spotting and survival)
Shimakaze · Tier 10 Destroyer · Balanced playstyle
- 1
Preventive Maintenance
1 ptEssential5 out of 5One point that keeps your rudder, engine and torpedo tubes working. The safest first pick on a fragile destroyer.
In game: -30% chance of the main armament, engine and steering gears becoming incapacitated; +15% hit points of secondary and AA mounts. · Unlocked from 1 total points.
- 2
Last Stand
2 ptsEssential5 out of 5A knocked-out engine or rudder is a death sentence on Shimakaze. This keeps you moving out of trouble.
In game: The ship remains able to move and manoeuvre — slowly — while the engine or steering gears are incapacitated. · Unlocked from 3 total points.
- 3
Survivability Expert
3 ptsEssential5 out of 5Shimakaze has low HP for a Tier X destroyer; +350 HP per tier is a large relative increase.
In game: +350 hit points per ship tier (destroyer value). · Unlocked from 6 total points.
- 4
Concealment Expert
4 ptsEssential5 out of 5-10% detectability is the whole identity of the ship: you launch torpedoes and spot from stealth.
In game: -10% detectability range of your ship. · Unlocked from 10 total points.
- 5
Fill the Tubes
3 ptsEssential5 out of 5-10% torpedo reload directly increases your area denial — Shimakaze's long reload is its main drawback. (Current PC data: reload only, no tube-traverse bonus.)
In game: -10% torpedo tube reload time. · Unlocked from 13 total points.
- 6
Adrenaline Rush
3 ptsEssential5 out of 5Faster reload on guns and torpedoes the more damaged you are; it stacks well with a long torpedo reload.
In game: For each 1% of lost hit points: -0.2% reload time of all armaments and +0.2% continuous AA damage. · Unlocked from 16 total points.
- 7
Radio Location
4 ptsRecommended4 out of 5Knowing where the nearest enemy is helps you avoid gunboat destroyers you cannot fight and place torpedoes where ships actually are.
In game: Shows the direction to the nearest enemy ship. That enemy is alerted that a bearing has been taken. · Unlocked from 20 total points.
- 8
Liquidator
1 ptRecommended4 out of 5The final 1-point pick: +30% chance that your torpedoes cause flooding. On a ship whose damage is torpedoes, one point for more flooding is excellent value.
In game: +30% chance of causing flooding with your torpedoes. · Unlocked from 21 total points.
Class-based recommendation
Slot 1
Main Armaments Modification 1
Protects guns and torpedo tubes during close engagements.
Slot 2
Engine Room Protection
Helps preserve movement when the engine or steering is hit.
Slot 3
Aiming Systems Modification 1
Improves gun accuracy without committing to a narrow playstyle.
Slot 4
Steering Gears Modification 1
Improves rudder response when dodging while spotted.
Slot 5
Concealment System Modification 1
Supports safer spotting, disengagement, and cap play.
Slot 6
Main Battery Modification 3
Supports a general gun-focused destroyer build.
Alternative: Torpedo Tubes Modification 2Choose this for a torpedo-focused playstyle.
Build complete — every recommended skill is already unlocked at 21 points.
- This is a no-reset path: every skill taken at an earlier milestone is still in the final 21-point build, so you never pay to redistribute points.
- Shimakaze survives through concealment, so the cheap survival skills come first and Concealment Expert is the first big four-point spike.
- Fill the Tubes costs 3 points in the destroyer tree, so the final 21 points are Preventive Maintenance, Last Stand, Survivability Expert, Concealment Expert, Fill the Tubes, Adrenaline Rush, Radio Location and Liquidator.
- Its torpedo reload is long, so Fill the Tubes and Adrenaline Rush are the two skills that most increase how often you can threaten an area.
- Guns and AA are weak on Shimakaze, so gunboat and AA skills are deliberately left out of the default build.
- Stay undetected: use your low detectability to spot for the team and launch torpedoes from outside enemy view range.
- Launch wide torpedo spreads at choke points and predicted paths — area denial, not sniping single ships.
- Do not gunfight other destroyers by default; your HP pool and guns lose most straight duels.
- Keep your smoke and engine boost for escaping radar and disengaging, not for offensive gun work.
Ship class / skill tree
Destroyer Commander Skills
Verified — 24 skills, 6 per row
Commander skill points
1 – 21
Progression milestones at 1/3/6/10/13/16/20/21
Final 21-point build
Preventive Maintenance 1 · Last Stand 2 · Survivability Expert 3 · Concealment Expert 4 · Fill the Tubes 3 · Adrenaline Rush 3 · Radio Location 4 · Liquidator 1
Unverified — Total 21 — curated prototype, not an official recommendation
Only values confirmed from the supplied sources are listed. Unverified numbers such as reload, detection, hit points, radar range/duration and torpedo range are deliberately omitted.
Skill data: Skill names, point costs and effects taken from the current World of Warships Wiki destroyer skill list (Aug/Sep 2026).
Build: Skill mechanics: current World of Warships Wiki destroyer skill list (Aug/Sep 2026). Progression: curated beginner-safe no-reset prototype based on standard stealth-torpedo Shimakaze community builds — not an official Wargaming recommendation.
Inertia Fuse for HE Shells
3 ptsAvoid / Inefficient1 out of 5Not a torpedo-build skill: it halves your fire chance, which is the only real value your guns have.
Grease the Gears
1 ptOptional2 out of 5Turret traverse matters little when your guns are a last-resort weapon.
Incoming Fire Alert
1 ptOptional2 out of 5Some warning value, but it does little while you stay undetected.
Gun Feeder
1 ptOptional2 out of 5Shell-switching speed only matters in gun duels this build tries to avoid.
Demolition Expert
2 ptsOptional2 out of 5More fires is a gunboat bonus; Shimakaze's damage comes from torpedoes.
Extra-Heavy Ammunition
2 ptsOptional2 out of 5Shimakaze fires HE from its guns, so an AP damage bonus does almost nothing here (the depth charge part does not apply either).
Full skill table for Shimakaze
Destroyer Commander Skills — 24 skills, 6 per row
Laid out like the in-game tree for this class. Each row is one point cost.
- Grease the GearsOptional2 out of 5
- LiquidatorRecommended4 out of 5
- Consumable SpecialistSituational3 out of 5
- Gun FeederOptional2 out of 5
- Incoming Fire AlertOptional2 out of 5
- Preventive MaintenanceEssential5 out of 5
- Demolition ExpertOptional2 out of 5
- Swift FishRecommended4 out of 5
- Consumables EnhancementsSituational3 out of 5
- Extra-Heavy AmmunitionOptional2 out of 5
- Priority TargetSituational3 out of 5
- Last StandEssential5 out of 5
- Main Battery and AA SpecialistSituational3 out of 5
- Fill the TubesEssential5 out of 5
- Adrenaline RushEssential5 out of 5
- Inertia Fuse for HE ShellsAvoid / Inefficient1 out of 5
- SuperintendentSituational3 out of 5
- Survivability ExpertEssential5 out of 5
- Main Battery and AA ExpertSituational3 out of 5
- Swift in SilenceSituational3 out of 5
- Radio LocationRecommended4 out of 5
- Fearless BrawlerSituational3 out of 5
- Concealment ExpertEssential5 out of 5
- DazzleSituational3 out of 5
Showing 24 of 24 destroyer commander skills , rated for Shimakaze.
Preventive Maintenance
1 ptEssential5 out of 5-30% chance of the main armament, engine and steering gears becoming incapacitated; +15% hit points of secondary and AA mounts.
One point that keeps your rudder, engine and torpedo tubes working. The safest first pick on a fragile destroyer.
Last Stand
2 ptsEssential5 out of 5The ship remains able to move and manoeuvre — slowly — while the engine or steering gears are incapacitated.
A knocked-out engine or rudder is a death sentence on Shimakaze. This keeps you moving out of trouble.
Fill the Tubes
3 ptsEssential5 out of 5-10% torpedo tube reload time.
-10% torpedo reload directly increases your area denial — Shimakaze's long reload is its main drawback. (Current PC data: reload only, no tube-traverse bonus.)
Adrenaline Rush
3 ptsEssential5 out of 5For each 1% of lost hit points: -0.2% reload time of all armaments and +0.2% continuous AA damage.
Faster reload on guns and torpedoes the more damaged you are; it stacks well with a long torpedo reload.
Survivability Expert
3 ptsEssential5 out of 5+350 hit points per ship tier (destroyer value).
Shimakaze has low HP for a Tier X destroyer; +350 HP per tier is a large relative increase.
Concealment Expert
4 ptsEssential5 out of 5-10% detectability range of your ship.
-10% detectability is the whole identity of the ship: you launch torpedoes and spot from stealth.
Liquidator
1 ptRecommended4 out of 5+30% chance of causing flooding with your torpedoes.
The final 1-point pick: +30% chance that your torpedoes cause flooding. On a ship whose damage is torpedoes, one point for more flooding is excellent value.
Swift Fish
2 ptsRecommended4 out of 5+5% torpedo speed.
+5% torpedo speed makes long-range fish noticeably harder to dodge. It does not fit inside the 21-point no-reset path, so take it instead of Liquidator if you prefer offence.
Radio Location
4 ptsRecommended4 out of 5Shows the direction to the nearest enemy ship. That enemy is alerted that a bearing has been taken.
Knowing where the nearest enemy is helps you avoid gunboat destroyers you cannot fight and place torpedoes where ships actually are.
Consumable Specialist
1 ptSituational3 out of 5-7.5% cooldown time of all consumables, except Damage Control Party and Repair Party.
Consumable Specialist: -7.5% cooldown on smoke and engine boost. Fine filler, but the core path uses those points first.
Consumables Enhancements
2 ptsSituational3 out of 5+10% action time of Hydroacoustic Search, Surveillance Radar, Smoke Generator and Engine Boost.
Longer consumable action time — a reasonable alternative if you rely heavily on smoke.
Priority Target
2 ptsSituational3 out of 5The detection indicator shows the number of enemies currently aiming their main battery at your ship.
Good information skill, but a stealth torpedo destroyer is usually not being aimed at while hidden.
Main Battery and AA Specialist
3 ptsSituational3 out of 5-5% main battery reload time; +10% continuous AA damage.
Gun-focused. Shimakaze's guns are self-defence only in the default torpedo build.
Superintendent
3 ptsSituational3 out of 5+1 charge to all ship consumables.
An extra Smoke Generator or Engine Boost charge is nice, but three points buy more survival elsewhere first.
Main Battery and AA Expert
4 ptsSituational3 out of 5+20% main battery firing range; +15% damage from AA shell explosions (flak). This skill does not change reload time.
+20% main battery range and stronger flak. A gunboat/AA pick, not part of this torpedo path.
Swift in Silence
4 ptsSituational3 out of 5While your ship remains undetected: +8% ship speed and +5% main battery reload time (slower guns). The effect ends as soon as you are detected.
Alternate 4-point pick: +8% speed while undetected helps repositioning, but it also adds +5% main battery reload time and competes directly with Concealment Expert.
Fearless Brawler
4 ptsSituational3 out of 5While your ship is detected: -10% main battery reload time. Also +1 shell explosion (flak burst) in AA salvos. Current PC data lists no dispersion penalty.
-10% main battery reload while you are detected. It rewards gunfighting in the open — the opposite of how Shimakaze survives.
Dazzle
4 ptsSituational3 out of 5For 15 seconds after your ship is detected: +20% dispersion of enemy shells fired at your ship and +8% ship speed.
For 15 seconds after you are spotted, enemy shells scatter more and you gain speed — a defensive alternative to Radio Location for the moment you get lit.
Grease the Gears
1 ptOptional2 out of 5+15% main battery turret traverse speed.
Turret traverse matters little when your guns are a last-resort weapon.
Gun Feeder
1 ptOptional2 out of 5-40% main battery shell-type switching time.
Shell-switching speed only matters in gun duels this build tries to avoid.
Incoming Fire Alert
1 ptOptional2 out of 5Warns you about a main battery salvo fired at your ship from more than 4.5 km away.
Some warning value, but it does little while you stay undetected.
Demolition Expert
2 ptsOptional2 out of 5+1% chance of setting a fire with main and secondary battery HE shells; +15% explosion radius of all munitions except depth charges when attacking submarines.
More fires is a gunboat bonus; Shimakaze's damage comes from torpedoes.
Extra-Heavy Ammunition
2 ptsOptional2 out of 5+7.5% main battery AP shell damage; +10% depth charge damage. No calibre restriction is listed in current PC data.
Shimakaze fires HE from its guns, so an AP damage bonus does almost nothing here (the depth charge part does not apply either).
Inertia Fuse for HE Shells
3 ptsAvoid / Inefficient1 out of 5+25% armor penetration of HE shells; base chance of setting a fire with HE shells is halved. (Numbers confirmed from one current PC source only.)
Not a torpedo-build skill: it halves your fire chance, which is the only real value your guns have.