New Jersey is still a work in progress, so none of the numbers below should be treated as final. But the general idea behind the ship is already pretty clear.
You get nine Iowa-class 406 mm guns, very high speed, a set of support consumables, and most importantly, a Combat Instructions F-key that can turn fairly ordinary Tier X firepower into something genuinely nasty for 50 seconds.
And that F-key is probably going to define the ship.
New Jersey: a future Tier X Holiday Convoy reward
New Jersey is one of four new ships announced for the 2026 Holiday Convoy, and for history fans she has another bit of appeal: she is the last real Iowa-class battleship still missing from World of Warships.
Based on the current test information, she is planned as an Epic Tier X reward costing 400,000 Holiday Convoy Tokens.
That could still change. The ship is in testing, and both her price and her balance values may be adjusted before release.
New Jersey's current WIP stats
| Characteristic | WIP value |
|---|---|
| Tier / nation | Tier X · U.S.A. |
| Hit points | 81,100 |
| Main battery | 3 × 3 406 mm guns |
| Range | 23.4 km |
| Reload | 25 s |
| Sigma | 1.90 |
| Maximum dispersion | 294 m |
| AP | 13,500 damage · 762 m/s |
| HE | 5,700 damage · 36% fire chance · 820 m/s |
| Maximum speed | 35.2 kt |
| Turning circle | 920 m |
| Rudder shift | 17.2 s |
| Sea detectability | 15.9 km |
If you only look at the base guns, there is nothing especially ridiculous here.
Nine 406 mm guns with a 25-second reload are perfectly usable, but at Tier X the caliber matters. You are still firing 406s, not 457s, so heavily angled targets will remain a problem.
That seems intentional.
New Jersey's normal firepower isn't supposed to be the headline. The interesting part starts when the F-key comes into play.
The F-key: 50 seconds where New Jersey becomes a different ship
This is where things get interesting.
New Jersey's Combat Instructions currently last 50 seconds and give two bonuses at the same time:
- +33% main battery AP damage
- -35% maximum main battery dispersion
That brings the theoretical numbers to roughly:
Now, obviously, this doesn't mean you press F and magically collect nine citadels. World of Warships hasn't quite reached that level of nonsense yet.
What matters is that the two bonuses work extremely well together.
Your AP doesn't just hit harder. Your guns also become noticeably more accurate at exactly the same time.
That changes how the F-key should be used.
Burning it the second the bar becomes available will probably be a waste in a lot of situations. The real value should come from holding it until somebody gives you a broadside or an important target appears.
A cruiser turning out at 15 km? A battleship finally exposing its side?
That is when those 50 seconds become scary.
The charging mechanic is also unusual. At the moment, the bar gains:
- 50% when you use a support consumable on an allied ship
- 25% when you use one on New Jersey herself
And importantly, the progress does not decay.
So there is no need to panic and force an engagement before some invisible timer runs out. You can charge Combat Instructions, keep it ready, and wait for the right opportunity.
The support consumables actually matter
At first glance, New Jersey's support consumables could sound like some extra team utility bolted onto an Iowa hull.
They are more important than that.
Using them on your teammates is also one of the main ways you charge your own Combat Instructions, which means supporting your flank directly contributes to your next damage spike.
The consumables currently work at up to 15 km.
Their effects are reduced by half when used on New Jersey herself.
| WIP consumable | Main effect on an allied ship |
|---|---|
| Gun Crew Assistance | -12% main battery reload time for 30 s |
| Auxiliary & Torpedo Armament Assistance | -12% torpedo reload, -15% secondary reload, +15% continuous AA damage for 30 s |
| Engineering Crew Assistance | +0.33% HP/s and -15% consumable preparation/cooldown time for 30 s |
And this is probably the most interesting part of the whole design.
New Jersey isn't simply an Iowa with a big red damage button.
If you want to charge the F-key efficiently, you have a reason to stay close enough to useful teammates and pay attention to what is happening around you.
Helping a destroyer cycle torpedoes faster, giving another battleship a reload boost or helping someone survive doesn't just benefit them. It also brings your own burst window closer.
Her 35.2-knot top speed fits that gameplay perfectly. It gives you the freedom to move between useful positions, follow a push or leave a collapsing flank without feeling like you are dragging an entire American shipyard behind you.
New Jersey strengths and weaknesses
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| 35.2 knots gives her excellent repositioning ability. | 81,100 HP is fairly low for a Tier X battleship. |
| Fast 25-second base reload. | 406 mm guns still struggle against heavily angled targets. |
| Potentially devastating Combat Instructions burst. | Base firepower is nothing exceptional for Tier X. |
| Supporting teammates directly charges the F-key. | Support consumables require good positioning and timing. |
| Enhanced Repair Party helps compensate for the smaller HP pool. | The Iowa hull is long, with a 920 m turning circle. |
How high is New Jersey's potential?
Potentially, very high.
But she doesn't look like a ship that will play itself.
If you simply treat New Jersey like another Iowa and spend the entire match farming whatever target happens to be in front of you, she may actually feel fairly ordinary.
The ship starts looking much more dangerous once you understand the rhythm behind her mechanics.
Ideally, you stay around the part of the team that is actually doing something useful. You use your support consumables when they can make a difference. That charges Combat Instructions.
Then you keep it.
You don't need to press F immediately.
You wait.
Eventually, somebody turns too much. A cruiser commits to a bad maneuver. A battleship gives you its side.
That is your window.
And that is where I think New Jersey could become extremely strong in experienced hands.
The obvious strength is the raw burst damage, but the more interesting part is everything that happens before it. You can improve the performance of your flank, charge your own temporary power spike in the process, then cash it in when an enemy makes a mistake.
That gives New Jersey quite a lot to manage: positioning, support target selection, map awareness and F-key timing all matter alongside the usual aiming and target selection.
Provisional verdict: New Jersey probably doesn't need to be one of the strongest Tier X battleships for the entire match.
If this version of Combat Instructions survives testing, she only needs to become one of the most dangerous ships on the map for those 50 seconds when somebody gives her the opportunity.
FAQ — New Jersey in World of Warships
When will New Jersey be released in World of Warships?
There is no final ship-specific release date yet. She is currently announced as part of the 2026 Holiday Convoy, and her characteristics are still being tested.
How do you get New Jersey?
Based on the information currently available, she is planned as an Epic Tier X reward in the Holiday Convoy for 400,000 Tokens. That can still change before release.
Does New Jersey look strong?
Potentially, yes, especially in experienced hands. Her real strength looks less about the basic nine 406 mm guns and more about supporting teammates, then converting that support into a 50-second window with harder-hitting AP and much tighter dispersion.
