Dispersion
The size of the aiming circle at any moment, which grows with movement and shrinks as the gun settles.
Also known as spread, aiming circle size.
Dispersion is the live value behind accuracy. It starts from the gun's base figure and is multiplied by every penalty currently in effect: driving, turning the hull, traversing the turret, taking damage, firing.
The interface shows it as the reticle. A wide circle is not just a worse chance to hit, it is a shot that may land anywhere in it, which is why experienced players wait rather than fire into a circle wider than the target.
Related terms
AccuracyA gun's dispersion at 100 metres, in metres: the radius of the circle a fully aimed shot can land in, where lower is better.BloomThe widening of the aiming circle caused by moving, traversing or firing, and the reason a gun's paper accuracy is rarely what a player experiences.Aim timeThe time the aiming circle takes to shrink by 60 percent of its width, not the time to become fully aimed.Aiming circleThe circle drawn around the crosshair showing where the next shell can land.