Best Cruiser Line

[Comrad_StaIin]

unlike popular demand the german cruisers (well tier 8+ at least) are actually brawlers because of lol turtleback they cant get citadelled from other cruisers at close range

they also have one of the fastest turrets 

 

RN CAs tier 6 and up are awesome btw

 

[DreadArchangel]

 

Cleveland bad?

 

Worse than Cleveland, not kidding.

[creamgravy]

 

Worse than Cleveland, not kidding.

 

	Shell time to 10km (s)	Shell time to 12km (s)
Nürnberg	5.46	7.2
Leander - Edinburgh	6	7.68
Neptune - Minotaur	6.38	8.23
Cleveland (HE)	6.5	8.43
Flint	7.8	10.45

 

 

 

[Kutfroat]

dont bother with american line. it outright sucks from t8 on. useless, pointless. you´r just worthless to your Team. if your Team loses, you lose faster if you bring an american t8+ cruiser. if your team wins, you win faster. but you have 0 influence on the outcame itself. new orleans is at least playable, but ´the baltimore is the m3 lee of this game...must be the worst ship in the game, and that on t9. a horrible, horrible grind, even when fully upgraded. it´s just not viable. and i dont think the des moines is worth it. at least in t10 battles you see mostly zaos and moskvas.

[Dirty_Filthy_Scrublord]

All lines have good and bad ships, except the RN line...they are all bad(extraordinarily fragile to the point of being pathetic). They fine if you can fire from smoke or behind an island, once in the open your screwed. Any AP hits you and penetrates, from pretty much any angle. And they do enormous damage too, and NO the very good heal does not compensate for taking a 30k salvo when your trying to retreat to the next island or waiting for smoke to come off cooldown. U.S/U.S.S.R/IJN cruisers can play well if you adjust your style accordingly. Just avoid the RN line completely and you`ll be fine.

[Comrad_StaIin]

All lines have good and bad ships, except the RN line...they are all bad(extraordinarily fragile to the point of being pathetic). They fine if you can fire from smoke or behind an island, once in the open your screwed. Any AP hits you and penetrates, from pretty much any angle. And they do enormous damage too, and NO the very good heal does not compensate for taking a 30k salvo when your trying to retreat to the next island or waiting for smoke to come off cooldown. U.S/U.S.S.R/IJN cruisers can play well if you adjust your style accordingly. Just avoid the RN line completely and you`ll be fine.

how do you know?

[utg001]

I think the only downside to USN cruiser line is its lack of torps which often leads to you loosing a close quarters fight to any other cruiser line. The main aim of USN cruisers is their guns and Des Moines.

I think you are stuck at Pensacola which is probably the worst of the lot, trust me it gets better. focus on getting New Orleans, get concealment expert and rudder shift mod. You now have a cruiser that can never be ambushed by DDs. 9.5km detection, 9km radar, 30s is enough to kill any DD. NO also gets some armor and you will learn to angle your ship properly to bounce BB shells regularly. Its also very good for ranks (with CE) you can pretty much guarantee kill or assist kill enemy DDs. Baltimore is played more like a stalker, ambush the enemy broadsides, reveal your position to farm citadels. The AA from Baltimore up is just as retarded as IJN HE, if a plane spots you, its already in your AA range, most will die before they have a chance to escape.

 

Des Moines: I think I'll have to play the Zao to think up why people love it so much. I think Zao is easy to play in the longer ranges where Des Moines suffers from its arcs. I tend to see the enemy positions and choose a spot to push. open up on any enemy ship (BB/CA) and keep up the constant barrage until they are dead. Zao may have better fire chance and flatter arcs, DM is played up close where arcs won't matter, and rof gives you more fires than you need. Think: A St. Louise for TX

 

If you don;t like the close play style of USN, you may try out the Russian cruisers. Their guns have a whole another level of accuracy. I've seen people farm citadles in Moskva from over 15km.

[Kenliero]

Russian and Japanese lines are the best. USN is the worst. I've played 52 different cruisers.

[utg001]

dont bother with american line. it outright sucks from t8 on. useless, pointless. you´r just worthless to your Team. if your Team loses, you lose faster if you bring an american t8+ cruiser. if your team wins, you win faster. but you have 0 influence on the outcame itself. new orleans is at least playable, but ´the baltimore is the m3 lee of this game...must be the worst ship in the game, and that on t9. a horrible, horrible grind, even when fully upgraded. it´s just not viable. and i dont think the des moines is worth it. at least in t10 battles you see mostly zaos and moskvas.

 

I kind of agree with you on Baltimore but on Des Moines or New Orleans, nope. NO is my most played ship, has earned me nearly 60% WR in ranks. I will admit that you have to get CE to get it to its fullest, but I disagree with you on Des Moines. Des Moines needs support to make a play, but you also need to understand that you need to get support from the team, nobody will stick to your side just to support you. eg: I had a game where enemy had 2 BBs and 2 CA remaining, including the everybody's favorite Zao, I used my concealment and friendly DD's smoke (we had only 2 DDs and me at this stage) Yamato and Izumo were on 15k while Zao and hindi were nearly full. everyone was dead  before the smoke ran out. Oh and btw - enemy had no DDs because I pushed in early and killed them both right at the start.

 

So I think DM is not useless, its just that people are too afraid to go beyond Pensacola -OR- they are too afraid to push in a cruiser.

[Praxics]

 

IMO:

 

1^st: RU

High range combined with their high shell speed and low dispersion make them ultra-annoying.

The high reload speed offsets the lower fire chance due to smaller calibre. Therefore, all in all they start fire just as good as IJN.

Even the small 152mm  Stalinium-AP-Shells become a problem for any CA/CL that does not angle within ~11km+-1km. Combined with reload speed and accuracy any cruiser turning within this range is fish fodder.

Some even pack 8km torpedoes with good firing angles and high speeds.

Only downside is high detection range but since they can shoot further and hit at those ranges it matters little.

Easy to citadel goes for so many cruisers its hardly noteworthy.

From T5 they rule until TX, then Zao takes over but only by a small amount.

 

2^nd: IJN

Good range combined with good shell speed and dispersion with high fire chance make them very annoying.

Unlike the RU the high fire chance is offset by increased reload time due increased calibre. So while on paper superior to RU in the end the difference in fire damage is probably neglectable.

Many have torpedoes, later up to 10km and 76kn, but the arcs are limiting.

Main feature seems pretty outstanding detection rage, that only now gets beaten by the RN cruisers, and speed. They can engage or disengage on their terms quite often.

Again easy to citadel goes for most cruisers so it’s not really that much of a downside.

Ibuki with scout plane is ultra-annoying, Zao seems universally the best cruiser.

 

3^rd: KM

Because its better than US.

Only decent ship seems to be Roon. Why? I do not know.

Stopped at Hipper. The lack of good HE and mediocre reload times limits their effectives quite a lot.

Torpedoes are there but with 6km range again rather limited.

Detect range is on the higher side, like RU. But unlike RU this time you do not have the shells to stay at range nor are you as manoeuvrable.

The HE is bad and the AP is also bad if you stay on range.

Most of the bunch are good only against other cruisers at medium range at which point IJN will do just as good if not better due to more guns.

The best sonar in game is just window dressing at this point.

 

4th: US

Deplorable line.

Low shell velocity, mediocre range combined with high detection ranges make them easy targets.

They underperform from T7 onwards.

Avoid.

 

Not much XP on RN. I withhold my judgment.

 

[Khitan]

If you are talking about end game play then it is the Zao - the stealth factor and bouncy armour means your ability to survive is increased. And did anyone mention fire?

 

My friends rate the 8+ KM cruisers but you do seem to rely on not being shot at to give you time to get your AP working on enemy ships.

 

Each line has its gem at various tiers - budyonny at tier 6 is just fun, and the MK at tier 8 is a very funny premium.

 

Also your individual play style will dictate which line suits you best, also whether you play solo or in divisions.

 

It's not a great environment for cruisers at the moment but they can give some very rewarding games.

[Comrad_StaIin]

a full HE skilled hindenburg is a better fire starter than the Zao sure it doesnt get lol 20% fire chance but it has only 8.8 sec reload with skills

 

it doesnt have the stealth tho which makes the Zao OP

[steviln]

 

Each line has its gem at various tiers - budyonny at tier 6 is just fun, and the MK at tier 8 is a very funny premium.

 

 

On the other hand, a skilled player with a MK on the other team is one of the worst experiences a BB captain can experience...

[cro_pwr]

Japanese and Russian.

They play the same role as HE fire starters, but play a bit differently whereas IJN are a bit more mobile, and better armored, while RU have better range, but lower armor. (in general).

But both fit the current game much better then USN/German counterparts.

[Jadefalken]

I liked the German grind and the Russian... IJN I was not a fan of to be honest (Stopped on the Mogami)

 

The New British Cruisers play differently and are actually good fun so far... yes the low tiers are a pain and stressful but from tier 6 they are really good and suit my play style well

[triumphgt6]

Never got on with IJN cruisers, liked US cruisers up to the Cleveland - that was the ship I really wanted when I started - nerfed before I got it though so rotten arcs. After that, they go down badly - New Orleans was awful but Baltimore made me decide to not try Tier 9 again! British cruisers seem to be the exact opposite of the US line - 1-5 very underwhelming but 6 and 7 are fun - just got Edinburgh - trying to work out how it is really any better than the Fiji - playing co-op in her first.

[IanH755]

If you want something with Hydro for torps/spotting, good AA for self protection, 30kt speed and torpedos for taking down BB's then in all honesty the best Cruiser line at the moment is the German BB line. All the benefits of a cruiser (those mentioned previously) with all the benefits of a BB (good guns/armour/HP) and only slow reload and slow turn as negatives.

[Myrmix]

All-around the japanese cruisers are the most versatile. Awesome HE, strong torps for big walls, can be stealthy, fast, hull is low in water.

Weaknesses: spotting (no radar or hydro) and bad at close combat (gunwise, but torps can help)

[Syrchalis]

I would not touch US and KM cruisers (and I actually haven't).

 

US have as their strength AA - which is useless since WG is not going to fix carrier gameplay any time soon, so CV numbers will only keep decreasing, while they are already low enough that any form of AA specialization is a waste.

 

KM cruisers are simply generally underwhelming from my observation. Kind of like a less extreme version of the UK cruisers. Bad HE, strong AP, very short range torps (6km). I times where DDs and BBs are the most important targets, you can't get by without strong HE.

 

IJN cruisers are obviously extremely good right now, since they have very good HE. Their AP isn't lacking either though. Many have long range torps as well and many of them. They are quite fragile, but all cruisers are to an extent. You simply will be able to take a citadel less than other cruisers. Their AA isn't good though and they don't get radar.

 

RU cruisers are also a good line. Even more fragile and less maneuverable than the IJN they do have more range and bring strong HE and AP. Their torps are of limited use, but they have them, which is always a plus since it gives you options. They also can carry radar, so they bring the same utility as US/KM ones. Their AA isn't too bad either.

 

RN cruiser I can't say too much about, but the lack of HE really hurts in the current meta. They aren't bad, since they come with heal and smoke from early tiers, but they are paper thin. If I have to play a floating citadel, I would rather play RU or IJN cruisers to be honest.

[Close_Quarters_Expert]

In my experience, for a new player:

 

IJN: Are so easy to play after driving US cruisers it's insane. Long range torps, great HE, not bad AP, good speed, moderately good survivability. Very, very easy to play for a new player.

 

USSR: I have not tried beyond Bogatyr personally, but I know they have excellent gun characteristics (some might say the guns the US should have instead, but there ya go...), good balance of AA and defensive torps, tanky in certain situations (though delicate at the same time).Overall very hard hitters with stupidly long range.

 

KMS: Not bad, very beginner friendly in tiers 2 and 3 (in fact, I started on KMS before deciding to focus on USN instead). Would just say you need to learn when to use AP and when not to. Tend to be fairly delicate, though you will bounce a TONNE in these cruisers in some situations, so I wouldn't say they're as squishy as many point out tbh (except Nurnberg). All in all, tend to be easier to play than their USN counterparts; mostly because they get torps and long range guns.

 

USN have some real stinkers and I have to agree with many of the people above; unless you REALLY like the ships themselves (I actually do, hence keeping my NO despite the current meta; she's a fun ship if used correctly), avoid US beyond Cleveland until WG do something about them. Radar, good maneuverability, great AP and AA are the only good things they bring to the table after Cleveland. Which sounds impressive but it's really not that big of a deal, sadly as they lack the torps, accuracy, range and speed of their contemporaries. 

 

EXEMPT from this are the US premiums. Indianapolis and Atlanta are absolute beasts in their own right and are arguably better than their contemporaries; Indi because of its 'armour' and high AP alpha and Atlanta...well...just read my guide below  

 

RN are definitely for a higher skill floor,even past tier 6, so I wouldn't recommend them to a new player at all. Use one of the other lines first.

 

 

 

[Venatacia]

IJN are probably the best all round at the moment.

 

US are built for AA defence but there are no planes to shoot down, so no one to protect. Lack of torpedoes really hurts in this torpedo meta, any close engagement you will lose as every other ship pretty much has torps. Probably the best DD hunters though because you have radar and good guns to deal with them - only problem is other ships will delete you while chasing down DD.

 

KM are long range snipers. Have torpedoes for close range if your still alive.

 

RU I haven't played enough of so not sure about them, since I'm at tier 5 and haven't played them in a long time probably says it all.

 

RN I'm actually enjoying so far. You need to be a very good player and play them like the American DD (Clemson) if your not good at the Clemson then stay away from RN cruisers. Stay away from BB and only go for BB when they are alone or occupied and when they are near islands, torpedo and delete them. Islands are your best friend and open water is your enemy.

[StringWitch]

that can be applied to every cruiser

 

 

Come at me bro.

 

WoWS needs some real armoured cruisers to make cruisers great again.

[Close_Quarters_Expert]

 

 

Come at me bro.

 

WoWS needs some real armoured cruisers to make cruisers great again.

 

YES!

[Gojuadorai]

JAP >= RUS > GER >= USN >RN

[aboomination]

JAP >= RUS > GER >= USN >RN