World of Warships Best Cruiser Lines, Ranked Weakest to Strongest

Updated:

29 Jan 2019

What are the best cruiser lines in World of Warships?

World of Warships is a game where you play as your favorite warships from history and work with your team to defeat the enemy in different scenarios. Or show off how much money you have (then watch your precious Atago explode and sink into the depths.)

This article will take each nation’s “cruiser” lines and describe the pros and cons of each while ranking them from weakest to strongest.

Keep in mind that every match in WoWs is different and the best ship for different matches may not always be the same.

6. France

The French cruiser line is best known for its speed, versatility, and as with all French ships, running away. There’s not too much of an opinion for them and in general they aren’t played much, which is the main reason I put them on the bottom of the list. Some people really like them for the aforementioned speed and versatility but they don’t have any major strengths.

Why this line is in this position: No specific strengths. Meaning other lines with strengths can outperform the French cruisers.

Pros:

Fast (can even outrun many destroyers)
Versatile (there’s no real situation you are going to be completely useless)
Engine Boost consumable access from tier VI (tier X can get up to 43.9 knots with Engine Boost)

Cons:

No specific strength
Low rudder shift speed

See the French cruiser line here: http://wiki.wargaming.net/en/Ship:Ships_of_France

Power Rating: 60/100

5. U.K.

The U.K. cruisers stand out because they are all light and, apart from the premiums, they only shoot AP shells. They have really low reload times and good concealment as well as get the Smoke Screen consumable. Also, the AP shells they use are special, they have a short fuse. Basically, that means they cause respectable damage to everybody. If you don’t want to SAIL your ship and instead just sit in smoke, these oversized destroyers are for you.

Why this line is in this position: Very easy to kill. You’re going to end up staying in your smoke and hiding instead of actively helping your team.

Pros:

Good concealment
Fast reload
Smoke Screen consumable
Repair Party consumable from tier III (really early)
Can shoot one torpedo at a time (less likely to miss all of them)

Cons:

Really bad armor (better hope you don’t get hit, like at all)
No HE shells (can’t light fires)

See the U.K. cruiser line here: http://wiki.wargaming.net/en/Ship:Ships_of_U.K.

Power Rating: 65/100

4. U.S.S.R

Although Russian cruisers’ guns are slightly smaller than other nations, they end up performing well after considering rate of fire, range, and higher shell velocity which also makes them easier to use. Their survivability on the other hand is pretty bad because of thin armor and big citadels. If you use your range to your advantage and don’t try to fight people with your secondaries, you’ll do great.

Why this line is in this position: Still easy to kill, but has better range than the U.K. so you can help your team a little more.

Pros:

High gun range
Faster rate of fire
Easy to aim, low firing shell arcs

Cons:

Thin armor (use range to your advantage)
Big citadel (seriously, stay away from enemies)
Bad concealment (like, do NOT get close to enemies)
Short range torpedos (that doesn’t mean get closer to enemies)
Slightly less up front damage (but higher DPS)

See the U.S.S.R. cruiser line here: http://wiki.wargaming.net/en/Ship:Ships_of_U.S.S.R.

Power Rating: 75/100

3. Germany

German cruisers AP shells deal a lot of damage, that’s the main thing. All around they’re pretty good ships, having a pretty good range, decent armor, and no problems in maneuverability. Although their HE shell damage is a little low, AA damage is a little low, and rudder shift speed is a little slower, they don’t actually have a significant weakness(especially after tier VII when they become the biggest sausages around.) These are fun ships that, if you know what you’re doing and have good aim, can have great results.

Why this line is in this position: Good damage potential without dying too easy. Also very strong high tier ships. Not perfect though as you need good aim to make effect of the AP shells.

Pros:

High AP shell damage
Great high tier ships
No significant weakness

Cons:

Low HE shell damage
Low HE shell fire chance
Funny mid tier ships

See the German cruiser line here: http://wiki.wargaming.net/en/Ship:Ships_of_Germany

Power Rating: 80/100

2. U.S.A.

The American cruiser line is the biggest in the game due to being split from tier VI. Having the option to play heavy OR light cruisers means more people can do well with them. Light cruisers are better for less skilled players since they can throw out more shells over time, meaning you don’t need to aim as well. Overall, they have great AA and good AP shells, along with a high health pool makes them good all around.

Why this line is in this position: More options to play as and simple to play. Anyone can play some American ship and see decent results.

Pros:

Top class AA (freedom-firing fly swatters)
Strong AP shells (don’t need to aim as perfect)
Big health pool (not going to die so fast)
Split line (more options to play as)

Cons:

Big target (like actual americans)
A little low maneuverability (because of how big they are)
Really high shell arcs (harder to aim)
No torpedos on most ships

See the U.S.A. cruiser line here: http://wiki.wargaming.net/en/Ship:Ships_of_U.S.A.

Power Rating: 85/100

1. Japan

The Japanese cruiser line is a bunch of fire-slinging, torpedo-launching, sneaky ninjas that don’t know how to shoot up. Their HE shell damage is above average and chance to start fires is high. They get heavy cruisers earlier than any other nation as well as their torpedos having higher damage and range. Their speed, maneuverability and concealment are all high making them quite similar to their makers. Sadly, that’s not the end of the story and they actually do have weaknesses. Japanese AA is really, really bad and their main gun range is not great. And although they have great torpedos, later tiers have awkward rear-facing arcs.

Why this line is in this position: Great all around ships with arguably the best tier X. On top of that, HE shells are easier to use than AP, meaning anyone can deal damage regardless of skill(unless you literally don’t hit enemies at all.)

Pros: