The most capable ship in World of Warships is the cruiser, which combines good armor that can withstand heavy fire and excellent armament that allows you to destroy enemies and defend against air raids.
Despite superior survivability and firepower, even battleships need cruisers’ maneuverability and effective defense systems against air attacks and torpedoing.
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What are the best cruisers in WoWs worth buying for your squadron and pump, as well as what are their strengths and weaknesses, let’s analyze further.
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Top Cruisers in World of Warships
According to their characteristics, only one of the cruisers at each level of armament can be called the best and worthy of being included in the Top Cruisers in WoWs in 2024.
Tier V: Kirov
The Soviet cruiser Kirov is a Tier V special weapon available for purchase at the Armory for 43,000 coal.
The distinctive advantages of the Kirov are:
- Excellent firepower of nine 180mm main caliber guns due to the combination of:
- rapid reloading in just 13.5 seconds;
- the ability of the turrets to rotate 8 degrees per second;
- a Main Battery firing range of 16.32 kilometers;
- a maximum dispersion of 145 meters;
- a unit damage of 2,500.
- High speed of 35.5 knots, allowing for quick maneuvering on the battlefield.
- Good air defense system, including anti-aircraft installations and catapult fighters.
- Hydroacoustic sonar.
Weaknesses of the Soviet cruiser are considered to be:
- Poor maneuverability, due to which the turning radius is 860 meters, and shifting rudders takes 7.8 seconds;
- thin 10-mm armor combined with a strength of 26200 units requires timely withdrawal from under heavy fire, which may not survive;
- poor stealth, because of which the ship is detected from the sea at approach up to 13.79 km and from the air – up to 6.44 km;
- increased vulnerability because the large size of the hull in general and the citadel in particular make the ship an excellent target;
- the presence of torpedoes does not give an advantage because of their short range.
A good cruiser, if not to be exposed to enemy fire and to fire the main guns from a medium range along with battleships, covering the latter from air attacks.
Tier VI: Leander
Best among Tier VI cruisers is the British Leander, which can be researched for 33,000 experience, thus opening up the possibility of purchasing a new ship for 3.04 million credits.
Among others, the Briton is distinguished by the following virtues:
- Good camouflage, thanks to which:
- detection from the sea at a distance of less than 9.96 kilometers;
- air reconnaissance can see the ship from 6.44 kilometers away.
- With four twin turrets, the Leander can do up to 20677 main-caliber damage per minute for unit damage of 3100 armor-piercing shells and a reload time of 9 seconds.
- Having four launchers on each side allows for up to 0.59 rounds per minute, each capable of doing up to 15733 units of damage at a range of up to 7.02 km.
- Satisfactory maneuverability, allowing you to dodge fire and combine:
- a maximum speed of 32.5 knots;
- a rudder change from side to side in 11 seconds;
- a turning radius of 710 meters.
- Possibility to install one of three upgrades in the third slot:
- a smoke generator capable of triple curtains lasting 96 seconds while recharging in 160 seconds;
- a catapult fighter, launching a pair of attack aircraft to patrol the skies within a minute;
- a scout plane.
The disadvantages of the British cruiser to consider are:
- Weak armor, the thickness of which in the fore and aft parts is only 13 mm and only around the citadel reaches 16 mm;
- there are no fragmentation projectiles in the arsenal, because of which it is impossible to inflict massive damage on superstructures and to start fires on the enemy’s deck;
- high inertia, which allows for faster acceleration, hurts deceleration, which can occur later than planned, taking the ship beyond the boundaries of the veil or out from under the cover of the island.
The preferred battle tactic on the Leander is to maneuver to outflank opponents and fire from medium range under the cover of the smoke screen, because positional confrontation with such weak armor will lead to rapid sinking.
Tier VII: Belfast
The Belfast is a Tier VII cruiser in the service of the British Navy and is a premium class, which means that it is available only for doubloons or real money.
The Belfast’s advantage over its opponents is provided by:
- High firepower through a combination of the following characteristics:
- Good unit damage from fragmentation and armor-piercing shells, reaching 2100 and 3100 on a precision hit, respectively;
- high rate of fire of the four three-barrel main caliber turrets, allowing them to fire eight rounds of 152-mm ammunition every minute;
- You can always keep the enemy in the crosshairs with an excellent angular rotation speed of 7 degrees per second of the turrets.
- With a GC range of 15.42 km, the primary detection range from the sea is 11 km and can be reduced to 8.9 km after improved camouflage.
- Satisfactory maneuverability due to:
- 32.5 knots speed limit;
- a turning radius of 730 meters;
- possible to change rudders in 9.8 seconds.
- Possibility of simultaneous installation of several useful modernizations:
- smokescreen;
- radar;
- hydroacoustics.
The distinct disadvantages of the British destroyer hunter are:
- mediocre armor thickness, unable to withstand a hit by a projectile above 203-mm caliber;
- high dispersion of shells at long ranges;
- lack of torpedoes does not allow to inflict severe damage to battleships and heavy cruisers.
The best application for the British Belfast will be the pursuit and destruction of destroyers, because the confrontation with their “classmates” or battleships is possible only under the cover of a smoke screen, as survivability and armor leave much to be desired.
Tier VIII: Mainz
The best Tier VIII cruiser is the German Mainz, which has a premium class and is available to buy for gold doubloons or real money.
The advantages of the German cruiser are as follows:
- Excellent firepower of four three-barrel main caliber turrets firing 150mm shells due to a combination of the following main features:
- fast six-second reloading, allowing each barrel to fire ten rounds per minute and inflict, on a precision hit, 1,700 and 3,900 rounds of damage with fragmentation and armor-piercing ammunition, respectively;
- high turret rotation rate of 7.6 degrees per minute allows you to keep the enemy in the crosshairs.
- Comfortable firing at a distance of up to 17.52 kilometers, thanks to the high muzzle velocity of projectiles and smooth trajectories.
- Two four-tube torpedo tubes on each side, launching torpedoes at a distance of up to 6 km, each of which, if successfully hit, can cause up to 13700 damage to the enemy.
- The citadel’s good armor, up to 150 mm thick, can withstand multiple hits.
The weaknesses of Mainz are as follows:
- Weak overall armor, which does not allow it to withstand hits of caliber over 380 mm;
- poor angles of fire fore and aft – 38 and 40 degrees, respectively, which means that the vulnerable side will have to be exposed to fire;
- torpedoes, despite the destructive power, have a short range, which requires approaching the enemy;
- the main caliber turrets have thin armor and can be easily destroyed;
- It’s one of the worst camouflage among level VII cruisers.
In general, the German cruiser has proven itself at medium and long ranges, at which it can inflict massive damage and successfully perform evasive maneuvers against enemy counterattacks.
Tier IX: Azuma
The superiority among Tier IX cruisers belongs to the Japanese Azuma, a premium ship that can be bought at the Armory for 228,000 units of coal.
The Azuma’s strong qualities include:
- The pretty good survivability of 58350 units, combined with the reduced recovery time of the repair group, allows it to withstand enemy attacks decently.
- Excellent firepower of 310mm guns, arranged in 3 main caliber turrets of 3 barrels each, thanks to:
- high unit damage of 5,100 and 8,650 fragmentation and armor-piercing rounds, respectively;
- high range of 19.09 km, which allows to damage the enemy and stay outside the area of targeted hits;
- armor penetration of up to 50 mm, allowing it to damage heavy cruisers and battleships.
- It is not lousy stealth, allowing people to hide at a distance of 14.67 and 10.73 km from detection by sea and air, respectively.
The disadvantages of the Japanese cruiser are:
- the citadel is vulnerable due to its location, open to fire when turning to face the enemy with its side;
- the main gun turrets have thin armor and a low angular velocity of 5 degrees per second;
- the air defense system is weak, requiring allied support;
- no torpedo tubes;
- poorly dodges attacks due to a large turning radius (920 meters) and slow rudder shifting from side to side (13.9 seconds).
As a result, despite its high firepower and good accuracy at long range, the Azuma is unable to take an active part in the battle at medium and close range, due to its weak armor and citadel vulnerability.
Tier X: Stalingrad
The best Tier X cruiser is considered to be the Soviet Stalingrad, which is a premium ship and can be purchased for doubloons.
The strengths of the Soviet cruiser are:
- Maximum survivability of 72450 among cruisers, with its predominantly 50mm armor, allows it to withstand numerous hits, most of which will ricochet or bounce off the hull if not facing the enemy sideways.
- High maximum speed of 35 knots allows fast travel in a straight trajectory.
- High accuracy, thanks to the Sigma 2.65, which provides a high hit rate.
- Powerful armor-piercing shells can do up to 9200 damage with a single accurate hit.
- The ability to use Defensive Fire against air raids.
- 12-km radar to detect torpedoes and prevent hits during torpedo attacks.
The weaknesses of the Stalingrad are as follows:
- the high overall size of the citadel, making it an excellent target;
- visibility is worse than that of many line ships and is 17.58 kilometers when detected from the sea;
- poor maneuverability due to a turning radius of 1130 meters and 12.5 seconds of rudder rotation time;
- low reloading speed, resulting in a rate of fire of only 2.86 rounds per minute.
The Stalingrad is most effective as a ship destroyer at different ranges, thanks to the killing accuracy of its powerful armor-piercing shells. Combined with high survivability and good armor, the high firepower makes the Soviet cruiser a dangerous opponent, especially when teamed with a “classmate” or battleship.