here's my take on the tech-tree (non-premium) ones, and this is aimed at the "average" player:  The ones I mark with a * are kinda gimmicky/situational. I'm not gonna do T4 and below, because it's been so long that I can't remember. I like bogatyr and st luis at t3 and  phoenix at t4 . It is like being in a battleship lol.

They're big, have mediocre maneuverability, easy to spot, and burn quickly. These used ones that were substantially smaller (if the soviet battleship program had produced fruit that is). But the Le Gal.... shudder. Never be under the assumption that Graf Spees armor is good enough to stop anything beyond 203mm AP, and even then only when angled, and 90% of the ships surface area is vulnerable to HE shells. I would rate the New Orleans in red as well. Stalingrad is probably the most BB like cruiser. is there a cruiser that could be considered a battlecruiser, like the closest thing to a battleship whilst still being a cruiser?

I was wondering if their true battlecruiser status was why they were not included in the above tables/discussion. is there a cruiser that could be considered a battlecruiser, like the closest thing to a battleship whilst still being a cruiser? Or you could wait for Siegfried which is probably going to be Coal or Free XP. Turning circles are not cruiser-like and neither should sail side-on to enemy battleships.

I will start at T3 as T1 and T2 are pretty interchangeable (T1 Black Swan may be the OP exception)... T5:  toughest tier for Cruisers. Ranked has shown it was removed for an understandable reason.

T8:  Charles martel  with chapy being distance second.

WoWS Blitz (Mobile) WoWS for Console. my record is over 4m potential damage 

I'm not gonna do T4 and below, because it's been so long that I can't remember. Fiji and Myoko are my distant seconds.

Chapayev is a good mix of damage and utility. Moskva/Henri/Zao have similar damage dealing potential and each have their own bag of tricks.

No one has mentioned Kronshdadt at tier 9 but that is premium and not available for sale until it builds up enough reputation and they release for christmas or something. ..  Versus battleships they are difficult to play, but I enjoy the modifications I use to dodge incoming shells.

They'd make good a good Tier 7 now. FWIW here is how I rank the tiers (note - if it has a * it means I have only played against the ship vs actually playing it). I'm basically wondering peoples opinions/advice on the toughest/tankiest Cruiser? The key is to get into the middle of the map and then fire onto the flank of the enemy's main push, all the while harassing enemy DDs and (somehow) keeping yourself unspotted. As for the USN's T8-T10 cruisers, the ratings seem on the mark, though I'd have probably marked them in red as having a bit of a learning curve because they're really not your average long range kiting cruiser.

Having got the Huang He from a crate I feel the mehness given this ship is a little overstated. She's a very unforgiving ship that doesn't have much going for her other than Radar. I'd rather rate them "Bad", "OK", "Good", "Great". I'm not gonna do T4 and below, because it's been so long that I can't remember. The cruisers are enough different in what they're good at that isn't not really possible to pick "best" all the time.

It's my personal preferences, which depend heavily on MY PERSONAL PLAYSTYLE, as well as my reading of how the ship would perform in the "average" person's hands.

For guns: depending on whether the floor should be set by the original HMS Dreadnought's 305mm guns, or Nassau's 283mm guns. I for one will never go back to a desk.

Going to talk about none premium only   for solo play. Its an absolutely monstrously tough SOB and it has an effective radar not to mention what it can do to other cruisers who give it a broadside. This was really good for me being new to clan battles because I was able to survive situations by facing head-on. It can spam HE at range or utilize its very deadly AP and loads of torps up close. What, you don't have a 30" screen that has 4X resolution? I'm basically wondering peoples opinions/advice on the toughest/tankiest Cruiser?

Hindenburg is the best damage dealer. And I'd also rate the De Grasse higher than I would the Duca d'Aosta. The K-berg seems quite good at tier 5, but the N-berg is only bearable at tier 6 because its guns aren't an upgrade over the K-berg's guns. Everyone should do this just once to experience it. Very decent AP shells, nice armour, nice AA and good torpedoes. but Tech tree tankiness has to be Moskva for me.. you have to know how to angle her and DO NOT show broadside at all!!.. I think that the Scharnhorst would be the best descibe a battlecruiser. Regardless, nice chart and good presentation. [BASIN] Atago is also strong with a lot of versatility. T10: hindy. No one has mentioned Kronshdadt at tier 9 but that is premium and not available for sale until it builds up enough reputation and they release for christmas or something. I had a shockingly good 154k damage in my Marblehead (or was it the Murmansk) today. Des Moines/Salem could also be a good fit if it the are going nose-in Alaska, Kronshtadt (no longer for sale), Stalingrad, Azuma, and Yoshina are all Large Cruisers with 305mm main batteries. Am curious on what cruiser (all nations) would be the best in each tier, including Premium as well?