The Paris at 6.0 is a joy to play. I’ve gone back to finish the last 3 ships in the tree, and had spaded the Paris back when it was the top BR battleship for France.
Strengths:
Great guns. The 305mm AP shells hit very hard if they pen, and they will pen just about anything you face even in an uptier. You will very rarely face 7.0 ships, but 6.3 and 6.7 are common, and they have no trouble deal with any of them. Accuracy is exceptional as well.
Secondary guns are also very good. It’s like having a destroyer and a half strapped to each side. The 138.6mm guns punch above their weight with good explosive filler and a 10 second reload. Absolutely mangles cruisers and destroyers.
Good armor: Most of the things you face will have trouble penning you reliably. On paper, the armor isn’t great, but in practice it is very good. The magazines, while large, are buried DEEP under the waterline, and I can’t think of a time I’ve had a magazine or shell room explosion. Secondary guns are well armored since they are casemates, but will still get knocked out more often than your main guns.
Speed and maneuverability: Very good for its size. This thing is 1.5 to 2 times the displacement of most 6.0 ships, but still turns well, and has a good top speed. You can reliably dodge incoming fire, although you really don’t have to with the armor.
Weaknesses:
AA: Anti-air is very weak with little more than machine guns The 75mm guns are inadequate for anti-air work as well. Your best bet is dodging or sticking close to something that can kill aircraft.
Acceleration: It’s not very quick to get up to speed or reverse course/slow down, so plan accordingly. You certainly can’t do the speed up and slow down dance to make ships miss from short to medium range, although it can be somewhat effective at longer ranges.
Overall, it’s a great ship. I am 27 deaths to 194 ship and 7 air kills with it in 65 battles. I’d recommend it highly if you are trying to level anything from tier IV to tier VI.