My adventures with @Kyronea have lead me down many a branch I had no intention of taste-testing. Prior to all these folk signing up and having a go, I was almost solely a German player. Probably around the 1,800 game mark was when I began other nation's trees with serious intentions.
My primary focus as of now, is the French heavy line. So far I've made it up to the BDR G1B which is fully equipped save for the radio, I'm in the process of saving EXP for the crown jewel; ARL 44. The BDR G1B's role can be summarized as a gun, and nothing more. Every other trait is rather mediocre and not beneficial, the armour being just enough to bounce some equal tier shots and lower tiers more effectively. The speed and agility are nothing to write home about. The main attraction is the powerful 90mm gun with potential penetration of ~135mm at 240 damage. Quite frightening for a Tier V, the only drawback being the 6 RPM to prevent it from laying waste to all.
In terms of high-tier objectives my sights are on grinding through the Jagdpanther II to receive the last tank in which I promised myself to get in order to complete Otto Carius' arsenal. That being the three vehicles he commanded throughout the war, the Pz38t, Tiger I and Jagdtiger. If I were to unlock and purchase the Jagdtiger sooner rather than later it would become my first Tier IX. Despite my very first branch being the "Pz35t > Maus" line, my being at the Tier VIII VK4502A has demoralized me for the most part, as the VK4502A is a tricky vehicle to use.
My historical collection is also getting much larger, not to mention the addition of the Soviet vehicles T-34 and KV-1!
Also, the Panzer IV is still nothing to complain about, I don't see the issue despite all the whining and moaning about the schmalturm being removed from it: