Civ 4 Units Guide
By Evans Ward Collins (E-Daddy)

Introduction

This is my first attempt at a strategy article. I am going to discuss the generic units for Civ IV era by era. Anyways, Civ 4 has introduced as you know a new unit system. Instead of Attack/Defense values for each unit, each unit has only a strength value and a movement rate. If the unit attacks or gets attacked this strength decreases. Once it reaches 0, the unit is destroyed. The more strength a unit has, the more punishment it can take! But what makes each unit unique are the starting bonuses it receives as soon as the unit is trained. That means that if you have the right unit, you can easily defeat the enemy unit. But, if you have the wrong unit, that unit will easily be defeated. For example, Swordsmen can plow through Spearmen and Horse Archers like crazy, but struggle against Axemen. Here are some general rules for war in Civ 4:

1. Always play an offensive game. This applies even if you are on the defensive. If a barbarian or enemy AI is getting ready to attack a city, they will never right away go after a city. Most of the time, they will pillage your improvements. The worst case scenario is if they pillage a resource, hamlet, village, or town! This is the major importance for play an offensive game -- prevent them from pillaging!!! Look at your enemy arsenal and respond by selecting the unit best for the job before they can do any damage.

2. Check the combat odds for each attack, especially when attacking a city. This can be accomplished by selecting the unit and either holding the right mouse button on the target or if you're adjacent to the target, holding Alt while pointing to the target will accomplish the same thing.

3. When promoting your units, use the promotions that will best help your situation. You'll want one (and just one) medic (requires Combat I -- units in same plot heal 10% faster) in your army as well as in your border cities. In the Ancient-Renaissance Eras, Shock (25% vs. Melee units) is a very good promotion to choose -- especially on Axemen & Macemen (who get 75% vs. Melee Units total)! In the late stages of the game, Pinch is a good choice (25% vs. Gunpowder units). Use the promotions that will strengthen your army and will help you the best.

4. Build walls in your border cities -- especially if you have access to stone (walls are constructed faster with stone). I usually don't bother with castles, since they appear just before the dawn of gunpowder and are useless vs. units with gunpowder.

5. Finally, use a variety of units in your cities as well as in your attacking army. Having an army of only Cavalry will do you little good if the city is fortified with Riflemen (50% mounted units bonus)!!!

Anyways, this guide will show you what units to use on what units and the units to avoid as well. With that, let's begin with the Ancient/Classical era!

Ancient/Classical units

Scout
Requires Hunting
Strength 1, Movement 2
Can only defend
+100% vs. Animals
Better Results from Tribal Villages

This is a good starting unit to go exploring in. The scout gives you a better chance at getting something good from a village (such as a new technology -- my favorite). Also it can hold its own against animals, rarely losing to them. Unfortunately, once the barbarians start appearing on the map, you can say bye, bye to your scout. Starting the game with a scout IMO is better than starting with a warrior.

Warrior
No Requirements
Strength 2, Movement 1
25% City Defense

This is your basic unit in the beginning of the game. They are mainly used to explore the landscape and it can hold its own against Barbarian warriors in the wilderness or in a city (due to its bonus). But that's just about it.

Archer
Requires Archery
Strength 3, Movement 1
1 first Strike
+50% City Defense
+25% Hills Defense

This is a good starting defensive unit to use against the barbarians, but they should be replaced by Axemen as soon as possible. Archers are very dangerous fortified on a city based on a hill as it receives bonuses from both. They also get to strike first (except vs. Horse Archers) making it a good early defense unit.

Chariot
Requires The Wheel
Requires Horses (Animal Husbandry)
Strength 4, Movement 2
No defense bonuses
Weak vs. Spearmen

This is you basic mounted unit. If you have access to horses and have to deal with barbarians, this is a good unit to build. But for most of my games, I don't even bother with this unit. You need access to horses and there are better units you could be building.

Spearman
Requires Hunting
Requires Copper (Bronze Working) or Iron (Iron Working)
Strength 4, Movement 1
+100% vs. Mounted Units
Strong vs. Chariots, Horse Archers, & War Elephants, Weak vs. Catapults, Swordsmen, & Axemen

This is a solid defense unit that can hold its own in the Classical Era. However it is still a weak unit, so 1 or 2 Spearmen in your city should suffice against any mounted aggressors you encounter. Melee Units (especially the Axemen) can easily defeat the Spearman.

Axemen
Requires Bronze Working
Requires Copper or Iron (Iron Working)
Strength 5, Movement 1
+50% vs. Melee Units
Strong vs. Swordsmen, Spearmen, & Catapults, Weak vs. Axemen

This IS the defense unit to use in the Classical age. When I first played Civ 4, I ignored this unit completely focusing on building Swordsmen & Archers instead. But in the Greek World scenario, I realized the importance of using Axemen. When I stared attacking cities using the Praetorians I was given, there was an Axeman in one of the cities. I checked the odds for attacking and it was very low. That's because the Axemen gets a bonus vs. Praetorians!!! I then realized the importance of using Axemen in my cities -- to keep the swordsmen & axemen at bay!!! Anyways, combine your axemen with one or two Spearman and your city should be able to take on any challenge!!!

Swordsman
Requires Iron Working
Requires Iron
Strength 6, Movement 1
+10% City Attack
Strong vs. Cities & Most Ancient/Classical units, Weak vs. Axemen

This is the unit you should consider building when you want to attack cities at an early stage. But don't rely on them 100% -- Axemen get a bonus vs. Swordsmen and so you'll want Horse Archers as well as Catapults for your army. And if you have access to elephants, you'll want them in your attack army too. Remember, variety is the key!

Horse Archer
Requires Horseback Riding & Archery
Requires Horses
Strength 6, Movement 2
No defense bonuses
Immune to First Strikes
+50% vs. Catapults
Strong vs. Archers & Catapults, Weak vs. Spearmen

You'll want to build these to compliment the swordsmen. They are immune to first Strikes, therefore they are effective vs. Archers. They also receive a bonus vs. Catapults. Unfortunately, spearmen gets a 100% bonus vs. Horse Archers and it would be suicide for a Horse Archer to attack a Spearman. If you attack a city with Axemen and Spearmen, you'd be better off using your Swordsmen to attack the Axemen first or weaken them with a catapult. Also, supervise your Horse Archer as they are very poor defensive units (no defense bonuses).

Catapult
Requires Construction
Strength 5, Movement 1
No defense bonuses
Causes collateral damage
Bombards city defenses -15%/turn
Strong vs. Ancient Era Units, Weak vs. Horse Archers, Medieval, & Renaissance units

If you're planning to attack a well-defended city, the catapult is the #1 tool for weakening the enemy defenses. It can bombard defenses at a rate of -15% per catapult, per turn. Best of all, the catapult causes collateral damage to multiple units in a city. So the plan here is to bring lots of catapults, bombard the city defenses and finally use some of the catapults to weaken the fortified units. You'll probably lose the catapult (unless it withdraws), but it is worth it in the long run as your attack units will have an easier time dealing with the fortified units. Like in Civ 3, siege weapons are vulnerable to attack -- an unsupervised siege weapon is begging to be destroyed!

War Elephant
Requires Construction
Requires Ivory (Elephants)
Strength 8, Movement 1
No defense bonuses
+50% vs. Mounted Units
Strong vs. Chariot, Horse Archer, & Knight, Weak vs. Spearmen, War Elephants, & Pikemen

This is an optional unit, since you need to have access to Ivory (actually its the Elephants you need) in order to build them. So in some games you can build them and in some you can't. If you do have elephants, it would be wise to build some to these for your attack army. They can plow down most Ancient & Classical units with one attack (except for the spearman). Be sure to guard them -- they are vulnerable to attacks if unsupervised. But if you don't have any elephants, don't worry too much about this unit -- it is not necessary to have this unit to attack or defend your cities.

Galley
Requires Sailing
Strength 2, Movement 2
Can transport up to 2 units
Cannot enter ocean spaces

This is the first naval unit (Work Boats don't count -- it is not a real naval unit) you can build. There's not much you can do with this unit, but if you are playing an Archipelago game, this unit is a must! Galleys can attack other naval units, although there isn't much purpose for that either.

End of Ancient/Classical section

More to come later!

Medieval Era

Longbowman
Requires Archery & Feudalism
Strength 6, Movement 1
1 first strike
+25% City Defense
+25% Hills Defense
Strong vs. Ancient/Classical units, Weak vs. Knights

In the Medieval Age, this is the only unit you can construct (other than the Maceman) if you don't have any iron at all. This is a good defensive unit to build in the Medieval Era, but so are Macemen and Pikemen.

Crossbowman
Requires Machinery & Archery
Requires Iron
Strength 6, Movement 1
1 first strike
+50% vs. Melee Units
Strong vs. Macemen, Pikemen, Weak vs. Knights

I keep forgetting that this unit even exists, but this unit is useful for weeding out Macemen & Pikemen as it receives a bonus against them. They can also be garrisoned to protect yourself from Macemen & Pikemen.

Maceman
Requires Civil Service & Machinery
Requires Copper or Iron
Strength 8, Movement 1
+50% vs. Melee Units
Strong vs. Pikemen, Weak vs. Knights & Macemen

If you want to attack cities in the Medieval Era, pick up some Macemen to go with your Knights -- they can knock Pikemen with their melee bonus.

Pikemen
Requires Engineering
Requires Iron
Strength 6, Movement 1
+100% vs. Mounted Units
Strong vs. Knights, Weak vs. Crossbowmen & Macemen

This unit is a must build in the Medieval Era as a counter against Knights -- properly trained you can even use them against Calvary!!!

Knight
Requires Horseback Riding & Guilds
Requires Horses & Iron
Strength 10, Movement 2
Immune to first Strikes
No defense bonus
Strong vs. Longbowmen & Crossbowmen, Weak vs. Pikemen & War Elephants

This is the strongest unit you can build in the Medieval Era although you need Horses as well as Iron to build them! Don't have all Knights though in your army, they can do very little against a city full of Spearmen & Pikemen! Also remember that War Elephants can hold their own against Knights too!!!

Explorer
Requires Compass
Strength 4, Movement 2
Better results from Tribal Villages
Can only defend
Ignores Terrain Movement Cost
Starts with Guerilla & Woodsman I

Unfortunately, there isn't much use for this unit. Even in a Terra style game in which you have to explore an uninhabited continent, you still have to deal with the barbarians and by the time you get this unit, they'll have units that can defeat the explorer. There are two uses that I know for this unit -- use it to explore rival territory in which you have an Open Borders agreement with -- although any mounted unit will do the trick too or use them to explore the land in a Renaissance (or later) start. I'm sorry, but I think this unit is too weak to go Terra exploring in -- the barbarians can easily defeat this unit.

Caravel
Requires Optics
Strength 3, Movement 3
Can transport one of the following: Scouts, Explorers, Missionaries, Spies, or Great People
Can enter rival territory without an Open Borders agreement

You'll definitely want to build this unit -- especially in a Continents, Terra, or Archipelago game. The Caravel can enter rival territory, so this makes it a good unit to go exploring in. Like the Galley, the Caravel does a poor job in battle, but unfortunately there aren't any good war ships at this time to build.

End of Medieval section

I'm going to disagree with a couple of ideas here:

1) I find chariots extrememly useful once you get theology and 2nd rank promotions. With flanking II, you have a 50% withdrawal chance, the same immunity to first strikes as the horse archer, for a dirt cheap cost. They are great pillagers, and cost for cost can take on axemen and horse archers. They also make good units for medics.

2) Explorers can make decent escorts for horse archers and knights. They have the speed necessary to keep up, and with their 2nd promotion can have a net 8 strength against other units in forested areas!! They are a very cheap unit that can protect against pikemen.

Also, you can give explorers the medic promotion (build in a red cross city). With 2 moves, they can keep up with any army, including tanks. They will never be killed, because they will never defend. Very useful, and that way your tanks (or whatever) can use their promotions on other things.

Also, you can give explorers the medic promotion (build in a red cross city). With 2 moves, they can keep up with any army, including tanks. They will never be killed, because they will never defend. Very useful, and that way your tanks (or whatever) can use their promotions on other things.

I've a question.

If the explorer has both the 'march' and 'heal' promotion. Can he heals the rest after making a move?

Explorers can also be use for recon activities with Woodsman or Guerilla promotion (Barrack + a civic/wonder will get you 6XP when building new unit). With forest/Jungle/Hills, it can essentially move 4 squares even in enemy territory. Attacking without knowing what is stationed in a city is simply poor war planning.

[B]Galley
Requires Sailing
Strength 2, Movement 2
Can transport up to 2 units
Cannot enter ocean spaces

This is the first naval unit (Work Boats don't count -- it is not a real naval unit) you can build. There's not much you can do with this unit, but if you are playing an Archipelago game, this unit is a must! Galleys can attack other naval units, although there isn't much purpose for that either.



Galleys can pillage water improvements, so they are necessary to protect fish/clam/crab resources even on pangea maps and can hurt an enemy forgetting to build a galley.
Also they can bypass choke points.


Work boats are a naval unit, they can explore.
Often low productive fishing cities are low productive and also have to wait for expanding of borders. A work boat build in a nearby high productive city, can explore a neighbouring island, while waiting for the border expansion.

And work boat can be a lot earlier than galleys, if you have a lot of access to fish, but the island is big enough to found a few cities with interesting resources. Then you get work boats long before galleys and by the time you get galleys, you have settlers and axeman ready for settling or conquest, the scouting info from work boats could be very usefull then. Ans the work boats are not realy wasted, because very likely one of the new built cities will have access to water resource and the work bosat will already be there.

I never used this extensively so far, as i did not play archipelago, but it could be usefull, to use work boat for scouting.

Carn

Also, you can give explorers the medic promotion (build in a red cross city). With 2 moves, they can keep up with any army, including tanks. They will never be killed, because they will never defend. Very useful, and that way your tanks (or whatever) can use their promotions on other things.

Good point. Unfortunately, that means you need to research medicine, build alot of hospital and build Red Cross and it is very rare that I get the opportunity to build it. Nevertheless, I'll update the explorer section with your information.

(carn) Yes, the Work Boat is a naval unit, but since it is a unit that can't defend itself or fight, it is not on the list. This thread is about unit strategy and other than using the boat for expoloring and fishing, there's not much strategy for that unit.

(stalker0) If you have a good use for the chariot, fine. But since civ 3, the fact that Chariots require horses and Horsemen (or Horse Archers) is not far away from chariot, discourages me from building them -- even more so in Civ 3, because Chariots can't enter forests or jungles (unless a road is there). In civ 1 & 2 though, Chariots were a good unit to build.

As for Civ 4, in my most recent game I played, I did use Chariots to squash the barbarians, but Horse Archers are not far away, and once you get Archery & Horseback Riding, you might as well build a Horse Archer. I even played Persia using Immortals alot and after a while the +50% bonus vs. Archers didn't mean a thing.

Great post! Of course some people are going to disagree with some things here. They did a good enough job at balancing units that players will swear by different unit types.

One thing I disagree on is that I think macemen are better attacking units than knights. With the city raider upgrade, they can be pretty powerful. Also, since they can be upgraded to musketeers and riflemen, you can have those units with city raider bonuses (something they can't normally have). So I usually don't end up building many knights other than to use to destroy attacking units before they pillage me.

Warrior
No Requirements
Strength 2, Movement 1

This is your basic unit in the beginning of the game. They are mainly used to explore the landscape and it can hold its own against Barbarian warriors. But that's just about it.

Good read, so far. Just to try & help make your guide as accurate as possible:


Warriors get a +25% City Defense bonus which is a big asset against early aggressors, especially if your leader has Aggressive - a fortified Warrior can stop a Barbarian Archer, which can invade before you are set.
consider them as your choice defender against Incan Quechas in the early going. Archers are a the wrong (poorer?) choice in this situation.
good with Hereditary Rule for cheap, yet effective, military police - especially in your cities where there is less chance of being invaded.


Keep it up, man! :cooool:

Good job we needed one of these!

Good read, so far. Just to try & help make your guide as accurate as possible:


Warriors get a +25% City Defense bonus which is a big asset against early aggressors, especially if your leader has Aggressive - a fortified Warrior can stop a Barbarian Archer, which can invade before you are set.
consider them as your choice defender against Incan Quechas in the early going. Archers are a the wrong (poorer?) choice in this situation.
good with Hereditary Rule for cheap, yet effective, military police - especially in your cities where there is less chance of being invaded.


Keep it up, man! :cooool:

Thanks for the info, I checked the manual and they do get a 25% defense bonus in a city! I know nothing about the Quenchas though -- never played the Incas before. But after I go through all of the eras, I am considering doing a special section for unique units. But for now, I am writing this article as if no UU exists in the game at all.

Thanks for the info, I checked the manual and they do get a 25% defense bonus in a city! I know nothing about the Quenchas though -- never played the Incas before. But after I go through all of the eras, I am considering doing a special section for unique units. But for now, I am writing this article as if no UU exists in the game at all.

Quechas are a 2 Strength warrior replacement for the Incans who get a +100% bonus against Archers.

I respect your approach. Thought it would help with the OVERALL benefit of using that unit. I'll keep that in mind if I find anything else to suggest.

Here (http://www.civfanatics.com/civ4/info/units/) is a link to the Units listed on Civ Fanatics. The new patch changed some of the statistics (mainly cost) of the units that may be different than the manual. May be a quicker reference, too! :)

Renaissance Era Units

Musketman
Requires Gunpowder
Strength 9, Movement 1

This is the first gunpowder-based unit you can build (just like in all of the civ games). They are mainly used to defend cities and can defend them well too.

Grenadier
Requires Chemistry
Strength 12, Movement 1
+50% attack vs. Riflemen
Strong vs. Riflemen & Musketmen, Weak vs. Calvary

This unit is a must-have for your army. These units are used to dispatch Musketmen & Riflemen and are good well-rounded attackers and defenders overall.

Calvary
Requires Horseback Riding, Gunpowder, & Military Tradition
Requires Horses
Strength 15, Movement 2
No defense bonuses
+50% attack vs. Cannon
Strong vs. Cannons, Musketmen, & Grenadiers, Weak vs. Pikemen & Riflemen

This is the main attack unit in the Renaissance era. They are mainly used to dispatch older, outdated units. Grenadiers though are your best choice vs. Riflemen as they receive a bonus towards them (and Calvary receive a penalty towards them).

Rifleman
Requires Rifling
Strength 14, Movement 1
+25% vs. Mounted Units
Strong vs. Calvary, Weak vs. Grenadiers

This is indeed a very good unit for the Renaissance era. Watch out for those grenadiers though!!!

Galleon
Requires Astronomy
Strength 4, Movement 4
Can hold up to 3 units

This is the first real naval transport unit. It can transport up to 3 units. The galleon only has a strength of 4 though so escort it with a frigate if you are at war with another civ (If I am at peace with everyone, I usually don't bother with the escort unit.)

Frigate
Requires Chemistry & Astronomy
Requires Iron
Strength 8, Movement 4
Bombard city defenses -10%/turn

This is the first gunpowder-based war ship you can build and very versatile too. Use it to guard your galleons or to sabotage another rival's shipping! This is also the first naval unit you can use to bombard coastal city defenses!

End of Renaissance section

Quechas are a 2 Strength warrior replacement for the Incans who get a +100% bonus against Archers.

I respect your approach. Thought it would help with the OVERALL benefit of using that unit. I'll keep that in mind if I find anything else to suggest.

Here (http://www.civfanatics.com/civ4/info/units/) is a link to the Units listed on Civ Fanatics. The new patch changed some of the statistics (mainly cost) of the units that may be different than the manual. May be a quicker reference, too! :)

Wow, so that means you can wage an early war with Quenchas (although I am not a fan of Ancient Era war). Take out their archers even before you get Swordsmen. Cool.

Oh and BTW, I know about the units section. I am mainly using it to conduct my analysis because I don't know everything about every unit.

I think you are forgetting one key unit to winning any war, particularly early game wars:

The worker.

Ancient and Dark-Age wars are pointless without them. I will not wage war until there is a key and well-planned route to the enemy staging ground, and on top of that, slapping up a fortress on a hill (or an air bunker) near or in enemy territory could be a good way to really piss off your opponent. My strategy is to bring enough workers (typically 3, possibly 2 with the right wonder/research combo) to build a road (or railroad) a turn, which means they will arrive with your first wave of slow units for an escort. Upon arrival, they can build a fortress as a holding spot for the secondary wave, which kills time until the first city is taken and the rioting settled. Next the workers can go about rebuilding the damage done by your pillaging. In the mean time, I am upgrading units, and slowly expanding my defensive radius to keep the backlash away from my new city and my workers.

One great benefit to this strategy is that should you arrive and end up razing a few cities, your units aren't stranded for a couple hundred years in ancient times - the return will literally be a third of that which was required to get there in the first place! On top of that, if you are passing through neutral or friendly countries, you are connecting yourself to them for all kinds of access, merchant, missionary, or even future military. Never underestimate a handful of workers!

Good point. Unfortunately, that means you need to research medicine, build alot of hospital and build Red Cross and it is very rare that I get the opportunity to build it. Nevertheless, I'll update the explorer section with your information.

I had a thought about the explorer, but i cannot test. With barracks and vasselage/theocracy he can get woodsmanship/guriella 2 when build. Do both bonuses add when standing on a forested hill?
That would be 75% terrain+50% wood 2+50% guerrilla2+25% fortification =200% bonus, thats strength 12, more than anything else for neglible costs. That would cause humans not to attack them, providing safe scouting and retreat for wounded units and the AI to waste units on them.

(carn) Yes, the Work Boat is a naval unit, but since it is a unit that can't defend itself or fight, it is not on the list. This thread is about unit strategy and other than using the boat for expoloring and fishing, there's not much strategy for that unit.

You mentioned that explorers main use is scouting, so i think its in line with unit guide to mention that workboats can be used to scout earlier than galleys, though more expensively.

(stalker0) If you have a good use for the chariot, fine. But since civ 3, the fact that Chariots require horses and Horsemen (or Horse Archers) is not far away from chariot, discourages me from building them -- even more so in Civ 3, because Chariots can't enter forests or jungles (unless a road is there). In civ 1 & 2 though, Chariots were a good unit to build.

As for Civ 4, in my most recent game I played, I did use Chariots to squash the barbarians, but Horse Archers are not far away, and once you get Archery & Horseback Riding, you might as well build a Horse Archer. I even played Persia using Immortals alot and after a while the +50% bonus vs. Archers didn't mean a thing.

I'd guess for egypt the war chariot is preferable to horse archer, str 5, cost 25, immune to first strike + 20% retreat is better then str 6, cost 50, immune to first strike without retreat chance.

Carn

Why would you need the BMed to turn Explorers into ambulances? Barracks + Vass/Theo suffice; Combat I + medic promotion.
Very useful. Can scout ahead, and return to heal your stack in time. Of course, you rarely need more than one or two of them, but @40sp, they are a good investment.

You forgot cannon. If it's time to write about riflemen, it's certainly time for cannons.
Also your list of units has become more like a list than a guide. I can see for myself that musketmen are the first gunpowder unit I'm probably going to build. Do you think that they're helpful, given that their strength is only 9, and macemen and knights are pretty much there anyway?
I haven't really built musket men ever, because upgrading them to riflemen costs so much, and they're not better than knights. They serve a very narrow purpose of being helpful if you're under attack and need some extra strength in your defensive units, but otherwise it's best to invest in catapults and knights until riflemen.
Cavalry can be very handy for taking out artillery later in the game, and generally mopping up after they've become outmoded as main assault units. They're also useful even further towards the end: if your enemies get tanks they provide a nice resource pool for getting yourself some gunships.

Although you've said that you're not writing about UUs, here's the time for someone to mention redcoats. Redcoats not only have more strength than riflemen, but get a 25% bonus against other gunpowder units too, making them tougher than anything else, even grenadiers (16+25%=20, 12+50%=18).
That is a huge advantage. If someone has redcoats you're still going to be taking more losses than he is even if you have the correct counter unit. You therefore are going to need lots of bombardment and some suicide catapults/cannon to soften him up first.
Or rather, even more bombardment, since by this point you're going to want to use catapults on every city anyway.

Axemen
Requires Bronze Working
Requires Copper or Iron (Iron Working)
Strength 5, Movement 1
+50% vs. Melee Units
Strong vs. Swordsmen, Spearmen, & Catapults, Weak vs. Axemen

This IS the defense unit to use in the Classical age. When I first played Civ 4, I ignored this unit completely focusing on building Swordsmen & Archers instead. But in the Greek World scenario, I realized the importance of using Axemen. When I stared attacking cities using the Praetorians I was given, there was an Axeman in one of the cities. I checked the odds for attacking and it was very low. That's because the Axemen gets a bonus vs. Praetorians!!! I then realized the importance of using Axemen in my cities -- to keep the swordsmen & axemen at bay!!! Anyways, combine your axemen with one or two Spearman and your city should be able to take on any challenge!!!


Going to disagree here. A fully-promoted Garrison III Archer (easily achievable by defending a city against barbarians for a century or two) will beat an enemy Axeman handily and do quite well against even promoted City Raider Swordsmen. One Axeman per city should be more than adequate, with the bulk of the defenders being Archers.

Another thing worth looking at is upgrade path. It's worth keeping a lot of Warriors floating around as military police (Hereditary Rule) and then upgrading them selectively to Spearmen, Axemen, or Macemen as need dictates (and technology allows). In fact, I'd argue that cold hard cash is the best Rapid Reaction Force available ;^)

My general strategy is to fortify =every= city with an Archer (with as much Garrison as available xp options allow) and a Warrior (to be upgraded if needed). Core cities needing happiness get more Warriors. Border cities needing protection tend to get an Axeman and an extra Archer. Add in a mobile force posted to a central location and you should be able to handle a major incursion.

Another thing to note is that early Archers promoted with the Guerrilla option can sit on forested hills all over your territory (or just beyond) and intercept incoming barbarians quite effectively. The barbarians will bypass them if they "see" a juicier target, but as long as nothing better is in line of sight, the barbarians simply can't pass by an entrenched unit of expert mountain fighters without trying to impress everyone with their barbarian bloodlust :^D

This is generally more effective than Woodsman-promoted melee units because the Archers leverage the hill (which if important for visibility and vision) better.

Although you've said that you're not writing about UUs, here's the time for someone to mention redcoats. Redcoats not only have more strength than riflemen, but get a 25% bonus against other gunpowder units too, making them tougher than anything else, even grenadiers (16+25%=20, 12+50%=18).

Ditto. I read a lot about the power of a Cossack rush, but nobody seems to give the Redcoats any credit. A Redcoat SoD is very, very dangerous ... and it'll send all of those lovely Cossacks to the glue factory as an added benefit. :hammer:

You forgot cannon. If it's time to write about riflemen, it's certainly time for cannons.
Also your list of units has become more like a list than a guide. I can see for myself that musketmen are the first gunpowder unit I'm probably going to build. Do you think that they're helpful, given that their strength is only 9, and macemen and knights are pretty much there anyway?
I haven't really built musket men ever, because upgrading them to riflemen costs so much, and they're not better than knights. They serve a very narrow purpose of being helpful if you're under attack and need some extra strength in your defensive units, but otherwise it's best to invest in catapults and knights until riflemen.
Cavalry can be very handy for taking out artillery later in the game, and generally mopping up after they've become outmoded as main assault units. They're also useful even further towards the end: if your enemies get tanks they provide a nice resource pool for getting yourself some gunships.

I didn't forget about the cannon -- it will be in the Industrial section since that's where Sid decided to put it. I agree though, the cannon appears way too late in the game. By the time you get it, it will already be time for artillery and the cannon is really a Renaissance unit!!!

As for Civ 4, in my most recent game I played, I did use Chariots to squash the barbarians, but Horse Archers are not far away, and once you get Archery & Horseback Riding, you might as well build a Horse Archer. I even played Persia using Immortals alot and after a while the +50% bonus vs. Archers didn't mean a thing.

When your looking at units, its also important to look at the cost as much as their strength. Chariots cost exactly half what horse archers cost, so you can effectively field twice the number of them. This gives you a wider range of coverage for your empire, more pillaging power, and more versatility (you can shake up your promotions a bit).

Another tactic for them is to send in a flanking II chariot against a tough foe, then have a horse archer clean it up. This lets you build up xp for your horse archers and keeps them safe.

When your looking at units, its also important to look at the cost as much as their strength. Chariots cost exactly half what horse archers cost, so you can effectively field twice the number of them. This gives you a wider range of coverage for your empire, more pillaging power, and more versatility (you can shake up your promotions a bit).

Another tactic for them is to send in a flanking II chariot against a tough foe, then have a horse archer clean it up. This lets you build up xp for your horse archers and keeps them safe.

That's a good point you have, the problem is, I don't wage early wars that often unless there are Barbarian cities I can raid. Otherwise, I like to play the diplo game early on even if I'm going to eventually declare war on a certain civ!

The chariot is not a worthless unit (In civ3 it definitely was a very uselss unit unless you already have a road system) and it is quick to build and is good for early wars. I just don't participate in early wars enough to know that!

Your doing a unit guide too? Ah, the more the merrier?

Industrial Units

Land Units

Cannon
Requires Steel
Requires Iron
Strength 12, Movement 1
No defense bonus
Causes collateral damage
Bombards city defenses -20%/turn
Weak vs. Calvary

I don't know why the cannon appears late in the game in this edition of civ. By the time you get cannons, you are well on your way to artillery!!! Anyways, this is a stronger version of the catapult, so build them when they become available. The strategy for the cannon is about the same as a catapult, I'm afraid.

Machine Gun
Requires Railroad
Strength 18, Movement 1
Can only defend
1 first strike
+50% vs. Gunpowder Units
Strong vs. Gunpowder Units, Weak vs. Marines & Artillery

This is a good unit to build for your cities. The catch is that you can't play offensive with these units -- they can only defend, but they'll protect your cities from many forms of gunpowder units. Unfortunately, Marines have a bonus against Machine Guns, so you'll need to use another approach against them.

Infantry
Requires Rifling & Assembly Line
Strength 20, Movement 1
+25% vs, Gunpowder Units
Strong vs. Gunpowder Units, Weak vs. Armored & Air units

This is, in my opinion one of the most versatile units in the game. They can defend well (but not as well as Machine Guns -- Machine guns have a strength of 27 vs. gunpowder units, Infantry only has strength 25 vs. gunpowder units) and unlike the Machine Gun, they can attack other gunpowder units too. Putting them in your attack army is also smart for protecting your tanks & artillery too. They can become medics, specialists, city defenders, you name it, they can do it!

Marine
Requires Rifling & Industrialism
Strength 24, Movement 1
+50% attack vs. Machine Guns & Artillery
Starts with Amphibious
Strong vs. Machine Guns & Artillery, Weak vs. Armored & Air units

This unit is not just good for overseas attacks, but it is a good unit to use period for attack and defense.

Spy
Requires Communism
Requires Scotland Yard
Movement 1
Invisible to all units
Can explore rival territory
Can expose rival spies in nearby tiles
Starts with sentry

This is one of my favorite units in the entire game although you need the Scotland Yard National Wonder to train them. My favorite use of the spy is to simply place it in a rival city (usually a rival's capital) to just simply take a peek at what that city is up to. If I am planning to attack a certain civ, I can place a spy at the target city in order to see its garrison. Whoever came up with the spy city investigation idea for this game should pat themselves on the back! It is a much, much better system from civ 3 in which you had to pay gold in order to see a city. Civ2 had a similar system to this civ, but you had to actively use your spy to investigate a city. Here all you have to do is go to the city, fortify it, and relax. You can see what the city is building and a double click will take you inside the city!!! I just love it and I take full advantage of that fact!

I rarely use any of the spy missions, but my favorite is the steal plans. In case you don't know by the way, this mission works best in the civ's capital, Forbidden Palace, or Versailles (The star above the city bar indicates a Forbidden Palace or Versailles.) If successful, you will not just know all of the locations of all of the military units -- the entire civs territory is revealed as well!!! Very useful indeed!

The sabotage production can be useful -- if you have a lot of money and you don't mind ruining your relationship with that civ.

I don't use the pillage feature often, simply because I like to make friends over enemies. Usually I only use spy missions if I am already at war with that civ as sabotaging a peaceful civ can ruin relations (and trigger war!) But I ALWAYS use the investigation mission on any civ -- it is free and there's no way your spy can get caught doing it!

Spies are also used to prevent rival spies from doing their dirty work. The first time I saw a sabotage was on the Prince skill level, so I will assume that the AI does sabotages only on Prince or higher levels.

The real drawback is that you are only allowed to train 4 spies at a time. So use them wisely!!!

Tank
Requires Rifling & Industrialism
Requires Oil
Strength 28, Movement 2
Doesn't receive defensive bonuses
Starts with Blitz
Strong vs. Foot Soldiers, Weak vs. Gunships

This is the first unit that can totally devastate your enemies!!! Plus they start with Blitz, allowing them to attack multiple times per turn! You know what to do with this unit, attack and protect them from rival tanks/gunships.

Artillery
Requires Artillery
Strength 18, Movement 1
Doesn't receive defensive bonuses
Causes collateral damage
+50% vs. Siege Weapons
Bombards city defenses -25%/turn
Strong vs. Cannons, Catapults, & Machine Guns, Weak vs. Marines, Artillery, & Modern Units

I've already told you how to use these units in the catapult section, so I won't repeat it here. However, unlike the Catapult & the Cannon, it receives a bonus against other siege weapons, so this is a suitable weapon against machine guns and older siege weapons.

Naval Units

Ironclad
Requires Steel & Steam Power
Requires Iron & Coal
Strength 12, Movement 2
Cannot enter ocean squares
Bombards city defenses -10%/turn

This unit would be more useful if it could enter ocean squares. But it can't and on top of that, it is less mobile than the frigate. This unit is useful as a defensive role, but that's just about it.

Transport
Requires Combustion
Requires Oil or Uranium
Strength 16, Movement 5
Can transport up to 4 units

The ultimate transport unit. Be sure to escort this unit with a Destroyer or Battleship.

Destroyer
Requires Combustion
Requires Oil or Uranium
Strength 30, Movement 8
Can see submarines
Bombards city defenses -15%/turn

Don't neglect this unit just because you can build a battleship. This unit has radar which allows the detection of submarines and therefore is an important escort unit. And if your ship has sentry, it will work even better!

Battleship
Requires Industrialism
Requires Oil or Uranium
Strength 40, Movement 6
Causes collateral damage
Bombards city defenses -20%/turn

The ultimate naval unit and the strongest unit too (except for the Modern Armor). It can do it all -- attack other naval units, bombard coastal cities, escort land units on the sea, or defend your resources, the battleship can do it all!!!

End of Industrial section

I saw your bit about artillery, and I wondered why artillery is good against other artillery. Don't they both get the bonus against each other? So, in fact, artillery is good for pulverising catapults and cannon, but its bonus is really good for machine guns, which are classed as siege units.

'Artillery
Requires Artillery
Strength 18, Movement 1
Doesn't receive defensive bonuses
Causes collateral damage
+50% vs. Siege Weapons
Bombards city defenses -25%/turn
Strong vs. Artillery (when attacking), Weak vs. Marines & Modern Units

I've already told you how to use these units in the catapult section, so I won't repeat it here. However, unlike the Catapult & the Cannon, it receives a bonus against other siege weapons, so this is a suitable weapon against enemy artillery.'

There's also another really good use for machine guns...pillaging!!! Machine guns CAN pillage, and besides they are a very good defensive unit. Send out your pillaging teams with a few of these and it will be a hard nut for an enemy to crack.

(bighteye) You're absolutely right about MGs being siege weapons!!! I'll update my artillery section with this info.

(Stalker0) Good point there about the MGs.

Modern Units

Land Units

SAM Infantry
Requires Rocketry
Strength 18, Movement 1
40% chance of intercepting aircraft
+50% vs. Helicopters
Strong vs. Air Units/Helicopters, Weak vs. Armored Units

Although weaker than infantry, SAM Infantry has a 40% chance of intercepting air units. They also can defeat the helicopter nuisance the AI loves to do. My rule about playing offensively definitely applies here. Although helicopters cannot conquer cities, they can do ALOT of damage to your improvements in a short amount of time since they ignore terrain costs in enemy territory! So build this unit as soon as you get Rocketry although this can be hard if you are playing a space race since the Apollo Program falls under this tech too!

Mechanized Infantry
Requires Rifling & Robotics
Strength 32, Movement 2
20% chance of intercepting aircraft
Starts with March
Strong vs. all units except Modern Armor, Weak vs. Modern Armor

Like standard infantry, this is a versatile unit that can perform offensive and defensive tasks! Garrisoning these units will also protect against aircraft (but not as well as SAM Infantry). Furthermore, these units are as mobile as armored units and can heal while moving, so they can get into trouble spots fast!

Modern Armor
Requires Composites & Computers
Requires Oil & Aluminum
Strength 40, Movement 2
1 first strike
Doesn't receive defensive bonuses
Starts with Blitz
Strong vs. Foot Soldiers & Mechanized Infantry, Weak vs. Helicopters & Air Units

The ultimate unit in the game! It has a whopping strength of 40, strikes first and strikes multiple times per turn. Build a few of these and watch your enemy squirm!!!

Naval Units

Submarine
Requires Radio & Combustion
Requires Oil or Uranium
Strength 24, Movement 6
Can transport one of the following: Scouts, Explorers, Missionaries, Spies, or Great People
Invisible to all units except Destroyers & Submarines
Can see submarines
Can enter rival territory without an Open Borders agreement
50% withdrawal chance
Strong vs. Transports, Carriers, & Pre-Industrial Units, Weak vs. Destroyers

This unit is the invisible version of the caravel. They can also detect other subs and destroy unescorted ships.

Carrier
Requires Flight
Requires Oil or Uranium
Strength 16, Movement 5
Can transport up to 3 fighters

This unit carries fighters, allowing for air attacks overseas. Escort it well -- losing a carrier w/ 3 fighter is bad karma indeed!!!

Air Units

Fighter
Requires Flight
Requires Oil
Strength 12, Range 6
50% chance of intercepting aircraft
Can destroy tile improvements
Bombards city defenses -5%/turn

This is the first air unit you can build and can defend itself against bombers real well. It is also useful for destroying improvements, but it is a poor choice for bombarding cities.

Bomber
Requires Flight & Radio
Requires Oil
Strength 16, Range 8
Causes collateral damage
-50% vs. water units
Can destroy tile improvements
Bombards city defenses -15%/turn
Strong vs. Cities, Weak vs. Garrisoned Fighters, SAM Infantry, or Mechanized Infantry

This unit is perfect for attacking cities as it causes collateral damage to units and decreases the city defense too, but if there are Fighters/SAM Infantry in the city, the Bomber can be intercepted or even shot down! The Bomber can also bomb water units, but suffers a 50% penalty when doing so.

Gunship
Requires Flight & Rocketry
Requires Oil
Strength 20, Movement 4
Cannot capture enemy cities
Doesn't receive defensive bonuses
Flies over terrain
25% withdrawal chance
+100% vs. Armored units
Strong vs. Tank & Modern Armor, Weak vs. SAM Infantry & Mechanized Infantry

Another versatile unit and the AI loves to build these!!! They can fly through enemy terrain allowing them to cover alot of ground each turn and wreck havoc on top of that!!! But their main purpose is as a counter against Tanks & Modern Armor. They can't fly over water tiles though which I think is crazy!!!

Jet Fighter
Requires Flight & Composites
Requires Oil or Aluminum
Strength 24, Range 10
70% chance of intercepting aircraft
Can destroy tile improvements
Bombards city defenses -10%/turn

This is a much better version of the fighter that has an extended range, can perform its tasks better, and intercept aircraft better than the original fighter.

Stealth Bomber
Requires Flight, Robotics, & Composites
Requires Oil & Aluminum
Strength 20, Range 12
50% chance of evading interception
Causes collateral damage
-50% vs. water units
Can destroy tile improvements
Bombards city defenses -20%/turn
Strong vs. Cities, Weak vs. Garrisoned Fighters, SAM Infantry, or Mechanized Infantry

This bomber is a big, big improvement from the original. It has an extended range, extra power, and a 50% chance of evading interception (but still suffers a penalty vs. Water Units)!!! This is by far the best offensive air unit you can build!!!

Miscellaneous Units

ICBM
Requires Rocketry & Fission
Requires Uranium
Requires The Manhattan Project (Like in every other civ game, anyone with Rocketry, Fission, & Uranium can build ICBMs once any civ builds The Manhattan Project)
Can nuke enemy lands

This is the ultimate warfare unit in the entire game. When used, it will cause devastation in the city and the surrounding lands and you can easily capture cities in this way!!!

Beware though, use them and the enemy can strike back with their nukes! Your diplomatic relations with others will also drop when used. Finally, using nukes causes global warming which will cause a fertile land to become completely useless. Global warming affects ALL civs even if you don't use a single nuke!

There are 2 ways to prevent a nuclear strike:

1. The SDI. This project requires Satellites and will intercept 75% of all nukes aimed at you. In a team game, only one member needs to build this to protect the entire team from 75% of the nukes.

2. In diplomatic victory games, once the UN is built, the Secretary-General can ban nukes from being built. Do it if you become the S-G, because the AI will very likely propose it and it will eliminate the construction of nukes altogether. Beware though, if The Manhattan Project has already been constructed, this proposal will NOT eliminate nukes that already exist!!!

Pay attention to when The Manhattan Project is built and who has Uranium and don't declare war on civs w/ Uranium. Also this is common sense, but DO NOT accept Uranium demands (it is OK to give Uranium to your teammates if you have extra -- but that's it)!!! If the target civ does declares war, they won't have any nukes since they can't build any in the first place!!!

If you do use nukes, be very, very careful as you can set off a full-blown war!!! I know for a fact that if you use nukes in Civ3, other civs can sometimes declare war! I don't know if that's the case here -- feel free to reply if this happens in Civ4!

If you do get nuked in this civ game (by a nuclear plant meltdown or an ICBM), the nuked lands will become fallout (instead of pollution as in the other civ games), learning Ecology will allow workers to remove fallout.

All I can say is be very, very careful in declaring war if nukes are to be involved.

End of Modern Units

Stay tuned, because in my next section, I will discuss all 18 unique units in Civ4!

Does a gunship really only have a strength of 20? I thought it was 24. If it's only 20 then even with the 100% bonus against armour it's only even with modern armour, making modern armour the only sensible build option.

Does a gunship really only have a strength of 20? I thought it was 24. If it's only 20 then even with the 100% bonus against armour it's only even with modern armour, making modern armour the only sensible build option.

I thought it was 24, but the units guide on this site said only 20. Maybe it is a mistake or a value from an older version of civ.

Unique Units (Bold print indicates changes)

Quechua (Inca)
Replaces Warrior
No Requirements
Strength 2, Movement 1
No defense bonuses
+25% City Defense
+100% vs. Archery Units
Strong vs. Archers, Weak vs. Classical Era Units

There has been alot of talk about the Quechua rush you can do if Archers are garrisoned in an enemy city. I put that to the test by playing a Duel size, pangaea map against the Aztecs. When the Aztecs founded the second city, I started to attack with the Quechuas I already had. Their new city razed, I went after the capital. By that time they were using archers (Yes!) They attacked with one of their archers and failed. Anyways, since I had an overwhelming number of Quechuas, the Aztecs had no chance at all and I won an easy conquest victory. So the Quechua rush DOES work after all!!! So with that said, if you play Inca, build alot of these and take out a civ or two before they can become stronger (WARNING -- you won't be able to do this with the Mali -- they have a unique unit that can hold its own against the Quechua). I am not a fan of early war or rushes, but it seems to be the effective strategy for this unit.

On top of that, this is a very good unit to use against Barbarians too. Once those archers come to your turf, your Quechua can easily defeat them (remember to play offensively -- you don't want to lose any improvements at this stage of the game.)

Fast Worker (India)
Replaces Worker
No Requirements
Movement 3
Can improve tiles

This is simply a regular worker with an additional movement point, thus allowing India to build improvements faster.

Skirmisher (Mali)
Replaces Archer
Requires Archery
Strength 4, Movement 1
1-2 first strikes
+50% city defense
+25% hills defense

This is a good, all around defensive unit for the Malinese which can hold its own against Barbarians and some classical era units as well. It also has a chance to strike first twice. Unlike the standard archer, this unit is actually worth building until the medieval era.

Immortal (Persia)
Replaces Chariot
Requires The Wheel
Requires Horses
Strength 4, Movement 2
Receives defensive bonuses
30% withdrawal chance
+50% vs. Archery Units
Strong vs. Archers, Weak vs. Spearmen

This is a much better version of the Chariot. This unit can be used to wage early war against archers and has a better chance of withdrawal than a regular chariot.

War Chariot (Egypt)
Replaces Chariot
Requires The Wheel
Requires Horses
Strength 5, Movement 2
Immune to first strikes
No defense bonuses
20% withdrawal chance
Strong vs. Archers, Weak vs. Spearmen

This unit is another good candidate against the archers as it has immunity vs. first strikes and a combat strength of 5 -- 1 strength lower than a Horse Archer!!!

Phalanx (Greece)
Replaces Spearman
Requires Hunting
Requires Copper or Iron
Strength 5, Movement 1
No defense bonuses
+25% hills defense
+100% vs. Mounted Units
Strong vs. Chariots, Horse Archers, War Elephants, & Knights, Weak vs. Catapults, Axemen, & Swordsmen

This is one of the weaker UUs in civ4 (unless you're playing the Greek World scenario). Don't underestimate it though -- it can defeat mounted units better than a spearmen can. Unfortunately, the Phalanx is even more susceptible to Catapults, Axemen & Swordsmen as it receives no defense bonuses (except on a hill).

Jaguar (Aztec)
Replaces Swordsman
Requires Iron Working
Requires NO Iron
Strength 5, Movement 1
+10% city attack
+25% jungle defense
Strong vs. Cities & Spearmen, Weak vs. Axemen

One of the worst UUs in the entire game!!! The Jaguar only has a strength of 5 (instead of 6 for a regular swordsman). The good news is that you don't need iron to train these -- they can also defend themselves well in jungle terrain.

Praetorian (Rome)
Replaces Swordsman
Requires Iron Working
Requires Iron
Strength 8, Movement 1
Strong vs. Most Ancient/Classical Units, Weak vs. Axemen

Oh Yes!!! A classical unit with an attack strength of 8!!! That's almost as good as Macemen (but without the Melee Units bonus). These are powerful, versatile units good on the attack and defense and will serve you well indeed in the Classical Era. Use them to your advantage, especially in the Greek World scenario!

Keshik (Mongolia)
Replaces Horse Archer
Requires Horseback Riding & Archery
Requires Horses
Strength 6, Movement 2
1 first strike
No defense bonuses
Ignores terrain movement costs
+50% attack vs. Catapult
Strong vs. Archers & Catapults, Weak vs. Spearmen

This unit is perfect for pillaging as it is guaranteed to move 2 spaces/turn! The Keshik also has an edge over other units with its fist strike. Very powerful indeed!

Cho-Ko-Nu (China)
Replaces Crossbowman
Requires Machinery & Archery
Requires Iron
Strength 6, Movement 1
2 first strikes
Causes collateral damage
+50% vs. Melee Units
Strong vs. Macemen & Pikemen, Weak vs. Knights

This is a good replacement for the crossbowman! It gets 2 first strikes and causes collateral damage making it perfect for cities & unit stacks!!! The crossbowman is still effective vs. Macemen & Pikemen.

Samurai (Japan)
Replaces Maceman
Requires Civil Service & Machinery
Requires Iron (and only Iron)
Strength 8, Movement 1
2 first strikes
+50% vs. Melee Units
Strong vs. Pikemen & Macemen, Weak vs. Knights

This is an enhanced version of the Maceman which strike first twice in battle!!! Use it to crush your enemies -- especially Melee Units. The 2 first strikes allows the Samurai to get an edge over regular Macemen.

Camel Archer (Arabia)
Replaces Knight
Requires Guilds, Horseback Riding, & Archery
Requires NO Resources!!!
Strength 10, Movement 2
Immune to first strikes
No defense bonuses
25% chance of withdrawal
Strong vs. Longbowmen & Crossbowmen, Weak vs. Pikemen & War Elephants

This unit is no different from the Knight except for the fact that you need no resources to train this unit! The strategy for this unit is the same as the Knight!

Conquistador (Spain)
Replaces Knight
Requires Guilds & Horseback Riding
Requires Horses & Iron
Strength 10, Movement 2
2 first strikes
Immune to first strikes
Receive defense bonuses!!!
+50% vs. Melee Units
Strong vs. Longbowmen, Crossbowmen, & Macemen, Weak vs. Pikemen & War Elephants

This is the most dangerous UU in the Medieval era by a mile!!! It can strike twice, receives defense bonuses, and receives a 50% bonus vs. Melee Units and has an attack strength of 10 (vs. 8 for the Samurai) and a movement rate of 2 (vs. 1 for the Samurai)!!!

Musketeer (France)
Replaces Musketman
Requires Gunpowder
Strength 9, Movement 2

This is the only foot soldier with a movement rate of 2 and therefore more mobile than Musketmen.

Cossack (Russia)
Replaces Cavalry
Requires Military Tradition, Gunpowder, & Horseback Riding
Requires Horses
Strength 18, Movement 2
No defense bonuses
30% chance of withdrawal
+50% vs. Cannon
+50% vs. Mounted Units
Strong vs. Cannons, Musketmen, Grenadiers, & Calvary, Weak vs. Pikemen & Riflemen

In Civ3, The Cossack was by far the worst UU in the entire game!!! The Civ4 Cossack though is one of the best UUs with a whopping strength of 18!!! It receives a bonus vs. Mounted Units, so it can be used to take out regular Calvary.

Redcoat (England)
Replaces Rifleman
Requires Rifling
Strength 16, Movement 1
+25% vs. Mounted & Gunpowder units
Strong vs. Calvary, Musketmen, & Riflemen, Weak vs. Grenadiers?

This unit is like an early infantry unit as it can hold its own vs. Gunpowder Units. I do not know for sure if they are vulnerable to the Grenadier's bonus vs. Riflemen. If anyone knows, pleas reply.

Navy SEAL (America)
Replaces Marine
Requires Industrialism & Rifling
Strength 24, Movement 1
1-2 first strikes
+50% vs. Machine Gun & Artillery
Starts with Amphibious & March
Strong vs. Machine Guns & Artillery, Weak vs. Armored & Air units

This is one dangerous marine indeed!!! It can not just launch amphibious attacks without penalty, but gets 1 guaranteed strike!!! It also has the ability to heal itself even if it moved!!!

Panzer (Germany)
Replaces Tank
Requires Industrialism & Rifling
Requires Oil
Strength 28, Movement 2
Doesn't receive defensive bonuses
Starts with Blitz
+50% vs. Armored Units
Strong vs. Foot Soldiers, Tanks, & Modern Armor, Weak vs. Gunships

The German Panzer is like any other tank, except that it has the ability to knock out other armored units in its way. This is indeed useful, because you won't have to wait to discover Flight & Rocketry in order to build Anti-Tank units! This bonus is even powerful enough to take out Modern Armor! The armored units bonus is a great addition to an already powerful unit indeed!

End of Unit Strategy Article

Redcoat's strength 16 is higher than regular rifleman's 14. This should probably be bold in your list...

Yep, the Redcoat gives the grenadier his bonus, but as I pointed out before, he's still stronger than the grenadier, because (16+25%)=20 whereas (12+50%)=18.
The redcoat is therefore in a very small class of units (such as the Praetorian) which are stronger than anything else available at the time. The redcoat is even stronger than the cossack (20 is greater than 18), but the cossack gets far more fans, perhaps because of its movement and the civilsation traits.

Since we're in strategy, some strategic notes :-)

Catapults et al do not only cause collateral damage in cities, but also in the field, which is very useful against stacks. You can and should use "defending catapults", catapults used in your own territory against enemy stacks, before attacking the enemy stack with other units. This will greatly increase your units chances of survival. 2 cats can make an AI player send his stack home, for healing.

Also, in my noble games, I'm sometimes in a situation where artillery can hold its own against AI player units, unprotected, or be used to attack regular units. Strength 18 is rather strong if your enemy has only riflemen. "Artillery rush" strategies may be viable, but I'm a peacemonger :-)

A notable problem of the machine gun unit is that it can only be upgraded to SAM infantry (which really is a downgrade in some, if not most, circumstances!), and not to mechanized infantry. It is thus not a good idea to defend your cities with massive amounts of MGs, if you, like me, upgrade units instead of disbanding and rebuilding them.

Regards.

Yep, the Redcoat gives the grenadier his bonus, but as I pointed out before, he's still stronger than the grenadier, because (16+25%)=20 whereas (12+50%)=18.
The redcoat is therefore in a very small class of units (such as the Praetorian) which are stronger than anything else available at the time. The redcoat is even stronger than the cossack (20 is greater than 18), but the cossack gets far more fans, perhaps because of its movement and the civilsation traits.

Actually, it's like this :

Grenadier attacks : 12 vs 12.8 (16 / 1.25)
Redcoat attacks : 16 vs 9.6 (12 / 1.25)

Remember, all bonuses except combat promotions are applied to the defender, and grenadiers don't get their bonuses when defending.

Redcoats are the best UU IMO

Infantry
Requires Rifling & Assembly Line
Strength 20, Movement 1
+25% vs, Gunpowder Units
Strong vs. Gunpowder Units, Weak vs. Armored & Air units

This is, in my opinion one of the most versatile units in the game. ... They can become medics, specialists, city defenders, you name it, they can do it!



Hear, hear, I love infantry too. One thing there are not good at, though, is assaulting cities. Unless.... you have obtained them from upgrading melee units with City Raider. I've found it harder to take cities than in C3; infantry with city raider promotions make it a lot easier.

Agreed, love my redcoats, and pretty much always use Elizabeth... They even hold up pretty well vs Infantry.

in the manual, they said that explorers always defend!!! where did you read that they'll never get killed because they'll never defend?

in the manual, they said that explorers always defend!!! where did you read that they'll never get killed because they'll never defend?

The implication being that your explorer imparts the benefits of its medic promotion on your stack of units while having a strength score too low to ever be selected as a defender when the stack is attacked. Thus you don't accidentally lose your medic because you gave it to a strong unit that is selected as a defender and killed.

Scouts and explorers.
They are bloody usefull in MP. I allways have a bundh of them.
1. When you have an open border with a player you can send them in all their cities. It IS vital to know where the human player stacks his units (a good complement to F9)
2. When attacking the human player often launches a lot of his forces in the front line. With explorers or scouts you can see where are the undefended cities in their territory.
3. Explorer often have very good promotion and very player will want to kick one of them out of a forest hill. Often they don't even pay attation to them while action is going on everywhere else.
4. They give you info on all the wars that are going on between other players. It's vital too. You need to know who is going to take advantage 5-10 turns before it arrives to have time to react (send troups to make a gift, iron/copper/horse donation, stop commerce with strongest civ or even prepare for war).

At the end of the day, these units transform your civilization. It was an isolationist nation, now it's intelligent.
IMO in MP, you need to spend more than 50% of your time with the camera outside your territory.

ok. thanks!

Hear, hear, I love infantry too. One thing there are not good at, though, is assaulting cities. Unless.... you have obtained them from upgrading melee units with City Raider. I've found it harder to take cities than in C3; infantry with city raider promotions make it a lot easier.
Riflemena nd infantry can assault cities if they get the Gunpowder bonus (+25%) and plenty of cannon or artillery support. When fighting against cities which have walls/castles, the benefits of the infantry will be strongly appreciated since you can knock down the cultural defensive bonus with bombardment but you can't destroy city walls. That 50% bonus is the difference which can halt a cavalry assault in its tracks where an infantry assault will carry the walls.

Barracks and one of the +XP civics is vital. Enough siege units with the collateral damage bonus will be able to bring down the average attack strength of defenders, and they are cheap to build compared to the losses in a conventional assault. If every siege units has the Accuracy and Barrage promotion, then the damaged units can take the bombard role on the next city while others take the suicide role. Better to lose 5 or 6 siege units to soften them up because they have only basic XP. Once the defenders are at half strength, your main assault will go in untouched and the XP's build up quickly.

Plus, you'll need those riflemen and infantry units to hold the city after you take it.