Mongolia: How long to hold my Keshiks?

[fmlizard2]

So I built a massive Keshik army (started with 6, have 13 now) and a gifted Knight for knocking cities over. Catherine, Bluetooth, Alex, and Harun are all vanquished, and a fairly strong Persia and Inca remain. I really can win any way I choose at this point, but the Mongol bloodlust is strong.

I've reached the Industrial Era and have held off on Military Tradition (Cavalry) until the last possible moment.

I'm starting to see rifles and cavalry from Persia and Inca and am about to battle them. Are my Keshiks still good, or should I go to Cavalry with them? Obviously I eventually want to make them super tanks but should I stop off at Cavalry or just wait until I have Combustion?

Immortal, Pangaea, standard settings. It is turn 199. I've completed Liberty, Piety, and am starting on Order.

 

[snarzberry]

Logistics and ranged keshiks are a waste to upgrade, they're stronger as they are. Don't think about upgrading until you can go straight to tanks and later modern armour if it is required to take out the last civ or two. Turn 199 I wouldn't be thinking of upgrading yet, rifles are toast to highly buffed keshiks.

It's enemy artillery that is the big game changer and it's then that you may begin to lose a unit or two, don't worry till you see them.

 

[vexing]

you really never need to upgrade them until tanks, though you may want to take a fresh one and get it just siege (2 promotions) then make it a cavalry. that can speed up conquering.

 

[KrikkitTwo]

So I built a massive Keshik army (started with 6, have 13 now) and a gifted Knight for knocking cities over. Catherine, Bluetooth, Alex, and Harun are all vanquished, and a fairly strong Persia and Inca remain. I really can win any way I choose at this point, but the Mongol bloodlust is strong.

I've reached the Industrial Era and have held off on Military Tradition (Cavalry) until the last possible moment.

I'm starting to see rifles and cavalry from Persia and Inca and am about to battle them. Are my Keshiks still good, or should I go to Cavalry with them? Obviously I eventually want to make them super tanks but should I stop off at Cavalry or just wait until I have Combustion?

Immortal, Pangaea, standard settings. It is turn 199. I've completed Liberty, Piety, and am starting on Order.

Actually, you don't have to hold off on Military Tradition...if you don't have Metallurgy, you can still build Horsemen and upgrade them to Keshiks.

As mentioned the "have to upgrade" point depends on your opponents.

but if you want the Keshiks to be Super tanks.... March, Siege, and Logistics are the promotions you want.

If you want them just to be fast early artillery, then Logistics and Range are what you want.

 

[Drachen]

When your enemy gets bombers it's time to upgrade.

 

[Becomedeath]

It depends when you get them, I had keshiks at turn 85 when everyone else is still running around with archers. I've focused entirely on military tech and have now started to build cannons ~turn 175. I'm not replacing the keshiks as they are still superior to the enemys units and still strong enough to handle their cities, I'm just not building any more.

It works in the game I'm playing as my rapid expansion between turns 100-200 has made my happiness a dangerously delicate balancing act, so I've reached a natural slow down point anyway.


To me, keshiks are pretty much the most powerful ranged units you can get before the modern tech comes in, their speed and power makes them useful right into the industrial era. Their ranged capacity means that they will promote frequently, so their base 13 ranged attack power isn't really a measure of their strength. With 3 shock or drill promotions, a siege promotion you're looking at a ranged attack power of ~24 which keeps them in line with cannons.

So really, I think you don't reach a point where you replace them, you just reach a point where you stop building them. Keep them fighting until they get wiped out, by which time you're probably not using horses any more anyway.