Best (& Worst) UU?

[bioelectricclam]

I'm just wondering what people think are the best/worst unique units out there.

Best
Indian Fast Workers: if you play India as the cultural powerhouse that it is, these babies make a huge difference over time.

Malinese Skirmisher: Archers are (at least to me) the most important unit in the early game, and the early game is the most important time in a game. Having even better archers makes for a huge advantage early on.

Worst
Japanese Samurai: the bonus is not that impressive, and I always find myself replacing most of my macemen with gunpowder units all too soon. Nevertheless, I play the Japanese almost every game.

Incan Quechua: only useful if you happen to be in position for an early rush. Usually I play larger maps, so I really can't see these being useful.

 

[yavoon]

nothing better to do

best:
redcoat
quecha
praetorian

worst:
keshik
jaguar

 

[ichiro51]

best:
skirmishers
cossacks
preatorians

worst:
keshiks
navy seals-bush ruined them
panzers- 2 late in game but r effective

 

[JoeHollywood]

best-

quecha/chokonu/prae/panzer/immortal

worst

skirmisher/camel archer/samurai

a uu's "strength" derives from it's longevity and how it "effects" an era...

Joe

 

[Andrei_V]

Samurai is among the worst units? You must be kidding.

It's the third best after Redcoats and Cossaks.

 

[Gnarfflinger]

Jags are disappointing unless you NEED them, in which case they're the best units in the game. But most of the time they suck.

The trick with Samurai, Redcoats and Musketeers is to get them early enough that you can use them to extend their impact time. If you get a CS slingshot and Metal Casting from the Oracle (assuming you can get CS from a GP), then the hardest part is waiting out the research of Machinery. From there, Samurai will dominate for a long time. Likewise, Rifling and Gunpowder can be bee-lined as well. Get them early and take the fight to the opponents--preferably the ones with the best techs...

 

[Andrei_V]

You don't need CS Slingshot for Samurais. The AI researches so broadly, you can just beeline to Construction, then to CS and Machinery, and still have enough time to make a good use of them.

While AIs research Democracy and alike instead of Rifling, you keep killing them, then stop until Rifling yourself. You'd typically have enough cities and land for development by then.

Samurais have low mortality rate and get promotions. You then upgrade them to Combat II-III City Raider III Rifles, and keep going.

 

[yavoon]

You don't need CS Slingshot for Samurais. The AI researches so broadly, you can just beeline to Construction, then to CS and Machinery, and still have enough time to make a good use of them.

While AIs research Democracy and alike instead of Rifling, you keep killing them, then stop until Rifling yourself. You'd typically have enough cities and land for development by then.

Samurais have low mortality rate and get promotions. You then upgrade them to Combat II-III City Raider III Rifles, and keep going.

yah u definitely dont need the slingshot. The slingshot is just a 1.5 tech lead by leveraging the oracle for an inordinately expensive tech. its not magic or nothing.

 

[juggerxnaut]

nothing better to do

best:
redcoat
quecha
praetorian

worst:
keshik
jaguar

keshik is useless,thats just what i thought before i was defeated in a impressing teamgame.
a stack of keshiks may be nothing but xp for the spear ,
but a stack of keshiks moving ceaselessly can hold all the units of one player
or even 2 of your teammates from reinforcing u.
thats just the situation i met:a stack of keshiks intruded the hinterland of our territory,seeking for a vulnerable place to attack.
my two partner are busy with defence , cant send any units to me anymore.
at the same time,our opponents assembled all their rest army marching towards me.2 of my frontier cities were captured even though i have pumping
up units like crazy untill strikes.
last comment:keshiks can pester your enemy while u r expanding,make his units stay in the city rather than moving towards u,daunt your friends back as launching a general attack on you.it is especially useful in a teamgame.

 

[yavoon]

keshik is useless,thats just what i thought before i was defeated in a impressing teamgame.
a stack of keshiks may be nothing but xp for the spear ,
but a stack of keshiks moving ceaselessly can hold all the units of one player
or even 2 of your teammates from reinforcing u.
thats just the situation i met:a stack of keshiks intruded the hinterland of our territory,seeking for a vulnerable place to attack.
my two partner are busy with defence , cant send any units to me anymore.
at the same time,our opponents assembled all their rest army marching towards me.2 of my frontier cities were captured even though i have pumping
up units like crazy untill strikes.
last comment:keshiks can pester your enemy while u r expanding,make his units stay in the city rather than moving towards u,daunt your friends back as launching a general attack on you.it is especially useful in a teamgame.

if someone has an army of keshiks bothering u in some weird hinterland border, whip a few spears, ungarrison the axes from ur cities and take his empire. bring, oh 2 spears? w/ ur stack of axes and leave the rest back.

his keshiks might be clever and take something, maybe pillage a few cottages or take a city. but they wont be being reinforced and they wont be on the winning side of any battles versus spears. whereas u will be taking down his cities.

 

[CiverDan]

I know this is a SP thread, but here is my take for best and worst in MP

Best

1. Cossack (So good Russia almost always banned in Ren starts)
2. Fast Worker
3 (tie). War Chariot/Muskeeter

Strength and mobility is key in MP

Worst

1. Quecha (because humans will just spam warriors against)
2. Keshik
3. Navy SEAL.

 

[Betafor]

Best -
Preatorian

Fast worker

Redcoat

War chariot(not everyone's favorite, but thats because they overlook the upside. they are half as cheap as axeman, same strength, 2 movement. That means you can have twice as much of htese as axemen for the same hammers. Use until enemy starts using spears, then switch to axe.)

Cossack

Worst -
jaguar
kelshik
musketeer

 

[naterator]

keshik is useless,thats just what i thought before i was defeated in a impressing teamgame.
a stack of keshiks may be nothing but xp for the spear ,
but a stack of keshiks moving ceaselessly can hold all the units of one player
or even 2 of your teammates from reinforcing u.
thats just the situation i met:a stack of keshiks intruded the hinterland of our territory,seeking for a vulnerable place to attack.
my two partner are busy with defence , cant send any units to me anymore.
at the same time,our opponents assembled all their rest army marching towards me.2 of my frontier cities were captured even though i have pumping
up units like crazy untill strikes.
last comment:keshiks can pester your enemy while u r expanding,make his units stay in the city rather than moving towards u,daunt your friends back as launching a general attack on you.it is especially useful in a teamgame.

wait a week. the impi will eat them for lunch, and keshiks won't be able to outrun them

 

[futurehermit]

my comments are for single player and epic speed.

best:

-fast worker (#1 hands down as it lasts the whole game and provides by far the most efficient start out of the gates)

-quechua (the ai is stupid and these babies will do major damage)

-praetorian (shock axemen are the best counter and the ai is stupid and doesn't build enough of them)

Worst:

-Not a fan of the keshiks, though they will probably be much improved in the xpac

-navy seal (comes too late to make a difference)

-panzer (comes too late to make a difference)

 

[michaelumich]

every UU is very powerful in its own era except navy seal and panzer because I have usually won the domination victory at that time when playing at levels of immortal or deity. redcoat might be my favorite but not necessarily the best. I would leverage their powers as much as possible given different UUs.

 

[naterator]

every UU is very powerful in its own era except navy seal and panzer because I have usually won the domination victory at that time when playing at levels of immortal or deity. redcoat might be my favorite but not necessarily the best. I would leverage their powers as much as possible given different UUs.

in their era, panzers are powerhouses! seems your main gripe with them is that your game is over by that era, so maybe you shouldn't use the qualifier "in it's own era".

 

[ggganz]

Best: not sure
Worst: Jaguar because it is a penalty unless it in a jungle. But Swordsman is an ATTACK unit, so if you use it for attack, it is a penalty.
Jaguars suck!
Aztec Jaguars Suck!
Dang those jaguars suck!
Jaguars aren't so bad
Jaguars? This has to be a bug, right?

 

[DoItAgain]

best:
Redcoat
Fast worker
Cossack

Worst:
Camel Archer
Phalanxe

 

[Atlas]

every UU is very powerful in its own era except navy seal and panzer because I have usually won the domination victory at that time when playing at levels of immortal or deity. redcoat might be my favorite but not necessarily the best. I would leverage their powers as much as possible given different UUs.

You win Diety before the Modern era? What settings?

Anyway

Best

Fastworker
Quechas
Prats

Worst
Jags

Navy Seals aren't my favorite but do have their uses... Late game warfare and the Sirian Doctrine w/Navy Seals are unbeatable on Monarch+

 

[Gumbolt]

Jaguar strategy with whipping might have more legs with new aztec building. Beyond that an average unit.

Same goes for mongols with stable replacement and barracks giving +3xp instead of 4xp. A stable instead would provide 4xp. Pesky spears needs a few resources stripped asap in a war.