Keshiks

[smallfish]

Simply the best UU out there, ever. If there was a self-propelled artillery unit in the game, Keshiks would be it.

A Keshik Artillery Train:

Spoiler :

discuss

 

[notadummy]

did you see Davemcw's train of keshiks? I saw it in a pic once, I was so shocked at how many he had.

 

[smallfish]

did you see Davemcw's train of keshiks? I saw it in a pic once, I was so shocked at how many he had.

Nope, but I wouldn't be surprised. These guys, as been stated elsewhere in the fora, have a serious movement bonus that makes even opponents with the Great Wall crumble like paper makers. Until playing Mongolia now, I've never used Medieval units to farm for promotions.

Right now that my continent is under control, and apparently I have 1st ranking in armies, I'm wondering whether I should send my Keshiks over the other side, take out a city-state and then use it as a base to assault the runaway there (Japan). They have a tech lead to me (I have Riflemen, they should have Riflemen and cannons too)

so I'm wondering - are Level 5 Keshiks still potent against Riflemen? Can I still take 40-def and above cities with them (and Riflemen)?

 

[ampmclock]

I absolutely main Mongolia. Not only is their history the most fun for me to study, and Genghis Khan such a naturally bad ass leader to play as, their ability and their two units are my favorite. I become so attached to my Khans every game that I get VERY upset when I lose them, and my Keshiks have gotten me out of some tight spots.

BUt at the same time the fact that they're a cavalry unit makes it really feel good when I win with them, knowing if they got attacked head on, they'd be ed. and that's what I like Mongolia. I feel good when i win with them, not like when I play with France.

 

[notadummy]

so I'm wondering - are Level 5 Keshiks still potent against Riflemen? Can I still take 40-def and above cities with them (and Riflemen)?

definitely, you can use them pretty much until 5 movement units appear like tanks. It might take a while to take down those cities, real artillery may be quicker, but by the time you get artillery you should have won the game

 

[smallfish]

definitely, you can use them pretty much until 5 movement units appear like tanks. It might take a while to take down those cities, real artillery may be quicker, but by the time you get artillery you should have won the game

Hell yes, Turn 408 Domination Victory (on Epic btw, so its about 1796 AD).

Mein gott, they are literally death hurricane incarnate. I finished the game just slightly after entering Industrial, taking out Gandhi with Riflemen, Keshiks and Artillery... and my militaristic CS ally Dublin who I kept gifting loads of Riflemen and Artillery to take out Gandhi's production cities while I sniped his capital.

e: okay, generally its nothing special, but this is literally the first game where I've won long before I got to nukes or even Infantry. I could have just gone into India with Riflemen and Keshiks (and some cannons), and I would still have taken it (albeit, a little longer). Also, post-victory, I spotted Belgrade giving the Japanese remnants a "Norwegian Ski Infantry", even though Denmark wasn't in the game at all.

Fascinating, fascinating game.

 

[whoward69]

discuss

My most promoted unit ever, and still holding it's own with Mech Inf and Rocket Artillery on the board!

 

[Lay_Lay]

It is common knowledge that keshik is the best uu, by a longshot, for winning the game as soon as possible, on virtually any settings.

 

[Tabarnak]

It is common knowledge that keshik is the best uu, by a longshot, for winning the game as soon as possible, on virtually any settings.

Excepted for online multiplayer(simultaneous). They are in fact weaker than many other units due to his low hp(they can be dead before you can use them). For hotseat and singleplayer action there is no doubt about this.

 

[alexand]

did you see Davemcw's train of keshiks? I saw it in a pic once, I was so shocked at how many he had.

Yes,really shocked.

 

[Bandersnatching]

I used them in my first King game after reading a strategy here about them, and boy did they conquer the CRAP out of that continent. I wasn't even ahead in tech, economy, or military - I just had five Keshiks and a Khan, which beat three civs into submission and conquered around 85% of the continent before they started doing 1 damage per shot against cities.
So yeah, Keshiks are kind of good. And by that I mean so overpowered that there really isn't any comparison.
And in the picture, why are you using longswordsmen? Just get a horseman and save him until the target city has 1hp left. That way your army moves much faster.

 

[smallfish]

I used them in my first King game after reading a strategy here about them, and boy did they conquer the CRAP out of that continent. I wasn't even ahead in tech, economy, or military - I just had five Keshiks and a Khan, which beat three civs into submission and conquered around 85% of the continent before they started doing 1 damage per shot against cities.
So yeah, Keshiks are kind of good. And by that I mean so overpowered that there really isn't any comparison.
And in the picture, why are you using longswordsmen? Just get a horseman and save him until the target city has 1hp left. That way your army moves much faster.

Surplus amount of swordsmen, from days gone by. I rather use them in the field than have them deleted.

Also wanted to have a nice pool of Riflemen to invade Japan later on.

 

[callan]

My most promoted unit ever, and still holding it's own with Mech Inf and Rocket Artillery on the board!

What mod are you using to "parse" the promotions your Keshik has like that? Really hope they clean up that aspect of the UI in G&K, it's inexcusably crap.

 

[strijder20]

Keshiks > Anything before Tanks, really. It can take out literally every unit without getting hurt (with the sole exception of Horsemen and Cavalries/Lancers of another Mongolia), and that gets even better with range/indirect fire.

 

[prince_caspian]

If Genghis bulbs Chivalry before everyone else like T80-90ish (use snarzberry's strat of burning the free Liberty GS) it's absolute cheating even in Deity. But well, a lot of legitimate cheating is always done in SP

 

[Koiranputki]

After reading this thread I tried playing as Genghis with the specific view of building up a Keshik army.... As it turned out I was handed a rather poor island, which I developed with three cities...one good, one so-so and one pathetic....Ramses ( similar in terms of technology) was on a neighbouring island and, of course, just had to come over and set up a city (Heliopolis) in the snow next to my so-so city and took a couple of reasonable tiles in the process....

His city grew to about 6 or 7 before I was ready. The Keshiks "butchered" his city with no problem and even killed off a large "rescue force" sent over from his main island.

Now...the issue... I figured the Keshiks would not be good in what looked to be an archipelago map type. But I decided to play it out anyway....I sent them over to land on his main island....and the results were predictable....they could not maneouvre and as a result were turned into dog meat....

So I guess the moral of the story is that the Keshiks...fairly obviously ....have to be able to maneouvre to be effective....

 

[Jimbo30]

So retardedly op it scares me that the devs haven't balanced them. This does not bode well for the expansion.

 

[Koiranputki]

More Keshik adventures....

After spending the first part of the game expecting Askai at any time to declare war, I finally had my Keshik invasion force built up ...about 1450AD.... But inexplicably he remained friendly... At one point I had some workers out chopping wood to speed the Keshik build up and I noticed a major Songhai invasion force go by....aimed at the English not me...???...made no sense, but that's what he did.... My closest city to him was one I had planted surrounded by mountains...both for defence and in order to build Macchu Picchu....

His capital was closest and not well defended. It fell within three or four turns and then on to his second city ...Tombouctu...which fell in about two turns.... Both cities worth keeping, particularly Tombouctu, with a 6-iron mine...I had no iron at all. He then sued for peace with major benefits to me. Lots of gold, several luxuries I didn't have, and three cities...two of his own and an English frontier city he had captured previously. Only one of these, a nice coastal location, was worth keeping.

So my question....why did he remain so friendly??? And why did he go after Liz instead of me? I was quite vulnerable until I had my Keshiks built up... I only had three cities and one of them was a desperately located, and still pathetic, coastal city...my only coastal city until I completed my invasion....

Yes....I think the keshiks are a bit overly powerful...

 

[smallfish]

So retardedly op it scares me that the devs haven't balanced them. This does not bode well for the expansion.

That's why they're DLC, even if free.

 

[ampmclock]

Okay, yes, they're OP, and I seriously do NOT like OP in my CiV. But what can I say, even before I knew the Mongols were so awesome I had decided on maining them, they're my favorite. Maybe after the new expansion I'll switch over to the celts or Ethiopia, becuase I do think they're really cool, too, but then again...