Most worthless unit in the game?

[The Last Conformist]

Paras. Paras are pretty worthless too.

 

[BigNHuge]

Why? It costs about 2000 gold to rush one. On huge maps it's quite possible to earn 2000 gold per turn in the modern age. One ICBM every turn adds up pretty quickly...

Well still, Ive made that much in games before, and still that would be 50 turns for 50 ICBMs. All im saying is that I could just as easily make 50 MA and just go on a killing spree. They are good for taking out key resources quickly and to kill SoD, but once you get them gone, wheres the challenge, wheres the fun? Its kinda a blessing in that itll turn the tide, but once you use them, you know youve got the game almost 100% of the time. I still see them as useless. Ill take a MA over a nuke anyday because once the nuke is gone, its gone, you could use a unit for the entire game. (I used a CHARIOT and upgraded it all the way up to a Cavalry. I know because i gave it some weird name like the wheeled one )

 

[The Last Conformist]

I once upgraded a Warrior to a TOW Infantry. Of course, it had spent the intervening millennia on garrison duty in a forgotten li'l arctic town.

 

[BigNHuge]

Yeah, but my wheeled man was either pillaging, attacking, or defending captured towns. But definatly Warrior->TOW Infantry is impressive.

 

[Genocidicbunny]

The Ironclad is very useful, especially in a water-dominant game. They are miles ahead of the late Middle Age boats, and it doesn't take five turns to get to the next level of naval units. Even in the Industrial Age I'm still churning out those technologies at about 3-5 turns each and the AI usually won't trade with me in the Industrial Age (or asks for a ridiculous price to get one).

Anyway, I think chariots are pretty useless. There's no point for upgrading to horsemen when swordsmen are so much better. Even if horsemen are faster, swordsmen have more attack AND defense. Plus, in the early Middle Ages you rarely, if ever, have enough money for a mass chariot-to-knight upgrade. The only thing I have ever used chariots for is for barbarian mop-up operations early in the game.

Also, the stealth fighter and paratrooper are pretty useless. The paratrooper and modern paratrooper are too weak to compete with the other units of that time and the stealth fighter is very little improvement over the original fighter. Plus, the fighter doesn't even upgrade to the stealth fighter (otherwise, they might actually be useful). The helicopter and paratrooper would be a lot more useful if you could paradrop onto squares with enemy units in them.

I was being figurative and it might be just me. I like to play on huge pangea maps with 60 % water dover so they are quickly made useless plus with the tech rate at diety.

 

[brennan]

Utterly useless:
Helicopters
Guerillas
Stealth Fighters

Occasionally useful:
Marines
Paras

Good only because they upgrade:
Chariots

Only useful for 5 seconds:
Frigates
Ironclads

& the only use I ever found for my men o' war (vanilla/ptw) was to go and kill something to start a convenient Golden Age. The only ships I usually build are battleships and AEGIS later on, most games I have no navy till then.

 

[mastertyguy]

You actually build AEGIS? the game is finished at this time!

 

[garyg]

I couldn't agree more. Chrariot.

 

[Brain]

Utterly useless:
Helicopters
Guerillas
...

Guerillas upgrade to TOW Infantry.

 

[gunkulator]

If you don't have rubber, Guerillas are better than Riflemen. They even have defensive bombardment. If you are lacking horses or saltpeter, Guerillas are a godsend. Together with artillery, guerillas give you the chance to go on the offensive.

 

[Elysium Dreams]

In the (admittedly rare) instance when you actually have a serious modern air war, stealth fighters are actually pretty handy, at least in Conquests where aerial bombardment can kill grounded planes. They have the highest-range recon in the game, which is convenient for carrying out long-range air campaigns with stealth bombers (so you can see when you're hitting planes on the ground). They're also very cost-effective for taking out enemy interceptors; while weak, their bombard still does decent damage against other plane units due to their low defense, and if a fighter does intercept them they're more survivable and more expendable than stealth bombers.

But... yeah. You basically have to deliberately hang back and let the AI get built up in order to get any use out of them.

 

[mtakil]

Late UUs. German Panzer and American F-15. I would go for F-15. I mean, it's more worthless.

 

[SuperBeaverInc.]

The Panzer is a great unit. The extra move allows it to cover more ground when advancing into enemy territory, and the UU comes along when I start my most serious war-mongerering...Tanks! I find the Panzer to be a fantastic unit. And a Panzer army in Conquests, with the Pentagon...

 

[boyface]

The Panzer is a great unit. The extra move allows it to cover more ground when advancing into enemy territory, and the UU comes along when I start my most serious war-mongerering...Tanks! I find the Panzer to be a fantastic unit. And a Panzer army in Conquests, with the Pentagon...

I love the Panzer.. They destroy tanks.. no so good against Modern Armor though.. The cruise Missle sucks.. Give me a good ole ICBM any day..

 

[SuperBeaverInc.]

There is just something so satisfying about hurling nuclear weapons at an enemy city on the other side of the world while relaxing in the comfort of your capital city

 

[Ansar]

There is just something so satisfying about hurling nuclear weapons at an enemy city on the other side of the world while relaxing in the comfort of your capital city

You said it.

 

[SuperBeaverInc.]

ICBM and Tactical Nukes are fun. Right now I am using TN as artillery I just pound the cities into oblivion and then march my Cavalry army into it

 

[necrosmith]

The Panzer is a great unit. The extra move allows it to cover more ground when advancing into enemy territory, and the UU comes along when I start my most serious war-mongerering...Tanks! I find the Panzer to be a fantastic unit. And a Panzer army in Conquests, with the Pentagon...

I agree. I rarely play Germans, but when I do, the Panzer pwnz.

 

[necrosmith]

Oh..

As to most useless unit, I'd have to agree with previous posters about the chariot. I have never, ever built one.

 

[tR1cKy]

All the industrial and modern units are totally useless. Game is already over.

Explorers are not that bad. They can be used as baits to lure some enemy imbeciles outside of a city while your main attacking force gets in range for striking at it.