Persian Immortal: still the best UU?

[meltone1]

When it comes down to it, the persian Immortal is really hard to beat. With an attack of 4, and a shield cost of 30, it is easily the most feared UU of the ancient era. In no other age is Defense/attack strength so critical than in the ancient age, and that 4 attack is literally huge. I really think this thing should cost a bit more than just the same ol' 30 that every other swordsman costs. I mean, when you compare it to a gallic swordsman who costs 40 for an extra speed point, you would think that the 4 attack is at least as important as that extra speed pt., if not more. Sure, units like sipahi and berserker are good, but they cost an arm and a leg, and cities of that era have much more defense modifications to rely on than those of the ancient era. So what do you guys think? Does anything compare when it comes down to overall effectiveness/bang for the buck?

 

[nihil8r]

cossacks, destroyers of worlds

 

[troytheface]

persian immortal's slow speed make it an ez target for a first strike with archers and horse , so that even without iron a civ with sentries can see the attack and whittle it down before it becomes trouble. I fear a stack of legions much more than a stack of immortals. As a matter of fact, the legion is a better UU in the ancient in my opinion. With bombard now available with archers, immortals are even less a threat. In the hands of a human vs Ai ..the earlier Hittite three man chariot or (later) the gallic and mounted warrior , can do the same job , and do it faster ....

 

[Arrogant]

You are right, Immortals are rather cheap. I'm playing with the Persians and I have about 70 of them now, they are bulldozing anything that stands in their way. Horsemen and archers, my other offensive choices, look completely useless.

 

[metalhead]

They are devastating in the hands of a human player, little more than a nuisance in the hands of the AI. I think both the Enkidu Warrior and Dromon are better UUs, however, as the Enkidu allows for ridiculously fast expansion even with lots of barbs due to their insane cheapness, and the Dromon literally owns the seas until Frigates come around, and are even a decent match for those. Dromons are pretty useful into the Industrial age, giving you a UU that lasts practically 2 whole eras, and requires no resources to build.

In the hands of the AI, defensive UUs are always much more of a nuisance, since they do usually escort offensive stacks with a defensive unit or 2.

 

[Xen]

IMO, the Legion is leagues better then the Imortal

 

[Enkidu Warrior]

Originally posted by Arrogant
You are right, Immortals are rather cheap. I'm playing with the Persians and I have about 70 of them now, they are bulldozing anything that stands in their way. Horsemen and archers, my other offensive choices, look completely useless.

Having 70 of anything would probably bulldoze anything, especially me since I already feel like I should hire a staff when I get into a big war. I'm happy with my couple of stacks of 10 artillery and supporting units, anything more and I start getting a headache. I must be getting old.

I feel most threatened by the UU's that are strong in both attack and defense, like the legionary, just because they are the trickiest to deal with when you can't just rely on overwhelming them. Fighting Immortals is simply a case of attacking first with fast units, though I certainly wouldn't underestimate them. There's no obvious way of dealing with Legionaries, it's just a case of matching them for numbers or getting a hefty tech lead.

 

[majk-iii]

... numidian mercenaries 2/3 relatively cheap, no iron needed.
best bronzeage-uu by far... i just start building them right away, atacking cities and then fortifying in them having gotten rid of 2-4 civs by the time i've gotten the first 4-6 advances