Units you skip altogether...

[lymond]

Units I rarely build...

....
Cuirassiers
.....

Big mistake, they're the best unit in the game

Airships also can be quite effective in concert with mounted if you get that far

 

[JBryan314]

I guess it's all about finding a way to fit a particular unit into your plan. I rarely seem to be able to fit chariots, galleys, triremes, SAM infantry, cuirassiers or musketmen into my overall victory plan. However, I find great use in other units like cavalry, gunships, riflemen, SEALs and privateers.

Random assortment of eras, I know.

 

[Choggy]

Used to use Swords a lot in Vanilla, but in BtS there are a number of Civ's that have Axe variants as UU's so don't really use them so much anymore.

Only use Archers if I'm spamming HA's for an early rex or there's no copper for Axes.

Privateers. Guess they're useful as a sabotage unit for coastal cities pre-Astro but haven't found a need for them.

Muskets - good for garrisonning captured cities if you get gunpowder during a medieval war and you're a long way from Rifling. In peacetime they're obsolete quite quickly.

Grenadiers. The AI always build these to protect against Rifles but they get owned by Cavalry so I don't bother with them.

X-Bow. Ignoring Cho-Ko-Nu I only ever use them to counter Samurai and Berserker units and the cost of upgrading them to Rifles isn't worth it. For normal mace units I find shock HA's or Knights are a better counter.

Gunships in Vanilla are an underwhelming promotion for the previously excellent mounted units so I'll only promote offensive mounted units and leave the medic ones as Knights or Cavs.

Ermm. Tanks? Normally I'll skip those and wait unit Modern Armour.

Nukes make me feel dirty, even if they win the game for me.

 

[vincentz]

Number 1 on my list of units I NEVER use is..... wait for it....

Spoiler :

EXPLORERS

then Ironclads and Machineguns and prolly Anti-Tanks

the rest I use frequently.

 

[azzaman333]

Explorers and scouts. They die so easily it's just not worth it unless you're doing something crazy like no barbs, huts on. And even then, explorers are only any good if it's no barbs, huts on, Terra.

 

[vincentz]

Explorers and scouts. They die so easily it's just not worth it unless you're doing something crazy like no barbs, huts on. And even then, explorers are only any good if it's no barbs, huts on, Terra.

Its been a long time since I played Vanilla, so I'm not really sure if its correct, but if scouts cost less than warriors, then a pretty nice tactic to avoid barbs, is to place scouts at hills around areas of interest/first city to remove the fog of war (and remove barb spawns).
They also (iirc) doesnt add to military unit costs, which makes them cheap to keep around for caravel explorations.
(I modded scouts alot in my mod, so they are also able to enter Closed Borders, plus getting FOV promos, so it might not be as good a solution in vanilla)

 

[yturk39]

Your Scouts will stay alive much longer if you're smart about how you use your movement points.

(Hint: you don't HAVE to move them 2 tiles each turn just because you CAN. Sometimes, based on what is visible and nearby terrain, it's best to move them only one tile on a given turn.)

And Explorers!! USELESS?? Okay, I'll grant they won't capture any cities for you, but they can do a nice job on defense, especially in the right terrain type. Since they start with Woodsman I AND Guerrilla I just popping one of these bad boys out of a barracks give you a a nice defender. Since you don't need the Guerrilla II or Woodsman II promotion for the movement bonus, you can just keep him shining with his EPs and promote him at the very last minute when you're ready to commit to whatever promotion is needed.

 

[azzaman333]

Your Scouts will stay alive much longer if you're smart about how you use your movement points.

(Hint: you don't HAVE to move them 2 tiles each turn just because you CAN. Sometimes, based on what is visible and nearby terrain, it's best to move them only one tile on a given turn.)

If you're moving 1 tile per turn, you may as well be using a warrior. At least that way you can survive barb warriors.

And Explorers!! USELESS?? Okay, I'll grant they won't capture any cities for you, but they can do a nice job on defense, especially in the right terrain type. Since they start with Woodsman I AND Guerrilla I just popping one of these bad boys out of a barracks give you a a nice defender. Since you don't need the Guerrilla II or Woodsman II promotion for the movement bonus, you can just keep him shining with his EPs and promote him at the very last minute when you're ready to commit to whatever promotion is needed.

Why would you WANT to use an explorer on defence instead of a Longbow, Crossbow or Maceman?

 

[Doshin]

I occasionally build Explorers for my M*A*S*H* unit. Ironclads are mostly pointless, but will do in a pinch for camping over a seafood resource.

I don't think I've built a single Grenadier since switching to BTS. It's unusual for me to build Knights too: they just don't cut it when faced with walls and castles. I've heard that you can bulb your way to Knights before Longbows appear, but the only time I tried to do this, with Cataphracts, took far too long. In fact, I seem to recall that the opponent I declared on in that game got Chichen Itza in the following turn, which completely screwed an already iffy rush.

Is there a reason to build Guided Missiles?

 

[Archon_Wing]

Guided missiles can help in naval combat, especially if you have loaded missiles onto ships or subs. They're also really cheap so any city can make them.

Of course, if you have tactical nukes it'll seem pointless. Well, actually Guided missiles can evade interception.

Using air power to damage strong ships and shooting missiles to finish them off can let you easily mop up enemy fleets.

Oh yea, explorers; I forget they exist. :S

 

[2metraninja]

Guys, I think you never played much against humans to see the real diversity of tactics and situations involved in this great game. Once you do, then you will find some of those units which you think of as useless have their great uses. That the AI is crap and can be defeated without much imagination does not means some units are useless.

Everyone have his play style though.

 

[IAM]

I think musketmen are underrated here. The huge advantage that musketmen have isn't their inherient power but what can not harm them. With musketmen on the field enemy promotions like shock are now obsolete. Units like axes and macemen with their +50% attack against melee is now nerfed. They can turn an enemies highly promoted stack into an obsolete burden.

 

[2metraninja]

I think musketmen are underrated here. The huge advantage that musketmen have isn't their inherient power but what can not harm them. With musketmen on the field enemy promotions like shock are now obsolete.

True. Also they get STR1 from Aggressive AND promos from being defensive. They are draftable too. Bad is that they have short shelf life.

 

[vincentz]

If you're moving 1 tile per turn, you may as well be using a warrior. At least that way you can survive barb warriors.

I think the point is that you can move them 1 and IF they spot enemy contacts they can retreat to safety, which clubmen cant.

 

[Archon_Wing]

Muskets are the natural compliment to a cannon war-- you don't need or want to wait for rifling. They're really not that shortlived are they?

I guess the only thing is that Cuirs crap on everything when you get them, so muskets get overlooked. But an overall city guarder for your captured cities can't hurt that much can it? Actually, how do you guys defend captured cities while your stack is tearing them a new one elsewhere?

 

[tdy99]

I don't think I've ever built an airship before. Never occured to me to use them as artillery to support a cavalry war. I'll have to try that.

Physics is almost always a tech I skip and trade for later. There are so many other appealing techs that become available about that same time.

 

[IAM]

Muskets are the natural compliment to a cannon war-- you don't need or want to wait for rifling. They're really not that shortlived are they?

I guess the only thing is that Cuirs crap on everything when you get them, so muskets get overlooked. But an overall city guarder for your captured cities can't hurt that much can it? Actually, how do you guys defend captured cities while your stack is tearing them a new one elsewhere?

If you have muskets and cannons then just throw in some pikeman. Yes they can be beat one on one but they get defensive bonuses and for invading enemies they can help defend your stack.

Sometimes you just have to put your axemen against macemen. Use seige weapons and hit their stacks hard. Don't let them walk away promoted.

 

[RD-BH]

When playing Diplomacy/Culture game ...
... I don't find much use for anything above warrior.

For everything else ...
... I've pretty much used every unit at one time or another to advantage.

 

[IAM]

When playing Diplomacy/Culture game ...

Hey no judgement here I support you in your ability that you can admit in public that you go for diplomacy and or cultural voctory. Forgive me if I'm wrong i think that's what you people call it.

 

[Choggy]

I don't think I've ever built an airship before. Never occured to me to use them as artillery to support a cavalry war. I'll have to try that.

Physics is almost always a tech I skip and trade for later. There are so many other appealing techs that become available about that same time.

Until the AI gets SAM infantry or flight Airships rule! Ignore the poor strength rating, they're invincible unless the AI gets a counter unit. Airships cannot attack another airships.

They're awesome at scouting near your borders and in wartime can be used to either blunt an AI civ's SoD or soften up the strongest units in enemy city defenses prior to an attack. A repeated attack by 4 airships 3 or 4 turns prior to attacking a city with your SoD will save a lot of ground units.