Weakest Unique Unit

[Softly]

Basically if you removed "X" unit from the game, then "Y" civilization would move very little from it's current position on the tier list. Going to allow everyone to select three units to give us a bigger sample size. I have Diety AI in mind but feel free to vote/comment as you see fit.

Hoplite: Suffers same problems as unit it replaces. Requires you to build multiple to get benefits.
Ngao Mbeba: Defensive bonuses are weaker than offensive ones IMO.
Beserker: +7 attack -7 defend means too many 1:1 trades.
Crouching Tiger: Loss of that range really hurts.
Domrey: So incredibly expensive for a civ that already has production issues. Really needs a +50% card.
Samurai: Good unit but not being able to upgrade from warriors hurts timing push.
Sea Dog: AI just doesn't build enough ships.
Rough Rider: I already own most of my own continent at this point in game:
Digger: Comes too late. Most coastal battles I will fight with freights at this point anyways.
U-Boat: Comes too late. Replaces a unit that is already weak. How often do you have open ocean battles?
P-51 Mustang: Comes too late. Replaces a unit that is already weak. AI doesn't build aircraft so not much use for fighters.

 

[IdiotStyle]

I personally dislike egypt UU as i feel it's power is awful and way off the interesting science paths.

 

[dredzoolo]

While late game UUs are weak based on the fact that the game will already be decided by the time you get to them, can the prove prowerful on late era starts?

 

[Xandinho]

I think AI should be encouraged to build a navy and a stronger air force. Even in my games of domination, I never felt the need to build many planes like in Civ5, let alone ships.

 

[Frostburn]

I voted Berserker, Samurai and U-Boat.

My favorite out of those is though is Ngao Mbeba. I agree offensive bonuses > defensive ones, but +10 is pretty good and they go well with a tall/defensive strategy that aligns with their other bonuses. Also, their movement in forest and jungle is almost always relevant with their start bias. They aren't a great unit, but definitely useful, moreso than the rest of the list.

 

[liv]

Digger is a good unit

 

[Wingednosering]

I think the Rough Rider and Hoplite get the win here. I'm actually alright with Samurai. Diggers and U-Boats get vouched for in these forums a fair bit. The rest of your options are pretty much trash units though. I'm surprised the Garde Imperiale isn't in there.

Rough Rider is just...pointless. As just about any civ, you'll control your whole continent way before they arrive (except late starts), but America already has another bonus on their own continent, making it even more likely that they'll be obsolete before they arrive.

Hoplites are probably THE worst. If I had to pick one, I'd pick them. Anti-cav units in general suck in CiVI and these don't do enough to elevate themselves. Plus, as stated in the OP, you need two with good placements at a minimum to use them effectively.

 

[ferretbacon]

I voted Hoplite, Berserker, and Crouching Tiger.

Hoplites require an adjacent buddy to even be a unique unit. Considering Hoplites were citizen soldiers, I think that they could, at the very least, receive a significant production cost reduction to reflect that they were essentially minutemen. That would be a step to making them more palatable and making the adjacency bonus requirement easier to meet.

I'm okay with Berserkers having a malus to defense, but it should be more like +7 on attack, -3 on defense.

The Crouching Tiger is almost impossible to use in any capacity other than defensively; I guess they have good synergy with the Great Wall for securing your border, but that's pretty hard to pull off. You've got to (a) build walls along a border that's actually strategic, (b) produce a bunch of Crouching Tigers, and (c) hope that your enemy is actually dumb enough to attack from that direction.

 

[pietro1990]

Crouching Tiger because the fact you can't upgrade archer's in to it.

 

[DeutschDachs]

Probably the Uboat. Boats were so much more important in Civ V to me. Now the seas feel empty and the coastlines are barren

 

[pgm123]

I think the Rough Rider and Hoplite get the win here. I'm actually alright with Samurai. The rest of your options are pretty much trash units though.

Rough Rider is just...pointless. As just about any civ, you'll control your whole continent way before they arrive (except late starts), but America already has another bonus on their own continent, making it even more likely that they'll be obsolete before they arrive.

I don't think it's all that fair to count the Rough Rider as a unique unit or at least not in the same category as the rest. It's an additional leader boost.

 

[Sagax]

Crouching Tiger because the fact you can't upgrade archer's in to it.

Thank GOD that you can’t. China doesn’t need any nerfs.

 

[Pietato]

The Samurai always disappointed me the most. You are just better off never using it, which is lame.

 

[UWHabs]

Samurai/Berserker are tough, because they have to be hard-built from an awkward tech. Half the time you'll have gunpowder before you can even build one.

 

[Pietato]

Yeah. They cost twice as much as a Swordsman, and the same price as a Knight. Both of which are superior.

 

[drubell]

What the heck is a unique swordsman doing on that list? Encampments, unique swordsmen, great generals, battering ram, gogogo

 

[Trengilly]

I'm going to throw in Georgia's Khevsureti - it suffers from the same issues the Samurai/Berserker. Same awkward tech, can't upgrade to, crazy 180 production cost, and 3 maintenance - and unless its on a hill it doesn't even have the offensive power of a Samurai or Berserker.

Seriously these three units all should cost the same as a Swordsman - and even then they would be very situational.

 

[Goliht]

wow.. the ones voted weakest are my favourite units. Samurai is great as a city defender. Groups of berzerkers means you don't need to worry about the -7 def and the same with the chinese cannon, it makes mince of anything and everything if you have a few of them. I guess solo the units are weak. But in groups they rock and berzerkers + rams.. that just erazes entire civs.

 

[Midori]

I've completely wiped out stronger civs with only 2 or 3 samurai and a great general. I'm surprised so many people think they're weak.

The berserker, on the other hand ... I can't keep these alive long enough to attack in most cases, since they really only work on the coast and inland cities are much more common. If you think of them as a weak unit that gets +14 when attacking, that would be more accurate.

 

[Lily_Lancer]

I'll vote for Egyptian Horse Archers.

They're negative, although Kongo swordsman and Cree scout are negative, too, Egyptian Horse Archer are more negative than these two, since scout and swordsman are not most commonly-used units, and the malus of them being a little more expensive is not very big.

But not being able to upgrade heavy chariots to knights is certainly a disaster.

They're certainly the worst, even making the Civ a negative Civ, too.

Another two votes casted to Cree scout and Kongo swordsman. Yes Berserkers and Samurais (and Georgia UU, Kumar elephant, Rough Rider, Winged Hussar, Genard Impale, etc.) are of no use and just to be ignored, but they're at least not negative, since they do not replace your already existed units. Negative do not mean they don't have their property, but means I'd rather replace them with normal units they replaced.

I'm surprised that the author of this topic made a long list but do not include the top 2 worst UUs(Egyptian horse archer, Cree scout).