Whats the best UU?

[KingSteve3721]

ive always been wondering this, and please post and explanation about your answer

 

[Kenji]

u should search around...must have this question answered like 10 times =)

my fav. is Praetorian, 8 str ftw

 

[Drake007]

heh ditching the prats would have made the poll more interesting...

other than them it depends a lot on what your strat or goal is, but i'd vote for the Immortals. They sure make for a brutal early rush.

other than those two I think the following are above the rest: war chariots (see above), quechuas (see above) redcoats (with city raider), cossacks (if your enemy is far from riflemen) and samurais (macemen are great in the first place).

 

[cabert]

I voted for cossacks, because :
- They come quite handy for a cultural victory : the UU keeps alive for 100+ turns!
- They are low cost, at a moment when everything is so expensive

 

[King Jason]

Both the Musketeers and redcoats would be fantastic UU's if it weren't for the fact that they are replaced extremely fast.

It seems that right when you get Gunpowder, you can immediately get rifling soon after. Then infantry aren't far off.

 

[Boppo]

The Praetorians are VERY powerful. They come relatively early and can dominate opponents easily, most especially AI opponents. They are a 25% increase in strength from the unit they replace.

Archers are easy prey for them, which is what they most often end up facing. Axemen can be more challenging, but are not an equal match. With a couple of City Raider promotions they are all but unstopable.

 

[Artanis]

The Praetorians are VERY powerful. They come relatively early and can dominate opponents easily, most especially AI opponents. They are a 25% increase in strength from the unit they replace.

33% increase, actually...which is even better


For this reason, I'm voting Praetorians. Cossacks and Redcoats are about the only two UUs that even come close to matching the kind of power jump that Praetorians represent.

 

[rewster1]

Wow... thirteen votes for something that isn't praetorians? And only 4 votes more for them? Do we have a contender here?

Personally I voted for keshiks, just to be different. Oh, alright, and because I always owned with Mangudai in Age of Empires II... totally unrelated to civ, but that brings me to an interesting if off topic point...
Why do horse archers have a bonus against seige? I feel like its somehow a carry-over from AoK, where mangudai had the same 50% bonus... and really, what is the historical relevence? My other beef is also historical relevence, and that is the Aztec unique unit requiring the researching of iron working. This basically makes it a made up unit, since real Aztec warriors fought with stone swords. It would be wicked if the in-game unit replaced swordsman, but was available with masonry instead. That would at least make up for its relative weakness (which is historical... not that the Aztec were weak, just that they didn't have ironworking and therefore would not be able to compete with a normal swordsman).

Oh, and I am trying to work out a strategy to use with the keshiks, so perhaps at some point my vote will actually be valid.

 

[Grimz101]

prets, redcoats, navy seal, and the best of them all fast worker

 

[itkovian]

I voted Cossacks...They provide a transitional advantage even when other Civs are at parity technologically. Also, I struggle more in midgame than I do at the start(when fast workers and praetorians really shine).

 

[Archbob]

Fast worker, hands down, they are incredible efficient at chopping down trees.

 

[Muz]

Keshiks are weak, combat wise. However, they are damn annoying when you're playing in a temperate world with lots of forests, jungles, trees. Keshiks can just stomp all over the land, burning roads, iron mines, pastures, camps, farms BEFORE the enemies can even get close. And once they burn those jungle roads... it takes twice as long to transport units across the map, and twice as long to get workers to the razed iron mines! An evil, evil unit.

I voted cossack though, they're far more powerful than musketmen and grenadiers by the time. Once I got cossacks, I went to war with a few and conquered the entire continent (vs 2 very well fortified opponents, one of them human).

Praetorian is a good early unit too and jaguars are damn good for a place with no iron.

 

[He-Who-Hunts]

there isint really any best uu by my estimate, it all depends on the situation... However, if i was to pick the most "well rounded" unit it would have to be praetorian.

Although an early immortal rush can be a nightmere.

 

[DarkSchneider]

The obvious choices are the Quecha Warrior, Praetorian and Fast Worker.
Fast Worker because they are useful the entire game.
Quecha because they allow you to dominate the early game vs AI
Praetorian because they are dominating from Iron Working all the way until Rifling.

 

[Ya_Lun]

UU are overrated, preatorians especially. I never rely on UU instead I usually rely on development and have better techs to overcome UU. I always choose the chinese leader quin because of his traits and not because of the chokuno.
Relying on UU is a chumps game as their usefullness is limited once your opponent has better techs than you.

Of the above i would say fast worker as they are useful the entire game, but I never choose ghandi because quin has much better traits. Even if quin had no UU I would still chose him. Techs and the right mix of units always trumphs UU.

 

[DangerousMonkey]

Amazingly, I'm the only one that voted for Skirmishers. In multiplayer, I'd say they are the best all around UU, in single player I'd say they're just behind Preatorians. Skirmishers become availible just as you finish your first worker, and they require no resource to build. Also, they beat the hell out of warriors, and are pretty effective attackers against archers. And they're on even footing with chariots, which is a big plus.

The relative power increase they get over archers (3 to 4) is unsurpassed by any other UU (though matched by some). They're great for early rushes or pins, and they'll really save your ass while you secure that copper/horses, either through defensive expansion or through war. If you get one of these guys in defensive terrain theres no moving them for a damn long time, which is great for denying your opponent resources and screwing around with him.

Praetorians are damn good, but thier awsomeness is too easily muted by a smart player. Well promoted axemen are almost on par with them, and if you don't have iron you don't have Praetorians, which is a signifigant risk.

 

[Rakasak]

I really like the Red Coat. Often when i try a cultural victory I slow down my research after i got rifling. Since they are stronger than riffleman they can protect my wonderful empire while i'm pumping my city to the legendary level.
Rakasak

 

[Dueck]

UU are overrated, preatorians especially. I never rely on UU instead I usually rely on development and have better techs to overcome UU. I always choose the chinese leader quin because of his traits and not because of the chokuno.
Relying on UU is a chumps game as their usefullness is limited once your opponent has better techs than you.

Of the above i would say fast worker as they are useful the entire game, but I never choose ghandi because quin has much better traits. Even if quin had no UU I would still chose him. Techs and the right mix of units always trumphs UU.

To rely on the unique unit is a chump's game. To use a UU's advantages will give you an edge.

And on the praetorian... the exclusive use of a single unit will get you stomped, but the praetorian is one unit which you could almost get away with its exclusive use (the cossack is a close second, since it trounces riflemen - the strongest counter at the tech level). When I do play Rome, and if I do get iron, praetorian will make up a large contingent of my army, just due to their versatility.

 

[josephstalin]

praetorian as its appearance can change the game.

 

[Ya_Lun]

yes preatorian are an axeman, spearman and swordsman all roled into one. They are versatile, but as others have said a smart player can easily use axemen and do a bang up job of putting up a great defense against them. Heck an axemen from any aggressive civ is a perfect match to a preatorian.

I also agree that skirmishers are a very good UU, they occuppy the slot between axemen and archers perfectly, great for sitting on the enemies copper and iron.