Worst UU

[Higher Game]

On hills, the conquistador can plausibly defend tanks from antitanks. Cavalry can too, but it's cooler to do so with such an old unit. It might have the most longevity of any unit, excluding the fast worker. For what it's worth, pikemen regularly stop vanilla cuirassiers, too, and the cuirassier is solid enough already that a massive improvement would be unfair.

Numidians and jaguars at least have a niche, despite their lower strength. The dog soldier regularly loses to catapults, chariots, archers, and horse archers where a regular axeman would be better. Simply being better just against other melee units isn't worth the strength penalty. Sitting bull has protective totem pole archers anyway, making the dogs absolutely pointless for defense (and we know they can't rush). Well, they're pointless anyway.

 

[insaneweasel]

IMO, the worst is the panzy. It is basically a spit in your face...there is almost never a time when it's useful.

From experience, the SEAL is awesome when you're doing an overseas invasion

 

[Yardi]

Panzer tanks are good in an end game, they even stand up to Modern Armour - however I am aware that many players are not that keen on a long game and just seem to enjoy the early rush. (go on send your stack of axes at me).

Dogs seem to have a lot of spots in the hof, but I guess this is because of cheese, choosing opponents you think will beeline axes, not chariots.

I think early defensive units are surely the worst, what is the point of bowmen?

Mid game uu can be the best if you can upgrade old units that have opp bonuses, so that you end up with both offence and defence strength.

Generally though if you want to go deeper than the early rush i think uu should only be viewed as a little bonus - not the only important game element imho

 

[Farm Boy]

UU's certainly are not the only game element. They are, however, a fun bit of flavor and differentiation. Interest in their relative power fun

The panzer itself isn't actually a "spit in the face." The assembly plant is, but that is a different thread!

 

[theskibum]

UU's certainly are not the only game element. They are, however, a fun bit of flavor and differentiation. Interest in their relative power fun

The panzer itself isn't actually a "spit in the face." The assembly plant is, but that is a different thread!

Assy Plant..

 

[Barbu]

Jaguars and dog soldiers.

Situationally they can be superior to the unit they replace, but generally they'll end up being a downgrade. The same can't be said for the others UUs.

 

[username804]

The Panzer should have commando since what Blitz really is is a super fast charge across enemy lands.

Give your Panzers Blitz, move 4 and pinch or maybe mounted promos

For extra oomph, considering they were ready before the war started and anyone had any kind of defense against them, move them to assembly line, and...

The Poles really believed the tanks were made of cardboard because they could be built so fast.

Cut the build cost in half..

I'm not sure if the Panzer in the game is supposed to represent the III or the Tiger series...

but a Panzer I was basically just an armored car

 

[plasmacannon]

You should have added a poll.

Camel Archers.
They don't need Iron or Horse, but, require Archery.
I rarely build knights, and Camel Archers offer a 15% Withdrawl chance as their only combat advantage, compared to Knights.

Jaguars come in 2nd, because, of their poor ability to do much of anything, easily killed by axes, and any smart player chops down the forest in a 1 radius around his cities. So, easy to kill their main advantage.

Dog Soldiers can beat Jaguars that attack a city, so, Dogs are not worse.

 

[Peregrine]

Second the defense of Panzers. One will hold off and destroy 3 or 4 normal AI tanks before being killed. One-on-one the Panzer will beat an AI tank every time. And, as stated above, I've seen a Panzer beat a modern armor in a straight out battle. The argument that they go obsolete is pertinent, but the fact that they can hold their own against modern armor means that the useful lifespan of the unit isn't as short as one might think. Sometimes, I don't have the ready cash to upgrade ALL of the tank units in an emergency. With Panzers, it's not such a serious concern.

 

[Farm Boy]

If the panzer advantage is mattering, something odd is going on. It seems like at this point there is collateral damage everywhere, airplanes rock, artillery rocks, nukes rock. How often do you actually have a panzer match up against a non-collateralized AI armour?

 

[insaneweasel]

Second the defense of Panzers. One will hold off and destroy 3 or 4 normal AI tanks before being killed. One-on-one the Panzer will beat an AI tank every time.

In nearly every game that I've played, the AI builds essentially no tanks-and from what I've heard, that's the case for most people.

In light of that, a regular strength tank with a slight bonus during an era when you can mass-rushbuy stuff doesn't seem that useful.

 

[s.bernbaum]

In nearly every game that I've played, the AI builds essentially no tanks-and from what I've heard, that's the case for most people.

In light of that, a regular strength tank with a slight bonus during an era when you can mass-rushbuy stuff doesn't seem that useful.

I always play into the modern era. In my games the AIs always build plenty of tanks. It looks like it's a YMMV situation.

 

[tdy99]

Landsneckht or however it's spelled is one of my favorite UUs. I'm fairly new, though, so what do I know. Isn't it essentially a pikeman and maceman rolled into one? Seems pretty damn effective.

 

[imagod284]

No anti-love for the Celtic Warrior?

 

[imagod284]

Also, dog soldiers are a perfect matchup for praetorians. Can't even cut off the metal supply. So they have that going for them.

 

[ithinkiamawesom]

imo its the jaguar tied with the ballista elephant. the jaguar is weaker than the original unit, as well as being highly situational. the ballista elephant......... well, just look at it...........

 

[vicawoo]

I don't think I've ever had a Panzer which got into combat with another armored unit. I try to avoid tech parity wars in the industrial or later periods, and I think I have been entirely successful while playing Germany.

And there is no way the Jaguar belongs on this list. It is situational, but it's a resource free unit, which can pair with cats very easily. Just build a few cities surrounding the capital (preferably 2-3, and none more than 4 tiles from capital regardless of metal availability) and after the worker techs go for IW->const->CoL. Once you have Construction, start whipping cats/jaguars (1 jaguar for a woodsman healer+axes if you got lucky copper) ...capture an entire neighbor's land while researching for CoL, then whip SAs, and let the carnage (both by whip and sword) begin. Monty is a real monster when properly abused by a human. (he's just annoying as an AI)

Another no way it belongs on this list is Conquistadors. Maybe if you play quick/normal they might be weak, but they are simply awesome units at slower speeds.

If you always go iron working then construction, your catapults will be very late, and your only recourse will be to save money after writing (while putting scientist specialist beakers into iron working), then going 100% a few turns before you can bulb mathematics. I say this from dozens of trial games.

The chances of not finding iron or bronze is pretty low.

 

[PreLynMax]

I always never find iron unless I put the resorces on Balanced.
In some games, I can't find either iron or copper, and forced to end the game right after IW.
Doggy Soldiers, though inferior to units thier classe are great if the RMG dosen't cut you a break (like me).
Other than that, I would choose the Dog Soldier as the crappiest UU in the game.

 

[Yxklyx]

Just finished a game as HRE and I have to say that Landsknecht are pretty awesome especially as a defensive unit and you shouldn't underestimate defense especially when you take into account Siege Weapons. Most battles feature cities being attacked and attack strength is not very important since catapults/trebuchets reduce opposing strength to the point that the attacking unit's strength is not very relevant. What is relevant is the the unit's defensive ability during counterattacks and this is where the HRE UU shines.

 

[obsolete]

jaguars and dog soldiers.

WTH....