What units do you hide in crusade?

[joonkimdmd]

So dar, the only useful unit I find are hellknights. They are strong, high hp, defense, mobility etc.
All the other units do either no damage or die in one or two hit.
Is there a way to make useless units strong?
For example, I find archers useless. Does anyone like archers?

[Morgian]

I use only ranged units for serious combat, all melees serve merely as meatshields. A stack of 500 marksmen or other advanced ranged units can pretty much wipe everything off the map, and they often get two attacks (I have the morale feat). The trick is to get a stack of them, which costs time and money.
The general needs several levels of the feat that allows to have more stacks in the army. Since you won't find 500 marksmen so easily, we have to make do with a mix of other ranged units, until one is predominant. The basic archers are outclassed in chapter 5, but can still work with the help of spells.

I found that the most useful melee units are clerics and paladins due to lay on hands, which keep losses low. I let hellknights and pallies occasionally attack to finish a stack, but they basically hold the line. You have to shoot priority targets first, like dretches and demodands, and those are sometimes worth charging with the cavalry, too.

[Aradon]

Marksman have basically been the only unit pulling its weight in my army. I can't really judge a lot of my units because I can't recruit decent numbers of anything, but if you can get a stack of clerics, they also did pretty well. Their heal saves you some unit losses, and they can smite evil to do some decent damage against a single target. I usually use a stack of shieldbearers as meatshields to wall off my marksmen. I'm playing the Azata path, and had the chance to use a good stack of Bralani Azata, and I can't say I'm impressed. They're tanky, but their heal's mediocre, and their damage is very bad. They'd be fine as blockers, except they have a very high unit cost, so if a few of them die, they eat up my hospital alotment very quickly.

I'd really like to see an easier way to get higher stacks of units. Seems like the game loves to shower me with a tiny number of a huge variety of units, which are basically worthless. Not to be too harsh, but I can't take the army battle mechanics seriously in this game. It's just not polished, and I have no sense of balance or intent. I've just stumbled upon a unit that does work, and push that button until I win.

[DarkFenix]

Archers, of whatever type, are your best unit. In numbers they dish out absurd damage, especially marksmen.

Clerics are the best tank, not just because they're pretty tough, but because the AI seems to have a pathological compulsion to focus on them. A tank is no use if the enemy just ignores it.

Hedge knights pull their weight extremely well once you build their numbers a little too. One of the few melee units putting out damage worth a damn.

Mythic units are useless as far as I can tell. You just don't get enough.

[malkavius77]

Archers are great and all until an enemy general 1 shots your entire stack.

[Veg]

what are these units you speak of? You just cast fireball

[joonkimdmd]

Originally posted by Morgian:

I use only ranged units for serious combat, all melees serve merely as meatshields. A stack of 500 marksmen or other advanced ranged units can pretty much wipe everything off the map, and they often get two attacks (I have the morale feat). The trick is to get a stack of them, which costs time and money.
The general needs several levels of the feat that allows to have more stacks in the army. Since you won't find 500 marksmen so easily, we have to make do with a mix of other ranged units, until one is predominant. The basic archers are outclassed in chapter 5, but can still work with the help of spells.

I found that the most useful melee units are clerics and paladins due to lay on hands, which keep losses low. I let hellknights and pallies occasionally attack to finish a stack, but they basically hold the line. You have to shoot priority targets first, like dretches and demodands, and those are sometimes worth charging with the cavalry, too.

Where can I find marksmen? I only get some of them by luck. I can't hire them, can I?

[erian]

I like wizards. While you will not get them enough for meaningfull damage their utility is amazing. They can give teleportation ability to any unit(amazingly stacks with champions), they can dispel statuses,and they rarely get focused.

[DarkFenix]

Originally posted by joonkimdmd:

Originally posted by Morgian:

I use only ranged units for serious combat, all melees serve merely as meatshields. A stack of 500 marksmen or other advanced ranged units can pretty much wipe everything off the map, and they often get two attacks (I have the morale feat). The trick is to get a stack of them, which costs time and money.
The general needs several levels of the feat that allows to have more stacks in the army. Since you won't find 500 marksmen so easily, we have to make do with a mix of other ranged units, until one is predominant. The basic archers are outclassed in chapter 5, but can still work with the help of spells.

I found that the most useful melee units are clerics and paladins due to lay on hands, which keep losses low. I let hellknights and pallies occasionally attack to finish a stack, but they basically hold the line. You have to shoot priority targets first, like dretches and demodands, and those are sometimes worth charging with the cavalry, too.

Where can I find marksmen? I only get some of them by luck. I can't hire them, can I?

They're one of the choices in chapter 3 when upgrading your basic units. They're Regill's suggestion.

[them4pples]

archers are awesome. you just need a high enough stack of them so they don't die in one hit. hellknights are really good too.

[corisai]

Dragonhunters are strong units too if you have resources to invest in their buildings (basic growth 1 is ouch). Plus it's nice to have another archer units if your main would be attacked / controlled.
Hedge knights are only thing that could outperform Marksmen. Especially with charge.

[joonkimdmd]

Originally posted by them4pples:

archers are awesome. you just need a high enough stack of them so they don't die in one hit. hellknights are really good too.

I thought archers can't even kill enemies because they are so weak.
Maybe I need hundreds of them to make up for their weak attacks?

[Lannister]

I just like my 1500 zombie stack. Can tank FOREVER until others cut the enemy.

[corisai]

Originally posted by joonkimdmd:

I thought archers can't even kill enemies because they are so weak.
Maybe I need hundreds of them to make up for their weak attacks?

No, you need to upgrade them to Marksmen (level-up your Army rank) ;)

[Something completely different]

Priests are pretty good. Not only are they great agro magnets (so your archers will be much less likely to be attacked), they do pretty good damage with their smite evil and can heal a bit when required.

All in all a good package.

As for standard units -> marksmen + hedge knights.

[LArc7thHeaven]

Champion to kick ass, cleric the best tank so far (meaty + smite), marksmen for the kill, hellknights got smite chaos every hit. The rest is meh and some downright useless