your favourite mercenaries

[seleucid empire]

at some point in everybody campaign everyone has had to supplement their depleted armies with mercenaries. My favourite would have to be the illyrian cavalry in the west and the hykranian axemen ( in the far east) what are your favourite mercenaries. and dont post cretan archers, galatian wildmen or georgian medium infantry cause we all know those ones are good

[Blxz]

Archer spearmen in the east. i forget exactly what they are called. But nice, cheap and great for both garrison and general army bulking.

[KyodaiSteeleye]

thracian skirmishers - one of the best all rounders in the game. Also obvious, but medium hellenic phalanx - in a number of games i've relied on these guys to garrison my cities (and toast attackers) and bolster my line in areas away from my main recruitment regions.

[athanaric]

at some point in everybody campaign everyone has had to supplement their depleted armies with mercenaries. My favourite would have to be the illyrian cavalry in the west and the hykranian axemen ( in the far east) what are your favourite mercenaries. and dont post cretan archers, galatian wildmen or georgian medium infantry cause we all know those ones are good
AFAIK Illyrian cavalry are more popular than Georgian swordsmen. So yeah.

My favourites are Worgozez and some mercenary types that are also retrainable due to the fact that they're regular units, such as Alan Nobles, Skythian Riders, Bastarnae falxmen (really useful for Greek factions), Hyrkanian Hillmen, Heavy Persian archers, Batacorii, Appea Gaedotos, Tekastos, Illyrian cavalry, and Ethiopian swordsmen. Possibly a few more whom I forgot. Also Thrakian skirmishers and lancers with some factions (primarily KH).

[Titus Marcellus Scato]

Kretan Archers and Misthophoroi Phalangitai are essential additions for Koinon Hellenon armies in the early part of the campaign. They put standard early KH Toxotai and Classical Hoplites to shame, being both better and larger units (though far more expensive, of course.) And, since I play on Huge unit size, buying mercenaries has the considerable advantage of not reducing my town population.

The first thing I buy in any new KH campaign is a unit of Mercenary Kretan archers. With them, I can take on larger Macedonian armies with confidence.

[Tanit]

Balearic Slingers and Thracian Prodromoi

[d'Arthez]

The mercenary variants of Leuce Epos (probably one of the best cavalry units in the West) and the mercenary variant of the Gaestatae - but the latter not to be used as a front line unit, but as a support unit. Fear penalties can really help - you just have to make certain they do not draw missile fire.

[Brave Brave Sir Robin]

Cuerpos, Thrakian Prodromoi, Thrakioi Peltastai, Balearic Slingers, any Hispanic Unit is phenomonal, Belgic Spearmen, Persian Archer-Spearmen, Bastarnae, Scythian HA, and most popular is Enoci Curoas. Available from Gaul to Italy, to Greece, these guys are great as disposable city square assaulters.

[seleucid empire]

im talking about non elite mercenaries, so anything like thracian skirmishers is off the list. does anyone like bruttian infantry?

[Titus Marcellus Scato]

im talking about non elite mercenaries, so anything like thracian skirmishers is off the list. does anyone like bruttian infantry?

Yes, as Rome I hire all the various Italian units to use as the allied component of my consular armies. Samnites, Lucanians and Bruttians are all good troops. I have equal numbers of Italians and Romans.

The Italian mercs are good for Carthage and anyone else invading Italy to kick Roman arse. My Carthaginian armies in Italy and Sicily are usually mostly mercenaries.

[seleucid empire]

yeh those samnite heavies are tough and you can recruit like 6 of them in southern italy in one turn. and also does anyone like ligurian infantry or those various spearmen units in the alps like the noricum ones or the alpine phalanx? they are a bit weird

[Arjos]

The Noricene Gaecori are just beautiful :)
The Appea Gaedotos are incredibly versatile with their spears and axes...

As for favourite mercenaries, I can't pick, love them all :D

[PureEvil[PIE]]

I love the sammites in Italy :>. Really helped me when I was Carthage.

[Brave Brave Sir Robin]

Argh, forgot Alpine Phalanx and Rhaetic Axes, two of my absolute favorite units:2thumbsup:

[moonburn]

rhaetic acemen and ofc the assholes or the greek word for assholes kretikoi

cavelary gotta wuv those iberians

[Blxz]

rhaetic acemen and ofc the assholes or the greek word for assholes kretikoi

cavelary gotta wuv those iberians

Huh?

[antisocialmunky]

Peltastai.

[Brennus]

Bruttian infantry, Numidian cavalry and Carian warbands all make for great, cheap but hardy additions to a Mediterranean force.

[Brave Brave Sir Robin]

Bruttian infantry, Numidian cavalry and Carian warbands all make for great, cheap but hardy additions to a Mediterranean force.

Did you modify the stats on your Bruttians? As is, I find them completely underwhelming.

[The Celtic Viking]

Well, when playing as non-Celts I always bring some Celtic mercenaries. Any Celtic mercenaries. However, speaking purely about usefulness, some of my favourites would be Tekastos, Samnitici Milites and Iberi Scutari.

[Intranetusa]

My favorite mercs are the Saminite Heavy Infantry, Babylonian Heavy Spearmen, horse archers, Persian archer-spearmen, falx men, Thraikioi Peltastai (cool looking heavy-pelastai with a pseudo-falx), and Thrakioi Prodromoi (or any other medium-heavy cavalry lancers).

[rickinator9]

I usually don't hire mercenaries, because they are very expensive in the game. Not to mention I always want to have something on the build que. I do hire the occasional Gaesatae whenever they are available.

For regional troops, I liked the Nizagan-i eranshahr and the illyrian thureoporoi

[seleucid empire]

are gaesatae available as mercs?? i can only get the galatian valiant as mercs

[geala]

They are equal to gaesatae, I think. Using javelin and sword, fighting naked and frighten others. Gaesatae means nothing else than bearer of spears, what they exactly were (a religious band, a warlike boygroup, a special unit or just young able bodied warriors) remains a little bit cloudy.

I usually recruit only small numbers of mercenaries, they are very expensive. I recruit what I like, mostly Cretans, Celts and Balearic units, because they were known for being mercenaries. Later in game I use a lot of natives instead, mainly Celts, Italians and Thrako-Celts (I normally play as Macedon, Epeiros or the Ptolemeians). I also like "Nubian" units. I don't like eastern troops, although one or two horse archers are often used.

[rickinator9]

are gaesatae available as mercs?? i can only get the galatian valiant as mercs

I meant those, other unit, same function.

[Lazy O]

Curepos, Bataroas, other celtic units, any horse archers.

[Brennus]

Did you modify the stats on your Bruttians? As is, I find them completely underwhelming.

Correction, your right they are a bit pants.

[Brave Brave Sir Robin]

Pants? I'm unfamiliar with this expression...

[Brennus]

Less than spectacular/dissapointing etc. Alternatively the word "naff" can also be employed to the same effect.

Jews! Now there are some hearty and tough troops.

[seleucid empire]

they arent mercs tho

[Brennus]

they arent mercs tho

True, but I couldn't help myself.

[seleucid empire]

ive found them useful against ptolies or those 3 arabian cities on the seleucid border but other than that i really havent used them much

[Brennus]

I would actually prefer them to the theuropheroi, they are tough and stand their ground, well worth the money (if only i could fix my economy to have money now :p)

[athanaric]

I would actually prefer them to the theuropheroi, they are tough and stand their ground, well worth the money (if only i could fix my economy to have money now :p)
And I prefer Thorakitai to both. Jewish Spearmen + Egyptian Phalanx are a possible (early game) game breaker combo for Ptolies though. Reason being they're both cheap, easily available and very effective if used together.

[team_kramnik]

Regarding Thorakitai: Lusotannan Scortamareva -1 armor + good stamina
My favorite Mercs as Carthage, heck I even buy them as Lusotannan if my cities don't produce them fast enough

[Frtigern]

Balroae, those Caledonians are tough, fierce and can really throw a javelin. Along these same lines the Silurae Birnai, Dorkim Garamantim, Caturige Gaedann and the Dorkim Maurim are also great light infantry. The Batacorii, Massaliotai Hoplitai, Gaemile Liguriae, Gestikapoinann, Doryphoroi Pontikoi, Zemjones, Callaecae Roscaithrera, Gund-î Nîzagân and the Keltohellenikoi Hoplitai are all great spearmen. For swords I like the Dunaminica, Korodrougōs, Loricati Caetrati and Iberi Caetrati. For axes other good units are the Kirwīnīkōs and the Katpatuka Zanteush For cavalry the Liguriae Epos and the Eqvites Campanici are awesome. Other good ranged units are the Medjīnīkōs and the Paya Hinam Dunai Purma

[Brennus]

Balroae, those Caledonians are tough, fierce and can really throw a javelin.

As a wise man/woman on this forum once said to me, the best use of the Balroae is to put them under the command of a Caledonian general and then send them on a tour of the Rineland and Bavaria.

[seleucid empire]

sorry but what are Medjīnīkōs? never really seen them and they arent on the eb units list online

[Arjos]

sorry but what are Medjīnīkōs? never really seen them and they arent on the eb units list online

Baltic archers, they are pretty good, but utterly armourless...

[seleucid empire]

oohhh the archer spearmen?? oh yeh i think ive used those

[Arjos]

oohhh the archer spearmen?? oh yeh i think ive used those

http://europabarbarorum.heimstatt.net/pics/Info/germanic_missile_medininkas_INFO.jpg

^^

[The Stranger]

galatikoi tindanotae by a long shot. these guys are such beasts. and otherwise any steppe horse archer, you can conquer empires with just 10.