EB Online Faction Guide

[gamegeek2]

I've created this thread so we can all post guides to the factions we have the most experience battling online with. First I'll group them into "faction" groups, then detail individual factions.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Hellenic Factions
Makedonia
Ptolemaioi (this may seem out of place, but their unit roster doesn't have too many Eastern levies)
Qart-Hadast (this may seem out of place, but their unit roster is very similar to that of a Hellenic faction)
Koinon Hellenon
Epeiros

The Hellenic factions prominently feature heavy infantry, especially pike phalanxes and other spearmen. They also feature strong heavy cavalry, and some decent but not particularly cost-efficient light cavalry. Most don't have very good missile troops, but mercenaries tend to make up for this.

Romani

The Romani are even more focused on heavy infantry than the Hellenes. Their cavalry is decent but somewhat lackluster, but their diverse and flexible infantry make up for this; like the barbarians, they feature both niche-filling units; like the Hellenes, they have strong mainline heavy infantry. Like the Hellenes, they often rely on mercenaries for missile troops.

"Barbarian" Factions
Aedui
Arverni
Casse
Lusotana
Sweboz
Getai

"Barbarian" factions tend to focus on heavy infantry with lower armour than those of "civilized" factions. However, their elite units tend to be savagely good, and they have strong niche-filling units as well. Their missile units aren't bad, and their cavalry, while nothing special, is capable of getting the job done.

Eastern Faction
Hayasadan

Their heavy infantry don't stack up to that of the Hellenes, but do a respectable job. They have plentiful cheap but effective levies, especially their archers. They also pack some of the finest cavalry in the game, heavy cataphracts that can bowl opponents over, as well as strong horse archers.

East Hellenic Factions
Pontos
Baktria
Arche Seleukeia

The East Hellenic factions are a hybrid between the Hellenes and Eastern factions - they feature the typical unit Hellenic roster, but they also have access to the cheap, cost-effective levies of Eastern factions. They also have cataphracts in addition to other types of Hellenic cavalry. While their heavy infantry aren't as strong, they have an overall more balanced roster and stronger cavalry.

Steppe Factions
Sauromatae
Saka Rauka

Together with Pahlava, they have the best cavalry in the game. Their mainstay units, horse archers, are invulnerable to heavy infantry except in rare circumstances. They have dual-role archer-lancers which can smash the enemy in a charge or pick them off at range. And they have cataphracts like the Eastern factions, able to bowl enemies over with a devastating charge. Their infantry tend to be poor and not very diverse, mostly levies, though their foot archers are easily on par with, if not better than, those of Eastern factions.

Eastern/Steppe Faction
Pahlava

Together with the steppe factions, they have the best cavalry in the game. They don't have quite the diverse selection of horse archers that their steppe counterparts have, but they have access to the large pool of cost-effective eastern levies. Pahlava actually has the best heavy cavalry in the game, namely the Grivpanvar but also a large number of powerful noble cataphract units. They, too have archer-lancers, which can perform the roles of both units devastatingly well.

Saba
It's certainly possible to win with the Saba, but their units are of poorer quality than those of other factions. Think of their army as being entirely composed of Eastern levies, with no cataphracts.

Qart-Hadast Guide

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: