I'm writing all this from memory, haven't actually played the game in a while. Forgive any errors, please.


Most of the time, Sahara Cavalry trained in Cyrenaica with a Master Horsebreeder is the most cost-effective cavalry you can get. Quite hard-hitting, cheap, fast, and expendable. Great stuff. Once you've conquered the deserts, add Master Armorer in Cyrenaica to make them more durable in non-desert conditions.

Also - Mithrandir would approve - don't underestimate the lowly Bedouin Camel Warrior. Obtainable from only a fort in several provinces and dirt cheap, those are very easy to spam early. It's a hard unit to counter in masses, as it kills all cavalry the enemy sends against it, and can run away from all infantry. Beware masses of well-protected archers, though. Even in my high and later armies, Bedouin Camel Warriors occasionally find a place, if only as a cheap specialized counter to knights.

Nubian Spearmen are easy to get in numbers, too, and not bad (much better than the Catholic regular Spearmen, and Disciplined to boot). Saracen Infantry is equal to Chivalric Sergeants in most regards, but available earlier. If you're not fighting in the desert, SI is the massive spear backbone you want. In the deserts, Nubians are still better.

Ghazis are another fantastic cheap unit. Use as flankers from a solid Saracen Infantry base, or as a second wave. This way not quite so many of them will die, and they will often deliver the shock which routs the enemy.

Desert Archers are simply better than normal archers (fast, loose formation, and slightly better in melee). Quite good for a long time, don't underestimate these guys. In a missile duel, they fare much better than you might be inclined to think.

Mamluk Archers are my favorite unit in the Egyptian lineup except for Nizaris. Trained in Sinai, they're better than Faris, and can be employed in a number of roles: missile support, bait, medium attack cavalry... Best of all, they can switch between roles at a moment's notice. Not quite as good as Steppe Heavy Cavalry, but very good all the same.

Mamluk Cavalry is a bit too mediocre for my taste. At the time they arrive, even the armor-piercing bonus doesn't put them on the same footing as "true" heavy cavalry. They have their niche as medium cavalry, I suppose - but you've got their more flexible Archer brothers for that. OK unit if you need a heavier kind of cavalry now.

Mamluk Gunners are crap. Wouldn't touch them with a standard-issue 10' pole. The saving grace of regular (Catholic) Gunners is their ability to hold out in melee for a long time. Mamluk Gunners, being the cheap version, are stripped of armor...

Ghulam Cavalry is called heavy cavalry, but in actuality it's nothing more than glorified light cavalry. They're worse than both types of Mamluk cavalry, and have higher prereqs. Even with a valor bonus, they're not worth it, unless you're really strapped for cavalry. I'd take Cyrenaican Saharans over these any day of the week: much, much more cost-effective.

Faris are very good, if not as good as the Russian or Hungarian heavy horse archer types. Slightly better attackers than Mamluk Archers, a bit less durable, but Elite instead of Disciplined. Good all around. Mamluk Archers are a bit better when trained in Sinai though, whereas Faris have no "home ground". Still, get Faris instead of or on top of Mamluk Archers all you like - the difference in game is minimal.

Abyssinian Guards just don't cut it in my book. They're not at all like Ghazis, although that's what you read a lot: They're not fast, not quite as fanatical (although they do have high morale), don't have that high a charge bonus, and have much higher defense - though they're still far from durable. In practice this means they lack a role. They're not flankers (not fast, mediocre charge), they're not line infantry (they still die much too fast for that at base defense 0). Combined with their comparatively high cost and building requirements, Abyssinians have no place in my armies. The only times I tried them out they disappointed.

Nizaris are the cream of the cream. I once trained a full stack of silver-armored Nizaris with a Master Swordsmith in Syria and sent them on a pillaging run into France. This stack could handily defeat well-balanced Catholic armies (lots of CMAA, Royal Knights, Arbalests...). Very much worth the wait. A pity you don't get a real hybrid unit earlier. Oh, and they're actually very good as part of regular armies, too. Nizaris are deadly archers, and the ultimate flanking unit. They're fast, and no unit in the game has a higher charge bonus except for Gallowglasses and Knights! A bit like Ghazis plus bows.