Best mercenery Unit

[tibilicus]

What do you think is the best mercenery unit? Personly i think cretan archers

[The Stranger]

sarmatian mercenary knights

[Siris]

I've killed so many samilte guys, Cretan's have to get my vote on this one. I love those green fella's! They kill Roman archers so nicely.

[The Stranger]

not samnite but sarmatian

[Dude_uk]

War Elephants. I kept a unit of them for 50 years as the Juli just to have the upper hand once the civil war started

[Siris]

What did they do when the war started, keel over & die at age 70 or so?!

I'd imagine that they would have been around 20 when they were trained, so around 70 or so when the war started, if it started 50 years later.... lol!!!

[mfberg]

Scythian horse archers

[Beefy]

Mercenery Hoplites,

Lovley when defending cities, espically against elephants

[Romeus Petrus]

My vote goes to the cretan Archers Playing as the greeks, they are your best chance against the pharoe's bowmen and other over powered archers who would otherwise wreak havoc on your densely packed phalanges.

[tibilicus]

I even love the cretan archers so much i would send a little ferry to create hire a load and send them to disperse along my armies. I think that by the end of my campaign there were createn archers as far out as briton !

[HarunTaiwan]

Illyrians & Thracians - they are cheap and good

[The Stranger]

bastarnae mercs are good too

[Arrowhead]

Spanish Mercs.

[Rodion Romanovich]

Cretans, sarmatians, scythians, merc hoplites, merc war elephants, balearic/rhodian slingers and bastarnae. I can't really choose... Early in the game, merc hoplites, slingers, scythians and sarmatians own, while cretans can be crucial battle-winners. A little later, cretans and sarmatians are good. Very late, the cretans aren't as superior any more, at least if Egypt and any of the barbarian factions are still around. The bastarnae are always good but less so late in the campaign. Their vulnerability to missiles makes them less interesting after 230 BC though IMO. War elephants are the only merc that can still be better than "home-made" troops late in the campaign.

[Craterus]

I like Yubtseb Elephant Mercs, lol

My favourites are Scythian Horse Archers, Sarmatian Mercs, Bastarnae Mercs, Rhodian Slingers and Cretan Archers.. I have at least one of these in most armies.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Cretan Archers and Sarmation Cavalry, although at times the hoplites are far more effective.

[Craterus]

Cretan Archers and Sarmation Cavalry, although at times the hoplites are far more effective.

At times regarding foolish cavalry ?

[cunctator]

Spanish mercs, cretan Archers and hoplites in this order. For me pila infantry is the most versatile unit type in RTW.

[eyez00]

Best Merc unit available are ELEFANTS and you'll KNOW Why they're the best if you ever get chance to fight them or WITH them!!

But finding an Elefant unit aint easy! i've only ever got one unit to enlist, in the wastes of N.Africa.

2nd Best are Balearic Slingers, ‘cos they have vast ammo supplies & rarely if ever rout. Just set them to skirmish on Loose formation & tell ‘em to Attack & they’re happy just slinging away until the end of the battle/unit they’re aimed at.

Even charging Elefants don’t get ‘em routing. They (The Balearic Slingers) fall back & back & back & take the Elefant/HeavyCav/Chariot unit with 'em!

Plus I like the way they say “SLING-ERS” whenever you click on them!

Btw Balearic Slingers are available from the Balearic Island(s) west of Spain.

Imho

[Craterus]

Balearic Slingers are also available in central Spain.

[dismal]

Plus I like the way they say “SLING-ERS” whenever you click on them!

The Cilician pirate mercs say: "AARRRRR"

[Craterus]

Cretan Archers sound like northerners when you click on them.
No offence intended if you are from the north, I know of some members here who are, I just wouldn' expect some Greeks to sound like that.