Don't you dare to speak ill of Pantodapoi Phalangitai It's one of the most useful units in the game IMO. The only phalanx you can actually afford to use as eastern greek faction in the early years. And it gets the job done. In fact, I just witnessed amazing performance by these guys in game. Was besieging Side from two sides, because I couldn't merge my armies. The garrison sallied out and of corse they attacked the small captain-led part of my forces instead of the bigger general-led part. So no benefit out of my general's traits. What's far worse though was that I accidentally allowed AI control over my reinforcements, which was most of my troops, leaving me only 3 units led by a captain

Long story short, those units were predictably doomed, unable to link up with the braindead reinforcements coming from the other side of the map. Couldn't hope to withdraw them either as the enemy started too close (no town walls) and their cavalry would have easily catched my all-infantry units. So I set them up for a last stand. Two of the three units (including my captain who got killed) were overwhelmed but one of them, a Pantodapoi Phalangitai, refused to rout. I could hardly believe my eyes, but despite their commander dead, their friends routed and themselves being surrounded, exhausted and taking a charge in the rear (admittedly, by an almost completely decimated cavalry unit) they just kept on fighting! Eventually they were destroyed, as they were just hopelessly outnumbered. But they made the enemy pay a massive price in blood and sweat for taking them out. If it were possible to make our own unique buildings in EB, I'd be erecting a monument in the honor of that unit.

Sorry for this off-topicness but someone has to stand for the poor levies who so courageously fight and die for the petty ambitions of their warmongering tyrants