Worst EB Unit?

[NeoSpartan]

I find Hippakontistai very useful for KH. Four units of Hippakontistai throwing javelins behind the enemy line.... AI gets very nervous when his army's surrounded and breaks his frontal formation thus giving you serious advantage.
Hippakontistai are very cheap and fast moving, you can recruit them almost everywhere from 1 level MIC. Nope, they are not "Zee Awesome Charge" cavalry, but they are useful.

Moderator!
There was an older tread https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=86391 about the same.

Well.... I had a guy do that to me in MP and it didn't work, sure I lost a few guys but that was it.

the whole battle lasted 10mins..... too bad it was our only battle due to connection issue.

The problem with those horse is the fact that they have absolutely NO charge.
The Sweboz don't have a charge either but they are decent hand to hand.
Louges Ecpos (sp) have a decent hand to hand too (although a little less than the Sweboz) BUT they do have a good Charge!

[Tellos Athenaios]

Hippakontistai have some really powerful secondary stats, though... They might not be the end all and be all of Skirmisher cavalry (especially because akontistai and the like will make short work of them in melee too...), still when comitted at the right time they will make you run for the hills! And believe me, you won't get to the hills in time - Hippakontistai are beyond excellent when it comes to riding down fleeing troops.

[Spoofa]

Pantodopoi, sorry to say are the weakest, eastern discipline combined with poor equipment make a bad soldier, to me they represent a group of men in a city with some basic, basic equipment to defend the city if at dire need, I rarely ever take them into the field with me.

[Bootsiuv]

The only time I usually use Pantadapoi in any significant numbers is early in the campaign when I can't afford anything better.

They're not very effective, but are capable of pinning an enemy unit long enough for a flank attack, mostly because of they're large unit size (120 on large IIRC).

[woad&fangs]

I haven't gotten around to playing the Casse yet so I'm not sure if their chariots are actually bad. I remember that a lot of people complained about the brittanian generals in Vannilla Rome. I actually had a lot of success with chariots in vanilla. They were an effective anti cavalry force that could mow down enemy generals units as long as you paid attention and didn't let your chariots stop.

Greek Archers(I think they're toxotai somethingorother) are the worst units in the game. they're like peasants from vanilla that managed to find a few sticks and a piece of string and suddenly thought that they were actually useful to the army. They thought wrong, plus unlike peasants, they only have 60 men per unit so they aren't real useful as garrisons to prevent rebellion.

[Schatten]

hmm.... celtic chariots and greek archers(toxitai or so) are equal bad, hard to say who of them is worser.
pandapoi have their use as garrison or to hold the enemy in one place so other units can flank them but those 2 units in all way useless any other unit in palce of them is more usefull in any way even the roman accensi more usefull

[TWFanatic]

The simple truth is that light, javelin armed cavalry are not battle winning units. Used correctly, however, they are good auxiliaries (particularly the Thrakian light cavalry). I find them a nice compliment to heavy cavalry. As Makedon, I often deploy my Companions, Thessalians, and prodomai with a light cavalry unit on their flank that can circle around the enemy heavy cavalry after mine deliver there devastating charge and fire missiles into their rear. Then, while the heavy cavalry turn in and roll up the enemy flank, the light cavalry can pursue the enemy cavalry or skirmishers. This system, combined with my solid phalanx line which can hold against anything in time for my cavalry to arrive, has worked flawlessly in my current Makedonian campaign.

[Rodion Romanovich]

I second pantodapoi, but how can anyone find akontistai worthless? I used quite a few of them to kill carthie generals and hold the line at critical moments in my Romani campaign (typically in battles where my main legions were away and I had to put together an army out of reserves and garrison troops. Besides, akontistai are excellent garrison troops (large unit size, cheap upkeep).

[The Persian Cataphract]

I find the likes of Lugoae, Nizag Gund (And Armenian equivalent) Pantodapoi to be utterly worthless, except the Nizag Gund does appear to be marginally better.

[Tellos Athenaios]

I find the likes of Lugoae, Nizag Gund (And Armenian equivalent) Pantodapoi to be utterly worthless, except the Nizag Gund does appear to be marginally better.

I find the Caucasian spearmen to be rather though light infantry. In my AS campaign; they are the evil people who crush Ptolemaioi FM's... (Seriously, did you ever think they were able to rout a unit of about half their size consisting of seasoned Hetairoi?) And they manage pretty well against swordsmen too: I've had one unit of Caucasian spearment rout a unit of Medium Infantry (I will not reveal it's full name; it's not in the public release)... and all on their own.

[The Persian Cataphract]

I'm not referring to the Caucasian Spearmen, I meant the Hai Nizagamartik. The Caucasian Spearmen are something of a "These stats are bullshit"-type unit and they are indeed surprisingly resilient.

[Tellos Athenaios]

Oh, seeing that the Caucasian spearmen cost exactly the same as Pantodapoi in both upkeep and recruitment...

[A Terribly Harmful Name]

Not all Psiloi suck. Akontistai and Sphendonatai are good, especially Sphendonatai. If you manage to put a couple of these or Akontistai to shoot behind the enemy line, then they'll do some formidable damage.

Toxotai, on the other hand, are useless crap. Their numbers make them worthless even as fodder. Since there are a lot of Mercenary Toxotai Kretikoi around, along with Eastern Archers if you are a Diadochi, then I never bother to recruit them.

[PershsNhpios]

Have any of you gracefully brilliant tacticians attempted to use the chariot in the manner a chariot should be used?

They are but overpowered, with one unit I can destroy seven units of Celtic skirmishers.
Before you heap any more criticisms upon the developers, and push them into a conclusion that will push them off their historic perspective, try this:

Line up the unit of chariots with another (Preferably infantry) unit.
Then, simply double click on the other side of that unit, tell the chariots to 'run' through the enemy.
On first contact, as the game as ruled, the chariots will stop and try to commence a melee action.
Don't allow it, keep double clicking constant, and they will soon run straight through, and once they are through the formation, give them a slight reprieve and then force them back through the line again.

Catch the enemy like a fish within a net of chariots, and then you will see the usefulness, and why you can defeat the entire southern-british Eleutheroi with 3 general units...

And I thought I was only moderate in stratagem!

[olly]

Fair enough if that is how the chariots are meant to be used but I never pause battles and that is just far too much micro management for my tastes.

Therefor my vote for the worst unit still goes to those 2nd rate tricycles.

[Digby Tatham Warter]

It's the same thing for Nellies, you have to keep em moving, except less micro management for the Nellies, as only javs are 'very' dangerous to them.