a general wondering...

**quackingduck** · 12-07-2007, 23:51

so is it worth it to build the really expensive units? like those green boats that have like 5000 upkeep? or the seige stuff that has like 67 attack on soldiers, but costs somthing like 3000 for upkeep or elephants?

any thoughts? i haven't built any of that stuff cause i can support about half an elite army for the same price. (i go by upkeep costs since the simple recruitment cost is irrevelant to me)

**Callicles** · 12-07-2007, 23:55

I personally find that nothing works as well as well balanced army of medium troops. The cost is not so high, and with strategy and planning you can take on the enemy elites.

**Tellos Athenaios** · 12-07-2007, 23:56

Depends. 26 of those Green boats (which is one unit of them on large) will beat just about every pirate stack hands down. And most other navies as well.

The one really good thing about those elite units is, that provided you use them to support your campaigns rather than fighting them all by themselves, they will last a long way. I've had one squad of Pheraspides + one squad of Hypaspistai within an army which has taken at least 15 towns. And the squads still were on fighting strength.

**Ibn-Khaldun** · 12-07-2007, 23:58

noup .. i don't .. i rather choose some other units that can do the same work done with lower upkeep .. it is not worth it to go bankrupt just because you want some expensive units that you cannot retrain in most parts of your empire :)

**quackingduck** · 12-07-2007, 23:58

it would be much cooler to have a stack of your elite calvary and inf with some elephants and siege equip in a green, 19000 dollar unsinkible ship

but i see what ur saying.

**LorDBulA** · 12-08-2007, 00:19

I have used Elephants and they work great.
But I build them for certain campagne and disband when its over.

The same for seige engines, I just would love to get some in my Haysadan campagne to bring down Seleukids and Ptolemy walls ( to bad I cant get them ).
Again this is unit that You use for certain task and disband when You dont need it.

I have never build the most expensive ship.

**pezhetairoi** · 12-08-2007, 01:16

They're worth it, if only as collector's item. I currently have one unit of Arverni Arjos and two of Solduros in each army, just because I can, while the backbone is being conveerted to Neitos. And sometimes the elites are really unbeatable, for example, kataphraktoi, or in the barbarians' case, their heavy cavalry, to which there is no alternative.

**MiniMe** · 12-08-2007, 01:30

A word in defense of elys
Have a three campaign experience of "late overdeveloped successor wars". Like it. Huge stacks clashes, ten units of premium phalanx against fourteen units of medium phalanx... three hetairoi vs four kataphraktoi... and these uberstacks keep coming... And YOU are in the middle of desert without any reinforcements for the next eight turns at least.
That's when you'll find that elephants are worth it, not before that.
Having one unit of armoured eles in your stack reduces your casualties greatly.