Quote Originally Posted by Dayve
All these people saying levy/cheap phalanxes do a good job, i think you're on drugs. I've been playing as Makedonia for weeks and levy phalanxes aren't worth a damn. They'll do fine against light infantry, but against any other phalanx, even one with merely 1 more point of armour/melee, they will get chewed up real quick.

They're cheap and it shows. They don't route so easily, their morale is fine, but they take heavy losses every single battle, even if they are put in the center of your line with other more armoured phalanxes either side of them.
It all depends on what you're using the phalanx for. I say pantodapoi phalangitai are the best phalanx because they're widespread and cheap, and any phalanx is as good as another in combat the way I play. They only take heavy losses if they face another phalanx for any length of time, which rarely happens with good cavalry support. As soon as something is pinned the cavalry swarms in behind and the enemy unit routs (doesn't much matter how good the enemy unit is, either). Every faction I'm aware of who can recruit their own phalanxes rather than using mercs has a very nice cavalry selection - Prodromoi and Hetairoi for the Hellenes, Kinsmen and cataphracts for the easterners. They are the decisive arm, and the ones on whom money should be spent lavishly, exactly like Eduorius said. Phalanxes, eh, who cares as long as they carry a sarissa. I'll bring in Klerouchoi sometimes if I'm playing one of the successor factions since they're also very widespread, but the so-called elites are just not worth the bother for me.