Grubby's TOP 5 favorite RTS units! Which are YOURS? 

1:47 the way the Arty's mine detonates after the reaver is safely back in the shuttle, only destroying Arty's own vulture ... *chef kiss*

My favourite unit is Geologist from Settlers 2. His "Yippee!" when he found some ore deposit in the mountains was the harbinger of prosperity and upcoming military triumph.

C&C Generals - Overlord Tank (massive double-barreled tank that can install a bunker, minigun or tower that gives aura on top). C&C Red Alert 2 - Chrono Legionnaire (infantry that can teleport around the map and can lock enemy units & buildings in time and erase them after a while), IFV (starts with missile launcher, but weapon changes based on the type of infantry you load it with), Mirage tank (a tank that disguises itself as a tree when it stands still and can shoot without revealing itself).

After getting my entire mineral line obliterated way too many times by a single atttack in Starcraft 2, I came to conclusion that Age of Empires Villager is the greatest unit ever They are tanky, can hide in buildings from which they shoot arrows... If attacked by an animal, they pause work to fight back before continuing. If attacked while building something, they run away without needing to control them, so enemy can't just focus fire 15 vills one by one. Also, being able to aend many workers to build one building makes for an really interesting strategic decisions. Whether you're gonna have a great income or will you send 15 vills to walk across the map to build castles, or just hunt steal gold or stone before running away... so many interesting decisions

Worms from Dune series, cool how they dynamically define where humans can and can't fight at the moment.

The angry mob from C&C generals. The voice lines are sooo good and it's quite a satisfying unit to use too.

1. Lord of the Nazgul from War of the Ring(it is very similar to Warcraft 3) - he summons permanent black riders and is the only creature in the game with a town portal-like ability that lets him tp with his black riders 2. Engineers from Stronghold Crusader - they do pretty much all of the cool stuff in this game, make catapults, ballistae, siege towers, rams, and even pour boiling oil over people assailing your castle 3. Orc Raider - Grubber said best

There is nothing cuter than a seal in wc3

Grubby mixed up Dungeon Keeper 1 and 2, the horned reaper in dungeon keeper 2 was toned down a lot and was merely a spell, he would never turn on your own units, in dungeon keeper 1 however, the only way to keep a horned reaper happy was to give it some money at anger stage 1, if you ever let him go to anger stage 2 he would never recover, he would have to be locked up or be put in a temple but would never be the same again, eventually turning against you, he would also stop collecting payday so you always had to pay heed to the warnings the game gave you, you had to baby sit this creature in exchange for its power

For me, it has to be the Brood War Overlord. I have never seen an RTS unit with so much utility and decisions. The zerg already has a struggle with deciding what to spend larva on, but you need overlords for supply, adding to those decisions. Early game, they function as a great, but incredibly slow scout, which means some terran can try to abuse that with marines. They are also your detector, which makes them super important to defend against stealth units, BUT they are so vulnerable that the other races can take risks to kill that detection. As the game goes on, you can spend resources to upgrade them, which creates even more interesting decisions, since speed is so useful, but not mandatory - and they can become your dropships. In addition to all of this, they have quirks like being used to obscure units in defence (like lurkers) and can be control-grouped with mutalisks to allow for powerful micro play. Lastly (and perhaps most importantly), if your opponent goes a build with air superiority, overlords range from a useful objective, all the way to a win condition, since your opponent can supply block you to the point of having no production. And then there's interesting counterplay to that with scourge! 10/10 design density. Amazing unit.

Dungeon Keeper mentioned 🗣️🗣️🔥🔥

Without ranking and limtied to "One unit per game": Druids of the Claw (WC3) - Yes, I know, they are "lame", but I just love Bears. A support caster with two of the best support spells in the game that morphs into a tank that hits like a truck is just amazing. After playing mostly (only?) squishy units for the entire game, the Druid of the Claw just feels like a reward at the end, when you finally can be in your opponents face 24/7. Paladin (AoE 2) - The Paladin in AoE 2 is the pinnacle of "mobility meets tankiness meets damage". Compared to Fantasy or SciFi leaning game, a "realistic" medieval game like AoE 2 has a bit of a problem when it comes to "Lategame Powerunits". It is easy to have a dragon or a massive tank, but what do you give the player at the end of the road that screams "you did it, you reached the end!"? That, for me, is the Paladin in AoE 2. Kirov (C&C Red Alert 2) - There are so many wacky units in Command&Conquer that I love, but I have to go with the Kirov. It's just such an over the top "villain unit". Mutalisks (SC2) - I know, I know, Mutas are not that good anymore and are either meant for a game-ending punch or some harassment. But I came to SC2 from WC3 and one of my nemesis-matchups as a Nightelf was always UD/Gargs. I just never had the patience to play correctly against those flying bastards. So when I switched to SC2 and played Zerg, it was just such a fun change of pace to finally have some flying monkeys myself. Mage (WC2) - Honestly, the Mage (and the Death Knight on the Horde side of things I guess) are ridulous. The way they can change the game with one spell is so crazy compared to any modern RTS. And yet, as someone who loves playing Mage in all RPGs, having a unit with such a versatile spellset in a RTS is extremly fun to play with.

In no particular order. 1. Red Guard - Generals. It's so satisfying to spam when they all fire in succession. 2. Tower Elephant - Age of Empires IV. It mows down infantry while moving, just amazing. 3. Tesla Trooper - Red Alert 2. While slightly too expensive, getting that unit to elite makes it astounding. 4. Giant Squid - Red Alert 2. There's just something so outrageous about mind controlled animals ripping ships apart. 5. Cyborg - Tiberian Sun. Feels like such a solid unit, especially when you get a bunch of them.

I'm surprised you didn't play any of the Total Annihilation successor (Supreme commander etc..). I'm looking forward to see you test Beyond All Reason so i can hear your thoughts about many of the interesting concept this subgenre of RTS bring to the table : - strategic zoom - flux economy - automation of production - reclaim wreck - win condition by killing the commander - and, if one day you test Supreme commander Forged alliance (on Forged Alliance Forever) the scale of the battelfield

Great job on the recent changes to your streaming and youtube posts in particular. Great content. Great variety. Thoughtful analysis of where your thoughts come from. Always smart, passive clever humor, never cruel…. huge fan. Keep doing you. ❤

The Eagle Chieftain of Northgard was one of my favorites, coincidentally in my favorite faction. I love how they force you to play aggressively and reward you for knowing exactly what risk to take and to avoid by giving you a rare source of after-battle frontline healing. Heartseekers of Slaanesh in TWW3 always feel impactful and, being a cav unit, rely on extensive micro and timing to be effective. Going back to when I didn’t know what I was doing though… my heart will always be with the land attacking submarines from c&c red alert. When I was young, I spent a good amount of days building maps with long rivers to siege the AI from the water.

Man the combination of the reaver pick and the Artosis clips are amazing, thanks for reminding me those exist lol, truly a man of culture.

SC1 science vessel is up there for me. Also the SC1 siege tank, but more for a silly reason than anything else. I have a childhood memory of a SC1 campaign mission where you need to defend some area. And I had all these units set up to defend against waves, and then an air wave came and decimated my army. My child brain couldn't fathom that the siege mode siege tank could not shoot air, its cannon is pointing up!

I could list plenty of cool ones like the High Templars from Starcraft 1, the Mammoth Tank from C&C or the Necromancers from WC3. But the original Siege Tank is where it's at for me. I just love everything about it's design. How it combines tremendous strengths (insane range and high splash damage) with severe weaknesses (slow siege animations and the inability move). For me, it's the coolest RTS unit and it's a unit that pretty much entirely sets the pace for the entire Terran race in two of the three match-ups in Starcraft 1.

I think Grubby might want to know Shamans can also cast Bloodlust, it's a pretty good ability. I'm always happy to give wc3 players these pro tips.

The original Death Knight from Warcraft 2 has to be my favorite of all time. They weren't the super-tough tanks that they were in WC3 and WoW, but instead were haggard undead spellcasters, more akin to the Lich, and they were both really powerful, and insanely cool, with some of the best voice lines in gaming.

Firehawk from CnC3, 1. Air unit that that must return to airfield after it uses all missiles like all CnC aircraft (that alone makes them more interesting then 99% air units in any RTS) 2. It can have air-to-air misilles or air-to-ground bombs, but you can only change weapons while on airfield, makes scouting and planning really important 3. It can be upgraded with what is basically full map blink but ability is refreshed only when on airfield, so the can be "kamikazed" into important building or fly normally and teleport home after attack

Yo, I would not have expected DK2, then saw the thumbnail and it's number one too? I see you're a man of culture as well. Was literal the first PC game I owned. When we were getting the very first rig my dad promised to buy me one game and just so happened to see it in a computer store (seen it played on a video game show on cable before). Still got the original box and CDs, replay the campaign about one a year, picked up on GOG too and when it poped up out of nowhere on Steam got it there too, simply cause it's DK2 (even if it is just the GOG version). Also, feel like you may be talking about DK1 Reaper. In 1 he was indeed a real angry unit, you pretty much needed to keep him in his VIP suite with constant money showers. In 2 he's a summon that just goes off kill enemies. I think there's recorded lines for picking him up in the game's files, but I've never been able to interact with him in that way, maybe it works in custom games, but I've not tried that. I would say they've changed how he works for DK2 as they did with a lot of things from the first DK.

There's a modern version of Dungeon Keeper just called Dungeons 2 on Steam.. I looked for it when you presented your list at the beginning of this video, and didn't realize DK was a predecessor so was thrilled to see that in this! It's got a rather hilarious campaign, well narrated, that still holds up very well. Might be worth checking into some Sunday.

The Wizard from Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim. There was nothing quite like recruiting these terrible, no-health units, babysitting them by making simple quests for them to complete in places where they wouldn't die to get enough health to keep them from being 1-shot, researching 7 different spells, funneling gold into them through quests, and then finally sending them to fight the big evil enemy just to have them turn around in fear and get 1-shot while running away.

Night elf archer. I don't know why, but she just embodies the nostalgia of WC3 for me. Especially 1st Night Elf Campaign ROC mission where all you can build is archers. It nearly brings a tear to my eye. But also looove the magicians from Kohan: Ahriman's Gift. That BOOM from the fireballs will always be satisfying

Technicals from C&C Generals. I love watching them fly when they die.

As a BW Enjoyer those would be my favorite - 5. Defiler - I love it when a unit appears and it changes the whole match up. Until this point, Terran can do whatever they want on the map, they can push, they can drop, they can hunt down the zerg metastazis and so on, but when the defiler, as a terran player you are forced to meet the zerg army before it goes to your base and most of my favorite games to watch were just this insane dynamic when defilers are out. 4. Angels of Death (Rising Kingdom) - Those were invisible summon reaper units with 1 hp and kills most units with 2-3 strikes but invisibility in this game works different - you can click on the invis unit but you have 80% or more miss chance if you don't see it. Felt so good to have some of them just ambush an enemy army. 3. High Templar (BW) - Storms in that game feel so satisfying to watch. It just shifts so much the dynamic of pvz with storms killing hydras but hydras being countless. It honestly create the whole vibe of BW for me. 2. Wrath (BW) - Having the ability to have surgical micro attacks with it (while blocking a unit) vs air, vs land, its just such a well rounded unit - it makes the game interesting whenever its present due to the cloak, but also the diff between air and ground attack. 1. Shamans (Armies of Exigo) - the whole gimmick of the game was that there were two maps - one underground and above ground and those Shamans could cast a spell that affected the other map, it wasn't that useful, but omg if it wasn't really creative. I loved it.

1) C&C - Mammoth Tanks - such an iconic unit, versatile, and heals back to half health. 2) Dawn of War series - Space Marines Terminators - These guys are big, slow, tanky, extremely heavily armed and can teleport. Basically what every other infantry wishes to be. 3) SC - Terran Marines - simple, effective, and great design 4) Z / C&C RA2 - Snipers - both games do them right 5) WC3 - Night Elf Archers - Always loved this unit. Simple, yet elegant.

Zergling (in either SC) is my favoite. Then the SC1 siege tank. Other than that there is nothing else that stands out enough.

I think the most important thing about great unit design is having units that are easy to understand and use but that offer lots of micro and impactful decision making. I especially like it when units don't rely too much on special abilities and offer fun interactions arising from their natural movement and attacks. Here's my list: 1. Mutalisk (SC 1): Such great and simple design. Easy to use on a basic level but almost infinite skill ceiling. The fact that you can only effectively control 11 at a time also keeps them from being too oppressive. 2. Archer (AoE 2): Basic ranged unit but the fact that you can dodge projectiles makes archers so interesting as it offers lots of counterplay and interesting micro on both sides. 3. Farseer (WC3): Very fun to play and covers so many weaknesses that Orcs have in the early game 4. Explorer (AoE 3): Cool design for a hero unit that is very impactful without stealing the show in the way that wc3 heroes often do 5. Stalker (SC2): Another basic ranged unit, but with how smooth SC2 micro is and with the Blink ability, stalkers are a blast to play with and they're so versatile but at the same time balanced by their lacklustre damage output.

ARTOSIS LOL

I think one of my favorite units is the main base of the goo in Grey Goo. It's the main base, but it is also a unit that mines and generates units. It moves over what are basically gas geysers to collect resources, and if you want to build units you have to have enough gas and it has to have been alive long enough. Because when it makes units the units reduce the max health of the main and reduce its size to as the units separate from the main goo pile. Then, expansions are made by just cutting it in half. Always thought it was an interesting design for an RTS race.

My favourite unit is from Kane's Wrath, the Mechapede. It has a relatively average price and requires some technological access, but what is produced is the head of a caterpillar. Depending on the situation, you can develop extensions to it in exchange for income, against almost anything. The downside is that if someone force-attacks (additional key needs to be pressed) the front-face of the unit, the whole unit will be destroyed along with the extensions, otherwise only the extensions will be torn off. In addition to all this, in order to prevent this, you have to constantly fidget around the unit so that it is difficult to aim while moving. Of course when fully extended, the Mechapede is 7-8x longer.

So glad to see the Reaver in your list, he is also one of my fav unit of all time, so satisfaying to see and use (and I always played Zerg). Both gameplay and visually, it's fucking giant robotic slug making cute sounds.

Hey Grubby I love your content, your talks/analysis in particular. I'm not as experience ind WC3 as I am in SC2 and AoE2 but I do love the game dearly. My question for you: Why is it much more common in WC3 to mass fragile utility units and not more common to just have a few and supplement them with high dps units? I guess maybe heroes account for a lot of that dps? Also, do you prefer spellcasters like in WC3 with limited potential and also reasonable fighting stats or do you also like pure spellcasters like infestors and high templar in SC2? Personally I'm not a big fan of the Ghost because it covers too many bases and lacks sufficient counter play. But I can see how Shamans have a lot of counterplay and also are a less well rounded unit than the Ghost. Edit: I don't have a list of units, but I do want to say I really love the Overlord in SC2 (and I guess 1 too but I don't play it). Just the idea of a harmless slow scouting unit that provides a resource (supply) is really cool, in particular for Zerg who crave map control.

Fatboy - Supreme Commander 1. It's a moving factory 2. It has a shield dome to protect itself and the units around it 3. It has battleship cannons!! (And also short-range gauss cannons and limited AA) 4. It looks strong, but is actually the weakest unit in its class (experimental) Now that I think of it, Grubby, I don't recall you ever mentioning Supreme Commander or Total Annihilation. Have you never played these RTS games?

Mangudai - when it had no delay on attack was so much fun to micro Liberator - there's something I just love about the design even thou I never played comp SC2. Park it mid-air as stationary and get lieberation zone. Powerful, but fair and obvious work arounds Disruptor - really creative design and creates nice swings in pro games as hitting and missing can be very impactful. Headhunters - trolls with spears were just the coolest thing if you asked teenage me. Archers - In stronghold 1, 2 and crusader what made the game feel so good was that mass archers felt so good.

I find a little funny how one of my favourite RTS units ever is, probably, the Broodlords from SC2, which is one of the most despised by Grubby. I always loved Guardians in SC1, and Broodlords are cooler-looking guardians on steroids whose projectiles leave behind fighting units. They are so cool. But I can see how you can learn to despise them if they are unbalanced and are tired of fighting against them. Other units? The Tempests from SC2 (specially on the commander mode), the Ogre mages from Warcraft 2 (Bloodlust OPie), the Mutalisks (gotta love flying from side to side looking for openings instead of going into straight fights) and probably the Zerglings. We all got used to the Zerglings by now, but the fact that you make them 2 at a time because how small/cheap/swarmy they are, was quite the inovation back in the day; and you gotta love how deadly they become with upgrades or that it maintains its utility through the whole game; instead of becoming obsolete when you reach higher tier units, like it happens often in many other games.

short correction on the horned reaper from dungeon keeper in dungeon keeper 1 he is a proper unit that you would have to treat as you said, he either needs to be in battle or he needs to be in the temple to be pacified (or you shower him with gold :/ ) he is summoned i think by sacrificing a mistress, a troll and a bile demon in the temple however in dungeon keeper 2 he is more of a berserker spell you throw out on a larger attack toward your enemy ...

IDK, for me Siege Tank is the most iconic unit ever, especially unit from SC1. This siege mode transformation sound, fire sound and supreme firepower are so satisfing

C&C3 - Kanes Wrath, has all my favourite units. Stealth tanks, The Enlightened, Firehawks, The Redeemer, and GDI-Commando with jetpack. Many Hero Units from the Settlers 5 and Battle for middle Earth were very cool too. I remember an assasin unit that borrowed becoming invisible and instakilling anyone walking into its melee range. I think the game was Man´s Land an RTS about the collonial wars in america, but I could be wrong.

Great list! The best units have great skill expression, powerful in the right hands in the right situations, but are crappy in the wrong situations and in the wrong hands. Generalist units are necessary but will rarely be the most well designed and unique units.

Haha loved the Artosis rage

1) Not a unit but Tunnel Network from C&C Generals GLA faction. It is probably the most important (non-generic) building in RTS, more important than moonwells. They are basically built Nydus Networks that function as defense, very cheap, have some damage so hard to ignore, really good HP pool and is connected to every other tunnel network, where one can pop 8 units at once, sometimes at a detriment because of splash damage. Never has a building defined a faction so much in RTS. 2) Technical from C&C Generals GLA faction. One of the most utility units for harassment in RTS that can run over infantry (or GLA workers), carry 5 infantry units (rocket infantry especially for harassment to vehicle worker line), can transport walking explosives to destroy buildings to severely cripple production / tech. While its original attack is very low vs armor, through upgrading by enemy wreckages and having max experience level, a single one of them can become the deadliest unit in the map while being the fastest. 3) Katyusha / Walking Stuka in Company of Heroes 2. Rocket artillery originally used in WW2, while not exactly used in 1v1, moreso in 4v4, within this game it is a matter of winning and losing when thinking about every single element of when, how close, where to use it depending on enemy positioning. While it can have some obvious stationary targets, its a superb gamble to decide on where exactly to shoot for moving infantry. When the enemy player hears the sound, they must immediately decide on whether to retreat their units, if stationary units are targeted and not immediately retreated, they get eliminated. They have to also split their moving units at front in a very short time or retreat them. A mistake in continuing to attack may equal annihilation of infantry at front. Usually, if its a relatively closed area, this results in abandonment of area by infantry. Best/Worst is that Walking Stuka can also target retreat path of units for less chance of hit.

I won't list all of my most favorite, but I'll mention just one that I believe stands head and shoulders above all I could think of: The Grey Knight Strike Squad, a.k.a the *"Grey Knigts"* , first featured in *DoW: Dark Crusade* An incredibly bold (some might even think, an 'ass-pull') move by Relic, saw them introduce a Tier-2 elite unit to the Space Marines' roster, limited to only a single squad of 3 models (max 6) with no option to train a squad lead, although allowing to attach any Commander. A vastly misunderstood and misused unit, that superbly fits Grubby's interpretation of the _expression of skill_ in my honest opinion. An elite unit at Tier-2 is practically unheard of and the price in both resources and the so-called squad-tax for the privilege of summoning the sons of Titan is astronomical, indeed. 90 req and 30 power for a single model armed with a melee weapon that counters a very narrow subset of keywords (think of it as armor types), and a mid-ranged attack that's actually very scary against all infantry types, is an incredibly steep price. The squad brings in with them a number of unique benefits and abilities, that again, come at the price of the overall squad's incredibly poor defense for their cost: > The GK are morale-immune and grant this ability to any Commander they're attached to (that includes Apothecaries too). > When set in aggressive stance, they will charge their nearest target in same fashion as SC2 Zealots after upgrade, dealing a 100 damage, regardless of the enemy's armor type. > They have a channeled AoE ability similar to "Psi Storm" from SC2, albeit the effect is many times weaker (mainly effective against infantry blobs), not instant, but last for a considerably longer duration. > Lastly, the GK have an obscene damage multiplier against anything with a 'daemon' keyword, that ironically, is not only scarce, but practically unheard of on Tier-2. A common and well known SM start is the '3-hero' build that sees the SM player drop a Sacred Artifact immediately as the T2 up. finishes, while simultaneously training a Chaplain (2nd 'Hero' after the FC, who's available on T1), and right as the tech structure is finished, Librarian (3rd Hero) and a squad of GKs are queued shortly after from the rax. Now, depending on the MU, the SM player's skill and to an extent also personal preference, the GKs can be attached to any of the above-mentioned heroes as his retinue and bodyguards. Keep in mind, that as far 'ablative bodies' go, this is easily the most expensive unit you can possibly think of, so understandably, it takes only, and I do mean _only_ the most skilled and tempered veterans of DoW to put such a unit into at least a good use (i.e. get out more than you initially invested and lost in process of achieving the goal of the Strat). So what are the uses for such seemingly niche and over costed units that weirdly sticks out of SM's Tier-2 for apparently no clear purpose at all, slowing down their other tech options due to the costly investment, queue time, etc.? The answer is: the incredible versatility provided by their enhanced toolkit, further bolstered by the addition of a Commander who brings in their own set of skills, while in return, benefiting from the GK's immunity to morale; all of which is carefully balanced by the above-mentioned limitations and shortcomings. They are *very weak* against dedicated anit-heavy infantry units, such as Eldar Banshees, CSM Khorne Berzerkers, which become available at Tier-2 as well, but likewise, against elite Tier-3 infantry with a 'daemon' keyword nonetheless, which stands in odds to their seemingly dedicated role. This, among many other interesting aspects, makes the unit purely only as good as the player who controls them. Both their "Furious Charge" and "Psychic Inquisition" abilities offer various tactical opportunities, that require careful application and thinking few steps ahead. For a primarily melee unit, that also deals good damage to any armor type on charge, the GK's are surprisingly effective at ranged combat thanks to their wrist-mounted Stormbolters, that will annihilate most Tier-1 and Tier-2 squads with impunity, although they must pick their battles very carefully due to how incredibly poorly they will trade if they themselves become focused by the enemy. Their channeled ability is not only good when combined with Chaplains "Demoralizing Shout" that slows and demoralizes (duh) a targeted squad, but can also zone out dangerous infantry the enemy might try to flank the SM player with, thus creating space for an extended duration. So area denial, *especially* in a game where capturing and controlling objectives is key to victory, is not only highly sought out, but when combined with the lethality of the GK's ranged damage vs capping/decapping squads, followed by a thunderous charge and fairly terrifying melee to back it up, is a power set of tools indeed. This, combined with the GK's and the Chaplain's eyewatering damage potential is by far the most common application of the unit, given the Chaplain's absurdly useful healing aura that benefits the GK's most out of all the other Heroes. The Force Commander is perhaps the second most common unit to lead them, providing raw damage both in melee and range, also once his own aura comes on line, but apart from that, his only other benefit is that any 'daemon' that has the misfortune of standing in the squad's way, including some of the most terrifying, end-game greater daemons, will know only quick and agonizing death at the hands of the FC and his GK retinue. The Force Commander also has the highest ranged damage of all other Commanders and combined with the Sons of Titan's hail of Stormbolter fire, can easily out-gun even some of the scariest Tier-1, Tier-2, and Tier-3 units of other factions. Finally, the GK can also be led by a Librarian who like them, is almost exclusively an utility unit and like them, a potent psyker who brings his own toolkit and the ability to detect infiltrated (cloaked) units nearby. The main drive for such an odd combo, is the Librarian's ability called "Word of the Emperor", which causes all nearby friendly units around the Libby (except for himself) to continue taking damage, but never dying, for the duration of the ability, thus opening a number of strategies for the player, each that a skilled opponent can counter to an extend. Casting of the "Psychic Inquisition" in tandem with the Librarian's "Smite" can also help them push enemy squads off from an objective, disrupting them and making their follow-up charge all the more deadly, but it won't help much against most Tier-3 infantry, as much as the Chaplain's aura, but before Tier-3, they will be the absolute bane of any infiltrating units and/or massed Tier-1 Infantry. So why rate them here at all? From a narrative (lore of WH40) perspective, combined with their in-game application and internal balancing, they are an absolute stroke of genius, and here's why: > The strike squad, are the basic battle line unit of the GK's, clad in Aegis power armor that although hallowed and so rare that it's practically unknow to any even in the highest echelons of the Imperium, is little different from that worn by the Tactical Marines of other Chapters in terms of damage resistance to non-esoteric weapons. This justifies them being a Tier-2 unit, makes it more obvious even to relatively new players as to how they can be countered, and due to them being literally drawn from a _cousin_ Chapter in time of great need, also makes them an 'elite unit' anywhere outside of their own brotherhood. > Loosing them needlessly, sets the player back tremendously due their insanely high price tag, however, when used carefully, they create a number of tactical opportunities, that in certain matchups may even transition into the very late game, where their full might may be unleashed against a daemonic entity, should such a dire need arise. > As the SM poses the means to transport them both via their tanks, and deliver via Drop Pods, the enemy must always be conscious and cautious of the looming threat of their Nemesis Force Halberds that can literally hack to pieces even a greater daemon in very short order, further cementing them as both fluff-accurate as much as they are well balanced crunch-wise. > As far as the SM as a faction are concerned, all of their units tend to be average at best in pretty much every regard, apart from higher than average morale and morale regeneration - the GKs are somewhat of an oddity, in that they are a high risk/high reward type unit, that either completely shift the tide of the battle when used correctly, or set the SM player so far behind when not, that it might as well be GG for him. They without a shadow of doubt above average in almost every aspect, including SM's overall low movement speed issue, indirectly thanks to their Charge ability, especially when combined with transport/deepstrike mechanics. > When it comes to expression of what a true *Space Marine* is, i.e. utterly without fear, swift and deadly in melee, accurate and deadly at range vs other infantry units, tactically flexible and versatile in terms of deployment, the DoW: Dark Crusade and Soulstorm Grey Knight Squad are the ultimate answer to that in every aspect.

My Top5 probably changes every day; but for today, it's: 1) Zergling (StarCraft) (I love the dichotomy of being the most basic Zerg military unit, yet is one of the highest DPS units in the lategame; and also that it spawns in pairs) 2) Apocalypse Tank (Red Alert 2) (In general, I love units that exemplify brute force, and the Apocalypse Tank is one of my favourites in this regard) 3) Rhinok (Sacrifice) (It's so memorable to me because of all the factions's ultimate units, this is the only one that doesn't fly, which is a great expression of James's philosophy of raw might at the cost of mobility or utility) 4) Grunt (Warcraft) (no compelling mechanical reason; just a really iconic unit to me, and when I was younger I thought they looked so cool) 5) Ulfsark (Age of Mythology) (Such a fascinating unit. An infantry generalist that, under specific conditions with the right major/minor gods, can also be an anti-cavalry specailist; the only one Norse gets in their entire loadout! Similar to Zerglings, there are various upgrades that can make them formidable in the lategame. And as with all Norse infantry, it builds your buildings.)

Kirov from c&c red alert, i love that huge bomber blimp and battlecruiser from sc 1

Favorite unit has got to be the siege tank in either of the starcrafts, the sheer impact it has when it fires is way too satisfying and massing them in an area to make an impenetrable ground denial space that vaporizes anything in its range is a sight to behold Second would be the ghoul from Warcraft 3. Undead is by far my favorite faction in WC3, UD getting a free combat unit at the start and being able to mass them in a weird Zerg rush was one of my favorite strategies for years

As a SC2 zerg player I'd have to say the Mutalisk. They're fast and can be extremely powerful in small packs or after hitting critical mass.

Oh there is the list. I really think that you should give command and conquer series much bigger chance. There are many few blessed gems for sure but my fave of them all are Generals: Zero Hour and Kane's Wrath. Wish to see you play those some day.

wow! my main memory of the first time playing Starcraft was the reavers. We'd play on my friend's dad's computers and I remember building bunkers and getting hit by reavers and it felt so alien, so different than warcraft 2.

I believe the horned reaper you are describing is from DK1. In DK2 I remember him just being a calldown, he didn't live in your dungeon or have needs. But I could be wrong, it's been a while.

5. Poseidon Hippikons (AoM): With 15% cheaper stables, 10% cheaper cav units in general, and the upgrade "Lord of Horses", giving all cav units +4 sightrange, these Greek horsemen under Poseidons banner were just a nightmarish force. Huge numbers in a short timeframe with many raiding options made it a perfect core component of your army. 4. Tanya (C&C: RA): Expensive, but a devastating, soul-crushing unit that basically oneshots enemy tanks. Also extremely(!) fun in the campaign, which always had hilarious reallife video skits. 3. Donso (AoE 4): The most versatile spearman in the whole game, because it has a possible ranged attack and therefore can not only counter cavalry but enemy spears as well. So the only two units you cannot counter from the basic units are archers and men-at-arms. But archers get massacred by Sofas, and Malians actually feature a hard counter to MAA as well in the form of Musofadi Warriors, so...just go full Donso, mix in some Sofas and Musofadis and you're good. Loving it. My favourite civ in AoE 4. 2. Fiend (WC3): tanky, healable with Coil, nice range, solid damage vs nearly everything, anti air, amazing art design and voicelines...just the best unit in WC3 by a countrymile. Love it to bits. I remember countless 4v4s with 2 maxed aura heroes, ~25 fully upgraded T3 fiends, some Obsidian Statues and just a-moving the whole map down. Priceless memories. 1. Zergling (SC): Just _the_ in-your-face, all out aggression, speed unit #1. Nothing is feared more, nothing has a higher skill ceiling. I saw hundreds of pros getting mowed down by pesky Zealots in direct head to head engagements, so I know how important it is to keep them moving, to constantly be on the hunt, on the prowl, harrassing, running by. And who doesn't remember timeless moments like "dancing Lings by Hanfi", which even got covered in the biggest and most well-known German late night show of all time, "TV Total", by legendary host Stefan Raab? It's just a classic. The bread and butter unit of every Zerg on this planet since basically 25 years. Don't @ me ;D

1 - Tanya, RA1. Most fun you'll ever have. Love all the missions where I have to control her solo. Yeah. Ha ha ha ha. Chew on this. Cha ching 2 - Chrono Legionnaire, RA2. Fun unit to use. Surprisingly balanced for an instagib unit. Needs tons of micro and coordination to not be a waste of money. Your favourite unit never existed. 3 - NE Archer, WC3. Holds a special place in my heart. I was all in on all in NE Archer strats. Don't care how bad it is, I just love that unit. Lost me so many games. 10/10 Your move. Auerghhh 4 - Dark Templar, SC2. This was my go to cheese strat that got me plat. Nothing kills an eco faster than 4 DT. And if your opponent doesn't react fast enough, you auto win. I bask in the twilight. 5 - Router, Mindustry. Ah the blessed router. None can fathom the power and potential held within this sacred schematic. 20/10, would use a processor to get poly's to spread the blessing again. They shall not rest until all copper is depleted or the map is covered in glorious routing magnificence.

Firebat's voice acting is absolutely GOATed with the sauce, and like duke nukem, only works if it's bit crushed to high heaven, but I feel like, he's utterly useless in a match.

Top 1 will always be British Longbowmen in AoE2 I always remember creating 180 Brit Long bow men and covering the land with the shadow of the arrows. And of course Red Alert 2 Desolator is so satisfying.

Favorite units eh? From Starcraft 1: Wraith, Incredibly fun to do hit and run attacks with. Makes the Protoss Scout feel sad and inadequate. Also from Starcraft 1: Siege Tanks. It's one of those pivotal units where you have to build a solve for it, or risk getting zoned. But for me most of the fun really likes in the sound design; it's like the Super Shotgun from Doom 2 where something highly effective had the perfect accompanying audio. Nothing sounds as nice in Starcraft 1, as the tank transformation sound followed by the Arclite Shock Cannon ruining someone's day from 12 clicks away. Also from Starcraft 1 (last one, I promise): Protoss Archon. I just love everything about this unit. The unique construction method (which is pretty radical for a game from 1997), the omni-attack short range psionic lightning blast, the Big Ball O' Shield housing an incredibly tiny, frail body...and the voice lines. Again, perfection. "ANNIHILATE." "OBLITERATE." "DESTROY." From Warcraft 3: Naga Sea Witch The fact that potentially any faction can use her is pretty great. I learned Orb-Walking playing skirms with her before employing the technique to great effect in DOTA Allstars. Frost Arrows is one of my favorite abilities in WC3 despite its lack of flashiness; the ability to apply pressure by mere proxy alone is phenomenal. Command & Conquer Red Alert 2: IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle) The Swiss-Army Car. It's a mobile MG nest, sniper carriage, SAM car and mobile field repair bay all in one! (among other things, as it has even more transformations via infantry units from other factions too).

You got Horned Reaper from DK1 and 2 mixed up. DK1's horned reaper was a speed freak that would get angry over everything, had to be showered with gold etc. In DK2 they made him a limited time summon who would walk around at a snail's pace and wander toward the objective until your mana pool ran out.

I always enjoyed the spy from red alert, looks like a standard infantry to the opponent but they cant control it, in my casual multilayer games it was always fun to go on little missions with them :D

Reaver Drops was my favorite thing in Starcraft lol. It was my go to answer for pretty much everything.

I notice I didn't see Tooth and Tail in that list! I wonder what you would think of that one. It's pretty unique! Very underappreciated, sadly, but I think it came up with some great and interesting innovations, not to mention a banger soundtrack. Would love to see you try it. I did love Tanya from Red Alert. She was obviously really powerful, one-hitting infantry units and blowing up buildings, but she was also very weak to vehicles. I usually never liked missions where you just had units and couldn't build, but if it was a Tanya-centric mission I never minded so much.

I kinda like aircraft in the Command and Conquer series. Many of them had a rearm mechanic, you had to return to base to fill up ammo. Sorta gave them a weakness to counter their speed and unrestricted movement. There are units closer to my heart but that rearm mechanic had flavour 🙂

By far one of the coolest units in Warlords Battlecry III is the Liche , they do a lot of damage if used correctly and they can raise killed units as skeletons that you can upgrade on the fly to any undead unit be it other Liches or Slayer Knights . Again I hate to sound like a broken record but I really recommend checking that game out if you don't mind outdated graphics .

Your point about the Raider is one of the reasons I loved the pre-rework Reaper so much, even if all the requirements to get it on the table really held it back. The problem with the WoL reaper is just that Terran specifically already had Hellions, Banshees and Medivacs and I guess Vikings if you were desperate. They had early-mid game harass on lockdown, they didn't *need* another raider unit. Now, if I had to pick a single favorite unit in RTS, it's gotta be the humble Marine: for such a simple unit they fill so many roles in Starcraft and Starcraft 2 from early to mid-late game. They slug it out on their own in the early game, harass with medivacs, defend in bunkers, they're the wall of HP between your enemies and your siege tanks and liberators... They enable so much of the faction's other units by being cheap, versatile, and extremely microable with stim.

I think the Eagle Warrior from AoE2 has great design. It is different from other units (as an anti-archer infantry unit) but still works within the game's rock-paper-scissors like counter system (they die to knights and militia line). This unit gives great flavor to the mesoamerican civilizations and gives them an unique playstyle by not having access to cavalry

Dogs from C&C. All the "lings" from SC2, including Changelings. Dark Templars. Blade Acolytes from Battle Realms. Marauders from BAR. Overlords. The reason I chose to main Zerg. A newer game, Shamans from Northgard.

DK 2 was a legendary game !!! it is with classic bullfrog games though there was no game like DK2 and Popolous 3 ever since. It was such unique stuff. btw, in DK 2 you most definatelly couln't pick up horny, you could keep him up for a very long time if you had the mana regen though, my only beef was that you could not posses him like you could a vampire or a dark angel. I still remeber, once I have done every map with a lvl 8 rogue after I could recruit rogues. Possesion+invisibility was such a hidden op, you could kill Reginald without ever taking a hit xD

Knights (WC3) - love them visually Wanderer (Spellforce 1 / 3) - high range , deadly archer Knights Hospitaler (AoE3) - solid tanks Varangian Guard (AoE4) - go berserk Dark Templar (SC1-2) - always good for a surprise if your opponent doesn´t see them coming

As controversial as this unit might be today, the GLA bomb truck from C&C Generals is one of the coolest units ever designed, it could camouflage itself as another vehicle, thereby hiding it inside of a group of other vehicles until the right time where you would send it in to wipe out a key target. I am completely with you on the firebat, love them, iconic lines, amazing unit, and we got one of my favourite heroes in HotS from just how badass they are, Blaze is amazing. As a night elf main back in the day, I always loved the dual form druids, especially Druid of the claw, healing and tanking in one neat package? Yes please. Kasrkin squad from the imperial guard in Dawn of War, oh my dear lord, where do I start, just like the standard infantry, they have different types of upgrades to help you with different tasks, they can be upgraded in the field, so you can adapt to your opponent if you are clever and keep them in reserve. And finally, I had to pick a tank, because I am a tank type of gal, I love the big guns. Whether it be artillery, break their ranks or line of defence tanks. Whether it be the Overlord tank (China C&C Generals), Mirage tank (Allies C&C Red Alert 2), or the mighty Baneblade (Dawn of War). But, as could be expected, it had to be the one, thee only, Siege tank from StarCraft 2, while it was phenomenal in SC1, it was truly in 2 that it came into itself for me. The sounds, the way it was used as both a line of defence as well as an offensive artillery piece just makes it a beautiful combination of all my favourite strategies all at once. Shout out to Vikings, their transformation has always been awesome too, but their ground form has always been super underwhelming while their flying form has always been stellar. What can I say? I love 2 for 1 deals, the only mega outlier on my list is the truck from Generals, and while I could mechanic a load of other units, it's just the most unique one that really always stuck with me as being truly inventive for the game.

The High Templar Oh, and Dark Mistress in Dungeon Keeper. Lets just say she .. taught me certain things about myself when I was a kid.

In no order of favourite 1. Stalker - Starcraft 2: Blink made this unit the ultimate harasser 2. Star Destroyer - Empire at War : So cool to actually control one of these after watching the films for years 3. Mammoth Tank - Command and Conquer : Big tank with two cannons and missiles 4. Pikemen - Rome Total War : These units will hold the line against all the barbarian hordes that swarm you at chokepoints 5. Longbowmen - Age of Empires 2 : Garrison them in Castles and Towers and they turn into machine gun arrows, perfect for AI skirmishes

Thanks for the video Grubby. Idea: a video just like this, but based on aesthetics of units. Have a great day!

Energy Vortex from Ultima Online. You could even summon it, using a wand (And didn't even need to level all the magic needed to summon this thing). It was attacking everyone as soon as it spawned. It was a tornado with arms, that just destroyed everything in his path, even dragons. I remember, putting a wall at the entrance of the mine, and summoning an energy vortex into it, and letting it kill all the players mining inside the mine. Hearing them yell "OH MY GOOOOODDDD" because it was a roleplay server. LOL

I love reavers. Amazing to talk about shaman without mentioning blood lust. As a noob player, autocast is my jam.

My fav is probably ANGRY MOB from C&C generals because it's so funny that it's even a unit

My units are: The Salem, the Cybran Destroyer from Supreme Commander for its ability to walk on land where it becomes very vulnerable but extends its range towards the land which is very powerful for a naval unit to overcome its main disadvantage. Necromancer from WC3, free units, a powerful debuff and a powerful buff all in a single unit. Many newbies who don't know the dispel meta have fallen to the skeleton tide. Carriers from Sins of a Solar Empire. There is just something very satisfying from unloading entire swarms of fighters and bombers from inside your ships in an enemy gravity well. Salamander from Dungeon Keeper 1. Its main hobby is to train. It gets happy training. And you want all your creatures to train to get stronger. What's not to like? Nod Avatar from Command and Conquer 3. This robot could cannibalize your other vehicles to upgrade itself. It was very expensive, but a very cool mechanic. Chinese Nuke Cannon from Command and Conquer Generals, a tank that fire a nuclear ordnance. Vulnerable and easy to dodge, but so satisfying. Mirage Tank from Red Alert 2. A tank that disguises itself as a tree. Especially useful against Yuri's slaves. Cyclopi from Age of Mythology. Tanky units that insta kill human units. Scorpion from Age of Empires 2: always had an weakness for balistas and the piercing attack always made sense.

The starcraft 1 mutalisk has a place in this list! The way you can micro it is crazy. They found the latest trick about 16 years after the game released.

even tho its personal cause besides wc3tft/custommaps c&c tiberian sun is my all time classic id say the disruptor. weirdly strong. used well in masses to microwave everything but also damages every other non flying unit. and the sound is iconic! :D

Overlord tank - C&C Generals Kirov - Red Alert 2 Hellion/Hellbat - Starcraft 2 Druid of the Claw - Warcraft 3 Baneling - Starcraft 2

I enjoy using the conscripts in CoH2 quite a bit. Even though they have a larger squad size than any other infantry, they're some of the worst infantry in the game, and they'll lose to almost anything in a straight fight. However, they're very versatile; they can toss molotovs to flush enemies out of cover/buildings, Hoorah for a speed boost, build sandbags on the fly, be upgraded with PPsHs for close combat, or tank hunter kits for PTRS rifles which also enable every squad member to toss an anti tank grenade, upgraded to be able to repair vehicles/buildings. Because they're relatively cheap, you also don't need to think twice about using them to commandeer MGs and field guns.

My favorite rts unit is the SC1 seige tank. The sound it makes when going to seige mode and firing scratches an itch nothing else can. I could watch a wall of tanks hold a ramp against zerg forever.

Zerglings/banelings from SC2, so much versatility to play those.

Hey Grubby, sorry to comment on this video again, I don't know if you have a discord or community somewhere I'm a game developer and spend quite some time thinking about RTS design. One thing I'm currently thinking of and would love to have your opinion on (maybe in a video?), is unit stats in RTS. Different RTS games have quite different ways of dealing with stats. SC2's armor system is quite a bit simpler than WC3 it seems, but they have unit types (organic, light, armored, mechanical, ...) . Warcraft has the int/agi/str heroes system and also quite a few different damage/armor types. As a designer and a player, I think there's something to be said for simplicity, but it's not always easy to come up with an elegant system that allows for easy balancing and interesting unit design. What do you think are the strengths and weaknesses of various approaches and what would you like developers to pay special attention to/focus on?

1. Total War Warhammer 2 Malus Darkblade. I know his campaign isn't a favorite by the community but I like that if you do his campaign and build him from the ground up, you can build him into an absolute monster of a unit. 2. I have to give it to the Worms in Dune 2. My first rts and Worms taught you to be mindful of your gatherers/production and do things properly or else. 3.Starcraft 1and 2 Ghosts. Not much to say here except they are a fun unit to play around with and nuking the enemy is fun. 4.Warcraft 3 Mortar Teams. I love their responses and how easy they are to maneuver for a more siegeish unit. 5.Spellforce 1. The Dwarves, I can't pick one specific unit of theirs it's been to long, but I remember they were all pretty decent and tanky, but they balanced it by making it take more time to produce them then the other "good guy" units so they were fun.

CnC: Tanya, Yuri, Engineer, Mammoth Tank

I used to love the atomic bomber from empire earth as well as the atomic submarine. Very underrated rts

My top 5 is: 1) Blink stalkers. Blink is just extremely enjoyable. 2) Flayed dragon from the elephant patch of stormgate. It was a very fun unit. 3) Magmadons from the elephant patch of stormgate. The stomp is super fun plus the way you micro them is super unique along with the unique sacrifice heal. 4)Immortal from starcraft 2. Big, beefy, slow shooting unit thats microable. Very enjoyable to use. 5) Probe in both sc1& sc2. Cannon rushing. Fun cheeses.

Guardian in SC1 - My favorite unit in completing the almost impossible Zerg final mission in Brood War. The ultimate raining terror from above weapon that destroys anything in its path.

For me, my top would be Commander from Total Annihilation/Supreme Commander series, because momma didn't raised a coward (and if I need to pick specific iteration, Cybran from SupCom 1 due to upgrades, that guy can bench-press whole armies if you allow him to have micro-laser and teleport.). I always viewed those units as avatar of player in game world placed into top-down RTS. Arguably most powerful units in their respective games.

when u click the firebat enough, he says that he sells propane and propane accessories. My favorite refrence

I'd like to share my favorite unite type across all RTSs: the humble 'worker'. Most games have a most basic unit that gathers resources or builds. These units are the stomachs on which the armies in these games run. Design wise, they have to capture the theme of their race/faction/game in its most basic form, which makes them iconic. To all those that built my empires and armies, who were there at the start of a match or the first ones out on the battlefield. To all those that had barely any way to defend themselves and were slaughtered whenever my opponent could, and to those that I killed to cripple my opponent. To all the unsung heroes of our battles: Yes, I liked the buildings you built and I liked the armies you sustained. But I loved you

Well if we're counting Dungeon Keeper as an RTS I think all of my favorite RTS units of all time are various Dungeon Keeper creatures. They have so much personality, diversity, and uniqueness, and the fact that you don't directly control them I think adds even more to those facets because their natural tendencies and behaviors become an additional component that you don't get with units in traditional RTS that just stand there until you directly issue an order to them. I wish more modern sim-RTS had that much personality to them. I really enjoy Against the Storm but there isn't THAT much difference between the different races at the end of the day. Anyway, my non-dungeon keeper picks are #5 Reaver, Starcraft #4 Tesla Trooper, Red Alert 2 #3 Headhunter, Warcraft 3 #2 T70, Company of Heroes 2 #1 Minotaur King, Warlords: Battlecry (this is the most iconic RTS unit of my childhood and I'd rank a lot of units from the series highly for design and spectacle)

The Horned Reaper from Dungeon Keeper 1 deserves a spot much much much more so than its counterpart from DK2. Why? Because in DK1 it's actually a unit that you need to acquire (most via sacrificing three other very useful units in the temple), train (expensive), keep happy (or it'll start attacking your own creatures), and can actually die. It's also takes a lot of wage on pay day (the trick is to drop small amount of gold on him during payday so he's happy enough to forget :) On the other hand... in DK2, he is a boring immortal creature that doesn't require any attention or really anything other than mana, which means it's a boring "gather enough mana then click this button to win" summon.

Fenris Wolf Brood - Age of Mythology Viking - Starcraft II Jackhammer Experimental Unpacking Cannon - Supreme Commander II Chameleon / Hyena - Impossible Creatures Aggressor Class Destroyer - Star Wars Empire at War, Forces of Corruption

There are so many, but 5 of my favorites. Not necessarily the best, but the ones that I just think are super cool, and fun to use / play with (in no particular order): High Archon (SC2 co-op) Siege Tank (SC,SC2) Druid of the Claw (WC3) Crypt Lord (WC3) Avitus / Devastator Terminators (DoW 2 campaign) Runners up: AT-AT / Hvy Assault Mech (SW Galactic Battlegrounds) Zealot (SC, SC2) War Mammoth (Warhammer Total War) I think you can see the theme that I like big chunky boys with lots of health and firepower XD

Marine from SC or SC2. The way it scales with upgrades and quantity is just so beautifull. And the counter to them - Ultralisk/Paperlisk.

12:35 I always found the gap generator very enjoyable in red alert 1.

1. Banshee (all spells are awesome and distinct especially possession) 2. Lancer from Stormgate (because of attacking in straight lines and speed boost creating infinite skill ceiling for micro) 3. Spellbreaker (cool ability to return spells instead of just usual dispel and take over summons)

Grubbs... try 'Dominion: Storm Over Gift III', if you can emulate to an older P.C. version to play it or something. Very basic, doesn't crash the system (it was at least an efficient game). Just something different that I think had a lot of potential with a very simple premise at every level - 1) very simple story from start to finish in general, 2) stories for the 4 factions, 3) how the factions are the same (AoE II versus S.C.II & AoE III), 4) how those faction's units are developed differently, 5) the game is largely P Vs. E, but there was a P Vs. P option I just never got to play having no internet essentially, 6) Six is just the best number so here it is... Jjokes, it has mostly only 2 resources essentially Materials from Material Wells & Pop Space! Those basic aspects of gameplay make it playable anytime, anywhere... it is very much what I call a Down-Up sort of game with a strong basis/fundamental structure. If anyone enjoyed it in the past, glad you got to experience it too & saw it's potential - we were lucky on that front.