Diego Camacho I wish they would have done a campaign with Korea japan and at least a good part of China like a medieval in east Asia instead of just only japan in shogun.
For me it would be Fantasy: 1) Total War: Game of Thrones (ONE GOD, ONE KING, ONE REALM! STANNIS, STANNIS, STANNIS!) 2) Total War: LOTR (if they can get the license, which I doubt) 3) Total war: Narnia (mostly because the movie Telmarines look so awesome) 4) Total War: Hyborian Age (COOOOONAN!) 5) ? and Historical: 1) Total War: Golden Century (The Spanish Golden Age/Renaissance) 2) Total War: Victoria/Belle Epoque (one a Post-Empire world, with more modern tech. But while Europe is at peace, the rest of the world is at war) 3) Total War: Bronze Age (focusing on either Europe, the Middle East or both, it would go back further in time than any TW game till now) 4) Total War: Civil War (during the American Civil War) 5) Total War: Hundred Year's War Historical
You're doing it wrong if you aren't using them all game IMO. The most I will do is sprinkle in ~40% naginata samurai into my yari ashigaru line, otherwise I just feel like i would be better off with more armies. These units put Oda as the hands down best faction in Shogun 2. The bow ashigaru give good value too.
Yari Ashigaru are stupidly efficient, especially when you have a Stand and Fight general. Yari Samurai are just completely overshadowed and have pretty much no use because of them.
@@briankearney5994 if you're just facing the AI Chosokabe are great too. farm income is nice but their daikyu samurai are fucked. any offensive siege you can just pick off the enemy without even assaulting and win with literally 0 casualties
Mercenary Crossbows have literally saved my campaigns in the early and middle stages of Medieval 2. Armour Piercing damage at range from such a realiable and available unit is just so damn handy to have in your early game stacks
Stats wise Oda Yari Ashigaru is just +1 in Morale, Attack, and Defense. Oda Yari Ashigaru with a general who have the Ashigaru Traits and Retainer will simply have +1 Morale than other Ashigaru other the General who does the same thing. The Reason why Oda Yari Ashigaru is super good, is because of their Cheap cost, and the Player already planned it, as the Oda, Going Samurai might not be in their list.
@@mackmasters325 don't forget you can put them inside eachother for double yari wall. Not like you need it since you can own half of japan in first 10 turns as oda
Spear Levy : see lads? I know we are not useless Mercenary crossbowman : but still you can't beat us in battle Peasants Bowman : Fools! You can beat us by skill but can't with number Cemaat Jannisary : stupid infidels. All of you know that I am suprisingly powerful Yari Ashigaru : excuse me, coming through
M2TW Peasant Crossbowmen by the Moors. Super cheap but are almost on par with the regular crossbows. Plus AP and the fact that it's always underestimated because it has "peasant" in its name.
I would like to agree with you... but those unit requires marksman range. in which you need fortress to build and at about 50-60 turns you only had castles. therefore, they're not readily available. I'd prefer pavise crossbowmen myself. they got a better stats, with only 150 upkeep to boost.
@@alifkazeryu8228 If you like the pavises' 150 upkeep, try Milan's Genoese Crossbow Militia for 50 less upkeep and tier 3 city barracks (meaning more money, too). Milan can get ridiculous with all militia armies and no castles...
If you're playing the steam updated game, the two handed weapons glitch is fixed. In that, completely unarmored woodsmen will shred knights coming over walls.
french lancers, (no shield means crossbows fuck them HARD) monster ribaults, (reloads take shit ton of time and it cant even hit the broad side of a barn door) gothic knights, (just poor attack and defense for its cost) english demi lancers, (same thing as french lancers) forlorn hope, (smaller unit size and poor morale) i could go on
I simply loved how someone opted me into their campaign battle in Shogun 2 where they had a general, two yari samurai and cavalry and I only had two units of yari ashigaru and one light cav. Not sure what they were thinking, but it was the most beautiful wrecking I landed on them.
Dùng yari wall là có thể chạn gần hết các loại bộ binh và kị binh thành rác hết Nếu chọn nhà Oda, có thêm Long yari, đủ sức chơi cả katana samurai hay thậm chí là warrior monk.
Militia hoplites definitely deserve an honourable mention. They're cheap and extremely effective in siege defense while not being a hinderance on the battlefield assuming you're careful with them.
Even in Empire, Cemaat Janissaries are super useful early on. They save you from slugging it out with muskets against the Euros and turn over any melee encounter.
Why bother with then when Levy Pikemen had double the cost, double the upkeep but double the troops with frikking PIKE while take only 1 slot. You can cover the same front as 2 militia hoplites with one pike while having pike to totally the front of your line while those cav wreck the enemy flank The only problem was 2lv(i think) barrack to recuit them but when you can recuit levy pikemen, hoplite is not worth it.
@@huntermad5668 the way I play the selucids is I defend all fronts while expanding in one direction. since everyone declares war on you right off the bat and the selucids don't have any settlements that start off strong, save for two that are far apart, I just focus on money and and public order while I make one army that's worth a shit to kill egypt. You do make a good point, I just like to do as much as possible with as little as needed to save funds for quick growth and all that. I think everyone can agree that pikes in general are insanely useful in rome 1
My prefered opening is waiting 3-4 turns to build up enough forces and march south to fight a decisive battle with Egypt. The balance is about even so if you could catch a sizable forces of Egypt then you pretty much had the Nile Delta in the bag. Through more often then not, i had to fight an even battle with all available Egypt forces around Sinai. With luck, those chariots would run into your pike and help you win the battle, they are the pain in the ass at the time as you don't have effective counter. The mop up is easy and profitable as you go full murder mode on populous Egypt cities. You don't really need that many pop and big cities early game. Also help PO. With infrastructures in Egypt and original Seleucid, you can just spam Levy pikemen to beat back those Eastern kingdoms while smashing your Helenic brothers.
0:28 Levy freemen/ MLG freemen are actually quite useful in MP battles because they're the cheapest unit in the game that has both javelins and a spear, allowing them to easily zone cavalry much more expensive than them
Yeah, I was waiting for the Yari Ashigaru! My favorite thing to do in shogun 2 is to play as the Oda and put long yari ashigaru right behind yari ashigaru to double the power of yari wall!
4:01 they are also quite good in Empire, once in a multiplayer battle I sent them against 5 units of Jeagers and line infantry. I didn't expect them to win and they didn't but there kill count and ability to keep the enemy units busy saved my entire battle
I found the militia hoplites in rome 1 to be very cost effective. I once hold a city with 2 units against a full stack just by funneling them into the gate. they have a ridiculous range advantage... in a bottleneck they destroy every unit that isnt a pike
German Spear Warbands are more useful since they complement Germania's shock infantry lineup. Spear Warbands can hold and pin superior infantry with their phalanx while Axemen go for the kill *or* protect them from cavalry.
Merc Crossbowmen and Merc Spearmen were essential to my Venice Campaigns. They did such a good job bulking up my forces and the Crossbowmen were oftentimes my only ranged unit. They put in work
For me it was very surprising when i discovered that the most basic unit of the scythians was so so op. To think that it's easy to win a battle 4 to 1 with cavalry archers available in the smallest town is insane.
Empire's Minutemen deserve an honorary mention. They're one of the most versatile units in the game in relation to their cost. Since they're a cross between militia and skirmishers they can do well in many roles from defending a fort or hill to setting up ambushes or supporting line infantry or even sitting in a settlement to keep public order. They're still vulnerable to cavalry and line infantry with rank fire will shred them *but* they're exceptional flanking units and can tear through most enemy units at close range because of their ability to fire all ranks at once.
I think fire rockets from shogun 2 should have had an honorable mention just because of there surprise mofo value if you deliberately leave them open to an opponents cav charge only to see them panic when a single volley melts most of their cav unit. It is really nice to see the Yari Ashigaru getting some love, they are the only unit in any TW campaign I actually get attached too because they are in the thick of it from turn 1 to the Victory sequence.
Great choice of Top 5! I also agree with your picks. This is a great series! Loose idea for another Top 5: Most worthwhile buildings or something on the construction side. You haven't really talked about that, as far as I'm aware, but I will say it's also difficult to narrow it down to something specific.
Levy freemen are also pretty amazing in Multiplayer. Super cheap, throw Javalins, can absorb charges pretty well for their price, and have spears so can deal with light-mid cav that want to harass your skirmishers.
Falxmen from RTW are an honourable mention for sure. They're dirt cheap early game units that can stand toe to toe with legions and phalanxes. Best part of both Thrace and Dacia.
Cheaper than Warbands, actually. And utterly devastating. If I remember, they can fight Triarii without having to sandwich them. As long as you don't charge into Phalanxes' front or expose them to arrows, you can pretty much capture the whole Greece as Dacia easily.
I had some difficulties at first in Shogun 2, replacing my yari ashigarus with yari samurais. Then I understood that yari wall is an utterly broken formation allowing peasants with a pointy stick to beat elite warriors in almost any situation as long as they are in melee.
A bit surprised not to see moorish peasant crossbows. After they get back from toiling in the fields for 18 hours, they spend the last 6 in the day honing their crossbow prowess.
Totally agree with those merc crossbows. M2TW early game is about building and maintaining momentum, and having a dependable crossbow unit readily available can be paramount to keep the steamroll going. Hands down my favourite unit in that game.
I would argue Italian Spear Militia for m2tw. Completely unassuming available from the start and cheap but high morale and very good stats,. also can easily defeat other spearmen for a looong time in the early campaign.
Yari Ashiguru are a great unit for this list. They can trade efficiently with quite a lot of units in Shogun 2. They'll make up the bulk of your force at the beginning of the game and be great units to defend your territory later.
To add to the Levy Freeman in Rome II: They are actually really good in certain situations on the Battlefield as well. They carry precursors so they will Always get some Damage in, even against elite troops, they have good shields and a good Bonus vs Large. So they are perfect to destroy elephants and cavalry. One of the biggest issues in Multiplayer are the Barbarian factions one of the biggest issues with them are the dirt cheap (210Gold) Freemen, who can deter charges from any Shockcavalry (some range over 1000 Gold per Unit), because of the Damage you can deal to them should they come your way.
As an avid NTW MP player, you are absolutelly right about the cemaats, and bashi bazouks are also very useful, ottomans are really fun to play if you know how to use them properly :)
TBH, I'm not surprised about the Yari Ashigaru - pike units in general, if you manage to put them in a good position to receive an enemy attack, tend to perform disproportionately well. I've used Militia Hoplites to do a LOT of amazing defensive work in Rome as long as the enemy is attacking. They tend to get wrecked if they go on the offensive, but for their cost they're the perfect garrison stuffer unit, especially if you know the AI won't try to starve the garrison out. Plus, they're easily recruited since you just need the first barracks. Pike Militia in Medieval II is similar, though in their case they're further up the tech tree so that bit is out, but they're still surprisingly useful at holding chokepoints for their cost - or really any situation as long as you can force the enemy to attack. Sheer numbers will still overwhelm them, but florin for florin they'll generally inflict disproportionate casualties when holding the gate. It gets even better if you're fighting on a map with a little ramp they can be at the bottom of with archers or guns above to fire into the enemy moving up behind them.
The thing about Yari Ashigaru is I'm pretty sure the AI knows to immediately target them with every missile unit when they're in spearwall formation. When I played Shogun II I often found myself unable to use the formation because they'd get obliterated by archers before making contact with the enemy.
Best thing about Yari Ashigaru is that by the time you're in mid game and factions start building Samurai armies you YA will have veterancy and become even stronger.
Nothing more suprising than buying for the first time Bomb Throwers in Shogun 2 thinking you are gonna DELETE the enemy forces with your superior technological edge, to only see them obliterate half of your frontline in one swing.
The thing that makes Mercenary Crossbowmen so good, aside from what already has been said, is that they have 5 armor. No unit in the early game (even mid-game), aside from mailed knights has so much armor as these guys have. After 50 turns as HRE, I still have units with 1-2 armor (armored spearmen) ; and these guys which are "archers" have 5. It's unbelievable ! And they can also hold their own in melee (exception when being charged by cavalry).
I was ready to riot if you didn't include Yari Ashigaru. Whenever I play Shogun, unless I am playing Shimazu or Date, I never bother with training more advanced melee foot units. Yari Ashigaru are sufficient to hold the line while other units wreck the enemy.
Italian (namely milanese) early game militia in M2TW is surprisingly insane and can make your campaign super smooth even on the hardest difficulty. Spearman are better than the ones from castle just below armoured seargants and pavese militia cross bow (or better, genoese) are actually crazy good, arguable straight up broken for any part of the game, and you get them from level 3 city barracks in an area with the most advanced cities at the start of the game, crazy, just crazy.
Hey Legend. I think that high elf archers should get a spot on there. They carry high elf stacks all the way from the beginning to late game with how deadly they are en mass.But other than that, great video as always.
@@LegendofTotalWar Bretonnian archers fall very much in the subjective category. Someone who knows WHF lore shouldn't be surprised by the unit not being useless, while someone who does not know the lore might be surprised. Everyone should expect elven archers to be great at what they do, however.
Sudanese tribesmen from Medieval 2 were surprisingly really good. I picked a couple up on a crusade once and I was surprised how good they were given their relative cheapness. Once when I was assaulting a city, I sent a unit of Italian spear militia and Sudanese tribesmen with ladders tot take the walls. The militia routed after about a minute but the tribesmen broke through and took the walls
Wardogs in attila. Though i do use the fall of the eagle mod. What is surprising is how the dogs are able to push their way straight through shield walls and testudoes and attack the archers behind the battle line. Especially critical in town defences
I would say the Peasant Crossbowmen for the Moors in Medieval 2 are incredibly surprisingly mainly because they're so much better than the peasant crossbows that other factions get. People easily could look at the name and dismiss it as a garbage unit if they had a bad experience with another faction's peasant units. The Moor Peasant Crossbows are just as deadly as the Pavise Crossbows that the European factions get, and they're much cheaper too. They'll lose in a shootout since they have bad armor, but they're excellent killers if they shoot something that can't shoot back.
These "Suprise Units" are cost-effective units in other words, but only if you know how to use them. They are essential if you want to conquer VH/Leng in most of the TW games and i used these units all the time!
Not gonna lie: I've won 95% of my Shogun 2 campaigns on the back of Yari Ashigaru spam. I've just thought that basic spear infantry should be the most effective unit in any historic setting by default so I focus on them and it happens that in Shogun 2 they're incredible
Trahan surprisingly good.personally in single player I just dont use them and instead take another treuchet or more cav.only reason to take archers is to soften infantry before they get to you or kill enemy ranged.i get better results with my army. Lady with lore of life. 6 battle pilgrims for a main line 1 grail relic(your line almost always fights to last man with this combo. 3 or 4 of dome anti large caviar for monsters or enemy cav. 1 magic trebuchet to make enemy attack you. Even if your attacking and they have a better podistion.this makes them come to you.kinda cheese ugh tactic. And plus you can hit pesky archers and soften up dangerous units before getting attacked. Rest of army is best anti infantry cav for hammer and anvil. Grail guardians if you can afford them.this army does best work for me.if I bring in a reinforcing army I put a few archers in it to get those pesky flying units.
How did it take me this long to find your channel even though I have been playing Total War games for years and I have searched RU-vid for years? I blame RU-vid!
My favorite unit is the scottish archer in medieval 2 , not that good as archer but surprisingly good once they are in melee , i love how they remove the bow to pick up a axe :D
A surprising unit to me were the Italian Militia available to Venice and Milan in MTW 2. They were strong at the start, and also low cost, and could garrison cities for free. You could also upgrade their armour to keep them viable later. I turned every castle into a city as Venice because who needs military buildings when you can have cities that make you more money and already provide every unit type you need. Venice campaign was pretty much the rebirth of the Roman Republic. xD
Venice still has excuses to have castles in the form of heavy infantry with rare AP modifier and I think horse archers. It's Milan that has no excuse not to convert every settlements into cities because they don't have anything in the castle that other generic factions don't get at all, and all their unique units are in the city.
Better have the Razee in there - that ship can easily dominate ships far larger than itself by just keeping range and knocking off their masts, plus destroy faster ships due to its high firepower!
@@mintyaroma987 Another ship that would have to be in there would be the HMS Warrior from TW:S2 FotS. Yes, it's late-game, expensive as fuck, limited to 1 per campaign and you need to allie with the Brits but 1) it's the fastest ironclad 2) it has longer range than most cannons 3) it has the most cannons in the game 4) it can take a shitload of hits, even AP 5) It is the strongest when it comes to boarding attacks. It is simply overpowerd!
@@thatoneguynextdoor8794 Can say the same about The Black Ship in the base game. Actually the torpedo ships could also make it pretty high up too - if you learn how to use them well they are incredibly powerful and can knock out the HMS Warrior using less money (albeit with multiple ships).
@@mintyaroma987 The big difference between the Black Ship and the HMS Warrior Is that you need AP Ammo to sink the Warrior. That means that any clan that doesn't have it can't defeat it, even if they send in 100 Frigates! This is what makes it so strong. The Black Ship can be set on Fire and then it has to extinguish it which takes forever and die to that.
Nanban Trade ships in Shogun 2. First off the Nanban Quarter required for it, is much better of a building than the Drydocks. It functions as a trade ship, so you don't need separate ships to protect international trade routes. You don't need a specific technology to unlock the building or unit like you do the drydock and it's units. Far superior to the only other recuitable cannon ship, the Cannon Bune. It is comparatively expensive compared to heavy ships, but doesn't have much higher upkeep. Yes they could be set on fire, but that's why you them in keep pairs or have them as a flagship of a fleet. A stack of all Kobayas will mostly be defeated by the time they reach a pair of them and all other ships (except sengoku bune, which the upkeep equal of two could not board a nanban trade ship) the nanban could out sail and re-position on them.
For a surprising early game unit I recommend people try out Kyoto Police in FotS playing as Tsu. Betray your ally and capture Kyoto. build stacks of Kyoto police and nothing else except for a few yari ki's. you will find Tsu to be overpowering
Mate, don't get me wrong - I love your videos, and watch most everything. But the amount of content you produce, on top of the hours you do all those live streams - It's just mental, the hours you put in. I get it, you take things seriously and want to do it professionally.. But. Don't overdo it, and try to live your life a little, too. Seriously, do what you will, but.. Take care of yourself. Edit: Wait, what now? Bretonnia's cav not the best cav? If Grail Knights are not the top Cav unit in the game... then what is?
@@leadpaintchips9461 Really?..But those get massacred by the Knights of the Realm, which is more or less the basic standard cav unit of Bretonnia that does just fine charging into infantry, making it at least an equal pick to.Blood Knights. I suppose Blood Knights can be healed and resurrected, which makes the unit more valuable in a VC army... But that's not really the unit's ability, that's just something the Vampire Counts do.
@@redelephantsdotnl stats wise Blood K9 are way better, plus Frenzy and the ability to cause Fear made them pretty dangerous, especially when hunting for valuable large units like generals or monsters. I guess that you play campaign that KoR gets general's buffs that made them way better. In MP wise, I believe that K9 Errant (and especially its RoR) are more cost-effective for Bretonnia, then Grail K9.
It's ironic how in Rome 2, spear levies were great in autoresolve and terrible on the battlefield, then in Shogun 2 spear levies were amazing on the battlefield and alright in autoresolve.
