Pike Feedback
I wanted to lend some thoughts on the current implementation of pikes. I'm about 120 turns into a Seleucid campaign, and up to this point I've used all the pikes available, up to bronze shields. I must say I'm rather disappointed with the higher tier pikes. Their cost-to-performance ratio is not very good. I've opted to removing them from my armies in favor of theuros hoplites with an extra unit or two of hypaspists and royal peltasts.
I'm okay with professional and lower tier pike units not doing a great deal of damage, but there isn't enough of a difference in combat effectiveness to warrant the much higher cost of better pikes. ~330 upkeep for bronze shields to have them kill anywhere between 40-100 in a good battle is lackluster when I can have cheaper hoplites kill more, take about the same losses, and use their lower costs to fund better offensive units.
I think a possible solution for the superior pikemen would be to either increase their weapon damage or melee attack (or perhaps both). 11 weapon damage is really weak when you compare to hoplites at 16. Even with upgrades and general buffs they just aren't worth the cost. If you wish to keep them at their current effectiveness, their upkeep cost should come down so that they're not eclipsed by other units quite as easily. Given the choice of bronze pikes or hypaspists for relatively the same cost, I'm going with hypaspists every time. They're more flexible, hold the line just as easily (if not better), and inflict way more damage; it's a no-brainer.
Has anyone else concluded the same and phased out pike units earlier than expected?
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