Each culture in Humankind has its own unique unit, ranging from the Assyrian Riders in the Ancient Era to the Red Army Tank of the Soviets in the Contemporary Era. Each unit has its own special impact on the battlefield.
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Before any major balance patches go live for Humankind, not all units are equal. There are definitely some that stick out from the rest, and it can impact your choice of culture if you find yourself facing a large army on your borders. It is also largely dependent on which resources are available in your empire. Here's a list of the best units in Humankind.
Runner – Ancient Era Harappans
The Runner unit may not seem overly strong, but when you factor in the zero technology cost (they're unlocked right at the start of the Ancient Era) and their ability to ignore Forest movement restrictions, a swarm of Runners can easily overrun a nearby culture.
- The Runner has a base combat strength of 14. If you received any combat strength boosts during the Neolithic period (through world events) then these units can be devastating.
- The Runners also have ZERO upkeep. Yes. You can spam these out with little to no repercussion, and they only cost 45 production to build.
Promachoi – Classical Era Mycenaeans
If you see the Mycenaeans on your border, you better build an army. The Promachoi are devastating in the early game. They come with a base strength of 21, although their bonus provides an extra four strength during the first round of combat. Pair that with the Mycenaeans combat strength boost from their unique culture bonus and you have easily one of the strongest units in the Ancient Era.
- They replace the Swordsmen unit in the Classical Era. This means you need to research the Standing Army tech to unlock them.
- They have an upkeep of 3 Gold a turn.
Gothic Cavalry – Classical Era Goths
Watch out, here comes the hoard. These terrifying heavy Gothic Cavalry units are designed to move fast and destroy your neighbors, getting a bonus of three combat strength when ransacking and fighting on top of enemy districts. They are ideal for an early game push, providing you have the production and resources required.
- Gothic Cav has a base strength of 29 and six movement points. They're strong. Real strong.
- They do, however, require both Horses and two nodes of Iron within your empire. This makes them harder to grab unless you get lucky.
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Longbowmen – Medieval Era English
Archers are one of the best early game units, thanks to the severe advantages of high-ground in Humankind's combat. Archers upgrade right into English Longbowmen, one of the best ranged units in the game, capable of firing shots at enemies they can't even see properly. Ideal for sieges and complicated battles on the undulating territory. Take Archers, get Veteran stars, upgrade to Longbowmen. It's a win-win.
- Longbowmen have a base strength of 32.
- They can attack units without a clear line of sight – like over walls, or cliffs.
Teutonic Knights – Medieval Era Teutons
Teutonic Knights are powerful. They have a base strength of 39 but will pretty much always receive the plus three combat strength against cultures of a different state religion. The medieval era is still quite early, so it's unlikely other cultures have succumbed to your own religious spread. Paired with the Teuton's ability to annex enemy Outposts and Administrative centers, the Teutonic Knights can sweep away enemies with ease.
- They have a high resource cost of two horses and two iron, so if you don't have these readily available, don't pick the Teutons.
- Teutonic Knights upgrade from Gothic Cavalry and War Elephants, so you can stack veteran stars in an earlier era.
Rocket Cart – Early Modern Ming
The Rocket Carts are a powerful heavy weapon that can devastate Fortified positions and halt enemies in their tracks. Any unit hit with a Rocket barrage can't move the next turn and has reduced combat strength. Very effective during sieges and large open battles.
- Rocket Carts need a line of sight otherwise they can't attack. They also won't fight back if attacked in melee range, so protect them with other units. It's fine though because they have a massive range of eight hexes.
Winged Hussars – Early Modern Poles
The Winged Hussars are a powerful unit during the Early Modern era thanks to the prevalence of ranged units. They also upgrade from popular unique units from previous eras, like the Haras and Hunnic Horde.
- When the Hussars attacked a unit it cannot retaliate, which means you deal big damage without taking any damage yourself.
- They require two horses and two iron to build.
- They have a base strength of 46 and receive an extra three strength if they attack enemies on a tile that is not adjacent to them.
Gatling Elephant – Industrial Siamese
We have to mention the Gatling Elephants. These powerful units have a base strength of 55, six movement points, and four range. They are formidable attacking from distance, suppressing enemies so they can't move, and any unit hit will have reduced combat strength on the next turn.
- The Gatling Elephants upgrade from the Mugal Gajnal and Ming Rocket Carts, which is a nice synergy to carry over unit experience.
Soldaderas – Industrial Mexican
The Soldaderas is a very unique unit. They are Stealth units and they will retain Stealth even when attacking. This makes them much harder to kill and you can fire from range without worries of getting attacked by horsemen.
- Base strength of 49 and a range of four.
- These Units are stealth which means enemy units need to be directly adjacent to see them.
Red Army Tank – Contemporary Soviets
If the Soviet's reduced military industry cost and improved combat strength weren't scary enough, the Red Army Tank is also one of the most formidable Contemporary era units.
- The Red Army Tank regenerates health after a battle. This is huge for sweeping across enemy territories. No need to retreat to regen health, just keep on rolling on.
- Base strength of 60, eight movement points, and a required resource selection of two Iron and two Oil.
Guardians – Contemporary Chinese
This Rocket-powered artillery is extremely strong, with a base strength of 60 and the ability to indirectly barrage nearby territory and enemy districts. A few of these in your army can carve through enemy cities, although they do have a high resource requirement of two Oil, one Aluminium, and two Uranium.
- Powerful ranged artillery unit designed to destroy enemy districts and besiege cities.