TOP 5 BEST UNITS - Total War: Shogun 2 - Fall of the Samurai!

Merchandise US: shop.spreadshirt.com/smartdon...
Merchandise EU: shop.spreadshirt.net/smartdon...
Get Fall of the Samurai here: tinyurl.com/y8c6qx3c (use discount code "SmartDonkey" on checkout for an extra 10% off)
Welcome to my Top 5 Best Units on Total War: Shogun 2 - Fall of the Samurai! In this video I go over my personal top 5 best units in Fall of the Samurai.
Watch the entire Shogun 2 Top X series: • Top X - Total War: Sho...
Music:
Derek & Brandon Fiechter: / @derekbrandonfiechter
Mods:
Extended Camera Minimod: steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles...
-----
Want more similar content, have a look at these series:
Fall of the Samurai Clan Overviews: • Clan Overviews - Total...
Shogun 2 FOTS: Satsuma (Legendary): • Let's Play Total War: ...
Shogun 2 FOTS: Sendai (Legendary): • Let's Play Total War: ...
-----
Keep in touch with MrSmartDonkey!
Patreon: / mrsmartdonkey
Discord: / discord
Twitch: / mrsmartdonkey
Facebook: / mrsmartdonkeylp
Twitter: / mrsmartdonkeylp
-----
Total War: Shogun 2 Gameplay Information:
In the darkest age of Japan, endless war leaves a country divided. It is the middle of the 16th Century in Feudal Japan. The country, once ruled by a unified government, is now split into many warring clans. Ten legendary warlords strive for supremacy as conspiracies and conflicts wither the empire. Only one will rise above all to win the heart of a nation as the new shogun...The others will die by his sword.
Take on the role of one Daimyo, the clan leader, and use military engagements, economics and diplomacy to achieve the ultimate goal: re-unite Japan under his supreme command and become the new Shogun - the undisputed ruler of a pacified nation.
-----
Total War: Shogun 2 Features:
Total War: SHOGUN 2 features enhanced full 3D battles via land and sea, which made a name for the series, as well as the tactical campaign map that many refer to as the heart and soul of Total War. Featuring a brand new AI system inspired by the scriptures that influenced Japanese warfare, the millennia old Chinese “Art of War”, the Creative Assembly brings the wisdom of Master Sun Tsu to Total War: SHOGUN 2. Analysing this ancient text enabled the Creative Assembly to implement easy to understand yet deep strategical gameplay.
CONQUER the islands of Japan in the 16th century. Lead vast armies of samurai and fleets of giant warships into breathtaking real-time battles.
BUILD your kingdom on the inviting and turn-based campaign map. Wield economic, political, and military power to amass wealth, armies, and influence.
SCHEME according to the "Art of War" by Sun Tzu. Use fire and siege tactics, spies and assassins to adapt to the ever-changing conditions on the battlefield and throughout your kingdom.
BATTLE ONLINE and experience the main campaign in two-player mode. Then join epic online battles with up to 8 players and lead your online army to glory in special campaigns.
-----
For more information on Total War: Shogun 2, check out these links:
Total War: Shogun 2 Official Website: wiki.totalwar.com/w/Total_War_...
Download Total War: Shogun 2 on Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/201...
Official Total War: Shogun 2 Trailer: • Total War: Shogun 2 - ...
-----
Total War: Shogun 2 is developed by Creative Assembly.

[@m0nkEz]

you missed the most important aspect of manually controlling artillery... you can hit targets outside of range.

[@gunrunners5283]

m0nkEz I was thinking about that myself

[@damagedhurdle7342]

Same

[@Raptor747]

In my personal experience, the biggest advantage to manual control of artillery is that it allows you to deal devastating damage to enemy units that are hunkering down in defensive positions or camping, such as in offensive siege battles or offensive field battles. Since the AI only targets the front corner unit of any targeted unit, their efficiency is a lot lower than it could be. In siege battles, this means that you can kill LOADS of enemies that you otherwise wouldn't be able to hit.

[@MrRandalFlagg]

It's an insanely valuable thing in naval battles, where you can fire your guns while actually being outside o range of the AI-controlled ships. It's quite cheesy though.

[@ldavidtw2000]

@@MrRandalFlagg there's an even more cheesy manual control trick for naval engagement, basically allowing you to shoot twice within 1 reload time

[@GutsofEclipse]

Artillery + ocean bombardment = mass route before the infantry have fired a single shot

[@DallasBaldys]

Haha so fun

[@fabianustertius6460]

ocean bombardment are like sky fire, just imagine being a samurai full traditional whit armour, and begging raining bullets and bombs from the sky

[@DimT670]

Well yea ofc the tactics that wouldn't work irl because the enemies aren't robots would work in a game where the enemies are robots. Who'd have thunk it

[@Rynewulf]

@@DimT670it was used differently irl: part of the civil war starting was because the British blew up most of one of Japans most important ports just with naval bombardment, and the threat of more is what kept the civil war contained to an emperor vs shogun factions rather than warfare against the Westerners. Youre right that frontline soldiers would simply run and hide when faced with that in battle (or move the battle further inland), but the artillery of the period was viciously powerful

[@Alopen-xb1rb]

@@RynewulfThis. Total war artillery is usually grossly OP to its historical counterpart. FOTS is one situation where exploding shot was rendering line warfare obsolete. But it is OP as depicted in game. 1864 had the US Civil War in full swing and artillery wasn’t quite annihilate armies in mass just yet. That more 1890- and beyond.

[@danmorgan3685]

"These gunnery skills have been passed down through the Armstrong line for generations!" Ah, that explains why the Armstrong Guns are so good.

[@leoi6]

**Sees Tosa Riflemen** oh no ITS THE WINDBUCHSE RIFLEMEN FROM EMPIRE AND NAPOLEON TOTAL WAR

[@kurskfirebrand4494]

I LOVE THOSE GUYS!!!!

[@1987MartinT]

Artillery in this time period was devastating. It was the precursor to the artillery of the 1st world war.

[@lazyeye642]

I've been winning battles with Armstrong cannons only, it's the only Total War game where artillery _is dangerous_

[@jaxsonh.266]

Napoleon total war would like to disagree

[@simonstaysnclr]

The Brit fears the cannon - Napoleon, probably

[@makeromaniagreatagain9697]

There is the pickle gun in Empire Total war

[@arlissmith2446]

Napoleon and warhammer artillery’s are pretty damn good

[@jesspayne5548]

Arlis Smith medevial 2 in the right situations

[@SuperSirFelix]

Shogitai when defending a castle, are definitely the most powerful unit ingame.

[@ronank2432]

all u can do is cry when it reaches your infantry while in banzai mode

[@dimasnotowidjojo1068]

armstrong gun onto general unit.... "Sir, Enemy General has fallen..."

[@JSparo-TotalWarMachinima]

I also think Amstrong guns deserve the first place, they make me think about obusers in Napoleon. The kind of Artillery you'd rather not be in its range of fire.

[@phamngoc2181]

Revolver cavalry is good but they often ran out of bullets halfway but amstrong guns usually do most the business so I didnt notice.

[@dennisvisser3910]

i remember having an imperial army and becomming independent and wase like all the emperial soldiers were gone so had to quickly recruit a new army from scratch. that's a good one to mention right if you plan to switch alligances or be independant make sure to not have the faction ownly units until you switch.

[@khangphan5174]

Yari and Katana Kachi are also pretty useful when cooperate with line infantry, katana kachi and armstrong guns are the best combination for siege battles. 1 more recommendation is the carbine cavalry, they have far enough range and can be use with hit and run tactics to harass the enemy line infantries and artillery

[@ronank2432]

its more cost effective to use levy spear than katana though better replace them if shogitai is availabale, yari are great fending off cavalry, carbine is only useful for harassing enemy before the main army showdown which better be a slot for yari cav or artillery

[@LOL-zu1zr]

Shogotai are way better. Armor doesn’t matter in fall of the samurai

[@Anonymous8830]

I always have about 4-6 units of armstrong guns per army. it does allow me to defend (let the enemy come to me) even if I'm on the attacking side. it also means that, as said, I damage the enemy army to such an extent (before they even reach my lines) that my infantry are more or less out of a job. sometimes, just to give my infantry something to do, I move them forward. which tends to scare my enemies into routing because let's face it, getting smashed by shells and then finally reaching full-strength fresh units while your side is at half-strength at best is not something people look forward to. they know they can't win won battles like that. even when outnumbered 2 or 3 to 1

[@KyoushaPumpItUp]

Tristan Busch My typical infantry fullstack army: General's Bodyguard 9 units of line infantry (3 per group when besieging a castle) 3 units of light/skirmish infantry 4 units of Armstrong guns 3 units of Gatling guns

[@LuizAlexPhoenix]

For most clans, I only get 4 or 5 Armstrong guns, 1 General, 4 cavalry and 10 or 11 line infantry. If they have skirmish infantry or I have the foreign units, I might trade 3 or 4 line infantry for those. I never use Gatling, unless it's a won battle and I want to replay the Last Samurai.

[@maxtripp2975]

I don't care about the difficulty in acquiring the foreign marines. I always make foreign trade my first priority because it makes you rich and their troops are so powerful. Even with only three companies of marines, they easily outmatch every other unit in the game at range & can defeat most in melee. They can often defeat all other forces and tip the balance of power in your favour in most engagements. But of course, that's just my opinion.

[@The1RlyShadow]

This is true. I'm currently doing a playthrough and i'm using purely french armies. (Running radious so they are the best of the foreign powers)...I have them built in the most city i have and their accuracy is 96 and they aren't even maxed rank. Plus with general buffs and foreign trainers, they DPM is better than an gatling gun. Most of my battles are about 200 lost (if that) and i killing 2000 to 4000 per battle...My best yet is 30 lost and 4900 killed ;)

[@LuizAlexPhoenix]

They do not outmatch every other unit. Mainly, since there are slight differences for each unit and bonuses you can stack. Plus, three foreign units are great when they finally close in. But, they are likely to take losses. Tosa riflemen, which have the same range, can be hidden the whole time.

[@cinemapigeon4898]

If you play multiplayer campaign, you can get unlimited foreign marines. You make 3, gift them to a friend, then you can make another 3, then your friend gifts them back to you, and you have 6 or however many units you want. This works with high level ships as well (and any limited unit).

[@SgtR3ynolds]

@@cinemapigeon4898 Does this work with hero units as well?

[@cinemapigeon4898]

@@SgtR3ynolds I believe so.

[@holyblee618]

Oh thank you for this great video i was waiting for this video for a long time

[@KyoushaPumpItUp]

My prediction for your top 4 worst unit in FotS: Sabre Cavalry

[@sirrliv]

I have to admit, I was thoroughly surprised to see Revolver Cavalry on this list. You're right to say that just judging by their stats, as I did, they look atrocious. As such, even in skirmish battles, I've never used them. Wow how wrong I've been! Can you imagine having a line of Revolver Cav set in a forest behind a line of Tosa Rifles, having an enemy line whittled down as they advance on you only to be utterly annihilated when they get within melee range. Also, regarding the Armstrong Guns, and artillery in general, another glitch I've noticed, particularly during sieges, is that when aiming manually, you can actually elevate the gun enough that it shoots further than the AI claims it can when simply ordering it to fire automatically. This can be vital when trying to hit positions on walls, or better still to hit the enemy on the opposite wall from behind. The same goes for Gatling Guns; wheel them up to the extreme edge of their range and use them to manually hose down the defenders' wall positions. They'll burn through their ammo fast, at which point you'll have to order them to withdraw as they're essentially useless now. But if all goes well they'll have opened up enough of a weak point, or thinned out the enemy numbers enough to make an infantry assault viable.

[@BigMackWitSauce]

Worst units will be Matchlock Kachi Sabre Cav Wooden cannons Levy Infantry Bow Cavalry

[@thisistom1408]

but thats only if there rank 7 and up

[@legoman7041]

Levy Infantry bruh.

[@KyoushaPumpItUp]

levy infantry is good in siege defense. use the levy spearmen to engage enemies in melee while use the levy infantry to shoot the enemy while distracted with your melee units

[@DookieNr88]

Matchlock Kachi are effective in sieges, cheap and good stats compared to the cheapest line infantry. Sabre cav is cheap too, very good to disrupt the enemy line, if you are able to get a good charge without many losses. In melee they wreck lines way better than yari ki. Levy infantry is a good meat shield, if you rush or want to disrupt the enemy lines to get in range with your lines. Bow cav is the cheapest cav unit. Good to capture dojos far away, still does good damage in charge against lines, Bad in longer melee fights. I didn't play fots that much, but a lvl3 bow cav with 2 points on accuracy and one on extra ammo can work pretty good. Especially if your enemy has a shit ton of cheap lines in the open field, you can out range them with your bow cav.

[@thisistom1408]

but there shit units over all

[@JackSparrow-hh2lh]

nice list Donkey! I also love the shogati, really good unit to storm a fortress while your line infantry provide supressing fire against anything trying to shoot them down, and once in melee they are awesome

[@brainwasher9876]

Great video. Coming in from NTW and ETW I am intrigued by Shogun 2.

[@armaholic5949]

I would also like to add carbine cavalry, they beat revolver cavalry in every aspect except spamming shots as fast as revolver cav

[@LordIvor6]

In my games I use the Foreign troops for naval operations, backed up by artillery and naval support to quickly take out island cities or attack remote settlements, while my main armies are in the field or in winter quarters.

[@Artosk]

i normally stick in 10 or so units of Armstrong guns, then 3 Gatling guns and fill up with infantry, may as well use militia because the infantry NEVER fight

[@ronank2432]

ai is dumb in this game, at least they cant implement tech well, early game to mid its pretty pointless to use modern units except for sharpshooters, you only need skirmisher infantry, melee cav, lots of levy spear and cannon and you'll obliterate everyone, hell the line infantry is goddamn useless unless you're dealing with full modern army

[@alexandregaudry1460]

It looks like the darthmod makes it better somehow. It also reduces the precision of the artillery

[@rainthegenericname_7131]

Another great video. :)

[@xiahoupaul19]

I concur with his number one pick. In one battle, I had a force of 900 against an AI force of 1600 and my two units of Armstrong Guns racked up 1200-1300 kills in total, although a huge percentage of the AI army was Levy Spearmen, but it still shows of how OP Armstrong Guns are.

[@user-qx8kf3st8t]

I remember taking 10 squads of Armstrong Guns with me, and how I was attacked by the 3000 army of one clan... not a single loss on my part, and all 3000 on theirs. Then a couple of squads of their cavalry still managed to pass, but my squads shot them with regular weapons

[@cinruk8969]

I've had this dlc for years and haven't really touched it. This should help me with what to look to play when I start a campaign.

[@Zazume_]

5. You 4. Can't 3. Rank 2. Them 1. Armstrong Cannons

[@jag452]

I really enjoy your videos, could you do one on rise of the samurai units

[@JSparo-TotalWarMachinima]

The problem with RotS is that every factions have the same units, and they are really few.

[@Tenesfer]

Personally I like mixing my armies up a bit. Probably comes from my Med2 campaigns where I usually had themed armies.

[@HeliRy]

Man those Armstrong guns are awesome, and great for laying siege. Nothing more enjoyable that walking up to a large, heavily defended castle and reducing it to ash lol.

[@_draken_]

Revolver cavalry are my favorite units hands down. Nothing makes u feel more ruthless than having half your army be a bunch of gunsling banditos runnin around blasting the enemy in the face.

[@Darqshadow]

I feel like having the guard infantry in a single army, while not being spread out like most would, is a very powerful force to deal with. Add in good artillery, gatling guns, and a mix of spear cav and revolver cav, you have a powerful force that could be the Diamyo's personal army. Marines I would put into a second army as a separate Brigade or as a dedicated force with some sharpshooters or line infantry or both. Keep the artillery, cavalry, and galtlings though.

[@azazzelx]

Having 2 parrot/armstrong guns in my full stacked army is quite enough to win the day for me...

[@theblackgoblin8112]

Only 2 I put 6 in my armies and just watch the enemy disappear

[@azazzelx]

@@theblackgoblin8112 yah

[@ohauss]

Armstrong guns - the reason why I had to chuckle at your "Most powerful" list. Charge bonus is worth jack sh*t if there's only a handful of shaken melee units making it through the canister shot...

[@dr_sm4rt317]

Could you do a top 5 coolest units? For the units that aren't "effective", but are still fun to use.

[@fatyeet6882]

Good vid, gave you a like :)

[@jayjacobl4667]

Haven't played FOTS in a long time, but my best non-artillery unit was Kiheitai. No recruitment limit, least expensive and by far the easiest to recruit "elite" infantry. Not faction specific so they stay with you if you go legendary republic campaigns. As elite infantry, they have the AOE morale boost perks too. I love the Choshu starting location too as a republic player - a good start means you can secure your borders and your entire southern coastline easily, and build up toward realm divide, at which point you have easily accessible and defensible expansion paths.

[@ronank2432]

how can you do republic campaign though at least without losing half your territory doing that

[@ronank2432]

its much worse than realm divide with that influence penalty and pain in the ass 100% all your territory will go against you

[@Maquack]

When i play FOTS i mostly play the saga clan and im making a army made of 6 cannons at the start parrot but later armstrong 11 infantry 2 yari kachi to protect cannons from cavalary and of clurse general i never lost a battle with that army comp

[@warsmithkraygar1548]

I would choose Parrot guns or mortars for early to mid game teir artillery. Armstrong guns are a little to far into the tech tree and despite the accuracy problems of the mortars they are amazing for siege defense. Parrot guns can take out the walls of the castle so your sharpshooter (I'm saying all long range infantry) can kill the enemy range troops on the wall. Plus the physics glitch is also fun to watch.

[@kilercola]

By mortatrs you mean wooden cannons?

[@luk3149]

Wow i never thought revolver cavalary is that strong, never used those guys because of their stats but on the next playthrough I sure will :)

[@177Willy]

Best rise of the Samurai units next please! :)

[@raistherais]

I did a gun units only challenge in FotS (in medium difficulty because I'm an experienced noob) as the Tosa and it was almost reduced automatically to easy because I had the amazing *TOSA RIFLEMEN.* So I think they should get #4.

[@machaiping]

I'm wondering about Vermilion Bird Force of Aizu. At first glance their stats is that of SIR Infantry with exchange 15 reload for 5 acc and much better melee and morale. But what they didn't say in the description is that Vermilion Bird has General Aura like the Takeda Fire Cavalry in Vanilla Shogun 2, making nearby units harder to rout. And they have cheaper recruitment and upkeep cost compare to the SIR Infantry too, which mean that you can field more of them. In my opinion, they're better than Choshu Kihetai and SIR Infantry by a wide margin for those reasons.

[@geopornicus3944]

Who else enjoys manually controlling armstrong guns ?

[@yudhahadianto8562]

How to use manualy

[@warvester]

@@yudhahadianto8562 press H while the armstrong guns are selected

[@yatoniten9497]

can you make a video on the 5 worst units on FOTS ?

[@jaystrickland4151]

If you do not want to micro revolver cav you can place them behind your artillery they will shoot over your artillery and wreck any unit that comes charging to try and remove your artillery.

[@khandkersabahatrizvee8417]

Best units for me is always a gatling gun and armstrong combo while the artilary forces the enemy to attack but it cant kill every unit off paired with a gatling gun they are un beatable

[@yochitoranaga]

what is the best foreing unit in your opinion? from my experience, the french infantrie de la marine is monstruous in auto resolves and the british ship is a blast to use.... but I have to admit, I haven't tested them intensively.

[@simonnachreiner8380]

Always always open a battle up by taking pot shots at the enemy general in first person mode. I don’t always hit and they usually start strafing but the off chance of pwning the general in the opening seconds of the battle can often be the difference between an early decisive victory or a close victory with heavy losses Also Gunbattle is honestly the most busted general ability. Pop it early next to the cannon line results in Armstrong cannons hitting the reload animation cap and more often then not it’s off cooldown ready to aid your line infantry massacre on the clean up.

[@DallasBaldys]

I was playing a campaign Randomly playing as Aizu and this is late game.. and wow.. Those Armstrong cannons where giving me some problems.

[@kb26inla]

I can't believe almost 9 years later, CA still hasn't been able to make anything better then Shogun 2. Would love to see Shogun 3 or Medieval 3

[@thenut55555]

revolver cav are short range and they are really good on siege assult too.

[@shyamsundarrajan2469]

The best weapon is always the neo Armstrong jet Armstrong Canon which won me the best ice sculpture

[@chrischrisdaman]

Once I had 2 Armstrong guns and a small army. I besieged a much larger army. A full stack. Decided to fight the siege. It was a large army in a level 1 castle. One barrage of shrapnel shot killed like a third of them. By the time I was done and sent in my army. It was literally 5 very weakened units

[@carterpeterson3218]

I like to play my units around artillery usually being parrot guns and i win pretty easily

[@Nazdahra]

Yea, armstrong artillery FTW. Frequently they can make the enemy route before the battle even begins.

[@geopornicus3944]

Can you make top 5 best rise of the samurai units ?

[@Ryuko-T72]

Whats better, Yari Kachi or Katana Kachi? In my armies I always go with Yari Kachi for their bonus vs Cavalry.

[@Lapran3]

Hey donkey, your last pick gave me a thought. If they had added the manual fire option in the base game, do you think that would have redeemed the vanilla artillery units?

[@MrSmartDonkeyLP]

Don't think so, even when they do hit, their damage is just incredibly low, and even with manual aim they'd miss a lot because even if you're aiming it, there's still the accuracy rating to consider. Fire a cannon 10 times in the same spot and it'll hit 10 different places, even with high accuracy the spread is fairly large. Imagine how it would be for the low accuracy mangonel and cannon in vanilla Shogun 2. I doubt they'd be any better.

[@SyntheticKill]

how do you actually manually aim and shoot artillary? every time i press insert it just has a close up of the unit then i can't aim or shoot?

[@bernadettelim5517]

can you make a rise of the samurai cus like no people play it sad...

[@Bladedwind]

He's already stated in comments from another video that he rather dislikes Rise of the Samurai.

[@MrSmartDonkeyLP]

Indeed, what Bladedwind said. Rise of the Samurai isn't a whole lot of fun. I doubt I'd ever do clan overviews, but perhaps I'll do some Top 5s on it someday, won't be for a while though.

[@forkmyeyes3451]

MODS MODS MODS MODSS MODS MODS MODS MODS MODS MODS MODS MODS It makes combat in ROTS useful, turn buildings like the granary, market, and buddhist sanctuary into unit producing buildings. Vanilla ROTS tastes like cardboard rice. Using radious war mod and unit packs makes it immensely more interesting. Not to mention the increased focus on politics in ROTS.

[@Orhan6125]

Why isn't it fun? I have it downloaded but FOTS has been keeping me busy so I haven't touched it yet.

[@Buzzy_Bland]

Victor X From what I understand, there's just very little in it that is new. In fact, a lot of the information I can find suggests that there's actually _less_ content overall than the vanilla game. In exchange for an okay new agent type, a similar system the Ishin Shinshi/Shinshengumi alleigance system, and making Samurai units just a little bit _too_ powerful, most of the advanced tech units have been removed, and there's less clans to choose from. Basically, the message I get is that RotS is Vanilla Shogun 2 with a new coat of paint. Then again, I'm actually in the same situation as you (playing FotS a bunch) so this is all secondhand.

[@5H4K490]

Sharpshooters are my preferred infantry on the imperial side, I replace them in late game with the imperial infantry. Cavs get the same treatment, start with a mix of sabre and revolver then upgrade to Carbine. Gattling guns are just for shits and giggles, me you don't find it fun to see spearmen charging at you while gatts are turning them into minced meat.

[@CMDRFandragon]

So FOTS basically turned into a discount Napoleon TW 2? Armstrong guns, like the Howitzers in NTW, those things were pretty amazing. Get 4 units of Howitzers and blow entire armies away before they get to my line.

[@ardypangihutan3653]

ingame speech: "Today sir, we attack" Armstrong Gun: "Here we go again" Line infantry: ((sit down, open their bento and pouring matcha tea"

[@andrewbergheim5861]

Are you going to do a hero unit video? You mentioned one a while back, and there's not much info on them on youtube.

[@MrSmartDonkeyLP]

I am still planning on it yes. I'm currently busier doing edited videos for my second channel though, so it'll happen at some point, but I'm not sure when exactly.

[@Shroud83]

Line infantry in the front rank and Carbine Cavalry in the second. Because they sit on horses Carbine Cavalry can shoot above the infantry unit in front of them instead shooting them in the back as with other infantry. Doubles the bullet output and shreds any enemy coming too close to the front ranks. Revovler Cavalry and General bodyguards (with revovlers of course) works too but because of the range advantage I always upgrade to carbine cavalry later on. Armstrong guns are a no-brainer... in fact they are so good you seldom need to make any other tactical considerations. Just blast the enemy to smithereens and mob up the pityful remnants with infantry when they come closer. Focus on cavalry first, after that just let them rip. I like to add two gattling guns because of their range. I place them between infantry to give them cover and use them to soften any threats that somehow got through the artillery barrage (Shogitai or Sharpshooters etc.). Just need to be careful with placement... always annoying to realize that you placed the gattling behind a slight slope or small hill, blocking its view. I do get why Yari Ki are on the list but frankly cavarly in Fall of the Samurai are so easily defeated, they might as well run around with a giant blinking "Shoot here" - sign above them.

[@TheManofthecross]

to each there own in my campagins i would go for the US marine corps and the US iron clads since they are the first ones mostlly that show up for offer. though i had not seen any other clan use the other nations at all. which is sad.

[@KyoushaPumpItUp]

Vincent Celeste if you accept the british mission you can only recruit 1 ironclad (Warrior Class with 42 guns) but it's OP despite being the only one.

[@timmo956]

What placing would you put shogitai at in your list?

[@Duke_of_Lorraine]

Nothing is better than sniping the enemy general with an Armstrong gun

[@sunjetzu]

Good list let me know if you want to collaborate sometime.

[@fredstercooney5497]

lol

[@phamngoc2181]

Top 5 worst units in FotS: anything beside Yari Ki that doesnt have guns.

[@Crimethoughtfull]

You must not have met the Shogotai...I've had Imperial armies that hadn't lost more than 10% of their troops for years suddenly barely survive the Shogunal Vanguard with a front line of those fearless guys. I didn't have Gattlings, so maybe that would have fixed it, but still, they're scary!

[@undeadwill5912]

Depends how you use them. I've discovered when it comes to fighting a force with superior firepower the trick is to use terrain to your advantage. Hiding spear levies behind hills that so that they can't be fired upon, forests to hide them till they are in range or sneaking them to the flanks of the enemy, and then when your enemy closes the range for you, strike and strike hard, collapsing their line. And boom victory. Also bows are useful for the same reason. They can strike enemies where they can not do the same.

[@LuizAlexPhoenix]

Eric Sell You need to have Armstrong Guns in any modern army. Then, position yourself to force then into the open and blow them up before they get close. Plus, good line infantry will further diminish them. Then, for the coup de grace, you can charge their backs with yari ki. Or, if you are lucky, simply bribe an army of Shogitai and go around with those. Believe me, supported with all those bonuses and arty, they will shred whatever remnants touch your line.

[@lichterberci]

please do more shogun 2 FOTS videos they are awsame

[@hatimzeineddine8723]

I'd actually rate parrot guns over Armstrong guns, even though they're worse in most ways simply because they have no tech or modernization requirement. You can get them right from the start and are basically required.

[@poposhkapetrovitj4604]

yugekitai breaks the AI and you win almost every battle with zero deaths

[@ZFG1467]

I think it’s funny that CA left shogunate infantry when in real life the shogunate slime infantry were constantly lacking ammunition

[@stevencolor3389]

Am I missing a critical detail? The 3rd slot you give to the 3 line infantry units, however from my gameplay, even on normal my line infantry have less morale than militia in empire and honesty armed citizens might hold their will longer. My line infantry break the instant they are touched in melee combat every single time, without fail, either they gun down the entire enemy detachment in the first volley or they break when any enemy reaches them.

[@Uragan00829]

That's the point?

[@DatCameraMON]

Having played on every difficulty (including Legendary) in FotS, I don't think I've ever really used calvary in any major capacity. Granted, maybe this is because I tend to play Imperial but I'm more worried about melee charges and would rather bring more infantry. In comparison to simply bringing more infantry, the calvary doesn't really help during siege battles nor does it really stand up in the field. If the calvary is something like Yari Ki, you're probably going to be fighting once the main body is engaged, which means you're likely to get a bunch of friendly fire losses. Revolver Calvary is something I tinkered with early on and found limited success with but my micro is either just terrible or they end up feeling awkward to handle. IDK how to describe it. It doesn't help that pretty much any infantry unit threatens calvary too, even Levy Infantry.

[@jamiemcerlain5897]

Generally I’ve found that even just bringing one or two units of cavalry (say one revolver and one imperial guard) will give your army some extra versatility, they can be used to flank, harass and destroy isolated units, also very useful for mopping up mass routs, and when playing on legendary it’s just handy sending them forward as scouts so you can move the camera closer to the enemy and better see what they’re up to. One last thing, they can be even placed behind your main line as fire support against charging units as they can shoot over your own men’s heads and when using revolvers this is devastating

[@The_Crimson_Fucker]

Me: I like to have well balanced, fast moving army. Also Me: The minimum acceptable number of Armstrong batteries per stack is 5, however 7 is the ideal number. This is fine since I almost never use skirmishers or light infantry in any of the gunpowder TW games. They've traditionally been useless in single player. Also the best unit in Campaign is the Warrior.

[@ronank2432]

skirmishers are more useful than line infantry imo their accuracy is just crazy at least in fots plus shooting while hiding, line infantry use is just bullet fodder for another line infantry (overall far from napoleon fots is broken because melee is goddamn useful early and late game plus the old movement speed issue in shogun 2 making guns useless because swords can reach and kill you quickly )

[@kosake5493]

What about Shinsengumi Police Force? There are basically Shogitai with guns.

[@ronank2432]

if only if they can learn fire by rank

[@khangphan5174]

Please do Saga clan plan

[@crackshack2]

Shogitai and Kisho Ninja are good units. Especially in seige battles.

[@MrSmartDonkeyLP]

Fighting offensive sieges is a bad idea in any Total War game, but definitely in Fall of the Samurai, you want to avoid those at all costs.

[@shingeovanny508]

MrSmartDonkeyLP can you do a Top 5 Best Hero Units - Total War: Shogun 2 please ??????

[@simonepazsimon7219]

Funny experience, On a Siege I'm shooting down the fort walls with Armstrong guns to kill gun infantry within them then my advisor said "the enemy general has fallen!". Definitely deserve top 1

[@Waldemarvonanhalt]

Armstrong arty: Sniping generals via manual control, beyond their conventional range.

[@HELLFIREC1500]

theres a mod that removes the limit of units in game campaing, so you can have a navy full of 10 warriors class battleships, and an army full of royal marines, this really changes the list of best units a lot...

[@MrSmartDonkeyLP]

It certainly would, but I don't take mods into consideration for that very reason. There's mods that balance units, make them better, worse, etc. It would be impossible to make a list if I took those into consideration.

[@MikeDindu]

Seriously, just line up infantry by the artillery and watch the enemy take huge losses before they ever get in range. The AI just walks towards you while you shell them effortlessly lol

[@WindRider_]

Are you planning to do similar video about units from Total War: Warhammer?

[@MrSmartDonkeyLP]

I've thought about it, but I'm not sure if I will. I'm not as familiar with WARHAMMER's units, even more so for some factions than others, so I legitimately don't know what units are the best.

[@seanspencer7297]

Armstrongs are the best thing since unicorns in Napoleon

[@stupidperson9250]

Why doesn't cannonballs bounce? It made cannons very good irl

[@zzodr]

Warrior Ironclad with AAP rounds vs wooden ships. orrr yeah

[@legoman7041]

What song did you actually use for this video?

[@dzikidzik4321]

Is matchlock kachi very bad unit? Are they good to do anything?

[@trolldatshityeahyou4001]

Armstrong guns are ridiculously overpowered

[@MrSmartDonkeyLP]

Aren't they just.

[@reichcommisar]

can you make a guide on economy?

[@chatcastle]

Reich Commisar study the economy tree and build markets for town growth and don,t go overboard on anything

[@bjorndevlieger8565]

who else thought #1 would be Gatling Guns? and for #2 Carbine Cavalry?

[@Swat_Dennis]

Why would you take revolver cav over Dragoons?

[@kevincho1187]

in my opinion the carbine cavalry is superior than revolver and i have used both

[@helikos1]

I wish they made the SIR infantry a little bit different from each other. I know the history of the boshin war but I feel that in a game the Imperials are more the modernisers. So with that, their infantry should have better reload skill while Shogunate should have better melee skills. That's just an example. I'd like them to be apart from each other. I feel republican troops should have lower morale, because their cause isn't worth it in the grand scheme.

[@Raptor747]

Carbine Cavalry are a lot better than Revolver Cavalry, provided you use stat bonuses from training camps and blacksmiths when making them. They have excellent accuracy, meaning that they demolish revolver cavalry before they get into range. Revolver Cavalry have the major weakness of low range--unless you can completely flank the enemy while he's engaged with another unit, the enemy infantry can just turn around and devastate your revolver cav before you get into range.

[@MrSmartDonkeyLP]

I disagree, Revolver Cav can do a lot more damage in a shorter amount of time, and battles in FotS don't tend to last very long once your lines reach each other. They destroy anything they target and the AI usually isn't smart enough to focus them down, if they did Revolver Cav would be much worse. In a straight up fight against Carbine Cav they might lose but that's not a scenario that happens in a normal campaign battle.