Any suggestions? For myself, I have a hard time using either Neros or Fotios, since they both have really low defense, and they seem to have far superior guardian alternatives (Gios is better than Neros as a tank and Skoros is better than Fotios as a shooter).

Xenophon wrote:
(Gios is better than Neros as a tank and Skoros is better than Fotios as a shooter).

Neros with infantry-slayer weapon tend to outinitiative Gios, and it has Cavalry mobility, so it can easily neutralize it and out-perform it on offense. I don´t see a winner, except neros is much more expensive. Gios is the best at defense imo.



I strongly disagree skoros is better than fotios at anything, except maybe as a healer.

BPrado wrote:
Neros with infantry-slayer weapon tend to outinitiative Gios, and it has Cavalry mobility, so it can easily neutralize it and out-perform it on offense. I don´t see a winner, except neros is much more expensive. Gios is the best at defense imo.



I strongly disagree skoros is better than fotios at anything, except maybe as a healer.

I guess it's because I tend to play a defensive game with most melees or Guardians as screens for my Marines. What am I missing on Fotios? I just have a real difficult time using a unit with such low defense...

Xenophon wrote:
I guess it's because I tend to play a defensive game with most melees or Guardians as screens for my Marines. What am I missing on Fotios? I just have a real difficult time using a unit with such low defense...

What you might be missing is using combined arms.



Fotios is not a great way to initiate a battle. Fotios is just about the most powerful (affordable) reserve unit you can pull in. Assuming roughly comparable empires, Fotios should be giving you one shots, or what are effectively one shots. When using as a reserve force, Fotios should be sitting behind a line of less easily damaged units. With proper use, he should be invulnerable to counterattack from any unit with equal or lesser range.



The other thing that you might be missing is that, especially when used as reserves, it's inappropriate to compare Fotios to an entire army. What is appropriate is to compare him to about half an army, which is about what his industry amounts to at the time you'll be using him. Guardian industry cost does not rise with tier as the cost of normal units does. Just as you wouldn't expect to send half an army against a full army and win, you shouldn't expect to send Fotios against a full army and win.



A strong, tanky, 6-unit army, backed by 2 Fotios, is fearsome enough to take on an enemy army with a second in reserves, without losing units.