Talk:Byzantines/Strategy/@comment-2603:6000:9D42:8DAE:B9A9:A7F9:E16:6DFC-20191223145116/@comment-5688571-20200216065908

Cataphract honestly not a good unit to mass as it is expensive to mass(10 food more than paladin per unit, need to build more castles to mass)and research(elite and logistic)

The inf civ u mentioned is danger in early game as Byzantine do not has economic bonus when those civ has significant advantage in early econ.

In late imperial age, those civ are petty vulnerable when both sides have similar economic power.

Byzantine have all gunpowder unit which make it superior to native America in late time.

Scoripon take 1000 food and 100 wood to upgrade. Onager take 2250 food and 1500 gold to upgrade when gunpowder units take 300 food and 200 gold in University.

Bombard cannon is expensive but u dun need more than a dozen of it

Scorpion need like thirty to forty. Onager need around 10 and need some support from  rams or trebucher when u want to push ur army.

Fully loaded rams is deadly to Scorpions. Bombard Cannon can take out onagers and Scorpions…1 dozen bombard with good control can anti Scorpions/Onager efficiency.

Hand cannoner is deadly to infantry unit. Condottiero, eagle and Huskarl higher armor vs hand cannon only buy them more time. With decent protection from melee unit, hand cannoner still kill them easily.

If Vikings and Aztecs has Italian ally support them Condottiero, paladins may hold the front line better as the inf hp or damage bonuse do no recover the disadvantage of lacking halberd. Viking and Azt take longer and higer cost to overrun Paladins with their melee unit.

For Celts, Incas, halberd and light Calvary(maybe some champion if necessary) would be enough.