Too many times have I seen even the most experienced players relying on militia units. Ok, sure, sometimes (*cough* Mongolia *cough cough*) it's all you have. Even then, Militia units are made to be used in a very specific, highly specialized way. If not used in that way, they're the most useless unit in the game.
So when should you use militiamen? Here are the Do's and Don'ts!
DO:
-Keep in mind that they are very, very cheap. They cost about 1/3rd that of regular infantry, and require only a barracks to be produced. That being said, if you don't have an industrial complex there, it can take a very long time to mobilize.
-Keep them upgraded. Level 1 militia units are worthless, period. There's literally no reason to have level 1 militia units. At level 6, militia units function similar to level 3 infantry, which isn't too shabby.
-Put 'me in the hills! Militia fighters gain a 75% buff in hilly terrain, making them deadly adversaries in jungle warfare. 4 strength becomes 7, and at level 7, 2 militia units can overpower a commando in hill terrain, in half the time at half the cost. Remember, if you are covered in forest, hills, or the like, militias are fantastic countermeasures.
Speaking of...
-Remember that militia men are NOT attackers. Their defensive stat is far higher than their offensive stats, so use that to your advantage! Put them in hills you want to protect, build some forts, and when you get attacked, your enemy will be crying by the time they break that defense!
DON'T:
-Never, ever use militia in place of regular infantry. Cost be damned, infantry is vastly more powerful, and far faster. Militias should never comprise more than about 5% of your army, if that.
-Send them overseas. It seriously isn't worth it. You're wasting time, money, and precious defensive units. Adding militias to a convoy stack just brings down the SBDE. Keep 'em home! If you seriously need militias that bad on another continent, then do the sane thing and conquer a province FIRST, THEN build a militia unit!
-Forget to deactivate useless barracks. If you aren't (going to) use it, deactivate it, and get your food production back. Level 1 barracks don't cost much short term, but long term it stacks up. As a general rule, for every 15 provinces you have, not including cities, you can have 1 barracks. After that, you're wasting money.
-Horde your enemies. The phrase "strength in numbers" is complete BS: Militia units are still vulnerable to aircraft, and they don't have a prayer against heavy tanks. In a battle between 1 medium, 1 anti air, 3 motor infantry, and 1 Anti tank, pit against 10 level 6 militias, the militias are still going to lose. That's not even keeping artillery bombardment in mind!
-Don't even think about replacing commandos with militias, you monster! Commandos are better in every single way! They cost more, but the cost is well worth it: high strength against all ground units, easy to produce, effective in mountains, etc. Sure, you can augment the two, but never ever replace.
-After day 20, you shouldn't be producing militias anymore. Replace them with infantry, or keep them in the hills! After this time, you're wasting your resources.
Hopefully this clears up some things for the newer players, assuming they even read this, and hopefully some other folks realize the errors of their militia-spamming ways. Hope this helps at all!
So when should you use militiamen? Here are the Do's and Don'ts!
DO:
-Keep in mind that they are very, very cheap. They cost about 1/3rd that of regular infantry, and require only a barracks to be produced. That being said, if you don't have an industrial complex there, it can take a very long time to mobilize.
-Keep them upgraded. Level 1 militia units are worthless, period. There's literally no reason to have level 1 militia units. At level 6, militia units function similar to level 3 infantry, which isn't too shabby.
-Put 'me in the hills! Militia fighters gain a 75% buff in hilly terrain, making them deadly adversaries in jungle warfare. 4 strength becomes 7, and at level 7, 2 militia units can overpower a commando in hill terrain, in half the time at half the cost. Remember, if you are covered in forest, hills, or the like, militias are fantastic countermeasures.
Speaking of...
-Remember that militia men are NOT attackers. Their defensive stat is far higher than their offensive stats, so use that to your advantage! Put them in hills you want to protect, build some forts, and when you get attacked, your enemy will be crying by the time they break that defense!
DON'T:
-Never, ever use militia in place of regular infantry. Cost be damned, infantry is vastly more powerful, and far faster. Militias should never comprise more than about 5% of your army, if that.
-Send them overseas. It seriously isn't worth it. You're wasting time, money, and precious defensive units. Adding militias to a convoy stack just brings down the SBDE. Keep 'em home! If you seriously need militias that bad on another continent, then do the sane thing and conquer a province FIRST, THEN build a militia unit!
-Forget to deactivate useless barracks. If you aren't (going to) use it, deactivate it, and get your food production back. Level 1 barracks don't cost much short term, but long term it stacks up. As a general rule, for every 15 provinces you have, not including cities, you can have 1 barracks. After that, you're wasting money.
-Horde your enemies. The phrase "strength in numbers" is complete BS: Militia units are still vulnerable to aircraft, and they don't have a prayer against heavy tanks. In a battle between 1 medium, 1 anti air, 3 motor infantry, and 1 Anti tank, pit against 10 level 6 militias, the militias are still going to lose. That's not even keeping artillery bombardment in mind!
-Don't even think about replacing commandos with militias, you monster! Commandos are better in every single way! They cost more, but the cost is well worth it: high strength against all ground units, easy to produce, effective in mountains, etc. Sure, you can augment the two, but never ever replace.
-After day 20, you shouldn't be producing militias anymore. Replace them with infantry, or keep them in the hills! After this time, you're wasting your resources.
Hopefully this clears up some things for the newer players, assuming they even read this, and hopefully some other folks realize the errors of their militia-spamming ways. Hope this helps at all!