{"id":1706243,"date":"2026-10-01T11:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T11:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/7GxeHxXGtn7o3EYQcQmZXj"},"modified":"2026-10-01T11:30:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T11:30:00","slug":"the-greatest-rts-units-of-all-time-determined-by-democracy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/the-greatest-rts-units-of-all-time-determined-by-democracy\/","title":{"rendered":"The greatest RTS units of all time, determined by democracy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Almost a decade ago, we published a list of our favourite RTS units<\/a>. There are some good picks in there. But I want to revisit the topic, and not just by listing some cool tanks. Real-time strategy is competitive. I want to find out what the best <\/em>unit is, and for that we need a tournament. No deliberating, no debating, just brackets and voting. <\/p>\n

Last week, PC Gamer writers created a shortlist, and now I’m pitting them against each other in randomised face-offs. And you lot now have two days to vote for your fave, after which the victors will move to the next round and we’ll do it all over again. <\/p>\n

But what does “best” actually mean? That’s up to you! Better in a 1v1 brawl? Better looking? Better at pretending to be a completely normal tree? The choice is yours. <\/p>\n

The war begins<\/span><\/h3>\n
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\"Best<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

(Image credit: BracketHQ)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Welcome to the first round of our apocalyptic war to determine the greatest RTS unit of all time. We’ve got 16 competitors duking it out, from Peons to the Executor Super Star Destroyer. Hmmm. That doesn’t seem fair. But war isn’t fair. There will be tears. There will be surprises. There will be grudges that remain for centuries. <\/p>\n

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More tournaments!<\/div>\n
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We’re also trying to determine the ultimate FPS mode<\/a>, from battle royale to prop hunt, so after you’ve voted for favourite RTS units, why not pop over to Morgan’s tournament and do it all over again?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

But for now, let’s meet the competitors. This is also where you lot come in. Underneath each set of two units, we’d like you to vote for your favourite. Now, I can’t make you vote for my picks\u2014that would be incredibly corrupt\u2014but I’d certainly appreciate it. <\/p>\n

Since there a lot of units to get through in this round, I’m going to leave the polls running until Sunday evening<\/strong>, and then we’ll kick off the quarter-finals early next week.<\/p>\n

One last bit of housekeeping: In cases where these units crop up in multiple games in a series, we’ve just picked one version. So while the Peon features in all three Warcrafts, I’ve gone for the Warcraft 3 version (because it looks extra goofy). <\/p>\n

Peon vs Glass Dragon<\/span><\/h3>\n

Peon (Warcraft 3)<\/h2>\n
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\"Best<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

(Image credit: Blizzard)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The real heroes of Warcraft, Peons are mistreated, disrespected and undervalued by orcish society, but they are the most critical cog in the Horde’s war machine. They get called “dogs” and “cowards”, and yeah, they might enjoy the occasional nap\u2014but they work hard! They deserve a rest!<\/p>\n

Orcs are classist dickheads. Without Peons, you’d have no great halls, no barracks, no trained warriors. Peons avoid conflict not because they are cowards, but because they know they are too important to die in battle\u2014that the future of their people hinges on them building a new gold mine or chopping down some trees. <\/p>\n

And if it comes down to it, they’ll fight, either directly (which they are, frankly, terrible at) or by holing up in a burrow. They can do it all! Zug zug, my friends. Zug zug. \u2014Fraser Brown, Online Editor<\/em><\/p>\n

Glass Dragon (Rise of Legends)<\/h2>\n
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\"Best<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

(Image credit: Xbox)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rise of Legends is one of those RTS games that sometimes I feel like I hallucinated from whole cloth. Fraser assures me that he’s played it and it’s rad, so I’m including the Glass Dragon here under the assurances that I haven’t made it up.<\/p>\n

Rise of Legends is an incredible game that blends steampunk and Arabian mythology and aliens (!) in a beautiful, messy RTS stew. The Glass Dragon stands out in particular not only for its ability to slag tanks, but its beauty. Just look at those beautiful polygons! \u2014Russell Adderson, Contributor<\/em><\/p>\n

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