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Civilization 6 was recently free for anyone on the Epic Games Store and 50 percent off on the Nintendo Switch. This means that a lot of new people have picked up and been introduced to the game.

Related: Civilization 6: Best Civ and Leader for Every Victory Type

This also means that a lot of players are starting from the ground up and may even be completely new to the series and might not know which civilization to start as. There are a lot of factors that go into picking a civ to play as and one of them is the kind of special unit that they have so we've compiled a list of what we think are the top ten unique units in Civilization 6.

10 Minas Geraes

Minas Geras is the unique unit for the Brazil civilization and it replaces the battleship. The cool thing about this unique unit is that it is available a whole era earlier than the standard battleship is but you need to research the Nationalism civic first. Naturally, the Minas Geraes is stronger than the standard battleship with 10 extra points in melee and ranged damage and 5 extra points in anti-air but the same stats as the battleship with a 5 in movement and a 3 in range. The Minas Geraes also requires one coal to build and one coal per turn to maintain.

9 Hoplite

The Greek Hoplite is fairly unique even among unique units as it is available to two different leaders but they are still from the same civilization. The Hoplite is available to both Gorgo and Pericles and is one of the strongest early game units in the entire game. The Hoplite replaces the spearmen unit and is available at the same time the spearman is. Hoplites have  +10 Combat Strength vs. light, heavy, and ranged cavalry units when compared to spearmen and also gain another +10 Combat Strength when they are adjacent to other Hoplite units, meaning an army of these guys early on in a game is one of the most dangerous things you can face.

8 Garde Impériale

The Garde Imperiale is the French Empire's unique unit and it does not serve as a replacement for any other units in the game. This unit, similar to the Hoplite, is available to two different leaders, Catherine De Medici and Eleanor of Aquitaine in her French version.  The Garde Imperiale is available after the technology of Military Science is researched and requires 10 Nitre in order to train. The Garde Imperiale have +10  Combat Strength on the starting Capital's home continent, +10 Combat Strength vs. anti-cavalry units and earn Great General points from kills.

Related: Civilization 6: Use This Cheat Sheet for the Best District Placement

This means that Garde Imperiale units are a solid choice when it comes to defending cities in your home continent, as their advantage gives them a boost in battle and they are able to help spawn Great Generals which further help in combat.

7 Legion

The Roman Legion has some of the most utility and ways to use them in the entire game. The Roman Legion is Rome's replacement for the Swordsman and also cost 1 iron to build and maintain. Roman Legions have +10 Combat Strength vs. anti-cavalry units and over 4 more points in Combat Strength, which isn't that amazing but the Legions are also able to build, which is unique for combat units. Legions have 1 build per unit and are able to construct special Roman Forts earlier than other civilizations and can also clear terrain.

6 Eagle Warrior

Montezuma and the Aztec empire's unique unit is especially cool as you start off the game with it. The Aztec Eagle Warrior is this civilization's replacement for the warrior unit that every other civilization stars off with, meaning that you get to have them right away if you're playing as the Aztecs.

Related: Civilization 6: Natural Wonder Tier List

This unit has +10 Combat Strength versus anti-cavalry units but the really special thing they can do is turn defeated enemies into builders for your Civilization. This is great especially if you happen to be surrounded by Barbarians in the early game.

5 Cossack

The Cossacks are Russian civilizations replacement for the Cavalry unit and are available after your civilization researches Military Science. The Cossack does cost slightly more production than the standard cavalry unit (340 production whereas the Cavalry only costs 330) and requires 10 horses to train but it is worth it. The Cossack has Higher Combat Strength than the Calvary (67 vs. 62) and +5 Combat Strength when fighting in or next to home territory. If you have additional movement points after attacking with a Cossack it will also still be able to move.

4 War-Cart

The War-Cart is a Sumerian unit that is an early game heavy cavalry unit that does not replace any other unit for this civilization and is available without any technological research. This unit is arguably the strongest early game unit in the entire game. The War-Cart suffers no combat penalties against anti-cavalry units, has+1  Movement if starting in open terrain and ignores enemy Zone of Control. This unit is even stronger than the Heavy chariot which requires technology and is weak to anti-cavalry. This means that in the early game Sumeria can rush down other Civilizations.

3 Saka Horse Archer

The Saka Horse Archer is the unique unit of the Scythian Civilization. This unit doesn't replace any other unit in the game and is available after it's civilization researches Horseback Riding. The Saka Horse Archer has a Range of 1 meaning that it can only attack units adjacent to it, but it attacks with range so it will not take damage. The Saka Horse Archer also does not cost strategic resources. This unit upgrades to Field Cannon instead of Crossbowman but it does suffer -17  Ranged Strength against district defenses and Naval units. This unit has a ton of mobility for ranged units meaning it is good for chasing down fleeing enemies.

2 P-51 Mustang

The P-51 Mustang is the unique unit for the American civilization that replaces the standard fighter jet. The P-51 Mustang has higher Combat Strength (105 vs. 100), Ranged Strength (105 vs. 100) and higher  Movement (6 vs. 4) when compared to the Fighter. The Mustang also gains +5 attack against fighter aircraft and gains +50% experience meaning that they get upgrades at a much faster rate. Like other fighters, the Mustang is also able to perform patrols that can intercept incoming enemy aircraft. This along with their higher stats and quick experience gain makes them perfect defensive units.

1 Samurai

The Samurai of the Japanese Civilization have always been strong in the Civilization series and Civ 6 is no different. The Samurai are Japan's unique unit and do not replace any other unit and are unlocked after researching the Military Tactics technology. Along with their high Combat Strength and their +10 Combat Strength against Anti-Cavalry units, the Samurai do not suffer any combat penalties due to damage they have sustained. This means that a Samurai on the brink of death has the exact same amount of Combat Strength as a 100 percent HP Samurai which is a crazy bonus when it comes to long drawn out wars as Japan.

Next: Civilization 6: How to Remove a District