A lot of people seem to feel that most of the civs are lacking in unique units.
While some Civs seem fine in that department (French, Rus, and especially Chinese),
I think this is especially true for the some civs like the HRE, English, Abbasids, and Dehli Sultanate.
For the English:
We can replace the spearman line at Age 2 with Billmen infantry. (not at age 1 so they can’t rush with vanguard man-at-arms).
In regards to playstyle, Billmen could be an interesting middle-ground between the common spearman and man-at-arms lines. They can almost as tanky and snow moving as man-at-arms but do less melee dmg (except for their cavalry bonus)
This would build on top of the English’s infantry focus in Aoe IV and give them a strong tool against cavalry attacks. After all, it was dismounted knights wielding Bills that held the centre formation at the battle of Agincourt.
So not only would it play well into gameplay but it very much fits into the historical accuracy of the English’s tactics.
https://medievallondon.ace.fordham.edu/collections/show/87
For the HRE:
Also an infantry focused civ, the HRE are generally well balanced.
However they do feel lacking in the Unique unit department. As they only have the Prelate and Landsknecht to offer.
I propose that there simply be a second variant of the Landsknecht that wields a pike instead.
Gameplay wise, they could have a longer range than the average spearman and perhaps do more damage when bracing cavalry charges. But they wouldn’t benefit from the massive armor upgrades the HRE blacksmith has available. (making them equally weak ranged units like their Zweihänder counterparts)
This would very much represent how the HRE became a dominant power later into the Medieval period that employed Pike & Shot tactics. There are also a lot of depictions of the Landsknecht fighting within pike formations.
For the Abbasids and Dehli Sultanate:
Both civs appear to be late-game cavalry powerhouses.
Which I think is a really nice civ design.
However both civs seem to only have one type of unique unit with a ranged variant.
Camel riders and Camel archers for the Abbasids. War elepants and Tower Elephants for the Dehli Sultanate.
I propose that we replace the lancer/knight line for both civs with Mamluk heavy cavalry.
Both Islamic civs employed such heavy cavalry due to their connection with the arab world.
This would also play into both of their playstyles well.
Being tankier than Camel Riders (while also wielding a lance for the charge bonus), and cheaper than War Elephants. It will allow both civs to have more tools to play with within the cavalry lines.
What do you think?
Feel free to discuss the suggestions/what you would prefer instead!