Strategy games have always been the litmus test for players’ ability to manage their own faction and resources to beat their opposition. Throughout the decades, many strategy games have come and gone, but there are some factions or races in these games that have stood out because of their iconic strength among their respective peers.
Whether it’s a show of sheer force, slow and steady onslaught of troop bombardment, or late-game supremacy, these factions come out on top after the dust settles. From high fantasy, sci-fi, and semi-historical strategy titles, these are some of the best factions in strategy games.
10 Orcs – Warcraft Series
For the better part of the Warcraft RTS games, the battle has always been between Humans and Orcs. While Humans use diverse builds and units to outsmart their enemies, Orcs opt for brute strength to overwhelm their opposition on the battlefield.
In Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos and Frozen Throne, Orcs have seen more unit options, but their overall theme stayed the same: using brute strength to overpower anything that stands in the Horde’s way. Even their support units are geared to bolstering their frontline’s attack damage, whether through boosting their attack speed or providing healing totems to keep the Grunts, Raiders, and Tauren’s health in check.
9 Protoss – Starcraft Series
Blizzard’s beloved Starcraft series gave players three playable races: Terrans, Zerg, and Protoss. All three races have strengths and weaknesses, but among the three, the Protoss has to take the top spot.
Sporting alien technology that allows them to lay waste to enemy troops, Protoss is the hardest race to use since they need to use their resources and research powerful units.
In Starcraft 2, Protoss gains access to powerful units but costs more to produce. These usually become available in the mid or late game, but once they start churning out their heavy hitters like the Immortals, Archons, Colossi, and Carriers en masse, they will make quick work of enemy forces.
8 Lotus Clan – Battle Realms
Sporting pale and withered appearances, the Lotus Clan in Battle Realms stand out among the other clans as the strongest in the game. The Lotus Clan specializes in corruption, death, and decay. While their units may look feeble, they more than make up for it with their knowledge of the arcane and forbidden magic they use to decimate opponents.
Their Warlocks, The Three Dead Brothers, and their Zen Masters Zymeth, Koril, and Issyl wreak havoc and devastation with their lightning and time magic to warp the battlefield to devastate enemy troops while buffing their own armies.
7 Russia – Civilization 6
There are nineteen civilizations (fifty with DLC) that players can choose in Civilization 6. While the X factor in most games would be which Leader is chosen, when it comes to picking the best faction in Civ 6, Russia manages to come out on top above the others.
Having a unique gameplay that sees players focus on expansion, players should be quick to know that occupying Tundra tiles greatly benefits their cause, on top of adding to their Science or Culture score, based on whether they acquired enough pivotal trade routes. It also helps that Russia can obtain additional tiles per city they have, giving them better control over strategic locations.
6 The Mongols – Age Of Empires 4
One of the civilizations that epitomize aggression, the Mongols are notorious for raiding and dictating the tempo against other civilizations in Age of Empires 4. They rely on looting and plundering neighboring cities to gain resources. They can do so by having early access to cavalry units to quickly sack territories before heading back to their bases.
Speaking of bases, another unique trait the Mongols have is their ability to move their bases. This is essential when enemies try to mount an offensive against the Mongol’s bases: they can simply uproot and move to a safer location while their raiding party can flank and thwart any enemy offense.
5 Clan Of The Stag – Northgard
The Clan of the Stag in Northgard is considered to be one of the more well-balanced clans in the game. They are known for winning games through achieving Fame at a fast rate. While their development is not as fast as other clans, they more than make up for it with their ability to acquire strong attack units to help them get to the mid to late game.
Gaining Fame is the Clan of the Stag’s main strategy. The more Fame they acquire, the more bonuses they get for their clan in the form of more resources, cheaper unit and colonization costs, and generous boosts to their war chiefs.
4 Deutsches Afrikakorp – Company Of Heroes 3
One of the best strategies in Company of Heroes 3 is to utilize vehicles since these help infantry gain or secure footholds on vital areas of the map. The Deutsches Afrikakorp (or DAK) specializes in mobility and having their infantry gain bonuses whenever they are close to their vehicles on the battlefield.
Along with their mobile and armored tank units, the DAK’s artillery provide excellent support for their allies. These can bombard the opposing forces’ defenses until their allies can breach through them and gain essential ground.
3 Soviet Army – Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 saw three playable factions: the Soviets, Allies, and Rising Sun. All three factions have equally balanced strengths and weaknesses, but as far as consistency goes, the Soviets get the nod for the best faction in the game.
The Soviets' building and expansion speed falls in the middle, but they have access to truly powerful units once they’ve gotten their bases up and running. Storywise, the Soviets in this game became technologically more advanced compared to the Allied forces. Their dangerous machinery includes the Tesla Trooper, Apocalypse Tank, Stingray, and the Kirov Airship.
2 Eldar – Warhammer 40k: Dawn Of War
The Eldar is one of the harder factions to play in the Dawn of War series. This is due in large part to the micromanagement involved when commanding Eldar units. But once players get the hang of how the Eldar works, they are a formidable threat on the battlefield.
The Eldar rely on evasion and teleporting their units around the battlefield to tactically gain an advantage over enemies. Experienced Eldar players utilize hit-and-run tactics to pick off key enemy structures and leave the defending troops in shambles. Their teleporting skills also help them seize control of valuable locations for resources and keep churning out units.
1 The Exiles Of Khorne – Total War: Warhammer 3
The Exiles of Khorne are a race of demons who are as bloodthirsty as they are daunting. They specialize in terrorizing their foes by imposing their strength on them. They are not one for diplomacy. Rather, they relish in destruction and the collection of Skulls and blood for their Chaos God, Khorne.
In Total War: Warhammer 3, reaping skulls is important for the Exiles of Khorne, since this serves as their main resource for upgrading units, researching upgrades, and activating the Skull Throne. Skarbrand the Exiled is their Legendary Lord and is considered to be the most powerful duelist in the game. Once he is summoned, placing him on the frontlines and in melee would often result in utter eradication of the opposing forces.