Who is the best faction in Command and Conquer Generals Zero Hour?

Answer 1

In top-level multiplayer games, the USA Air Force General is generally regarded to be the most powerful faction due to his extremely powerful and cheap aircraft. To start with, all of his aircraft are much cheaper than those of other USA factions; this includes his Chinooks, which means that he can build up his economy fast and with more money to spare. His signature unit, the King Raptor, are masters of harassment and can easily take out important targets such as power plants, bulldozers, and supply gatherers. Most of his aircraft also have built-in point-defense lasers, giving his main forces a considerable edge against other USA factions, who mostly lack cheap non-rocket anti-air units to counter his King Raptors. Later on, he can purchase the Stealth Comanche upgrade that makes his Comanches excel in both harassment and ambushing enemy ground forces. All of these are then complimented by the USA's extremely powerful support abilities which are used to constantly apply pressure to the enemy's economy or production. However, playing as the USA Air Force General requires a great deal micromanagement in order to maximize the strengths of the faction. USA Air Force also relies on a few powerful but fragile units, which means it is imperative for the player to prevent his opponent from massing the appropriate counters to his units (e.g., Quad Cannons, Gattling Tanks, Avengers).

The GLA Toxin General is often ranked second to the USA Air Force General, but sometimes, he can even be described to be the most powerful overall. He plays very similar to other GLA factions, except he trades stealth for more powerful defenses in the form of Toxin Tunnels (which are surprisingly effective against tanks) and Toxin Stinger Sites (which have faster and more powerful missiles). His Rebels are armed with toxin guns, which are not only extremely effective against infantry, but also against vehicles. In fact, this makes one of his support powers, the Toxin Rebel Ambush, a potent weapon against enemy tank formations and can even take on Overlords at level 3. His RPG Troopers are also more powerful and benefit from the Anthrax Gamma upgrade, which boosts the damage of all toxin-based weapons. This makes Battle Buses garrisoned with both RPG troopers and Toxin Rebels upgraded with Anthra Gamma weapons an extremely powerful late-game force which can completely decimate armies and bases. Furthermore, the GLA Toxin General also has Toxin Terrorists, which are more powerful than regular Terrorists (but not as much as GLA Demolition General's) and therefore makes his early-game harassment with Technicals and Terrorists more effective.

Ideally, however, no one faction is really the "best", as all three have distinct strengths and weaknesses which, not to mention that the play style of each individual will allow them to use different factions more effectively.

What you really have in terms of the factions, is a Strength & Firepower vs. Speed & Maneuverability spectrum.

On the one side you have the Chinese, who have far and away the greatest amount of firepower, both in terms of damage inflicted by every unit (generally), and units which gain strength en masse. The Overlord tank and the Battlemaster/Red Gaurd epitomize The strengths of the Chinese in Command and Conquer Generals; overwhelming firepower, and overwhelming numbers. The Overlord is the most powerful unit in the game, a tank large enough to literally drive over all other tanks, and onto which a gattteling gun/bunker/speaker tower can be built. Once in large groups Chinese combat infantry, and the Battlemaster tank receive a "horde" bonus, or a +15% (or +25% with nationalism). So in terms of firepower, the Chinese are "the best".

On the opposite end of the spectrum you have the GLA who use stealth, surprise, maneuverability, harassment , and more than anything else, speed. Tunnel Networks, Technicals and Jarmen Kell are perfect examples for the GLA. Tunnel networks deploying a defensive force anywhere in the map is an amazing tool that neither other faction can match. Technicals are the second fastest ground units in the game (combat cycles being the fastest) and when equipt with two salvages from enemy kills they are a force to be reckoned with. In combination with Rocket buggies and quad cannons, The GLA can hit a target, destroy it and retreat before an opponent has a chance to react. This is especially effective if attack forces are divided and used to harass an opponents base from two sides. Jarmen Kell is the most fun way to throw off an attack, killing a vehicle crew and leaving the units behind it blocked. So in terms of speed and stealth, The GLA is "the Best"

Which brings us to the USA. The USA is in between the maneuverability of the GLA The strength of the Chinese. US units display the most versatility , the Paladin tank, Humvee and pathfinder are the best examples. First of all, every manned US ground vehicle, can upgrade with one of three drones, Spy/Battle/Hellfire, each providing its own unique bonus, i.e. the scout drone revels hidden units like the Hijacker and the always irritating Chinese landmines. The paladin tank equip. with its defensive laser following or complementing an attack of Humvees filled with Missile defenders and Pathfinders (Often called the ultimate attack force) should be feared as it can be the most effective one two punch in the game. Additionally US airpower is unmatched, providing the vanguard of an attack with the Aurora bomber and Stealth fighter removing defenses, or raptors and Comanches creating a perimeter which it is very difficult for armor to penetrate. However, the most useful, and often overlooked is the us ejection of a pilot at veteran or higher level, allowing the skill to be moved to another unit, giving even more versatility to an army.

So in terms of versatility, using a single attack force for multiple purposes, or creating many different kinds of forces, the USA is "The best"

Really, it comes down to your style of play, though it should be noted, in order to be extremely effective against a particular army, you should master it first.