Aetius, Cleopatra and Agrippa

Aye, the battle for who the best navy general is. Since i miss the banter i had with Friedrich “Fried Rice” Paulus, why not recreate it . Before anything else, In terms of overall use, Aetius> Cleopatra and Agrippa. The simple fact that Aetius has both Ambush and Infantry commander, along with the fact that he's a free infantry/navy general makes him already better than Agrippa and Cleopatra. As and Archer general, Cleopatra isn't as necessary as infantry early on, and even in late game; Mithridates, Octavian and Drusus are better than her.Same issue with Agrippa really, although the problem is his high initial cost vs value, and that there is no real incentive in considering naval capabilities early on, and his infantry abilities aren't comparable to highly mobile infantry like Pompey(the infantry god) and Crassus the city destroyer, or really sturdy infantry such as Vercingetorix. The only disadvantage Aetius would have is needing to be unlocked through hero legend, and he seems pretty far(although depending on how easy they are, it might be possible to get him early on, needs testing), but once you get him then he pulls his weight. So in terms of overall use, it's pretty much a slam dunk for Aetius. For exclusively naval use, it's a bit unclear. And not only that, considering that the only major naval battle where naval generals are even used is in the Sicilian Rebellion Decisive battles. 

So here are the criterias that needs to be asked to know who the Nelson of GCR is:

Price: One of the most important points to consider. But since Sicilian Decisive Battles are late into the game, it won't be as a big deal compared to other generals. It is still important if we consider that most people probably bought other generals along the way and have low medal costs. Since Aetius is free, he will be judged based on how hard his Hero legends is compared to they typical progression someone has when they are already in the Sicilian Decisive battles. Initial price vs total price should also be discussed here.

Individual Performance: In decisive battles, individual performance is important, as being able to survive and move to the next one is important. Damage and survival are considered here. 

Group Performance: Decisive battles are chaotic, so just existing and buffing allies would already be a big boon. Survival is considered here along with naval aura. Since Octavian's bff doesn't have any aura buffs, we assume he has the uniform, or we can just ignore him in this category entirely, although i can see how one can argue for his point outside of naval buffs.

Individual vs Group performance: This will be a point of contention most likely. So an argument here must be satisfied

Decisive battles vs Normal Campaigns: Another point of contention. Some may argue that some naval battles in campaigns are difficult enough to warrant a navy general, so this warrants a discussion as well.

Item dependence: Items are important in GCR, and this usually dictates the max hero potential of a general. Lesser item dependence is generally good, but that doesn't mean item dependent generals are bad.



Of course, we can also argue who is better overall, but that might be in another thread. I could've just grinded the numbers themselves, but the first thing thought when debating is that the best way to argue when wanting to convince someone is to get their POV, and then argue their POV and dismantle it, or if their POV is solid, then yeah good for you. So yeah, simply showing numbers won't be convincing to some. Along with the fact that numbers may be deceiving, as it may lack crucial information that may tilt the scales, for example, number of enemies, space in the mission, etc. So yeah, debate time baby. hrabrimalitoster, post your points here for Agrippa. 

In terms of hotness, Aetius wins hands down. Cleopatra is a clear second.