Rank list for skills - Make your gens be all fearsome

You bought a gen and you're not sure what skill to buy or max first? You are getting stomped by the enemy gens and you want yours to do like them? Not sure if X gen will perform better than Y gen and you dont want buy both to test them out?

Here's what you've been searching for! This should help you out if you're dubious about what to do with gens.

First of all I want to explain why Ace Forces is in most of the top tier skills. Level is more important that it seems, as it increases base damage, max hp (and actual hp if at full health) and defense. I'll give you an example, tier 1 German super tank has 68 damage, 26 armor and 485 max hp. Max level German super tank has 88 damage (20 difference), 36 armor (10 difference) and 585 max hp (100 difference). The list is about skills with gens, and in WC4 most of general damage skills (as well as hp gain) are a %, meaning that the benefit upon adding the gen will be greater in a level 4-5 troop than in a level 1-2. Getting that level raise twice as fast (or x2.5 if you have the medal) will increase faster the performance of the gen and the troop that he is in.

Without further ado, here goes my skill rank list (feel free to give opinions and suggestions, but I did check it several times so Im pretty confident on it)

NAVAL GENS: there are only 2 troops that you should give gens to, submarines or cruisers, depending on what you need most firepower on:
Recommended for Cruisers:

1. Rumor - (beware with submarines though). This will cause serious trouble to enemy fleets, and it may trigger as well when attacked from land or by enemy cruisers and submarines. Once its confused, you can even hit it freely with land units, hit it to get free exp before disembarking. Its lovely hitting of >100 damage to a city and lowering the morale of the defending troop both in one go. Useful in WW2 Europe and WW2 Pacific, and a must have skill for Cold War and specially Modern War (with enemy gen ships having 800-2000 hp and counterattacking ~100 damage). Useful in conquest as well.
2. Sailor - really nice value on cruisers. With this skill leveled you will hit like a truck to stronghold units, you will be placing him near coastal artilleries hoping they strike you and you can counter attack them for almost their entire hp. This is so much value before trying to land somewhere. It will also trigger when being attacked by land troops in ships (RIP) and enemy cruisers and destroyers.
3. Explosives/Ace Forces - paired with number 2, you can 1 shot enemy strongholds just by being attacked by them. It also raises the damage making the last note of point number 1 even better. Useless skill for a pure naval combat, but very useful to take coastal cities and defenses down. If you're focusing the cruiser more to naval combat rather than a coast-cleaner for disembark, get Ace Forces, the higher level faster will make better trades off faster and thus, more damage and damage soak (as it raises hp and defense) during the whole mission.
4. Fleet Leader - I dont really like these % chance triggers, whilst for rumor it seems to be higher than the % it says, for this one seems to be lower. However, it does have a chance to trigger in both attacks and counterattacks. Having a good level in 2 and 3 will 1 hit coastal fortress, but having one of those 2 and this one will do it as well. I placed this one below the other two as its chance based, but may trigger as well when attacking other ships, whilst the other two wont do it in this scenario.
5. Not really found a solid one for the 5th spot. Either camouflage or shelter. Similar explanation to the one given in submarines. On cruisers it has a lower value as these already have anti-air installed, thus the damage reduction is noticed less, so thats why here is ratted lower.

Recommended for Submarines:

1. Rumor - again, this skill is a masterpiece for naval, that is way more important than in WC3. Sure, submarines wont get counter attack, making it more easy to apply stacks of morale reduction freely, reducing the damage that he will deploy on you next turn and then, nullifying it once you get to confuse him. Confuse enemy ships wont annoy your land troops allowing for easy disembarks. Less value than in cruisers as cruisers may trigger this skill as well when being attacked from land or by other cruisers.
2. Fleet Leader - submarines have less hp but hit way harder to cruisers and carriers. This will increase heavily their damage output if you do get this skill to trigger.
3. Wolfpack - submarines are recommended to be spam as 1-size troop. This will increase their base damage that will be further be increased by the damage bonus they get vs cruisers and battleships. It works as well with land units that are in transport ships, so if you are having trouble to break in a coast, maybe getting the submarine close with this skill will offer the slight damage increase you needed to disembark.
4. Either Camouflage or Shelter - Camouflage feels a bit better as enemy carriers will often target submarines (and sometimes airports). Shelter should maybe 5th, but until Cold War and Modern War you dont see really many missiles being launched, so no value early on. Else get Ace Forces, every level up will raise all the stats (except movement speed) of the submarine.
5. Sailor - works in these worse than in cruisers, as submarine's main targets are cruisers and carriers, and the former will most often attack from a 2 tile range avoiding submarine's counterattack and the latter will completely avoid the counterattack due its aerial attacks. Enemy submarines will not be counterattacked, nor will coastal artillery, leaving only this skill to work when attacked by transport ships and destroyers, which gives little value. Not really suggested, but there's nothing better around. 

TANK GENS: I may get boring saying this once and again, but their best performance is approached upon focusing on them getting resets. They are your main damage source in most conquests and campaigns.

1. Armored Assault - Tanks will do the most damage in most games, mainly to their reset ability. Increasing up to 30% damage (48% with medal) with each hit will allow for more resets and thus, even more damage output. Triggers in defense and attack.
2. Panzer Leader - oh boy, I freaking love when this skill triggers, it does so much damage, specially against infantry gens. Triggering it will make a trade with an enemy commander very advantageous, even better than Blitzkrieg, as I prefer a 130-40 trade than a 70-0 trade. This skill with number 1 will get most enemy 1 size troops 1 hit KO, allowing for more lucky resets and triggers. Remember, what's dead, cant retaliate, nor can attack later on. Triggers in attack and in defense, thats the most solid reason why I place this one over Blitzkrieg.
3. Crossfire - 30% extra damage when counter attacking... A good tank gen will instakill most infantry that dare attack him (any within range, as IA will attack him if they dont find a more appealing target nearby), tanks that attack him will be severely damaged, making it great for resets when its his turn to attack. Its a weaker version of Armored Assault, as it does the same but only when counter-attacking, luckily they do both add up making devastating counterattacks.
4. Blitzkrieg/Explosives - amazing, get Manstein or Guderian with this skill at 5 and give him the respective medal and boom, a whooping 90% chance of not being counter-attacked, on a troop that has potential to reset his attack on every kill he does and that often will have 2 range, specially useful to avoid being counterattacked when attacking other gens after clearing the weaker troops. This is mainly useful when fighting other super tanks or generals, as tank gens should focus on last-hitting to get resets, and in WC4 killing the enemy unit wont get it to counter attack. But doesnt increase damage output nor is any useful in defense, only when you're gonna hit something that you dont want it to strike back at you, but I insist, tanks are mainly about last-hitting, lowering the enemy's hp is artillery's role, thats why they have the % chance to not be counter attacked. Explosives will give more offensive power against defensive buildings and cities. I rate it over number 5 skills as tanks do huge damages, and this bonus is a %, which often results in greater damages, specially if you stack damage abilities.
   
5. Plain Fighting/Jungle Fighting - In WC4 there are way more jungles (and 2 different ones, not just 1). Like in WC3, plains are the most numerous, but striking from plain is worse than striking from jungle, as you will receive full damage later on, whilst forests will give you some damage reduction (5% from tanks and 10% from artillery the small forest, 10% from tanks and 20% from artillery the big forest). This damage bonus from the skill applies to attack and defense, and its a 5-25 bonus damage per hit, which is very welcomed. Another thing that i must mention is that medal for "x fighting" are divided, one medal covers Plain fighting and Street fighting whilst the other medal covers Mountain, Desert and Jungle fighting, meaning that if you have 2 land gens, it is better to give one Plain fighting and the other Jungle fighting, and you can give one medal each, the one corresponding to which they have. If you have 5 land gens, 3 should have plain fighting, 2 forest fighting. The damage reduction and the increased amount of forests makes that often, a heavy tank/super tank can find a forest to fight from with the increased resistance the forest gives.
6. Tide of Iron - not even sure if this one should take the 6th spot or not, its was nerfed from WC3 and in WC4 there are other skills that got better, so its not bad, but it went down in value. It gets outclassed by number 5. Rumor is a solid choice on them as well, mostly useful when sieging a city with a tank gen on it (or defending against a siege from some gens). The other option is Ace Forces, tanks farm up exp the fastest due resets and higher range (meaning more troops in reach and more troops to counter attack), farm a couple of levels with low tier troops before engaging another tough gen, these extra levels will surely help out in the duel, shame it has a limit of levels.