Longbowman (Age of Empires II)

For the related Age of Empires III unit, see Longbowman (Age of Empires III). The Longbowman and its upgraded version the Elite Longbowman is the unique unit available for the Britons and can only be trained at the Castle.

Tactics
Longbowmen are the famed archers of England, boasting the greatest range of all medieval bowmen. Armed with powerful attack damage as well, these soldiers are often instrumental for English victory.

Starting off at 5 base range, archery upgrades at the Blacksmith increase their range further. Researching Elite Longbowman increases their range by 1. In the Conquerors Expansion, researching Yeomen will add one more range. All the upgrades combined give the longbowmen a maximum range of 12. This means fully upgraded Longbowmen outrange Castles, Towers, Mangonels, Scorpions, and archers from other civilizations. They feature greater attack damage than normal archers as well. Aside from superior range, hitpoints and attack; the Elite Longbowman also has improved accuracy with 80% vs 70% accuracy that the standard Longbowman possesses.

Longbowmen work best as a group. While a single longbowman doesn't present much of a threat, a group can be a deadly force as they can mow down opposing forces from long range before they can even attack. Longbowmen firing behind Walls can prove valuable for base defense.

With the protection of melee infantry, cavalry or Skirmishers, longbowmen can hold their ground against most units, taking a fearful toll of enemy troops while supporting the front liners. Without protection, a group of bowmen can instead perform hit and run techniques; targeting one enemy at a time while backing up constantly.

Tips

 * It is important to set the English archers to Stand Ground Stance. That way, they won't disrupt the formation and avoid rushing into situations they cannot handle.
 * A good tactic is to make two armies of Longbowmen, then position the two groups a few tiles away from each other. This will double the firing rate, provide greater targeting area and maximize accuracy. But with only a small army available, the alternative is to set the bowmen to Flank Formation, splitting the group into two.
 * A group of Longbowmen are a passable but time consuming siege option: the Teutonic Castle, Korean Towers, and the Turkish Bombard Tower are the only defensive structures capable of returning fire. They also have a higher resistance to Skirmishers than conventional archers.
 * If played in conjunction with the Magyars and the Saracens, their team bonuses for foot archers can be used together to create a deadly combination. A fully upgraded longbowmen can have as high as 12 range points, the highest non siege unit in the game, able to outgun special towers and siege units. This combined with The Saracen team bonus makes longbowmen a practical alternative to siege equipment.

Team Bonuses

 * A team containing Teutons: Longbowmen are more resistant to conversion.
 * A team containing Saracens: Longbowmen +1 attack vs buildings.
 * A team containing Magyars: Longbowmen have +2 LOS.

Civilization bonuses

 * Longbowmen gain +1 range in the Castle Age and +1 range in the Imperial Age (+2 total).

The Forgotten Changes

 * Longbowmen gain +2 bonus damage against Spearmen line units.

The Forgotten Changes

 * Longbowman creation time reduced to 17 seconds.

History
''The longbow was very tall, 5 or 6 feet long, and crafted from a single piece of wood, commonly yew. It fired 3-foot-long arrows at a great range and, in the hands of an expert, could be extremely accurate. Edward I (Longshanks) of England grasped the value of this weapon and the English thereafter employed large contingents of longbowmen in their Middle Age armies. All sports other than archery were banned on Sundays in Britain to ensure that archers practiced. The long bow was used effectively in long-range barrages against massed troops, firing thin pointed arrows called bodkins that could pierce armor. Arrows were fired simultaneously by thousands of archers and aimed at a distant area rather than a specific target. Enemy troops within the area were forced to receive the barrage with no cover but their armor and shields. The barrage caused casualties and reduced enemy morale. The most famous examples of this tactic were the great English victories at Crécy, Poitiers, and Agincourt during the Hundred Years War. French knights recalled with horror the awful sound of thousands of arrows in flight and the sky turning dark from their shafts.''