Archers



"The bow remained an important military weapon after the fall of Rome, although less so in areas of Europe covered by dense forests." - Excerpt from the Archer description

Archers and all other non-siege weapon or Artillery ballistic units fall under this category. These units are the most cost-efficient ranged units throughout the Age of Empires series games. Their ranged attacks easily massacre infantry, though their low armor and Hit Points make them vulnerable to fast Infantry, such as Eagle Warriors and Woad Raiders. Another major weakness of archers are cavalry units, which can take out multiple archers, due to their fast speed and high average attack. Archers are also ineffective against siege engines due to their short range, low amount of hit points and the decent pierce armor present on said siege engines.

Age of Empires

 * Bowman
 * Improved Bowman
 * Composite Bowman
 * Slinger (The Rise of Rome)
 * Chariot Archer
 * Elephant Archer
 * Horse Archer
 * Heavy Horse Archer



Age of Empires II
Note: Conquistadors, Hand Cannoneers, and Janissaries are technically gunpowder units and infantry, respectively, but are affected by Blacksmith archer upgrades and treated as archers by the game in terms of attack bonuses. Only their armor can be improved, but not their attack. The Genitour is a mercenary unit which can be trained by the Berbers and their allies at the Archery Range (Age of Empires II) Archery Range.
 * Standard unit
 * Archer, Crossbowman, Arbalest
 * Skirmisher, Elite Skirmisher
 * Cavalry Archer, Heavy Cavalry Archer
 * Hand Cannoneer
 * Unique units
 * Longbowman (Britons)
 * Chu Ko Nu (Chinese)
 * Mangudai (Mongols)
 * War Wagon (Koreans)
 * Plumed Archer (Mayans)
 * Conquistador (Spanish)
 * Slinger (Incas)
 * Elephant Archer (Indians)
 * Genoese Crossbowman (Italians)
 * Camel Archer (Berbers)
 * Genitour (Berbers)

Tactics


The Archers have several uses, though their primary one is to demolish all slow units that are not Siege Weapons. Being cheap and quick, these units can easily decimate an enemy's economy, slay villagers, and kill Infantry. However, cavalry can easily defeat these units, as well as their own archery banes, Skirmishers and War Wagons. Archers are not to be used to destroy buildings their main purpose is to supplement Infantry. The Goths unique unit, the Huskarl, can also slay archers. They should not be used against siege weapons, and only a large quantity should try to stand against cavalry, though a useful bane against cavalry is a combination of archery units and Spearmen, Pikemen, or Halberdiers. Keep in mind that the gunpowder units have a longer range and attack, though are less accurate with growing distance, and their range is rivaled by Longbowmen assisted by Yeomen.

Age of Empires III
In Age of Empires III, Archers are barely used by European civilizations, being replaced by Gunpowder Units. Few archer-type units exist, and are primarily Native American. They function as light infantry and are effective against heavy infantry. The remaining units available from the Barracks are either firearm-wielding infantry or melee infantry.


 * Longbowman (British only)
 * Crossbowman
 * Besteiros (Upgraded Crossbowman, Home City Card required and only available to the Portuguese)
 * Chu Ko Nu (The Asian Dynasties, Chinese only)


 * Keshik (The Asian Dynasties, Chinese only)
 * Yumi Archer (The Asian Dynasties, Japanese only)
 * Yabusame (The Asian Dynasties, Japanese only)
 * Shinobi (The Asian Dynasties, Japanese only)
 * Ikko-Ikki (The Asian Dynasties, Japanese only)
 * Arrow Knight (The Warchiefs, Aztecs only)
 * Cetan Bow (The Warchiefs, Sioux only)
 * Bow Rider (The Warchiefs, Sioux only)
 * Aenna (The Warchiefs, Iroquois only)

Age of Mythology
See also main page: Archer Units (Age of Mythology)


 * Chinese
 * Chu Ko Nu
 * [[Mounted Archer}}
 * Norse
 * Bogsveigir (in Tale of the Dragon)
 * Greeks
 * Toxotes
 * Peltast
 * Gastraphetes (Hades only)
 * Egyptians
 * Slinger
 * Chariot Archer
 * Atlanteans
 * Turma
 * Arcus