Talk:Throwing Axeman (Age of Empires II)/@comment-130.238.183.97-20190209124252

From the perspective of an absolute noob who still struggles vs Moderate AI, (E)TAs are great units. What makes them useful is their tankiness for a ranged unit, comparatively low cost and decent melee attack. That, combined with Franks getting cheap castles, means that you are able to mass them rather quickly.

Where TAs really improve upon the militia line is in not being so hard countered by ranged units, since they are ranged themselves and are a fair bit tankier. Being ranged also allows them to provide better support to Paladins/Knights, which will likely form the backbone of Frankish armies. Finally, their high food cost is partly offset by Franks getting all farm techs for free.

A question worth asking is whether the HCs (hand cannoneers) provide better support for the knight line. In my view, if stone is not a problem, TAs are the way to go. The problem with HCs, apart from their squishiness, is that the line of techs that improve them (archery armor) do little else good for franks, since you are unlikely to train other archer units anyway. By contrast, the lines of techs for TAs coincide/overlap with that of Halberdiers, Knights and Champions, units which are paramount to Frankish success.