Slinger (Age of Empires II)

"Inca unique unit. Ranged unit with attack bonus vs. infantry."

- Age of Empires II description

The Slinger is the second unique unit of the Incas in Age of Empires II HD: The Forgotten, the first being the Kamayuk. It can be trained at the Archery Range once the Castle Age is reached. It is an anti-infantry ranged unit.

Unlike most unique units, Slingers do not have an Elite version.

Tactics
Slingers have an attack bonus of +10 against infantry. That makes them powerful early anti-infantry units, as they can defeat most infantry that comes close enough, except for Huskarls. The Condottiero can nullify the Slinger's bonus with its bonus defense of +10. Another potential risk is the Samurai, provided they can close in, as they have a huge attack bonus against unique units combined with an already quick and massive attack.

In some ways they behave similarly to the Hand Cannoneer, but they are cheaper, available from the Castle Age, and fire more accurately as they are affected by Ballistics and Thumb Ring. When fully upgraded with Bracer, they have more range than their gunpowder counterpart, but still significantly less attack (although they do benefit from Chemistry). Like Skirmishers, they have a minimum range, but that does not present a real problem since it can be removed by researching Andean Sling.

Slingers are one of the three core units of any well-organized Inca army, along with Kamayuks and Eagle Warriors. Every one of the three units fulfills an important role: the Kamayuk counters cavalry, the Eagle Warrior takes on enemy archers, Monks, and siege weapons, and the Slinger counters the eagle-threatening infantry. Together, they have an answer to virtually any threat, the only real exception being Hand Cannoneers and Cataphracts, which are still somewhat weak to the Slingers.

Further statistics
As Slingers are unique to the Incas, only technologies that are available to them are shown in the following table:

Team bonuses

 * A team containing Berbers: With Kasbah researched, Conscription, Andean Sling, and Couriers is researched 25% faster.
 * A team containing Britons: Slingers are created 20% faster. Researching Thumb Ring is 20% faster.
 * A team containing Magyars: Slingers have +2 LOS.
 * A team containing Malians: Researching Chemistry and Ballistics is 80% faster.
 * A team containing Saracens: Slingers have +1 attack against buildings.
 * A team containing Teutons: Slingers are more resistant to conversion.

The Forgotten

 * Slinger require a Castle.
 * Incas: Couriers gives Slingers +10% movement speed.

The African Kingdoms

 * Slingers no longer require a Castle.
 * Slingers reskinned.
 * Incas: Couriers now gives Slingers +1/+2 armor.

Trivia

 * The Slinger is one of the few unique units that don't have an Elite upgrade, the others are the Imperial Skirmisher, Imperial Camel, and Condottiero.
 * The Slinger is one of the few unique units that don't have any base melee armor nor pierce armor. The others are the Imperial Camel, Gbeto, and Missionary.