Archer

“	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 are ranged units that fire arrows to inflict damage in the Age of Empires series. Their attacks easily decimate infantry, though their low armor and hit points make them vulnerable to fast infantry, such as Eagle Warriors and Woad Raiders, and cavalry units. Archers are ineffective against siege weapons due to their relatively short range, low amount of hit points and the presence of decent pierce armor on such units.

Age of Empires

Main article: Archer units (Age of Empires)

Age of Empires II

Main article: Archer units (Age of Empires II)

Age of Mythology

Main article: Archer units (Age of Mythology)

Age of Empires III

In Age of Empires III, only a few archer-type units are used by European civilizations, having been superseded by their gunpowder counterpart.

Archers are ranged infantry units (light infantry in the base game, but not in the expansions, due to the new definition of light infantry in them).

As such, they generally have good ranged attack, low hit points, hand and siege attack, counter heavy infantry and light cavalry, and are weak to heavy cavalry and artillery.

The archer tag is not displayed in-game; it appears in the game files as AbstractArcher. Instead, the tags Gunpowder Unit (for infantry) and Gunpowder Cavalry (for cavalry) are used to differentiate archer units from gunpowder units. Some ranged units are neither archers nor gunpowder units.

Archer units in Age of Empires III are:

Unit	Description	Civilization
Besteiro	Crossbowmen improved by an exclusive Portuguese technology.	Portuguese
Carib Blowgunner	Short-ranged missile unit that fires poison darts. Good against infantry.	Carib(Minor civilization)
Carib Ambusher	Elite Carib blowgunner that can be quickly trained.	Carib(Minor civilization)
Cavalry Archer	Ranged cavalry. Good against cavalry.	Ottomans Russians
Crossbowman	Archaic archer. Good against infantry.	French Germans Portuguese Spanish
Inca Bolas Warrior	Inca infantry that hurls bolas for a wide area of effect.	Inca(Minor civilization)
Longbowman	Archaic long-ranged archer. Good against infantry.	British
Manchu	Chinese cavalry archer mercenary.	Mercenaries
Seminole Sharktooth Bowman	Ranged Native American archer with a short range and high attack.	Seminole(Minor civilization)
Tupi Blackwood Archer	Long-range, accurate native archer. Good against infantry.	Tupi(Minor civilization)

The WarChiefs

The following archer units were introduced in The WarChiefs:

Unit	Description	Civilization
Macehualtin	Slinger. Good against heavy infantry.	Aztecs
Arrow Knight	Long-ranged noble that fires flaming arrows. Good against artillery and buildings.	Aztecs
Eagle Runner Knight	Nobleman that flings javelins from an atlatl. Good against cavalry and Coyote Runners.	Aztecs
Aenna	Bowman. Good against infantry.	Iroquois
Cetan Bow	Foot archer. Good against infantry.	Sioux
Bow Rider	Ranged raiding cavalry. Good against cavalry.	Sioux

The Asian Dynasties

The following archer units were introduced in The Asian Dynasties:

Unit	Description	Civilization
Chu Ko Nu	Archaic Chinese crossbow that fires at an extremely fast rate. Good against infantry.	Chinese
Ikko-Ikki	Religious leader who stuns Treasure Guardians and has a chance to do Divine Strike damage in combat. Explores, fights, and builds Town Centers, Trading Posts, and Shrines.	Japanese
Iron Troop	Mercenary foot archer from China that wears heavy armor. Good against infantry.	Mercenaries
Keshik	Mongolian ranged cavalry. Good against cavalry.	Chinese
Shinobi	Stealthy ranged infantry. Good against infantry.	Japanese
Wokou Horseman	A nomadic horseman. Good against cavalry.	Mercenaries
Wokou Monk	A Monk with keen senses. Good against infantry.	Mercenaries
Yabusame	Japanese master of the bow and the horse. Good against cavalry and artillery.	Japanese
Yojimbo	Heavily armed mercenary cavalry good with both a bow and a sword. Good against cavalry.	Mercenaries
Yumi Archer	Ranged infantry armed with the Japanese longbow. Good against infantry.	Japanese