British Longbowmen possess a powerful long range attack and fast rate of fire. Longbowmen can be useful raiding units in the early game due to their range, which is one of the highest in the game, and high damage output. Archaic yet effective, these skilled archers are more expensive than Crossbowmen but shoot twice as fast.
However, most bow units such as the Longbows have to set up and draw for 0.98 seconds before firing, as compared to the 0.45-0.49 of most ranged units. This makes it more difficult for these British units to maneuver and fire at the same time. This option can be an alternative comparable to rifle-wielding Skirmishers in the midgame, although there are sizable downsides because Longbowmen are less durable and do not benefit from anti-infantry multipliers or rifle upgrades from the Arsenal (Counter Infantry Rifling, Flint Lock, or Paper Cartridge).
There are two more civilization-based considerations that affect their strategy. Their wood cost can interfere with spending the same resource on a Manor House boom strategy, particularly as wood is usually a slow resource to gather. Additionally, Longbowmen lack the 15% Damage, hit point and Combat upgrade cards available to the Musketeer.
Longbowmen are effective against enemy infantry units such as Musketeers and melee infantry, but actually most capable against Ranged Cavalry. They generally lose to melee cavalry and artillery units. Properly guarded by Redcoat Musketeers from cavalry, the bowmen can inflict major damage on enemy troops from afar. They have a range of 22 (26 with the Yeomen card), giving them the second longest range of any infantry in the game (For comparison, Musketeers have half the range at 12 units, and only the Aztec Arrow Knight has a longer range at 30). This allows them to strike Settlers from afar.
By sending the "Rangers" Home City Card, they can be fully replaced with Rangers at the Barracks, Home City and on the map. Rangers are a ranged gunpowder infantry unit similar to the Skirmisher, and they do a better job countering Heavy Infantry such as Musketeers, but have less range and only half the Rate of Fire.
The Maltese can get Consulate Longbowmen named Order Longbowmen through the "British Tongue" Home City Card, which ships 10 Order Longbowmen and allows them to be trained at Commanderies and Forts. These Order Longbowmen have 11 XP train and kill bounty, 65 food, 45 wood cost and 33 seconds train time.
With update 13.58326, Longbowmen have a ×2.5 ranged multiplier against light cavalry and ranged shock infantry, ×0.6 vs. cavalry and ×0.5 vs. shock infantry.
With update 14.43676, Longbowmen have a ×0.6 ranged multiplier against shock infantry.
History[]
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Used from the Neolithic Age up to middle of the seventeenth century, the bow fell out of use as early firearms and crossbows eclipsed them. Even though a good longbowman could fire an arrow every five seconds and volleys of arrows darkened the sky, eventually the savings in speed and time to manufacture firearms and train soldiers in their use outweighed the superior range and rate of fire of longbows. Add to this that rulers wanted to be on the cutting edge of warfare technologies so their armies would seem relevant and fashionable, and the longbow's days were numbered.
The Welsh longbow, which the English longbow is based on, was a yew staff of about six feet with a string of plant fibers or silk. It could take between two and four years to make a proper longbow, and a lifetime of practice to train a longbowman.
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Gallery[]
Longbowmen use swords in hand attack
Veteran Longbowman
Guard and Imperial Longbowman, available through Yeomen card
The Longbowman's history portrait
In-game Longbowman in the Definitive Edition
In-game Veteran Longbowman in the Definitive Edition
In-game Guard/Imperial Longbowman in the Definitive Edition