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This article is about the unit type in Age of Empires IV. For the unit type in Age of Empires III, see light ranged cavalry (Age of Empires III). For other uses, see ranged cavalry. |
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Ranged cavalry units in Age of Empires IV are a branch of cavalry units, which are one of the three main combat forces on land along with infantry and siege. They attack from range and deal ranged damage. However, unlike melee cavalry, they are not a core unit for every civilization, and have no representative generic unit; all ranged cavalry are unique units. Most ranged cavalry are created at the Archery Range along with ranged infantry.
Overview[]
Ranged cavalry units have a wide variation in their stats and attributes but can be roughly divided into the categories of horse-mounted archers, camel-mounted archers, and Tower Elephants. Except for hero units, horse-mounted archers have low hit points and deal low-to-moderate damage but are the cheapest, camel-mounted archers have moderate hit points and damage at a higher cost, and Tower Elephants have extremely high hit points and high damage but are also very expensive and take up three population. No ranged cavalry unit has the 'heavy' unit type, despite some of them having high armor values, and they all cost more than their ranged infantry counterparts.
Horse- and camel-mounted archers have high speed and are characterized by their ability to hit-and-run. Their mobility and range makes them exceptional at raiding enemy economies and killing Villagers while avoiding defenses. It also allows them to counter slow melee units to varying degrees, and some have additional attributes which reinforce this role. Camel Archers have an attack bonus against light melee infantry, Onna-Musha have an attack bonus against heavy units such as Men-at-Arms, Desert Raiders have very high melee armor, and Mangudai can attack automatically while moving, thus requiring less micromanagement. However none of these can survive for very long if caught in melee range by a group of Spearmen. Tower Elephants have an entirely different role than other ranged cavalry, acting more like a siege unit with a strong ranged attack. They have among the slowest speed in the game, making them completely unsuited for raiding, but their melee anti-building attack and high pierce armor make them highly capable of destroying enemy defenses while ignoring ranged damage from units and buildings alike.
Counters[]
No unit has an attack bonus specifically against ranged cavalry. Units either have an attack bonus against the cavalry unit type, or the ranged unit type. Some of these units can also counter ranged cavalry to varying degrees. Horsemen (and their unique equivalents), Mangonels, and Javelin Throwers all deal bonus damage against ranged units in general and have high ranged armor or resistance. Javelin Throwers especially hard-counter ranged cavalry due to outranging them. Horsemen and Mangonels, however, are not quite as effective as against ranged infantry. Mangonel shots can can more easily be dodged by an opponent skilled at controlling their ranged cavalry. Horsemen have higher speed than all ranged cavalry, but by a far smaller amount than ranged infantry, so they cannot catch up to them as effectively. In a similar vein, Camel Riders and heavy cavalry are more of a soft counter or neutral against ranged cavalry, despite the bonus damage of the former and high stats of the latter. Most ranged cavalry has the same speed as these units, making them even harder to catch than with Horsemen, and the higher base damage of ranged cavalry is more effective against the pierce armor of heavy cavalry (or lack thereof in the case of Camel Riders). Desert Raiders are a further exception to the above rules, since they can swap to a melee attack and deal bonus damage against cavalry, or close in on Mangonels and Javelin Throwers.
Rather than chasing ranged cavalry with melee units, it can be more effective to defeat them from range. In addition the aforementioned Javelin Throwers, Archers and their unique equivalents also outrange ranged cavalry and, although less population efficient, can beat them cost-effectively. Most ranged cavalry also has no way of dealing with defensive buildings. While the Spearman has an attack bonus against cavalry, they can be hit-and-run far too easily to be considered good counters to ranged cavalry. However, the opposite of the above is true against Tower Elephants; that is, Spearmen are an effective counter because they can easily close-in, while Archers and defensive buildings are ineffective.
List of ranged cavalry[]
The following list of ranged infantry compares some common unit statistics, but should not be used as a direct indicator of combat ability, since attack bonuses, abilities, or other special features which can distinguish these units from each other are not included. Units marked with a '*' in the below table can attack while moving. Only the ranged attacks of Tower Elephants and Desert Raiders are included.
Dark Age[]
| Name | Cost | TT | SP | HP | MA | RA | Atk | RoF | RG | Civilizations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Khan
|
Free | 120 | 1.625 | 90 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 |  Mongols
|
Feudal Age[]
| Name | Cost | TT | SP | HP | MA | RA | Atk | RoF | RG | Civilizations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Hardened Khan*
|
Free | 120 | 1.625 | 115 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5.5 | Mongols
|
 Mangudai*
|
90 food 60 gold |
28 | 1.56 | 85 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0.875 | 3.5 | Mongols
|
 Khan's Hunter*
|
60 food 60 gold |
20 | 1.56 | 75 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 5.25 | Mongols
|
 Camel Archer
|
170 food 60 wood |
35 | 1.625 | 150 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1.375 | 3.75 |  Abbasid Dynasty
|
 Desert Raider
|
80 food 50 wood 50 gold |
30 | 1.625 | 120 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 1.25 | 4.5 |  Ayyubids
|
 Cavalry Archer
|
100 food 80 wood |
27 | 1.625 | 95 | 0 | 0 | 7 (x2) | 2.625 | 4.5 |  Ottomans
|
Castle Age[]
| Name | Cost | TT | SP | HP | MA | RA | Atk | RoF | RG | Civilizations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Veteran Khan*
|
Free | 120 | 1.625 | 300 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 5.5 | Mongols
|
 Veteran Mangudai*
|
90 food 60 gold |
28 | 1.56 | 105 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0.875 | 3.5 | Mongols
|
| Khan's Hunter*
|
60 food 60 gold |
20 | 1.56 | 90 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 5.5 | Mongols
|
 Veteran Camel Archer
|
170 food 60 wood |
35 | 1.625 | 175 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1.375 | 3.75 | Abbasid Dynasty
|
 Veteran Desert Raider
|
80 food 50 wood 50 gold |
30 | 1.625 | 145 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 1.25 | 4.5 | Ayyubids
|
 Cavalry Archer
|
100 food 80 wood |
27 | 1.625 | 105 | 0 | 0 | 9 (x2) | 2.625 | 4.5 | Ottomans
|
| Horse Archer
|
80 food 40 wood |
22.5 | 1.625 | 85 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2.125 | 4.5 |  Rus
|
 Onna-Musha
|
80 food 60 gold |
24 | 1.625 | 80 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2.125 | 5.5 |  Japanese
|
 Tower Elephant*
|
400 food 600 gold |
60 | 0.88 | 600 | 0 | 7 | 15 (x2) | 2.875 | 5 |  Delhi Sultanate
|
 Jeanne d'Arc - Mounted Archer
|
/ | / | 1.625 | 280 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 1.625 | 6 |  Jeanne d'Arc
|
Imperial Age[]
| Name | Cost | TT | SP | HP | MA | RA | Atk | RoF | RG | Civilizations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Elite Khan*
|
Free | 120 | 1.625 | 450 | 2 | 2 | 24 | 2 | 5.5 | Mongols
|
 Elite Mangudai*
|
90 food 60 gold |
28 | 1.56 | 120 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0.875 | 3.5 | Mongols
|
| Khan's Hunter*
|
60 food 60 gold |
20 | 1.56 | 110 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 5.75 | Mongols
|
 Elite Camel Archer
|
170 food 60 wood |
35 | 1.625 | 200 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1.375 | 3.75 | Abbasid Dynasty
|
 Elite Desert Raider
|
80 food 50 wood 50 gold |
30 | 1.625 | 175 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 1.25 | 4.5 | Ayyubids
|
 Elite Cavalry Archer
|
100 food 80 wood |
27 | 1.625 | 140 | 0 | 0 | 12 (x2) | 2.625 | 4.5 | Ottomans
|
| Elite Horse Archer
|
80 food 40 wood |
22.5 | 1.625 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2.125 | 4.5 | Rus
|
 Elite Onna-Musha
|
80 food 60 gold |
24 | 1.625 | 95 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 2.125 | 5.5 | Japanese
|
| Tower Elephant*
|
400 food 600 gold |
60 | 0.88 | 600 | 0 | 7 | 15 (x2) | 2.875 | 5 | Delhi Sultanate
|
 Sultan's Elite Tower Elephant*
|
Free | 200 | 0.88 | 600 | 0 | 7 | 38 (x2) | 1.625 | 5 | Delhi Sultanate
|
 Jeanne d'Arc - Markswoman
|
/ | / | 1.625 | 400 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 1.625 | 6 | Jeanne d'Arc
|
Further statistics[]
All ranged cavalry[]
The following boosts specifically affect all ranged cavalry:
| Technologies | |
|---|---|
 Hit points
|
 Biology (+25%, except Jeanne d'Arc) Improved Biology (+30%, Mongols) Royal Bloodlines (+35%, Jeanne d'Arc) Boyar's Fortitude (+20, Rus)
|
| Attack |  Steeled Arrow (+1) Balanced Projectiles (+1) Platecutter Point (+1) Incendiary Arrows (+20%, siege attack vs buildings) Siha Bow Limbs (+1, Improved +2, Mongols)
|
 Range
|
 Silk Bowstrings (+0.75, except Tower Elephant)
|
| Armor |  Fitted Leatherwork (+1 melee) Insulated Helm (+1 melee) Master Smiths (+1 melee) Iron Undermesh (+1 ranged) Wedge Rivets (+1 ranged) Angled Surfaces (+1 ranged)
|
| Creation speed |  Military Academy (+33% from Archery Range); Improved: (+53%, Mongols)
|
| Ability |  Miltary Wing - Reinforcement (can build Battering Rams, Siege Towers, Springalds, and Mangonels, Ayyubids)
|
| Aura and ability enhancements | |
|---|---|
| Hit points
|
 Atabeg Supervision (+20%, Ayyubids)
|
 Regeneration
|
 Triumph (+2 hp/s while active,  Byzantines)
|
| Attack | Triumph (+4 while active, Byzantines) Kurultai Aura (+20%, Mongols) Buddhist Conversion (+20% for 20 seconds, Japanese) Uma Bannerman Aura (+15%, Japanese) Saint's Blessing (+2, or +3 with Fervor, Rus and Mongols)
|
| Range
|
 Khan's Hunter Aura (+1/+1.25/+1.5 per Age, Mongols)
|
| Armor |  Defense Arrow (+2 melee and ranged for 5/10/12 seconds, depending on Whistling Arrows, Mongols) Saint's Blessing (+1 melee/ranged, Rus and Mongols)
|
 Attack speed
|
 Attack Speed Arrow (+50% for 5/10/12 seconds, depending on Whistling Arrows, Mongols) Zeal (+50% for 3 seconds, Delhi Sultanate)
|
 Movement speed
|
 Naval Deployment (+50% speed for 12 seconds after unloading from a Transport Ship, Byzantines) Triumph (+10% while active, Byzantines) Yam Aura (+15%, Mongols) Maneuver Arrow (+33% for 5/10/12 seconds, depending on Whistling Arrows, Mongols) Nehan Conversion (+25% for 20 seconds, Japanese)
|
| Creation speed |   Conscriptio Influence (+20% per Cistern water level, Byzantines) Golden Age Tier 3 (+20%, Abbasid Dynasty and Ayyubids) Garrisoned Scholar (+100%, requires Efficient Production, Delhi Sultanate) Yorishiro Bonus (+150%, Japanese)
|
Unique ranged cavalry[]
The following boosts specifically affect a specific unique ranged cavalry:
| Technologies | |
|---|---|
| Hit points
|
 Howdahs (+30%, Tower Elephant)
|
| Attack | Howdahs (+11 vs heavy units, Tower Elephant)
|
| Range
|
 Mounted Training (+1,  Horse Archer)
|
| Armor | Howdahs (+4 ranged, Tower Elephant)
|
| Movement speed
|
 Camel Handling (+15%,  Camel Archer) Mahouts (+10%, Tower Elephant)
|
| Ability |  Camel Support (+2 melee/ranged armor to nearby infantry, Camel Archer) Kabura-ya Whistling Arrow (Grants Kabura-ya ability,  Onna-Musha) Mounted Training (Grants Gallop ability, Horse Archer)
|
| Aura and ability enhancements | |
|---|---|
| Range
|
 Gallop (+2 for 8 seconds, Horse Archer)
|
| Armor |  Infantry Support (+3 melee/ranged,  Desert Raider)
|
| Attack speed
|
 Golden Age: Tier 5 (+20%, Desert Raider)
|
| Movement speed
|
 Kabura-Ya (+10% for 10 seconds, Onna-Musha) Gallop (2 tiles/sec for 8 seconds, Horse Archer)
|
Trivia[]
- Based on the in-game icon files, it is likely that the Horse Archer was originally intended as a common unit for multiple civilizations, and was available earlier than the Castle Age.
