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This article is about the unit in Age of Empires II HD: The Forgotten. For the unit in Age of Empires, see Elephant Archer (Age of Empires). |
| ā | Slow and heavy mounted archer. | ā |
| —Age of Empires II description | ||
The Elephant Archer was the first unique unit of the Indians in Age of Empires II HD: The Forgotten. It is a heavy mounted archer with low speed but very high hit points.
In Dynasties of India, Elephant Archers lose their status as unique unit for the Indians, to now become a regional unit for the Bengalis, Dravidians, and Gurjaras (but not for the Hindustanis).
Elephant Archers can be upgraded to Elite Elephant Archers in the Imperial Age.
Tactics[]
Slow and durable, the Elephant Archer is the toughest archer unit in the game. This durability comes at a cost, however; it is the most expensive archer unit in the game, and does not increase its offensive capability in exchange for this cost, with the same attack and basic rate of fire as a standard Cavalry Archer. An army of generic Elephant Archers will have dramatically more hit points, but a fraction the offensive power of an equal-cost army of standard archers. However, the strength of this unit relies on a population-efficiency factor rather than on a cost effectiveness.
Like the other elephant units, Elephant Archers are highly vulnerable to Pikemen, and Monks. Being also a Cavalry Archer, they are highly vulnerable against Skirmishers. Furthermore, Flaming Camels deal bonus damage, for a total of 200 damage against elephant units, and are thus simply lethal for packed groups of Elephant Archers.
While vulnerable to counter units, they are resistant to units such as Crossbowmen, as well as power units such as Knights, which can kill Crossbowmen in just 4 hits. they are also quite good vs infantry and, unlike Crossbowmen, they can take a few Mangonel shots. Their huge size also means that Mangonels are hitting only a few units at once.
These strengths are compounded by the Elephant Archer's lower speed and shorter range. In typical combat, the Crossbowmen will be behind the Elephant Archer due to the latter's shorter range, becoming the default target of hostile archers, requiring the enemy to micromanage their forces to a greater extent. In the face of melee attackers, the elephant will block approaching forces, as well as absorb un-targeted attacks, significantly increasing the durability of a mixed force.
Each civilization that has access to the Elephant Archer has bonuses and unique technologies that may make their use a bit different.
Bengalis[]
Bengali Elephant Archers are specialized in defense, receiving -25% bonus damage and conversion resistance, as well as full armor upgrades and Parthian Tactics. This makes their Elephant Archers a highly efficient option, as it enables this unit to resist Pikemen and Monks (in some cases even defeating them, if those counter-units are deployed in similar numbers).
Despite their unique technology Paiks (which increases their fire rate by 20%), the lack of Thumb Ring limits their damage potential, leaving them firmly in last place. While they can still serve a defensive role, and can be reasonably effective when massed in the late game, they are still vulnerable to Skirmishers due to their negative cavalry archer armor, which can limit all-in use.
Dravidians[]
The Dravidian Elephant Archer is the slowest, but most offensively powerful, of the three. They do not get access to Husbandry, Parthian Tactics, or Bloodlines, rendering them slower than the other alternatives, and comparably vulnerable when facing melee damage. However, they are better against ranged attack than Gurjaras, which have neither Ring Archer Armor nor Parthian Tactics.
With all attack upgrades, plus their civilization bonus that makes Elephant Archers fire 25% faster, Dravidian Elephant Archers are one of the fastest-firing archers in the game, matched only by Mongol Cavalry Archers. This makes Dravidian Elephant Archers the most reasonable choice as the bulk of an army, rather than as a damage sponge; even being more cost-efficient than archers against some high-armor units. Even better, Dravidian Elephant Archers regenerate 30 hit points per minute after Medical Corps is researched, which roughly compensates for the lack of Bloodlines, and can make them an extremely efficient option in the long term, if protected.
Gurjaras[]
Gurjara Elephant Archers trade effectiveness against archers for effectiveness against melee units. Lacking both Parthian Tactics and the final armor upgrade, they take more damage from enemy archers than any other elephant archer type. However, they are still highly effective in this role, just less so by comparison, and they are fully upgraded in the Castle Age.
In exchange for this mild weakness, they gain substantial boosts in resistance to melee units, thanks to their Frontier Guards technology, giving them an impressive 6 melee armor. Additionally, their Kshatriyas technology reduces their food cost by 25%, making them much easier to afford. Unfortunately, this requires a substantial technology investment, which can make them challenging to utilize.
While Gurjara Elephant Archers have several potent bonuses, their broadly poor late game, high technology investment, and the presence of the Shrivamsha Rider uni t(which broadly fills the same anti-archer role) makes this a particularly niche unit to justify.
Comparison among civilizations[]
| Civilization |  Bengalis
|
 Dravidians
|
 Gurjaras
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | 80 food, 70 gold | 80 food, 70 gold | 60 food, 70 gold |
| Hit points | 250 | 230 | 250 |
| Speed | 0.99 | 0.9 | 0.99 |
| Firing rate | 1.67 | 1.36 | 1.7 |
| Accuracy | 70% | 100% | 100% |
| Extras | Receive -25% bonus damage Resistant to conversion |
Regenerate 0.5 HP/s | Created 25% faster Heresy (die upon getting converted)
|
Similarities:
- Pierce Attack - 6+2
- Armor - 0+2/0+2
- Range - 4+2
- Attack Bonus - none
Further statistics[]
| Unit strengths and weaknesses | |
|---|---|
| Strong vs. | Slow non-ranged units, archers |
| Weak vs. | Spearmen, Kamayuks, Berserks, Genoese Crossbowmen, Huskarls, Mamelukes, Camel Riders, Eagle Scouts, Monks, Skirmishers, Scorpions, Flaming Camels |
| Upgrades | |
| Hit points |  Bloodlines (+20)
|
| Attack |  Fletching (+1) Bodkin Arrow (+1) Bracer (+1) Chemistry (+1) Parthian Tactics (+2 against Spearmen, Bengalis only)
|
| Range | Fletching (+1) Bodkin Arrow (+1) Bracer (+1)
|
| Firing rate |  Thumb Ring (+18%) Paiks (+20%, Bengalis only)
|
| Accuracy | Thumb Ring (increases accuracy to 100%) Ballistics (hit moving targets)
|
| Armor |  Padded Archer Armor (+1/+1) Leather Archer Armor (+1/+1) Ring Archer Armor (+1/+2) Parthian Tactics (+1/+2, Bengalis only) Frontier Guards (+4/+0, Gurjaras only)
|
| Speed |  Husbandry (+10%)
|
| Conversion defense |  Devotion (+1 min, +1 max) Faith (+4 min, +4 max) Heresy (die upon getting converted) (Gurjaras only)
|
| Creation speed |  Conscription (+33%)
|
| Train cost | Kshatriyas (-25% food, Gurjaras only)
|
| Other | Medical Corps (regenerate 30 HP per minute, Dravidians only)
|
| Upgrades |  Elite Elephant Archer
|
Civilization bonuses[]
- Bengalis: Elephant Archers receive -25% bonus damage and are more resistant to conversion.
- Dravidians: Elephant Archers attack 25% faster.
Team bonuses[]
- Britons: Elephant Archers are created and upgraded 10% faster. Researching Thumb Ring and Parthian Tactics is 10% faster.
- Bulgarians: Researching upgrades at the Blacksmith is 80% faster.
- Gurjaras: Elephant Archers are created 25% faster.
- Huns: Researching Bloodlines and Husbandry is 20% faster.
- Lithuanians: Researching Devotion and Faith is 20% faster.
- Magyars: Elephant Archers are created 25% faster.
- Malians: Researching Chemistry and Ballistics is 80% faster.
- Portuguese: Upgrades that benefit Elephant Archers are researched 25% faster.
- Tatars: Elephant Archers have +2 Line of Sight.
- Teutons: Elephant Archers are more resistant to conversion.
Changelog[]
The Forgotten[]
- The Elephant Archer is the first unique unit of the Indians, which do not have access to Ring Archer Armor.
- The Elephant Archer and the Elite Elephant Archer use the same model.
- Elephant Archers cost 110 food, 80 gold.
- The upgrade to Elite Elephant Archer costs 1,200 food, 800 gold and takes 60 seconds.
- Elephant Archers have 250 HP, 4 pierce armor, -2 archer and 0 cavalry archer armor, +3 attack against standard buildings and stone defenses, a reload time of 2.5, 0.8 speed, 100% accuracy, and a training time of 25 seconds.
The African Kingdoms[]
- Indians get access to Ring Archer Armor.
- Elephant Archers cost 100 food, 80 gold.
- The upgrade to Elite Elephant Archer costs 1,000 food, 800 gold.
- Elephant Archers have 280 HP, 3 pierce armor.
Rise of the Rajas[]
- With patch 5.8, Elephant Archers have 0 archer and -2 cavalry archer armor.
Definitive Edition[]
- With update 37650, Elephant Archers cost 100 food, 70 gold and their reload time is reduced to 2.0.
Dynasties of India[]
- Elephant Archers are no longer a unique unit, and are now available at the Archery Range for the Bengalis, Dravidians, and Gurjaras (but not for the Hindustanis).
- Elephant Archers have a new appearance, while Elite Elephant Archers retain the previous model.
- Elephant Archers cost 90 food, 70 gold, have 230 HP, 2 pierce armor, 70% accuracy, 0.9 speed, 34 seconds training time, -7 Cavalry Archer armor, no attack bonuses, and researching Elite Elephant Archer takes 80 seconds.
- With update 66692, Elephants Archers have -4 Cavalry Archer armor and cost 80 food, 70 gold.
- With update 81058, Elephant Archers train in 32 seconds and the Elite Elephant Archer upgrade costs 900 food, 500 gold.
Heroes[]
There are two heroes in the game with the appearance of an Elephants Archer:
History[]
People from the Pre-Indic Indus civilization were the first to tame elephants, roughly around 4,000 years ago in Indus valley for agricultural purpose. Later on, Indic-speaking newcomers from the steppes introduced horses and familiarized themselves with tame elephants. The first military application of elephants dates from around 1100 BC and is mentioned in several Sanskrit hymns. War elephants were used either to charge and trample enemy troops directly, or to carry archers and spear throwers who can attack from the top. Elephant's sheer height and mass offered considerable protection for their riders.[1]
Trivia[]
- The Elephant Archer is the first unit in Age of Empires II to lose its unique unit status, since in Dynasties of India, it was replaced by the Ghulam for the Hindustanis (formerly Indians) while becoming an Archery Range unit for the new civilizations.
- In the mod version Age of Empires II: The Forgotten Empires and the retail version Age of Empires II HD: The Forgotten, up to patch 3.4, the Elephant Archer was represented by an Age of Empires Composite Bowman mounted atop a War Elephant. The Elephant Archer got redesigned in patch 3.5. Further redesigns were made in patch 3.6.
- Since patch 3.6, Elephant Archers have a wheel-like symbol at their sides. The symbol is known as Dharmachakra (lit: wheel of law) and symbolizes the spiritual change in Buddhism.[2]
- After update 37650 of the Definitive Edition, elephant heads will appear peeking out of Transport Ships loaded with 10 Elephant Archers or other elephant units.
- If one looks closely, every time the Elephant Archer attacks, the arrows will launch from the elephant's head instead from the rider's bow.
- The Elephant Archer was often seen by players as one of the worst unique units in the game. This was mostly because of their highly situational uses, fairly high cost, and the amount of weaknesses that they had due of the great amount of armor classes. Changes in Dynasties of India were aimed at making it more viable since it is created at Archery Ranges, moves slightly faster and costs slightly less food. The unit has been nerfed accordingly, but it is now easier to use.
- Additionally, the Elephant Archer received additional -5 cavalry archer armor, meaning they receive an extra +7 bonus attack from Skirmishers, Genitours, and Camel Archers. This extra bonus damage was reduced in update 66692 to +4.
- Before Dynasties of India, non-elite Skirmishers did not receive the intended +2 attack bonus against Elephant Archers as a bug.
- The usage of an archer on top of a war elephant can be traced back to the Carthaginians' era as a countermeasures against cavalry, therefore a war elephant is still able to attack enemy at close range. The lack of a melee attack of the Elephant Archer is due to limitations of the Game Engine.
- In the beta, Elephant Archers had the same pierce armor as now. Parthian Tactics did not affect their attack against Pikemen.
Gallery[]
