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GameSpot's Guide to Age of Empires (back to home page)This will open a small remote window for navigating this guide
General Tips and StrategiesThe Civilizations you can playThe Units you can commandThe Buildings you can raise (and raze)Campaign walk-throughsExpert tips from two AOE programmers!Table of Contents
Miscellaneous Units | Infantry | Archers | Cavalry | Siege Weapons
Boats and Ships
| Towers

The UnitsSoldiers Page 6 of 15
Archers

Bowman
Bowman
Available in: Tool Age
Prerequisites: Build Barracks and Archery Range
Cost: 40 food, 20 wood
Hit points: 35
Attack: 3
Armor: 0
Range: 5
Speed: Medium
Upgrades to: N/A

Civilizations with bonuses for Bowmen: Assyrian (+40 percent fire rate), Hittite (+1 attack range)

Bowman Tips: No army is complete without ranged fire, and archers provide this at a very cheap cost and are very mobile. Be sure to protect them with infantry, however. The basic bowman cannot be upgraded, so build them judiciously. Remember that they get an attack bonus if they hold the high ground. They have a 25 percent chance of doing triple damage.

Improved Bowman
Improved
Bowman
Available in: Bronze Age
Prerequisites: Build Barracks and Archery Range
Cost: 40 food, 20 gold
Hit points: 40
Attack: 4
Armor: 0
Range: 6
Speed: Medium
Upgrades to: Composite Bowman

Civilizations with bonuses for Bowmen: Assyrian (+40 percent fire rate), Hittite (+1 attack range)

Improved Bowman Tips: Better than the bowman, the improved bowman can also be upgraded. Remember that they get an attack bonus if they hold the high ground. They have a 25 percent chance of doing triple damage.

Composite Bowman
Composite
Bowman
Available in: Bronze Age
Prerequisites: Build Barracks and Archery Range
Cost: 40 food, 20 gold
Hit points: 45
Attack: 5
Armor: 0
Range: 7
Speed: Medium
Upgrades to: N/A

Civilizations with bonuses for Bowmen: Assyrian (+40 percent fire rate), Hittite (+1 attack range), Minoan (+2 range)

Composite Bowman Tips: This is a great unit for the price. A horde of composite bowmen fronted by some hoplites and short swordsmen make for a great Bronze Age army. Run them up and fire, then withdraw them behind the infantry.

Chariot Archer
Chariot
Archer
Available in: Bronze Age
Prerequisites: Build Barracks and Archery Range (have a market built and the wheel researched)
Cost: 40 food, 70 wood
Hit points: 70
Attack: 4
Armor: 0
Range: 7
Speed: Fast
Upgrades to: N/A
Special: They are highly resistant to conversion and get a triple attack against priests

Civilizations with bonuses for Chariot Archer: Assyrian (+40 percent fire rate), Hittite (+1 attack range), Egyptian (+33 percent hit points)

Chariot Archer Tips: Obviously these are priest killers and should be brought to the battlefield for no other reason than that. They are also great at harassing the enemy, swooping in and picking off some stray units, then using their fast speed to retreat. With upgrades to give them extra range in their attacks, they are difficult to defend against. They also don't cost any gold, so they are cheap in that sense (good if you're saving gold for some other research or units).

Elephant Archer
Elephant
Archer
Available in: Iron Age
Prerequisites: Build Barracks and Archery Range
Cost: 180 food, 60 gold
Hit points: 600
Attack: 5
Armor: 0
Range: 7
Speed: Slow
Upgrades to: N/A

Civilizations with bonuses for Elephant Archer: Assyrian (+40 percent fire rate), Hittite (+1 attack range), Persian (+50 percent faster), Phoenician (-25 percent cost)

Elephant Archer Tips: The chief advantage of these units is their durability. They are slow, though, so if you commit them to battle you might have trouble withdrawing them. A few elephant archers backed by a priest to heal them can take a lot of punishment. They also take up room in narrow passageways and can be an effective temporary barrier.

Horse Archer
Horse
Archer
Available in: Tool Age
Prerequisites: Build Barracks and then Archery Range
Cost: 50 food, 70 gold
Hit points: 60
Attack: 7
Armor: 0
Range: 7
Speed: Fast
Upgrades to: Heavy Horse Archer
Special: +2 armor vs. missile weapons and ballista and helepolis

Civilizations with bonuses for Horse Archer: Assyrian (+40 percent fire rate), Hittite (+1 attack range), Yamato (-25 percent cost)

Horse Archer Tips: Swift and packing a real sting, any general is happy to see these augmenting troops. Although not as good as chariot archers for killing priests, horse archers are fast enough to get the job done too. These are perfect units for hit-and-run tactics as well.

Heavy Horse Archer
Heavy Horse
Archer
Available in: Iron Age
Prerequisites: Build Barracks and Archery Range (also requires that chain mail has been researched)
Cost: 50 food, 70 gold
Hit points: 90
Attack: 8
Armor: 0
Range: 7
Speed: Fast
Upgrades to: N/A
Special: +2 armor vs. missile weapons and ballista and helepolis

Civilizations with bonuses for Heavy Horse Archer: Assyrian (+40 percent fire rate), Hittite (+1 attack range), Yamato (-25 percent cost)

Heavy Horse Archer Tips: As the top of the line, the heavy horse archer combines speed with the most powerful missile attack outside of a siege weapon. A group of these can inflict serious damage and run away before they themselves are injured severely.

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