The Archer is a ranged unit in the Iron Age. The Archer is produced in the Archery Range.
Compared to the Slinger from the Bronze Age, Archers gain +4 damage a which is a significant amount, +1 defense, and a slight increase in attack bonuses on rocks and against heavy units.
Archers have the highest attack in Iron Age, but a rather weak defense, and can be easily two hit killed by other Iron Age units. It has a combat bonus against heavy units class such as the Legionnaire and it gains an attack bonus while standing on rocks.
Usage[]
The archer is a very popular unit in the Iron Age. They are capable of easily damaging and killing other units, especially if you have a good attack boost. As suggested by their bonuses, they are most effective against heavy units, especially the Warrior and Legionnaire and even the Armored Infantry of the next age.
However, you should be wary of the Archer's low defense. Fast units can easily rush in and deal significant damage to the Archer, whilst Artillery units can deal damage at a distance and cause considerable damage to the Archer, especially if you have not got a good defense boost. Even light, ranged and heavy units can still cause significant damage to the Archer if they are within reach.
Therefore you should prioritize eliminating the units that are in range of damaging the Archer first, such as fast units and other Archers if present. Using a lot of Rogues and one or two Archers is the best method to ensure a good victory, as the Rogues take no damage once transformed and can easily counterattack as Archers afterwards.
Against the Other Iron Age Units[]
Mounted Warrior[]
The Archer is generally weak against the Mounted Warrior, due to their combat bonuses against Archers, but they are usually not a threat if the Mounted Warriors are eliminated quickly, before they can rush in and attack Archers, as the Mounted Warrior can be easily killed by Archers unless you do not have a good attack boost. However, if Mounted Warriors start attacking Archers, they can cause significant damage to them, so it is not a good idea to use Archers if there are a lot of them.
Soldier[]
Arguably, the Archers have an advantage over the soldier, as the Archer can strike first and deal effective damage to the Soldier, even if the Soldier on the next turn can then cause significant damage in return afterwards. Sometimes the terrain will decide which units are more effective; for example, the Soldier has an advantage if there are lots of forests and bushes, giving them a defense bonus, whilst the Archer has an advantage if the terrain is rough.
Legionnaire[]
The Archer is very strong against the Legionnaire, given the Archer's bonuses against heavy units. The Archer however, cannot often kill the Legionnaire in two hits due to their high defense, especially when on plains, though the slow mobility of the Legionnaire means that they cannot easily reach the Archer, so they can safely be killed at a distance. However, despite a defense bonus against heavy units, Legionnaires can still deal somewhat considerable damage to the Archer if attacked.
Ballista[]
Even though the Ballista has a very low attack, their great range and the Archer's low defense means that the Ballista can easily damage the Archer. Meanwhile, it may take the Archer two or three turns to reach and kill the Ballistas, taking significant damage along the way. It is not recommended to use Archers in presence of many Ballistas, and the Ballistas should be eliminated before dealing too much damage on the Archers.
Updates[]
- In update of version 1.0 (4.30.2013), the attack and range have been decreased from 11 and 6 to 10 and 5.
- In update of version 0.10.0.7497(6.6.2012), the training time of Archer was decreased to 2 hours.
- In update of version 0.10.1.8027(5.7.2012), Archer received a terrain attack bonus of 2 on rocks.
Image[]
4 archers in battle.
Other Military Units[]
Legend: 
= Light Unit Class 
= Ranged Unit Class 
= Artillery Unit Class 
= Heavy Unit Class 
= Fast Unit Class