[Anonymous Player]

It has been six years since the release of Rise of the Rajas and yet no new Age of Empires 2 civilization has been labeled as an “Archer Civilization”.

This is quite peculiar considering the number of new Cavalry and Infantry civilizations that have been added since then.

Some of the newer civilizations such as the Dravidians, Tatars, and Bohemians make use of archers, but they are not classified as an Archer civilization nor do they possess an Archer Unique Unit.

This post will discuss potential bonuses, Unique Units, and Unique Technologies that could be implemented for an Archer civilization.

Potential bonuses include: Archery Range upgrades costing 50% less, Crossbowmen and Arbalesters being free, Fletching, Bodkin Arrow, and Bracer being free upon reaching the next age, Squires affecting the Archer line, trees containing more wood, and lumberjacks not needing a drop-off point.

Additionally, the Archer line could regenerate health, and receive +1 pierce armor in the Castle Age and +2 pierce armor in the Imperial Age, as well as +1 melee armor in the Castle Age and +2 melee armor in the Imperial Age.

Finally, Ballistics could be free upon building a university.

Unique Unit ideas could include an Archer with high HP and/or armor that excels against Melee units but has low range and pierce armor, an Archer with attack bonus vs Buildings, and an Archer with low attack that ignores armor.

Unique techs could include Archery Ranges working 50% faster, the Archer line resisting or completely ignoring bonus damage, and the Archer line moving 15% faster.

These are just a few ideas for possible Archer civilizations to be added in the future.

What ideas do you like best?

[Apprehensive_Alps_30]

Number 6 is bit of a joke, it would be insanely op

[adquen]

Archer units take 25% less bonus damage and are more resistant to splash damage

Ranged units deal +20% bonus damage in Feudal, +30% in Castle, +40% in Imperial

Archer units created 25% faster

Arbalester available in the Castle Age (but no Thumb Ring)

Lumber camp replaced by Sawmill (Unique building, wood dropoff, +5 pop, felled trees in radius provide instantly10% if their wood)

I’m just taking inspiration from the devs!

On a more serious note, I think the design space for archer bonuses is actually pretty small and it’s hard to come up with something impactful, but not overpowered…

[Realistic_Turn2374]

Number 4 is probably my favourite.

[Koala_eiO]

Don’t worry about how civs are labeled in-game.

> 3: Archer with low attack that ignores armor

Yes.

A unique archer with 2 attack would work well.

That translates to 2+2 and 2+4 guaranteed damage in castle and imperial age which is solid without being overpowered.

We can also not give bracer to the civ if we want for a decent 2+3.

The only problem I see is that the damage would have to be applied only to humans.

You don’t want siege and boats to receive that much damage.

[thz787]

>3: Archer with low attack that ignores armor

hehehe i loved this one hehe

Where are the huskarls??

I have a lot of unfinished business w them

[Prime406]

> Lumberjacks don’t need a drop off point (Decent)

This would be insanely OP

1.

not having to make lumber camps

2.

not requiring villagers to walk to drop off
* vills also won’t get stuck and stop working

3.

much easier to take wood safely

4.

even more OP on maps without proper woodlines

[Blocklies]

After testing archers affected by squires it doesn’t feel overwhelmingly strong, definitely a good bonus (better than free Korean armor) but for comparison they move at a speed comparable to hand cannons+wagenburg tactics.

Of course this wasn’t in a real game but people are over estimating faster archers.

I’ve never got Wagenburg tactics and felt like my hand cannons were unstoppable.

[dcdemirarslan]

Archer shots remove 1 pierce armor or melee armor until they hit 0

[durielvs]

I would change number 6 for something more subtle.

something along the lines of lumberjacks collecting wood even before cutting down the tree.

The civilization could be the Olmec who used to use a bow in which lying on the floor they used their feet to shoot with more force.

I would try to create a civilization that does not have ballistics or thumb ring but that as compensation hits more or the arrows that do not hit the target do full damage

[Futuralis]

> 5: Trees contain more wood (Pretty weak till late game)

Mayans already have this, albeit in a toned down version for all resources.

[varunpikachu]

Don’t care about the labelling, Dravidians are an elephant archer civ too!

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