

The Crossbows takes a long time to reload, and should therefore be kept in the back lines of an army. It shots often take out normal melee and archer units with one shot, though cavalry takes a little more most of the time. The Crossbow is the archer with the most damage in the game. It can first be trained during the Middle Ages. Chariot/Cavalry Archers take two population points, but is still rather cheap to train, costing 45 gold and 60 wood. Cavalry Archers are useful for taking out Siege weapons as their speed can help them avoid shots and their ranged attacks help them to employ hit-and-run tactics. In the Bronze Age, you can train the Chariot Archers and in the Middle Ages you can train Cavalry Archers. The Cavalry Archer line is another two-unit-line. The Javelins are equal to the Archer line in regard to cost and population. The Javelin/Pilum is useful for counter shock units like sword infantry and shock cavalry, however they are dell easily to Archer line. In the Bronze Age you get the ability to train Javelins at the Archery Range and in the Dark Age you can upgrade them to Pilums.

The normal archers are rather cheap, costing only 30 gold and 40 wood and takes up one population. This line is useful en masse and for shooting over walls. In the Copper age it changes to Simple Bowman, in Dark Age it changes to Composite Bow and it ends with Long Bow in the Middle Ages. It starts in the Stone age with the Slinger. The Archery Range has only five different unit lines available.
