Horse Archer (Age of Empires)

Template:AoEUnitsHorse Archers are ranged cavalry units that are featured in Age of Empires.

Strategy

The Horse Archer is a fast ranged cavalry that can be made during the Iron Age in the Archery Range. Horse Archers are one the more expensive archery units, but their decent attack, good range and most importantly its high speed makes them one of the best units of the Iron Age.

Although a horse archer has only a tenth as many hit points as an Elephant Archer, it has much greater speed. Having this key ability allows them to outmaneuver most units under open terrain. Under ideal conditions in one on one combat, horse archers dominate the field. As a result, this makes them a great choice in guerilla warfare. However, due to its fragility, their attacking potential becomes less powerful the more they are bunched together on the battlefield where they can be prime targets for siege weaponry that does area of effect damage. The Horse Archer can be upgraded to a more powerful Heavy Horse Archer once Iron Age is reached.

Upgrades

Tool Age

• Leather Armor: for archers increases armour by 2.
• Woodworking: increases range by 1.

Bronze Age

• Scale Armor: for archers increases armour by 2.
• Artisanship: increases range by 1.
• Nobility: increases hit points by 15%.

Iron Age

• Alchemy: increases attack by 1.
• Ballistics: increases accuracy.
• Chain Mail: for archers increases armour by 2.
• Craftsmanship: increases range by 1.

Civilization Bonuses

• Assyrians: Horse Archers have +40% fire rate.
• Hittites: Horse Archers have +1 damage.
• Yamato: Horse Archers are 25% cheaper, therefore costing 37 food and 52 gold.
• Macedonians: Horse Archers are four times more resistant against conversion.
• The Horse Archer is not available for Egyptians, Greeks, Minoans, Phoenicians and Romans.

History

The Horse Archer was the replacement for the Chariot Archers on the ancient battlefields during the Dark Ages. Two of the ranged cavalry had the firepower of one Chariot Archer and they could move faster on the battlefield and

Horse archers can be deadly if used properly in large numbers.

the loss was only one horse and the archer while the Chariot Archer lost both and a chariot.

Soon the Horse Archers use got limited when the Greeks made the Companion cavalry, heavy infantry, and skirmish troops. The Chinese also built the Great Wall to protect themselves against these cavalry and other armies.