Crossbowman

Overview

A Castle Age ranged upgrade that improves the archer line’s damage output.

Availability and investment

Crossbowman becomes available in Castle Age. Its listed production context is Archery Range. The listed cost is 25 Wood, 45 Gold and the training time is 27 seconds. This tells you when it can first join an army and which resources must be reserved alongside Villager production, upgrades, and other military lines.

• Upgrade path: Archer → Crossbowman → Arbalester

Combat profile

The available combat values are included here so the numbers can be read as a profile rather than an isolated list. Hit points and armor describe how long the unit can remain exposed; attack and any bonus damage describe what it threatens; range, reload, accuracy, and movement describe how reliably it can engage or disengage. A value shown for a whole upgrade line applies to the listed stages as recorded, so compare the stage names instead of treating the line as one base unit.

• Ranged attack: 5
• Hit points: 35
• Melee armor: 0
• Pierce armor: 0
• Ranged attack: 5
• Range: 5
• Line of sight: 7
• Reload time: 2 seconds
• Movement speed: 0.96
• Accuracy: 85%

Field use

Preserve space between this unit and melee attackers so it can keep firing. Pair it with a screen, focus fire on reachable targets, and avoid letting a faster force surround it.

Armor classes and counters

Armor-class bonuses are separate from base attack and the target’s melee or pierce armor. The class list below shows the unit’s documented combat categories and bonus-damage relationships; use it to judge matchups instead of relying on the unit label alone.

• Armor class: Archer
• Crossbowman deals +3 bonus damage to units in the Spearman class

Related unit plan: Crossbowman mass-upgrade timing

The Crossbowman upgrade improves the Archer line’s range and attack while shortening its training time, so it is most valuable when a Feudal group has survived and can be enlarged Preserve Archers through Feudal Age, save resources for the Castle Age upgrade, and regroup before advancing. Research it as soon as the army and economy can use the timing, then add supporting production and keep the ranged line together to focus targets before melee units can close The upgrade is inefficient for a few isolated Archers and does not protect the group from Mangonels, Skirmishers, or cavalry. Maintain a screen and stop feeding units into prepared counters