Skirmisher

Overview

A low-cost answer to archers with strong pierce armor and bonus damage against ranged targets.

Availability and investment

Skirmisher becomes available in Feudal Age. Its listed production context is Archery Range. The listed cost is 25 Food, 35 Wood and the training time is 26 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: Skirmisher → Elite Skirmisher → Imperial Skirmisher (Vietnamese only)
• Upgrade path: Skirmisher → Elite Skirmisher

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: 2
• Hit points: 30
• Melee armor: 0
• Pierce armor: 3
• Ranged attack: 2
• Range: 4
• Minimum range: 1
• Line of sight: 6
• Reload time: 3 seconds
• Movement speed: 0.96

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
• Armor class: Skirmisher
• Skirmisher deals +3 bonus damage to units in the Spearman class
• Skirmisher deals +3 bonus damage to units in the Archer class
• Skirmisher deals +0 bonus damage to units in the Cavalry archer class
• Skirmisher deals +2 bonus damage to units in the Mameluke class

Related unit plan: Skirmisher archer-counter placement

Skirmisher: Skirmishers are specialist answers to Archer lines, not general-purpose ranged troops. Their attack bonus can make them an efficient way to defend a base or screen other units when the opponent relies on foot archers Scout for ranged production, then keep Skirmishers behind a frontline or near exposed workers. Focus the enemy Archers and use their low-gold cost to maintain a defensive reserve while gold is spent on another unit line Their weak attack and minimum range make them poor against infantry and cavalry. Do not send them forward without protection or continue production after the opponent leaves the Archer line