Berber Arquebusier
Berber Arquebusier is a Fortress Age ranged infantry unit in Barbary Pirates and Moroccan rosters. Its recorded production route is the European Barracks; scenario-specific access can differ.
Recorded values
- Available
- Fortress Age · European Barracks; Native Embassy (Unknown); Watch Tower (Unknown)
- Training
- 25 sec · 1 population · 11 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 120 hit points · 30% ranged resistance · 4.0 speed · 24 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 5 damage · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: 2.0x vs. Light ranged cavalry; 2.0x vs. Ranged shock trooper; 2.0x vs. Heavy infantry; 0.75x vs. Cavalry; 0.75x vs. Shock troops
- Ranged attack
- 14 damage · 20 range · 3.0 attack interval · bonuses: 2.5x vs. Light ranged cavalry; 2.5x vs. Ranged shock trooper; 2.0x vs. Heavy infantry; 0.6x vs. Cavalry; 0.6x vs. Shock troops
- Siege attack
- 11 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval
Role, availability & values
Production is available through European Barracks. It has 120 hit points and 30% ranged resistance. It moves at 4.0 speed and uses 1 population. Training costs 40 Food and 65 Coin; it takes 25 seconds to train. Attack profile: Hand attack deals 5 damage. Ranged attack deals 14 damage. Siege attack deals 11 damage. Hand attack bonuses: 2.0× against Light ranged cavalry, 2.0× against Ranged shock trooper, 2.0× against Heavy infantry, 0.75× against Cavalry, and 0.75× against Shock troops. Ranged attack bonuses: 2.5× against Light ranged cavalry, 2.5× against Ranged shock trooper, 2.0× against Heavy infantry, 0.6× against Cavalry, and 0.6× against Shock troops.
Matchup & timing
Use the Arquebusier’s 20-range attack to keep pressure on Heavy Infantry and ranged cavalry from behind a screen; its listed ranged multipliers are 2× against Heavy Infantry and 2.5× against Light ranged cavalry and Ranged shock troops. Cavalry and Shock troops take reduced damage, so retreat behind the frontline when they close.
Long-range infantry mercenary
The Berber Arquebusier is a Fortress Age ranged infantry unit available from European Barracks and certain Native Embassy or Watch Tower rosters. It costs 40 Food and 65 Coin, takes 25 seconds to train and uses one population. It has 120 hit points, 30% ranged resistance, speed 4 and an unusually long 24 line of sight. Its 14-damage ranged attack reaches range 20 every three seconds. It deals 2.5× damage to Light Ranged Cavalry and Ranged Shock Troops and 2× to Heavy Infantry, while its damage is reduced against Cavalry and Shock troops. The Arquebusier therefore targets specialist ranged units and heavy infantry; it is not a general answer to every cavalry unit. Keep it behind a screen and use its reach to fire before an opponent’s short-range troops can respond. The five-damage hand attack is a last resort, not a reason to allow melee units to close. Its 11-damage siege attack can help against an exposed structure, but should not pull the unit away from its primary ranged role.
Counterplay and roster access
The Berber Arquebusier’s long range is valuable when it can select targets from a protected line. Focus fire on Light Ranged Cavalry or Ranged Shock Troops, then reposition if those units withdraw and the opponent advances with heavy cavalry. Its 30% ranged resistance helps it trade against other shooters, yet 120 hit points leaves it vulnerable to artillery or concentrated damage. Use the 24 line of sight to reveal an approaching force, but keep a scout or frontline unit in place so the Arquebusier does not become the first contact. Access varies between Tavern, Barracks, Native Embassy and scenario rosters; identify the civilization’s actual source before including the unit in a timing plan. A Fortress Age unit can arrive later than ordinary counter-skirmishers, so do not rely on it to stop an early cavalry raid. Its Food and Coin cost is affordable for a one-population mercenary, but repeated training still competes with age-up or artillery resources. Add it to a mixed army when the opponent’s composition contains the targets it is designed to punish.
When the Arquebusier belongs in the army
Choose the Arquebusier when scouting shows that the enemy has Light Ranged Cavalry, Ranged Shock Troops or Heavy Infantry that can be engaged from range. A group’s 20-range attack can begin firing before many units respond, and the 2.5× multiplier turns that reach into meaningful specialist damage. Its normal shot is less compelling against targets outside those classes, so balance the force with units that can answer heavy cavalry and Shock troops. A Fort or other forward production source can reduce reinforcement travel, but should not be exposed while the enemy controls the area. The single-population cost helps fit the Arquebusier into a formation, though the 25-second training time still requires preparation for an upcoming battle. Do not use the 30% ranged resistance as permission to stand still under artillery fire; move the unit when the opponent changes target or brings siege.
Avoid its unfavorable close matchups
Although the Arquebusier has 30% ranged resistance, it is vulnerable when Cavalry and Shock troops close. The 0.6 ranged multiplier against both classes makes a direct exchange inefficient, and its hand attack is also penalized against them. Keep an infantry or cavalry screen in front, and retreat behind it when the opponent commits. Its long sight range is best used to detect a push early, not to stand at the front of the army.
Use its sight to protect the firing line
The Arquebusier’s 24 line of sight can reveal a push before it reaches the rest of the army. Keep it within supporting distance and use that warning to reposition the screen. The long-range shot favors a prepared formation; it does not justify sending one Arquebusier forward to scout alone.
Decide when to disengage
If the opponent fields artillery, heavy cavalry or Shock troops, do not allow the Arquebusier line to stand and trade. Its best targets are specialist ranged units; reposition behind the army and preserve the one-population group for a better matchup.
Long-range mercenary rifle and target bonuses
The Berber Arquebusier is a Fortress Age ranged-infantry unit with an unusually long 20-range shot. Its 14 base damage is multiplied against Light ranged cavalry, Ranged shock troopers and Heavy infantry, while attacks against Cavalry and Shock troops are reduced. That narrow profile makes it a specialized answer rather than an all-purpose skirmisher. At 120 hit points and 30% ranged resistance, it can trade at distance, but four speed makes retreat difficult once fast units close in. Focus fire on the listed targets, keep the unit behind a screen and avoid allowing cavalry to reach the firing line.
Roster and production context
The European Barracks is the recorded production route in the Barbary Pirates and Moroccan rosters, with other alliance or scenario access potentially varying. It costs 40 Food and 65 Coin, uses one population and trains in 25 seconds. Native Embassy and Watch Tower entries can appear with unknown access conditions, so verify the actual in-game roster instead of treating those as universal routes. The 11-damage siege attack is a minor contribution against structures, not the reason to hire the unit. Use Arquebusiers when the opponent fields the cavalry-adjacent or heavy-infantry classes they counter, and preserve Coin for the rest of the mercenary or military plan.