Flaming Arrow
Flaming Arrow is Fortress Age Japanese artillery with a 28-range Bombard attack. It provides area siege damage through Japanese production and support buildings, giving the army a long-range option against grouped units and structures.
Recorded values
- Available
- Fortress Age · Japanese Castle; Fort; Shogun Tokugawa; American Citadel
- Training
- 38 sec · 4 population · 40 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 175 hit points · 75% ranged resistance · 3.0 speed · 34 line of sight
- Bombard attack
- 75 base damage · range 28 · attack interval 6.0 · area of effect 2 · bonus damage: 5.0x vs. Ship; 3.0x vs. Infantry; 2.0x vs. Building; 0.5x vs. Arrow Knight, 16
Role, availability & values
It is available through a Japanese Castle, Fort, Shogun Tokugawa or American Citadel under the relevant rules. The unit has 75% ranged resistance and uses four population. Its slow movement and attack interval make positioning important; the gun is still vulnerable to units that can close on it.
Matchup & timing
Set Flaming Arrows behind the army before targeting a structure or grouped force. Guard them from Cavalry and avoid moving them into range of enemy siege while repositioning. Reserve enough population for the screen that keeps the artillery firing.
Japanese mobile artillery
The Flaming Arrow is Japanese Fortress Age artillery available in The Asian Dynasties and Definitive Edition. It costs 100 Wood and 300 Coin, takes 38 seconds to train and uses four population. The unit has 175 hit points, 75% ranged resistance, speed 3, and line of sight 34. Its Bombard attack deals 75 damage at range 28, with a two-point area radius and six-second interval. The attack carries 3× damage against Infantry, 5× against Ships and 2× against Buildings, while its damage against Arrow Knights is reduced to 0.5× in Definitive Edition. This target profile makes the Flaming Arrow useful against grouped troops and especially dangerous to ships, though it is weaker than a Falconet’s bombard against many ground targets and fires more slowly. Unlike artillery that changes speed substantially between limber and bombard modes, the Flaming Arrow’s listed movement speed remains constant, letting it reposition with a Japanese force without the same mode tradeoff. It is still a four-population unit with limited hit points, so keep infantry between it and Cavalry. Use its long range and 34 vision to select targets before the opponent can close.
Production, upgrades and version context
Japanese Castles are the normal production source, while Forts, Shogun Tokugawa or the American Citadel can provide access under the relevant rules. Confirm which source your match allows before planning a production route. Home City shipments and Japanese support units can supplement the artillery, but should not be treated as standard training access. A Flaming Arrow is most useful when the army can keep it firing: target ships on water maps, grouped Infantry on an approach, or a structure that must be removed for an advance. Its attack interval is six seconds, so focus fire with several guns when a target must fall quickly and spread the group enough to avoid area counterfire. The gun costs fewer resources than a Heavy Cannon but also has lower hit points and base damage; it is a specialist Japanese artillery choice rather than a direct upgrade to every other gun. Definitive Edition changed the Arrow Knight multiplier to 0.5×, and older guides may omit that penalty. Compare the current version’s card and upgrade effects with the baseline values before calculating a late-game force. Protect the Castle or forward building that supports production, and preserve the artillery rather than trading it for a low-value target.
Target ships and clustered infantry
The Flaming Arrow’s 75-damage Bombard attack reaches 28 and hits an area of two. Its 5× Ship multiplier makes it particularly dangerous to naval targets, while the 3× Infantry bonus rewards firing into a dense formation. The six-second attack interval is slower than many field guns, so focus several arrows on one high-value target when a quick kill matters. Against buildings it has a 2× multiplier, but the gun’s lower base damage and four-population price mean it should support a siege rather than act as the only siege force. Definitive Edition reduces damage against Arrow Knights to 0.5×, another reason to verify target class before selecting a volley.
Reposition before the opponent responds
The Flaming Arrow moves at 3.0 speed, so it can follow a Japanese force, but its four-population cost means it still needs protection while changing targets. Choose the next firing position before moving, and screen the gun during the transition.
Preserve the four-population artillery
A Flaming Arrow represents four population and 400 total resources, so retreat it rather than trading it for a minor building. Keep a Japanese screen nearby, and use the long line of sight to engage targets while the army still controls the route.
Estimate bombard volleys by target class
The Flaming Arrow’s 75-point Bombard attack fires every six seconds and affects an area of two. Before target resistance or upgrades, its multipliers mean 375 damage to Ships, 225 to Infantry, 150 to Buildings and 37.5 to Arrow Knights per hit. The 5× Ship bonus is what makes this Japanese gun unusually dangerous to naval targets; its slower interval means a single shot is not continuous pressure, so focus several guns when a ship must be removed quickly. Its two-point blast radius can catch nearby units, but a spread formation reduces how many targets are hit. Compare target class before ordering a volley, then keep the four-population artillery protected during its firing cycle.