Fulani Archer
Fulani Archer is Hausa ranged infantry in Age of Empires III, available from the Commerce Age; obtained through War Camp, Fort, Battle Canoe, American Citadel. Its listed ability is Gathers from herdable animals.
Recorded values
- Available
- Commerce Age · War Camp; Fort; Battle Canoe; American Citadel
- Training
- 27 sec · 1 population · 11 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 120 hit points · 20% ranged resistance · 4.25 speed · 20 line of sight
- Ranged attack
- 9 base damage · range 0-17 · attack interval 1.5 · bonus damage: 2.5x vs. Light ranged cavalry; 2.5x vs. Ranged shock trooper; 1.75x vs. Heavy infantry; 0.6x vs. Cavalry; 0.6x vs. Shock troops
- Siege attack
- 9 base damage · range 6 · attack interval 3.0
- Hand attack
- 7 base damage · attack interval 1.5 · bonus damage: 2.0x vs. Light ranged cavalry; 2.0x vs. Ranged shock trooper; 1.75x vs. Heavy infantry; 0.75x vs. Cavalry; 0.75x vs. Shock troops
- Long range attack
- 13 base damage · range 17-21 · attack interval 3.0 · bonus damage: 2.5x vs. Light ranged cavalry; 2.5x vs. Ranged shock trooper; 1.75x vs. Heavy infantry; 0.6x vs. Cavalry; 0.6x vs. Shock troops · requires Fulani Migrations
- Ability
- Gathers from herdable animals
Role, availability & values
Production is available through War Camp, Fort, Battle Canoe, or American Citadel. It has 120 hit points and 20% ranged resistance. It moves at 4.25 speed and uses 1 population. Training costs 70 Food and 35 Wood; it takes 27 seconds to train. Attack profile: Ranged attack: 9 damage at range 0-17; every 1.5 seconds. Siege attack: 9 damage at range 6; every 3.0 seconds. Hand attack: 7 damage; every 1.5 seconds. Long range attack: 13 damage at range 17-21; every 3.0 seconds. Special ability or role: Gathers from herdable animals.
Matchup & timing
Keep this ranged unit behind a screen and let it fire before melee troops can reach it. Its listed attack reaches 0-17 range and is especially useful against Light ranged cavalry, Ranged shock trooper, and Heavy infantry. If Light ranged cavalry, Ranged shock trooper, and Heavy infantry close in, use the hand-attack bonus while the rest of the formation protects the line.
Ranged modes and herdable gathering
The Fulani Archer is a Hausa ranged infantry unit available from the Commerce Age. It costs 70 Food and 35 Wood, uses one population, trains in 27 seconds and has 120 hit points, 20% ranged resistance, speed 4.25 and line of sight 20. Its regular ranged attack deals nine damage at range 0–17 every 1.5 seconds, while Long Range Attack deals 13 damage from range 17–21 every three seconds. This gives the archer a choice between more frequent fire at ordinary range and a slower, stronger shot at distance. The unit also has a seven-damage hand attack and nine siege damage, and it can gather from herdable animals. That economic ability can help when animals are available, but it should not pull the archer away from the army if a fight is imminent. One population and a Food-and-Wood cost allow a group to support Hausa cavalry, but 120 hit points makes the unit vulnerable if enemies close. Use the longer-range mode to pressure targets from a safer line and keep a screen against cavalry or melee units. War Camp, Fort, Battle Canoe or American Citadel access depends on the game mode. The Fulani Archer belongs to the Hausa in The African Royals; do not conflate its two firing profiles with those of a standard Skirmisher.
Switching between range profiles
The Fulani Archer’s Long Range Attack reaches 17–21 and deals 13 damage every three seconds, while the ordinary shot fires nine damage more frequently at range 0–17. Use the long shot to pressure a distant target from a safer position, then switch to the regular profile as the enemy enters closer range. Keep the one-population unit behind a screen and use its ability to gather from herdable animals only when the economy and battlefield permit. It costs 70 Food and 35 Wood and can be trained from the War Camp, Fort, Battle Canoe or American Citadel under relevant conditions. Its 120 hit points and speed 4.25 make it vulnerable if melee units close, so use Hausa cavalry or other infantry to protect it.
Animal gathering and combat
The Fulani Archer can gather from herdables, but the unit is also a one-population ranged soldier. Decide whether it should support the army or economy at a given moment; it cannot safely perform both tasks on an exposed front.
Two firing ranges and herdable utility
The Fulani Archer’s two ranged profiles change how it should be micro-managed. Its ordinary attack deals 9 damage every 1.5 seconds at range 0–17, while Long Range Attack deals 13 damage every 3 seconds from range 17–21. The longer shot reaches farther but fires less often; use it to begin pressure or keep the unit outside the opponent’s immediate reach, then return to the regular profile once the fight closes. It costs 70 Food and 35 Wood, takes 27 seconds to train and uses one population. With 120 hit points, 20% ranged resistance and speed 4.25, it is a modestly durable ranged soldier, not a unit that should be left in contact with cavalry or melee infantry. The Fulani Archer can also gather from herdable animals, a useful economic option when no engagement is underway. Do not let that utility scatter the army: a worker assignment and a combat assignment compete for the same unit. Hausa production buildings and certain alternate sources provide access from the Commerce Age; confirm the mode’s available roster before planning a reinforcement route.
Maintaining a safe firing line
Because the ordinary shot fires more frequently, switch out of Long Range Attack when the enemy has closed inside its 17-range boundary. Keep a screen between the archers and melee units, and withdraw damaged groups rather than losing their one-population investment. The Hausa roster can pair them with cavalry or heavier infantry that holds enemy attention.
Hausa archer with two firing distances
The Fulani Archer is Hausa ranged infantry whose weapon profile changes with distance. Its regular attack deals nine damage over a 0–17 range at a 1.5-second interval, while the Long Range attack deals 13 damage from 17 to 21 range at a slower three-second interval. This gives the unit a reason to keep spacing: it can fire from beyond the opponent’s reach, but each long-range shot comes less often. With 120 hit points and 20% ranged resistance, it needs a frontline against cavalry and melee units. Keep a clear firing lane and avoid clustering it where area attacks can hit the whole formation.
Herdable gathering and Hausa production
The War Camp, Fort, Battle Canoe and American Citadel are listed production routes. A Fulani Archer costs 70 Food and 35 Wood, uses one population and trains in 27 seconds. Its ability to gather from herdable animals adds an economic option when livestock is available, but gathering takes the unit away from the army and may expose it. Decide whether the map’s livestock is safe before using this ability. The 9-damage siege attack is secondary; use dedicated siege units against durable structures. Fulani Archers fit a Hausa force that can protect ranged infantry and exploit its two firing ranges, with other units handling targets that can rush the line.
Attack bonuses and movement updates
The Fulani Archer is a Hausa ranged unit with profiles suited to attacking Light Ranged Cavalry, Ranged Shock Troopers and Heavy Infantry. Its current speed is 4.25, down from 4.5 before update 15.30007. The current ranged multipliers are 2.5× against Light Ranged Cavalry and Ranged Shock Troopers, raised from 2.0× before update 13.58326. Its Heavy Infantry modifier is 1.75× now; older values were 1.5× before update 14.3853 and 2.0× before update 13.18214. Against Cavalry and Shock Troops it now deals 0.6×, compared with 0.75× before update 13.58326. These bonuses apply across the listed ranged attack profiles, so it can perform a focused anti-unit role, but it is not meant to trade efficiently into Cavalry or Shock Troops.