Tupi Blackwood Archer
Tupi Blackwood Archer is ranged infantry in Age of Empires III, available from the Commerce Age; obtained through Trading Post or Tambo on a Tupi settlement, Native Embassy.
Recorded values
- Available
- Commerce Age · Trading Post or Tambo on a Tupi settlement; Native Embassy
- Training
- 30 sec · 10 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 80 hit points · 10% ranged resistance · 4.0 speed · 22 line of sight
- Ranged attack
- 19 base damage · range 20 · attack interval 1.5 · bonus damage: 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
- 10 base damage · range 6 · attack interval 3.0
- Hand attack
- 16 base damage · attack interval 1.5 · bonus damage: 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
- Poison damage
- 1 base damage · attack interval 1.0 · bonus damage: 0.5x vs. Cavalry; 0.5x vs. Heavy cavalry; 0.5x vs. Shock troops; 0.5x vs. Hand shock trooper · requires Tupi Poison Arrow Frogs
Role, availability & values
Production is available through Trading Post or Tambo on a Tupi settlement or Native Embassy. It has 80 hit points and 10% ranged resistance. It moves at 4.0 speed. Training costs 50 Food and 50 Wood; it takes 30 seconds to train. Attack profile: Ranged attack: 19 damage at range 20; every 1.5 seconds. Siege attack: 10 damage at range 6; every 3.0 seconds. Hand attack: 16 damage; every 1.5 seconds. Poison damage: 1 damage; every 1.0 seconds.
Matchup & timing
Keep this ranged unit behind a screen and let it fire before melee troops can reach it. Its listed attack reaches 20 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.
High-damage native archer profile
The Tupi Blackwood Archer is a Commerce Age ranged Native warrior trained at a Trading Post or Tambo on a Tupi settlement, or at a Native Embassy where available. It costs 50 Food and 50 Wood, takes 30 seconds to train and has a limit of 16 per Tupi settlement in Definitive Edition. Its 80 hit points, 10 percent ranged resistance and speed 4 make it fragile and slow compared with many Cavalry units. Its strengths are the 19-damage ranged attack, range 20 and 1.5-second firing interval, plus sight 22. It deals 2.5 times damage to Light Ranged Cavalry and Ranged Shock troops and twice damage to Heavy Infantry, but only 0.6 times to Cavalry and Shock troops. As a Native warrior it uses no population, though it still costs resources and is capped per settlement. Keep it behind a frontline and use its exceptional attack to punish target classes it counters.
Range, firing animation and damage output
The Blackwood Archer’s long range and strong attack make it dangerous when given a stationary firing lane. Its setup animation prevents it from kiting as smoothly as some ranged units, so moving between shots can reduce its sustained output. From the Commerce Age, an unupgraded Blackwood Archer can deal 38 damage per shot to Heavy Infantry before other modifiers, with a three-second cycle when accounting for its 1.5 attack interval as described in the unit comparison. This can rival or exceed later-age anti-Heavy Infantry fire, but the archer has only 80 hit points and can be removed quickly if an opponent reaches it. Its 22 sight lets it see beyond the 20 attack range and helps detect a threat before it enters firing distance. Set the group behind a screen, let it finish its setup and focus fire instead of walking it across open ground under ranged pressure.
Poison arrows and Tupi upgrades
Tupi Poison Arrow Frogs adds poison damage attached to the Blackwood Archer’s ranged attack. The poison deals one damage each second for four seconds, can stack and applies at half effectiveness against Cavalry, Heavy Cavalry, Shock troops and Hand Shock troops. This effect adds pressure over time and rewards repeated hits, particularly against Infantry that remains in range. Tupi Warrior Societies upgrades the unit to Elite with 25 percent more hit points and damage; it costs 100 Wood and 75 Coin in Definitive Edition, compared with 200 of each resource earlier. Champion Tupi then costs 400 Wood and 300 Coin, requires the first upgrade and adds 35 percent in the current version, compared with 40 percent before Definitive Edition. Legendary Native Warriors or Exalted Natives gives a further 50 percent native improvement where available. The rank upgrades improve survivability as well as attack, which matters because the base archer’s health is low.
Matchups and formation support
The Blackwood Archer is strongest against Heavy Infantry, Light Ranged Cavalry and Ranged Shock troops. The Heavy Infantry multiplier matches a Skirmisher’s class role, but the Tupi archer begins available in the Commerce Age and attacks with substantially higher base damage. Cavalry and Shock troops are poor targets because its ranged damage is reduced against them, and its weak health makes a close engagement dangerous. Use melee or anti-cavalry units to protect the line, and another fast unit to chase threats that try to flank. Its hand attack deals 16 damage with bonuses against Light Ranged Cavalry, Ranged Shock troops and Heavy Infantry, but that is a fallback rather than a reason to accept melee contact. The Archer’s speed and sight do not make it a kiting unit because of its firing setup; move it early, then let it fire from cover. Its 10 siege damage is for opportunistic structure pressure after combat, not a substitute for dedicated siege.
Cards, cap and historical balance changes
The Home City access and upgrade cards for Native warriors vary by civilization, so check the Tupi settlement and card pool before planning a shipment-based force. The local training limit is 16 per settlement, up from 15 before Definitive Edition, and training time rose from 20 to 30 seconds. Its attack against key ranged classes increased from a 2.0 multiplier to 2.5 in update 13.58326, while the Cavalry and Shock troop multipliers were reduced. Definitive Edition raised its range from 18 to 20 and sight from 20 to 22. These changes explain why older guides may describe a shorter-ranged archer with weaker anti-ranged-cavalry damage. Use the current profile for present-day builds. The 16-unit cap and 30-second queue also mean that protecting the Tupi site is important; after a lost engagement, a full replacement group takes time even though it costs no population.
Choosing a firing line
A strong Blackwood Archer position gives the unit room to stand still and a protected retreat path. Place it behind a sturdy melee screen or near a building that discourages Cavalry from charging straight through. Its 20 range is long enough to fire over much of the battlefield, but the setup animation means it benefits from being positioned before the enemy arrives. If the opponent sends Artillery, use mobile units to pressure the guns rather than expecting the Archer’s low health to withstand counterfire. If the opponent sends Heavy Infantry, concentrate the Blackwood Archers’ high damage and poison effect on a few targets at a time. The unit’s unusual early power can force an enemy to change composition, but it needs support to remain useful after the initial exchange.
Interpreting the damage profile
The 19 base ranged damage is only part of the Archer’s value. A 2.5 multiplier against Light Ranged Cavalry and Ranged Shock troops raises each shot to 47.5 before other bonuses, while the two-times Heavy Infantry multiplier raises it to 38. Conversely, the current 0.6 multiplier against Cavalry and Shock troops reduces the shot to 11.4. The values explain why a small, protected group can quickly punish the intended targets and why it should not duel Cavalry. Its four-second poison effect adds one damage per second, with half damage against the listed mounted and shock classes, and stacks when attacks repeatedly apply it. Poison complements the strong initial hit rather than replacing it. Because the Archer has a long setup animation, sustained damage requires a firing line that remains in position; frequently retargeting or moving the group can reduce the number of completed volleys.
Home City cards and reinforcement choices
The Tupi Archer appears in Native warrior shipment and combat-card pools for eligible civilizations. Some cards send a small group, while others improve native hit points or attack; the availability depends on the chosen civilization and can differ for revolutions. A card shipment is useful when the ten-to-sixteen unit settlement cap or 30-second training queue makes local reinforcement too slow, but it does not remove the unit’s vulnerability. Protect the Tupi settlement so that a shipment can be followed by local production, and use the Archer’s range to cover the approach from a Native Embassy or Trading Post. If the army is close to the population cap, its Native warrior classification provides an additional advantage, but Food and Wood still have to be budgeted against Settlers and other units.
Protecting the settlement and keeping the line supplied
A Tupi settlement provides both access to the Archer and its local training cap, so a forward Trading Post is a military asset that needs protection. The 16-unit limit per settlement allows a useful force, but the 30-second queue means it cannot replace losses instantly. Keep a second production option or Home City shipment in mind when the battle is far from the site. The Archer’s range 20 can support a push from behind a frontline, but the firing setup makes it less effective when constantly redirected. Assign targets before contact, keep a retreat path and use units with mobility to intercept Cavalry or Artillery. The native warrior population benefit frees army space for that screen, but Food and Wood remain real costs. Replacing a group and its escorts should be part of the same plan.
A specialist rather than a general-purpose archer
The Archer’s high damage can be misleading if the target class and firing setup are ignored. It is exceptionally effective against Heavy Infantry and certain ranged Cavalry, but its reduced Cavalry damage and low health make it poor in a direct all-purpose exchange. Place it where it can complete volleys, then use a screen to keep melee units away. Its long sight and range reward planning the firing line before combat begins.
Maintaining a safe firing range
The Archer’s 20 range and 22 sight let it begin attacking before many enemies can respond, but only if it has time to settle into its firing animation. Keep a clear retreat corridor behind the line and avoid placing the group where Cavalry can surround it. Its low health means even a few attackers reaching the formation can erase the advantage of its high damage.
High-damage archer with a fragile profile
The Tupi Blackwood Archer trades durability and ranged resistance for a stronger, fast-firing attack. In Definitive Edition it has the same range as a Skirmisher, and its bonus against Heavy Infantry lets it punish exposed infantry formations. Its lower health makes screening important: keep it behind melee units or terrain, focus fire and withdraw when Cavalry closes. Treat it as a damage dealer, not a unit that can hold the front by itself.
Use range and upgrades to control the fight
The Blackwood Archer’s rapid fire can apply pressure before an enemy reaches the line, but its low ranged resistance makes return volleys dangerous. Pair it with Mapuche or other anti-Cavalry support and avoid trading into artillery. The unit can help a Native force challenge Heavy Infantry, while a separate siege unit handles buildings. Check the current age and alliance upgrades because its attack and durability change with improvements; a strong ranged profile still needs protection and population planning.