Archers (Total War: Three Kingdoms)

A significant step up from Militia Archers in every way

Archers are a Ranged Infantry unit available from the Tech Tree (Reforms) in Total War: Three Kingdoms. They reach their maximum capability when recruited in Strategist retinues that improve the amount of ammunition they can carry as well as several other outstanding buffs provided by the Strategist skill tree.

Overview

For Han Factions, unlocking Archers is only a slight deviation from other early priorities and well worth it if your campaign is going to stress a strong military early on. In open field engagements and sieges, Archers can be exceptionally useful in several ways. In the early game they outrange Militia Archers, and while Crossbowmen outrange Archers, the more expensive Crossbowmen do not have Flaming Shot. Flaming Shot causes moral loss to enemy troops and also can set aflame forest foliage, buildings and towers. It may be best to have a mix of both for the advantages they each provide. Buffs from Strategists can also increase the range of Archer retinues and armour piercing damage. Bandit Generals can make Poison Arrows available once the appropriate skills are acquired.

Proper Use

Archers are usually positioned directly behind your main battle line so as to make the most of their ranged attack. In this position they are protected from Cavalry while they demoralize and whittle down the enemy as the two lines come together. Alternatively, they can be set directly in front of your line at the outset to harass the enemy line and quickly pulled back to safety before the lines clash. Manually controlling Archer targets is recommended if the enemy has a healthy number of shielded units on their line. It is better to manually target unshielded spear infantry units or any units with exposed flanks as a first choice.

Recruiting Options

As a basic rule, for a Han Faction, it is decidedly better to recruit most of your Archers with Strategist heroes due to the large variety of buffs they will provide. Strategist, Sentinel and Commander characters with the Composure Skill will unlock Flaming Shot (fire arrows) for their Archer Militia and Archer retinues. Strategists and Sentinels also have the Precision skill (+10% ranged AP damage, +10% firing rate), but Sentinels can't recruit (regular) Archers or Crossbowmen.

Han Factions can recruit Bandit Hero units and they provide some interesting alternative skills. The Ruthlessness skill is available on Bandit Strategists, Bandit Commanders and Bandit Sentinel characters which unlocks Poison Arrows plus a separate range buff when commanding. Bandit Strategists also have the Precision skill in their tree, with same bonuses it normally provides. A Bandit Strategist if properly leveled could provide Archer retinues with flaming shot, +10% Range, +10% rate of fire, +10% AP damage, +10% base damage and Poison Arrows with all of the above. Wow. The Treachery skill is available on Bandit Champion characters and also unlocks Poison Arrows - for a Champion retinue. Wow. If you recruit some of these characters you may want to take advantage of these skills at some point. In view of these options, there may be times when recruiting Archers with Generals other than Han Strategists makes strategic sense, and might be fun to try.

• Type: Medium Archers
• Base cost to recruit: 320
• Base unit upkeep: 110

Description

In-game (vanilla units)

Ranged Infantry units are relatively inexpensive soldiers that do more than their fair share of work disposing of enemy soldiers on the battlefield. When handled adeptly, they will rapidly increase their skill and efficiency in doing their deadly duties with few losses of their own. These well trained and moderately armored Archers are a cornerstone of a strong army and they support and compliment each element of the combined force. They are worth the extra cost if you are at war and your economy allows it.