Ballestero

Upgrading to Crossbowman increases the Archer's range and attack by 1 each and reduces their training time from 35 seconds to 27 seconds, making this a critical upgrade if the chosen strategy is/involves massing Archers. Archers get stronger in larger numbers by gaining the capability of killing enemy melee units before they can close the gap and attack. For this reason, Crossbowmen are one of the two traditional power units of the Castle Age, along with the Knight. They work especially well with infantry in this regard. On the offense, it is better to put Crossbowmen in a group of melee infantry, as ranged attacks are weak against buildings. Pikemen are an excellent deterrent for cavalry, while friendly cavalry can counter siege units and Elite Skirmishers. If the player has already invested in a Feudal Age Archer rush, upgrading to Crossbowman should be a top priority. In the Castle Age, the Mangonel becomes available, as well as the Knight line. Knights have high pierce armor, high Hit points, and fast speed, allowing them to decimate Crossbowmen if both are in small numbers. When the Crossbowmen reach a critical mass however (and preferably are entrenched in a tight space), they can kill Knights in one volley, evening the odds or even overcoming them. Mixing in a few Pikemen can also help fend off Knights. Mangonels are an effective counter to Crossbowmen. They have a high Area of Effect attack, allowing them to mow down large groups of Crossbowmen quickly and cost-effectively. A fight between Crossbowmen and Mangonels comes down to which player has better micromanagement. A good supplement to Crossbowmen against Mangonels is Light Cavalry, which also happens to deter Monks and cost different types of resources than the archer units. Knights can also be used but they are taxing on the gold economy, have worse speed and Line of Sight, and are prime targets for Monks. Elite Skirmishers are another counter to Crossbowmen, thanks to their high pierce armor and decent damage, but their drawback is that their only use is against Crossbowmen and Pikemen, as they are woefully ineffective at fighting other units, and they are also poor raiding units. Persian Crossbowmen are a special case, as they cannot be upgraded to Arbalesters, but their unique technology Kamandaran replaces their gold cost with more wood cost, making the Crossbowman a trash unit. This turns the Crossbowman into a very affordable unit, and they can be easily massed if the player has a wood surplus. Considering its cost, it can be paired more efficiently with the Savar or the War Elephant, both of which cost food and gold and provide a meatshield for the Crossbowmen.