Elefante Ballesta Élite

The Ballista Elephant's main advantage over the standard Scorpion is their higher degree of self-sufficiency. This is due to a combination of their much higher hit points and no minimum range. Their lack of minimum range also makes them better at micro than Scorpions. Mixing Hussars with the Ballista Elephant is the best way to aid them, as the Hussars give Ballista Elephants the speed and anti-siege support they need. While they have the same pass-through damage as Scorpions, the Ballista Elephant's projectile works differently in that it only travels slightly beyond its target before hitting the ground, while the Scorpion's projectile always travels to its maximum range regardless of how far away its target is. This means that if the Ballista Elephant is firing at a close-range target, the projectile will hit the ground fairly early. The main competition for the Ballista Elephant is a composition of Elite Battle Elephants and Heavy Scorpions. The Ballista Elephants' main advantage is their lower cost, both in terms of investment and per unit, making them better in 1v1 games. On the other hand, they lack the damage output of Heavy Scorpions, so Elite Battle Elephants and Heavy Scorpions are better in team games. As the Ballista Elephant is internally classified as a cavalry unit, there are many differences they have from normal siege units. Monks can heal them and convert them without needing Redemption. They can also garrison in Castles and are affected by Stable technologies and the cavalry armor technologies. The main counter to Ballista Elephants is the Onager, as it deals substantial bonus damage against them. Additionally, they take bonus damage from anti-elephant units like Halberdiers and Heavy Camel Riders. However, their lack of minimum range and ranged attack means they can fend off these units to a decent degree if protected. They are also very expensive and are usually not used until the Imperial Age. Rams and Siege Elephants are also very potent counters, as both have high enough pierce armor to nullify the damage done by Ballista Elephants to just 1 per shot, and both have bonus damage against siege weapons, so end up doing severe damage when close to them. Flaming Camels can be good against a large group of them as well due to their blast radius. However, their lack of any pierce armor means some can be destroyed before they reach the Ballista Elephants. Unlike the Scorpion, the Ballista Elephant can cut down trees. This can be incredibly useful on maps with dense forests such as Black Forest or Arena, especially considering that they are the only unit available in the Castle Age that can do so. However, this is time-consuming, as only a single tree is cut with each shot.