Fletching
Blacksmith - FeudalEvolution
Fletching
Feudal
Bodkin Arrow
Castle
Bracer
Imperial
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"+1 Attack, +1 Range for archers"
Coach's Tip
Fletching is the first archer attack upgrade, giving +1 attack and +1 range. This is essential for any archer strategy and should be researched early in Feudal Age.
Strategic Analysis
Strategic Identity
Fletching is the first archer attack upgrade, giving +1 attack and +1 range. This is essential for any archer strategy and should be researched early in Feudal Age.
When to Research
High Priority
Research Fletching as soon as you have the resources and are using archery units.
Combat Impact
+1 Attack, +1 Range for archers
Affected Units
This technology improves 12 units.
Civilization Access
* 53 civilizations have access to this technology.
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Other Technologies to Explore
AoE Coach analysis
Context & meta
Fletching is the first Blacksmith ranged-attack upgrade, granting +1 attack and +1 range to all archers, and +1 range to defensive buildings like Town Centers, Towers and Castles. Costing only 100 food / 50 gold in Feudal Age, it is one of the highest-priority early techs for any archer civilization. The +1 range is especially powerful: it lets your archers and Towers hit before the enemy can, which compounds enormously in archer-vs-archer fights and tower defenses. Fletching is the foundation of the Feudal and Castle Age archer power curve, researched before almost anything else by archer players.
History & balance
Fletching, Bodkin Arrow and Bracer form the three-tier Blacksmith ranged-attack line, unchanged in structure since the earliest versions of the game. Fletching's low cost and Feudal availability make it a near-automatic research. The Definitive Edition kept its values stable because it is perfectly balanced — cheap enough to grab early, impactful enough to define archer timings. Civilizations that get Fletching cheaper or instantly (via bonuses) gain a meaningful archer-war edge, which is why the tech is a frequent target of civ-specific bonuses.
In pro play
Archer players research Fletching the moment they commit to a Crossbow timing — the +1 range and +1 attack are what make a Castle Age archer push lethal. In archer mirrors, the player who finishes Fletching (and Bodkin Arrow) first can out-range and out-damage the opponent, often deciding the fight. Fletching also boosts Tower and Town Center range, so it doubles as a defensive tech for tower-rush and defensive builds. Casters track the Fletching/Bodkin timing as a key indicator of an archer player's power spike.
How to counter it
Fletching is a tech, not a unit — you counter the archer power it enables, not the tech itself. If your opponent invests in Fletching for an archer push, Skirmishers (with their pierce armor and anti-archer bonus) blunt it, and your own Fletching keeps your defensive Towers competitive. Mangonels ignore the range advantage entirely with splash. The strategic note: assume any archer civ has Fletching by early Castle Age and never trade unupgraded archers into upgraded ones. Race the upgrade or switch to a unit class (Skirmishers, cavalry, siege) that Fletching does not empower.