Arbalester
ArcherBase values, before Blacksmith upgrades. The Blacksmith raises attack and armour for infantry, cavalry and archers — Blast Furnace, for instance, gives "+2 Attack for infantry & cavalry". Late in a game, the real numbers are higher.
Stop searching after the game
The coach calls out counters live, the moment the unit shows up.
Try it freeEvolution
The coach's briefing
The Arbalester is your Imperial Age ranged killer. 40 HP, 6 attack, and 5 range make you devastating in mass. Your job is simple: stay behind your meatshield and fire non-stop. Halberdiers protect you from cavalry, you protect them from infantry. Watch out for Siege Onagers - one shot wipes your entire army. Elite Skirmishers and Huskarls are also death sentences. Pair with siege of your own to push and always have Bracer researched for maximum power.
STRONG AGAINST
You win these trades cost-effectively.
WEAK AGAINST
Avoid these fights or bring support.
Just lost against this unit?
Your coach names the counters during the match — not once the game is over.
Strategic Analysis
Tactical Identity
The Arbalester is the **Imperial Age ranged backbone**. In mass, they shred infantry and villagers. Combined with Halberdiers and Siege, they form the classic 'Arb/Halb/Siege' death ball that dominates many late-game scenarios.
Tactical Playbook
Arb/Halb/Siege
The holy trinity: Halbs block cavalry, Arbs kill infantry and siege operators, Siege breaks buildings. This composition beats most armies in straight fights.
Micro Dodging
Against Onagers, split your Arbalesters into small groups. A single blob dies to one shot - spread formations survive multiple volleys.
Trade Push
In late game, push with mass Arbs toward enemy trade. Delete trade carts to starve their gold while your trash units sustain.
Critical Point
Siege Onager and Huskarls are **instant army deletions**. Elite Elite Elite Huskarls have 8 pierce armor - your arrows deal 1 damage each. Never engage Goths without infantry support.
Understanding The Stats
The Arbalester maximizes the Archer line's potential. Higher HP and damage let you trade more efficiently, but the core vulnerabilities to siege and pierce-armored units remain.
Max HP
40 HP is the most in the Archer line. With Ring Archer Armor (+2/+2), you become surprisingly tanky against other archers.
Peak Damage
6 base attack + Bracer (+1) + Blacksmith (+2) = 9 damage per arrow. In mass, that's devastating DPS.
Still Slow
Your speed never improves. Hussars (1.5) will always catch you. Keep Halbs between you and cavalry at all times.
Upgrade Cost
Expensive upgrade. Only research when you have 20+ Crossbows and plan to fight in Imperial Age. Otherwise, save the resources.
Coach's Tip
40 HP is good but not great. Your real power is in numbers - 30 Arbs firing together deal 180 damage per volley. Mass up, stay together, and melt anything that isn't armored.
Mechanics & Bonuses
Attack Bonuses
| Target | Bonus Dmg |
|---|---|
| Spearman | +3 |
Armor Classes
Archer
Vulnerable to Skirmishers and Huskarls.
Key Upgrades
Civilizations
* 27 civilizations have access to this unit.
Other Units
AoE Coach analysis
Context & meta
The Arbalester is the final Crossbowman upgrade and the backbone of every archer civilization's Imperial Age army. It is a hard-hitting, gold-cost ranged unit that excels against infantry and other archers, and with full upgrades (Bracer, Chemistry, Thumb Ring, Ballistics) it becomes a devastating ranged DPS unit. Massed Arbalests melt infantry, win archer mirrors, and shred most Castle Age holdovers. They are the core of civilizations like Britons, Mongols, Ethiopians, Vietnamese and Mayans in the lategame, supported by Skirmishers, siege and a few melee units to screen against cavalry.
History & balance
The Crossbowman line (Archer → Crossbowman → Arbalester) is one of the oldest progressions in the game. The "Arbalest" was renamed "Arbalester" in the Definitive Edition. Balance work has repeatedly tuned Arbalest cost and research time to control how dominant archer civilizations are in the lategame. Supporting techs — especially Bracer (+1 attack/+1 range) and Thumb Ring (100% accuracy) — define the Arbalest's real power, so civilizations missing those techs field noticeably weaker Arbalests. The unit remains the gold-standard ranged DPS unit for the entire archer archetype.
In pro play
Arbalests are the centerpiece of archer-civ lategames. Pros transition Crossbows into Arbalests the moment Imperial Age hits, stacking Bracer and Thumb Ring for maximum range and accuracy. The classic Arbalest + Skirmisher + Onager composition is a textbook archer endgame: Arbalests deal the damage, Skirmishers tank enemy archers, and Onagers prevent the opponent from massing a counter. Arbalest control is what separates archer players — keeping the line at max range, focus-firing, and retreating before cavalry connects. It is the most micro-intensive and rewarding lategame unit for skilled players.
How to counter it
Skirmishers are the textbook hard counter — pierce armor and anti-archer bonus, and they are gold-free, so you can trade them endlessly into gold-cost Arbalests. Cavalry of any kind runs Arbalests down; the Arbalest player must always screen with Pikes or terrain. Mangonels and Onagers are the great equalizer, wiping clumped Arbalests with a single shot. Siege Rams absorb their fire. The strategic counter is forcing engagements where the Arbalest cannot kite — chokepoints, your own siege splash, or cavalry dives onto unprotected lines. Never feed infantry into massed Arbalests in the open.