Blackwood Archer
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.
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Blackwood Archer
Castle
Elite Blackwood Archer
ImperialThe coach's briefing
Commander, the Blackwood Archer is the backbone of Tupi ranged warfare. Armed with a recurved blackwood bow, these warriors train in pairs — each costing only 35 wood and 45 gold — making them the cheapest archer in history. Each Blackwood Archer takes only half a population slot, allowing you to field double the army of a conventional civilization. Their individual damage is modest, but their strength lies in overwhelming numbers. A swarm of 40 Blackwood Archers occupying only 20 population slots can devastate unprepared armies. Support them with Ibirapema Warriors to protect against cavalry charges.
STRONG AGAINST
You win these trades cost-effectively.
WEAK AGAINST
Avoid these fights or bring support.
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Your coach names the counters during the match — not once the game is over.
Strategic Analysis
Tactical Identity
The Blackwood Archer is a **quantity over quality** unit designed to exploit the Tupi's economic advantages. At 0.5 population each, you can field twice the archers of any other civilization.
Tactical Playbook
Mass Production
Train from multiple Archery Ranges simultaneously. At 11 seconds per pair, 4 ranges produce 8 archers every 11 seconds. This production speed is unmatched.
Population Efficiency
At 0.5 pop each, a 200-pop army can include 80 Blackwood Archers while still having room for 160 pop worth of other units. This is game-changing.
Focus Fire
Individually weak but deadly in groups. Micro them to focus-fire high-value targets. 30 Blackwood Archers focus-firing will delete any unit in seconds.
Anti-Spearman
+2 vs Spearmen makes them effective at protecting your own cavalry from pike lines.
Critical Point
With only 20 HP and 0/0 armor, they are **extremely fragile**. A single Mangonel shot will wipe out entire groups. Skirmishers also counter them hard. Always spread them out and avoid clumping.
Understanding The Stats
Individually the weakest archer in the game, but the 0.5 pop mechanic and ultra-low cost make Blackwood Archers a force multiplier that breaks conventional army composition rules.
Half Population
The defining feature. You can field 200 Blackwood Archers in a 100-pop army slot. No other unit offers this population efficiency.
Paired Training
Each training cycle produces 2 archers. With 4 Archery Ranges, that's 8 archers every 11 seconds — overwhelming production.
Ultra-Low Cost
At 35 wood and 45 gold each, you can mass them even with a modest economy. Cost-effective even when trading poorly.
Glass Cannon
With 20 HP and 0/0 armor, they die to everything. One Mangonel shot kills groups. Micro and spreading are essential.
Coach's Tip
Your 20 HP is pathetic — but that's the point. You cost half the pop and a fraction of the resources. Trade 3 of you for 1 Crossbowman and you still win the resource exchange. Mass is your weapon.
Mechanics & Bonuses
Attack Bonuses
| Target | Bonus Dmg |
|---|---|
| Spearman | +2 |
Armor Classes
Archer
Vulnerable to Skirmishers and Huskarls.
Key Upgrades
Feudal Age
Castle Age
Civilizations
* 1 civilizations have access to this unit.
Other Units
AoE Coach analysis
Context & meta
The Blackwood Archer is the Tupi unique Foot Archer, an unusually cheap 35-wood/45-gold unit with 20 HP, 4 attack, 0/0 armor, 5 range, 1.1 speed and 6 line of sight. The official help says it is trained in pairs, occupies only half a population space per unit and is strong in high numbers; its only stated weakness is units at close range. That economy is the identity: two fragile bodies appear from one production cycle and can fill the map with arrows quickly. The zero armor and tiny HP pool are not hidden, so the unit needs numbers, vision and a screen rather than heroic micro with a handful of archers.
History & balance
The Blackwood Archer gives Tupi a population-efficient ranged identity. Training in pairs changes the arithmetic of a Barracks-and-Range economy: the player can reach a large arrow count while spending very little wood and gold per body. The official help does not promise exceptional damage, armor or a special bonus; it says the unit becomes strong in high numbers and loses to close contact. That is a deliberate swarm design. Tupi bonuses to early resources and cheaper military upgrades support the flood, while the low HP keeps the flood honest. The unit is meant to make the opponent answer the mass before it becomes difficult to surround, not to win a duel against a single elite unit.
In pro play
Use Blackwood Archers as a fast massing plan: add Ranges, keep pair production active and use the half-population cost to reach a critical count before the opponent can surround them. Five range and 1.1 speed can kite slow Infantry with good vision, but 20 HP means every missed retreat matters. Protect the line with terrain, walls or Tupi melee units, and focus one target instead of spreading four-damage arrows. On open maps, threaten several resource lines so the opponent cannot choose one approach. The timing is strongest before heavy Cavalry or Siege arrives, then transitions into a mixed army rather than staying pure forever.
How to counter it
The classic mistake is trying to outshoot a Blackwood mass with another fragile ranged line and giving pair production time to compound. The official help gives the categories: strong in high numbers and weak versus close-range units. Elite Skirmishers have +4 versus its Archer class, while Knights and melee Cavalry remove the time needed to kite. Mangonels punish the dense swarm, especially because each body has only 20 HP. Hit production and escort, force the archers to split, then fight before the mass grows. If you keep losing to Blackwood Archers without knowing what to produce or when, AoE Coach reads your match-up and gives you the counter composition and timing.