Elite Longbowman
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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Longbowman
Castle Elite Longbowman
ImperialThe coach's briefing
The Elite Longbowman has 6 base range, reaching 7 with Yeomen and 8 with Bracer. At 8 range, you tie with Town Centers and outrange most Castles' effective fire zone. Your +1 pierce armor helps survive counter-archer fire. Combined with Britons' cheaper Town Centers for defense, you create an almost impenetrable archer fortress.
STRONG AGAINST
You win these trades cost-effectively.
WEAK AGAINST
Avoid these fights or bring support.
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Strategic Analysis
Tactical Identity
The Elite Longbowman is the **ultimate ranged infantry killer**. 6-8 range depending on upgrades makes you the longest-range foot archer in the game.
Tactical Playbook
Castle Outrange
With Yeomen + Bracer (8 range), you can hit Castle edges safely. This lets you siege without siege weapons.
Archer Superiority
Against other archer civs, you win by virtue of range. You hit them, they can't hit back. Simple math.
Defensive Mastery
Station behind walls with Halberdiers. Enemies must break walls while you rain arrows. Very hard to push into.
Critical Point
**Onagers remain deadly**. One well-placed shot kills 20+ Longbowmen. Always have Rams or Light Cavalry to snipe enemy siege.
Understanding The Stats
The Elite upgrade adds range, damage, HP and pierce armor - everything a ranged unit needs to dominate.
Maximum Range
+1 base, +1 Yeomen, +1 Bracer. Tied for longest foot archer range.
Pierce Armor
+1 over base. Helps survive archer vs archer trades significantly.
Better Damage
+1 attack. Combined with range, your effective DPS increases substantially.
More Survivable
+5 HP. Takes one more hit before dying.
Coach's Tip
With Yeomen + Bracer, you have 8 range. Town Centers only have 6. This means you can duel TCs - carefully position to avoid taking shots while dealing damage.
Mechanics & Bonuses
Attack Bonuses
| Target | Bonus Dmg |
|---|---|
| Spearman | +2 |
Armor Classes
Archer
Vulnerable to Skirmishers and Huskarls.
Unique Unit
Vulnerable to units with bonus damage vs this class.
Key Upgrades
Imperial Age
Civilizations
* 1 civilizations have access to this unit.
Other Units
AoE Coach analysis
Context & meta
Elite Longbowman is the Briton elite archer, built around reach rather than durability. It costs 35 wood and 40 gold, trains in 18 seconds, and has 40 HP, 7 attack, 0 melee armor and 1 pierce armor. Its range is 6, speed 0.96, and line of sight 8. Those numbers create a clear battlefield contract: the unit wants a protected firing line, open sight, and enough room to retreat. It is cheap enough to mass in wood and gold terms, but its low HP makes positioning more valuable than bravado. The line must stay alive.
History & balance
The Elite Longbowman carries the familiar image of a massed bow line whose power comes from making distance dangerous. Age of Empires II turns that image into a unit that is strongest when the player prepares the battlefield before the first volley: a wall, a hill, a screen, or simply a route that denies cavalry a clean charge. The upgrade is not a license to stand anywhere. It is a sharper expression of the archer's old bargain: reach the enemy first, and survive because contact never happens.
In pro play
Grow Elite Longbowmen from uninterrupted ranges, but add them to a plan that protects their 40 HP. Use the 6 range and 8 line of sight to focus one target, step back through prepared space, and let a front screen absorb the first charge. Their 18-second train time rewards multiple active ranges; their 35 wood and 40 gold cost rewards constant attention to both resources. Move before cavalry reaches the firing line, keep the army in a narrow enough shape to focus damage, and use the range advantage to choose fights rather than accept them.
How to counter it
The classic mistake is walking infantry into Elite Longbowmen without closing the distance, or sending cavalry one unit at a time into a protected firing line. The official help gives the categories: Infantry as a strength, and Cavalry and Skirmishers as weaknesses. In practice, Elite Skirmishers have a real bonus against Archers, while Savar and Tiger Cavalry also carry real bonuses against Archers; use a group, approach under cover, and force contact from several angles. Do not trade single units for volleys. Facing Elite Longbowmen without knowing what to produce or when? AoE Coach reads your matchup and gives you the composition + timing.