Janissary
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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Janissary
Castle
Elite Janissary
ImperialThe coach's briefing
The Janissary is a Hand Cannoneer on steroids. With 17 attack and 7 range (8 as Elite), you outshoot almost every other ranged unit. Unlike Hand Cannoneers, you have no accuracy issues and no minimum range - you can fire at point-blank. Your weakness is the standard gunpowder vulnerability: no pierce armor means archers hurt you, and being infantry means cavalry runs you down.
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 Janissary is a **high-damage ranged infantry**. The combination of high attack, good range, and no minimum range makes you effective at all engagement distances.
Tactical Playbook
Infantry Shredder
17 attack pierces armor easily. Champions, Halberdiers, and Eagles all melt before you.
No Minimum Range
Unlike Hand Cannoneers, you can fire at enemies in melee range. This is huge for self-defense.
Ram Killer
+2 vs Rams helps delete siege that tries to approach your lines.
Critical Point
**Slow and fragile**. At 0.96 speed with 1/0 armor, Knights and cavalry archers will destroy you. Always have supporting units.
Understanding The Stats
The Janissary offers exceptional ranged damage output with good range, but requires protection from fast units.
High Attack
Highest base attack of any ranged unit. Pierces through armor.
Long Range
Outranges most archers. Only Longbowmen and siege compete.
No Minimum Range
Unlike Hand Cannoneers, you fire at any range. Huge for self-defense.
Paper Armor
Very fragile. Archers and especially cavalry shred you quickly.
Coach's Tip
17 attack is massive. Most units have 0-2 pierce armor. You deal 15+ damage per shot to almost everything.
Mechanics & Bonuses
Attack Bonuses
| Target | Bonus Dmg |
|---|---|
| Ram | +2 |
Armor Classes
Archer
Vulnerable to Skirmishers and Huskarls.
Gunpowder
Vulnerable to units with bonus damage vs this class.
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
The Janissary is the Turkish unique Foot Gunner with 35 HP, 17 attack, 1 melee armor, 0 pierce armor, 7 range, 0.96 speed and 10 line of sight. It costs 60 food and 55 gold and trains in 21 seconds. The official help says it is strong against Infantry and weak against Archery Units and Skirmishers. The high attack and 7 range explain the threat; the low HP and zero pierce armor explain why it collapses when the opponent reaches it or answers with the right ranged unit. Its Archer, Gunpowder and Unique Unit classes make the counter choice a question of which bonus can connect first.
History & balance
The Janissary is the center of the Turkish foot-gunpowder identity: a Castle unique unit that asks the civilization to turn gold income and range into a protected firing line. The Turkish civilization data gives Gunpowder Units +25% HP, free Chemistry and gunpowder technologies at -50% cost, while the team bonus makes Gunpowder Units train 25% faster. Those bonuses improve the timing and staying power, but they do not remove the Janissary's basic weakness to Skirmishers and units that close. The official progression adds Blacksmith armor, Castle production speed and the Elite Janissary upgrade. Its story is therefore power at range balanced by the need for a screen.
In pro play
Treat Janissaries as a firing line that needs a front line, not as Knights with guns. Their 7 range and high attack let them focus Infantry, slow units and exposed siege, but their 35 HP and 0 pierce armor punish any careless forward move. Use terrain to reduce the number of directions from which cavalry can enter, keep the group compact enough to focus fire, and split only when a siege shot is imminent. Turkish production and HP bonuses reward a sustained mass, while the 21-second train time makes idle production especially costly. Add a melee screen, scout for Skirmishers before moving out, and let the Janissaries win through repeated volleys rather than chasing targets into the open.
How to counter it
The classic mistake is answering Janissaries with another gunpowder line or sending slow Infantry into their 7-range attack. The official help gives the categories: Archery Units and Skirmishers. In practice, Elite Skirmishers have a real +4 Archer bonus and Skirmishers have +3, so both attack the Janissary's Archer class while using range and pierce armor to make the trade efficient. Add fast melee units only to close after the screen is occupied; do not let them walk alone into the gun line. If Janissaries keep deleting your army and you do not know what to build or when, AoE Coach reads your match-up and gives you the counter composition and timing.