Kipchak
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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Kipchak
Castle
Elite Kipchak
ImperialThe coach's briefing
You fire 3 arrows per attack, but only the first deals full damage (4), the others deal 1 each. So you deal 6 damage per attack at range 4. With 40 HP and 0/0 armor, you're extremely fragile. At only 60W/35G with no food cost, you're cheap to mass. Stack Kipchaks and watch enemies melt to arrow volleys.
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 Kipchak is a **multi-shot cavalry archer**. Devastating DPS when massed, fragile individually.
Tactical Playbook
3 Arrows
4 + 1 + 1 = 6 damage per attack. High DPS for a cavalry archer.
No Food Cost
Wood/gold only. Frees food for Steppe Lancers or booming.
Mass Required
Fragile alone. Need groups to maximize multi-shot potential.
Critical Point
**Extremely fragile**. 40 HP and 0/0 armor. One Mangonel shot or a few arrow volleys kills them.
Understanding The Stats
The Kipchak offers high DPS through multi-shot but requires massing due to extreme fragility.
Multi-Shot
4+1+1 = 6 damage per attack cycle.
Very Low HP
Extremely fragile. Dies to focused fire quickly.
No Armor
Takes full damage from everything.
Cheap
No food cost. Very easy to mass.
Coach's Tip
6 damage per attack at 1.4 speed is excellent DPS. But 40 HP means you need perfect micro to survive. Never stop moving.
Mechanics & Bonuses
Attack Bonuses
| Target | Bonus Dmg |
|---|---|
| Spearman | +1 |
Armor Classes
Archer
Vulnerable to Skirmishers and Huskarls.
Cavalry Archer
Vulnerable to units with bonus damage vs this class.
Cavalry
Takes heavy bonus damage from Pikemen/Halberdiers and Camels.
Unique Unit
Vulnerable to units with bonus damage vs this class.
Key Upgrades
Civilizations
* 1 civilizations have access to this unit.
Other Units
AoE Coach analysis
Context & meta
The Kipchak is the Cuman unique Mounted Archer: a 60 wood/35 gold unit with 40 HP, 4 attack, 0/0 armor, range 4, speed 1.4, and line of sight 6. It trains in 20 seconds and fires multiple arrows, so its value comes from numbers and focus fire rather than individual durability. The official help gives the categories: Strong vs. Infantry and Siege Weapons; Weak vs. Foot Archers. Cumans make the transition easier with very cheap Archery Ranges and Stables, faster mounted movement by Age, and early access to the Siege Workshop and Rams.
History & balance
Kipchak design is a quantity test. Forty HP and no armor make a single unit unimpressive, but the multiple-arrow attack, 1.4 speed, and range 4 reward a player who keeps a group together and chooses open space. The Cuman civilization supplies the production context: Archery Ranges and Stables cost 75 wood less, mounted units move 5/10/15% faster from Feudal to Imperial Age, and the Siege Workshop plus Battering Ram arrive early. The unit therefore belongs to a fast, flexible economy that can turn map control into a growing mounted-archer count rather than a slow elite transition.
In pro play
Kipchaks want room to move and a clear target priority. Twenty seconds of training and the Cuman building discount let you add production quickly, while speed 1.4 supports kiting, reinforcement sniping, and raids around a slow army. Keep the group away from direct contact: 40 HP and 0/0 armor disappear once a melee unit reaches it. Use the multiple-arrow volley on infantry or siege, then rotate before the opponent can close. A small front line or a few buildings can buy the seconds needed for the Kipchaks to fire again. Their strongest timing is the moment the enemy has committed to a formation that cannot chase.
How to counter it
The classic mistake is to answer Kipchaks with slow infantry and let the multiple arrows farm them while the mounted archers retreat. The official help gives the weak category: Foot Archers. Elite Skirmishers carry +2 against Cavalry Archers and +4 against Archers, so they attack both Kipchak tags while trading from range. Add a screen only to prevent a dive, spread the skirmishers against siege, and deny the Cuman player open space. Do not chase into bad terrain; make the Kipchaks fight for resources and reinforcements. If you keep losing to Kipchaks without knowing what to produce or when, AoE Coach reads your match-up and gives you the counter composition and timing.