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Longbowman

The British unique archer with exceptional range. Outranges most other units, allowing you to kite and deal damage from safety.

Tactical Briefing

The Longbowman has 5 range in Castle Age, increasing to 6 as Elite. With Yeomen tech, Elite Longbowmen reach 7 range - outranging even Castles. Use this range advantage to safely pick off enemies before they can respond. Keep them in a tight formation and micro them backwards when enemies approach. Your weakness is mobility - at 0.96 speed, cavalry will catch you.

Statistics

HP
35
Attack
6
Melee Armor
0
Pierce Armor
0
Range
5
Speed
0.96

Cost

  • Wood: 35
  • Gold: 40

Strong Against

Weak Against

Strategic Analysis

The Longbowman is the **long-range fire support archer**. Range is your primary weapon. You hit enemies before they hit you, creating favorable trades in every engagement.

  • Range Advantage: 5 range vs 4 for normal archers. You get a free shot before they can respond. Stack this advantage with massed Longbowmen.
  • Castle Sniping: With Yeomen (7 range), you outrange Castles (8 range, but no minimum). You can hit the edge and retreat before taking damage.
  • Micro Intensive: Your power scales with skill. Constantly micro backwards to maintain range. Good micro turns good units into great units.

Warning: **Slow at 0.96 speed**. Hussar raids will catch and kill you. Always have Halberdiers nearby or fight near your own Castles.

Attack Bonuses

  • +2 vs Spearman

Available Civilizations

Britons

Meta Context

Longbowmen are the Briton unique unit and the longest-range non-siege unit in standard play (6 range Castle, 7 range Elite, +1 from Yeomen, +1 from Briton civ bonus = up to 9 range Imperial). Their +2 attack vs Spearman line means standard Pike counters fail. Longbow Wars (Briton mirrors) are a defining Arena meta. On open maps, Longbows are mid-tier because they're slow and gold-heavy, but on closed maps with walls, they become S-tier — opponents can't close the gap.

Patch History

Original AoE2 Longbow had 5 range Castle / 6 range Elite. The HD Edition buffed it to 6/7 to make Britons more viable. DE kept those values but tweaked Yeomen tech multiple times — pre-2022 Yeomen also gave +1 Tower range, making Briton walls oppressive on Arena. The 2023 nerf reduced Tower range bonus while keeping the Longbow component. The 2025 patch removed the Britons-only Bracer cost discount that had quietly been in the game since DE launch.

Pro-Level Usage

DauT is the historical Britons specialist — his Arena Fast Castle into Longbow defense is a signature build studied by every aspiring 2k+ ELO player. TaToH's Longbow + Onager combinations are Wololo Legacy textbook material. In CBA Heroes (a popular custom mode), Britons Longbows hard-counter melee heroes, making them a top-3 pick. The 2025 Hidden Cup VIII featured a Britons Longbow stand from Hera that held off 40+ Camels for 4 minutes — a clip widely circulated as a defensive masterclass.

In-Depth Counters

Mangonels and Onagers devastate clumped Longbows — splash damage bypasses their range advantage. Knight or Cavalier rushes before mass forms (typical 2-Castle Longbow timing is ~28 minutes) close the gap before Longbows reach critical mass. Eagle Warriors with their pierce armor dodge well in head-to-head fights. Pikemen + Onagers is the textbook counter on open maps. On Arena, the only counter is your own siege — Trebuchets or Bombard Cannons outrange Longbows and break their Castle drops.