Bow master

Defensive Ranged Special

An NPC defender of the samurai camps that you don't recruit, you only defeat. Defense 139 against ranged makes it a hard nut for ranged attacks, while defense 35 against melee is its big weakness. Its ranged attack is low, only 14. Against camps where it dominates, send mainly melee units and keep in mind that the camps are defended alongside it by the Katana warrior.

14Attack

35Melee defense

139Ranged defense

25Speed

—Food upkeep

The Bow master is a defensive ranged unit of the samurai camps in the Samurai Invasion event. It is an NPC unit, so you can't recruit it or get it into your own army, you only meet it as a defender you have to fight through. Its strong side is ranged defense 139, its weak side melee defense 35. Its ranged attack is only 14, it is built for defense, not attack, the exact opposite of attacking ranged units. The zero cost and food upkeep in the data mean nothing for you, because you will never recruit or feed it.

How to use it

What matters for you is mainly how to beat it. When you attack a samurai camp where Bow masters dominate among the defenders, send a majority of melee units. They run into defense 35, whereas your ranged units would run into 139, so the difference is huge. Ranged attacking units, even strong ones, shatter on it needlessly. Before the attack, therefore, find out who defends the camp and in what ratio, and split your army accordingly. The more bowmen in the garrison, the more melee attack you need. Speed 25 and loot capacity 15 are just numbers in the table for an NPC defender and have no effect on your tactics.

What to combine it with

The camps are defended alongside it by the Katana warrior, a melee defender with melee defense 150 but only 34 against ranged. The two cover each other, the bowman holds against ranged and the warrior against melee. Build your attack according to who dominates the camp. When Bow masters dominate, send mainly melee units, when Katana warriors dominate, send more ranged units. The Renegade kunai thrower, an attacking ranged unit with attack 148 from the rewards of the same event, suits that. But don't send it in the main role against a camp full of Bow masters, melee attack is the better bet there. Add attack tools and a commander with attack bonuses.

Weaknesses and what to avoid

Don't try to break through it with a majority of ranged units. With ranged defense 139 it is exactly the type of defender on which a ranged attack stops, and you'd needlessly lose attacking units. Don't count on ever getting it into your own defense either, it is an NPC unit and can't be recruited. And don't be misled by the zero cost and food upkeep, they have no meaning for the player.

Related units

ArcherVeteran bowmanLongbowmanVeteran longbowmanScout of the KingsguardShapeshifter sharpshooter

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