Crossbowman of the Kingsguard

Offensive Ranged

A cheap defensive shooter for the mid-game: for little resources, you get decent defense against shooters at 23. The stars confirm this, attack 1, defense 2, cost 4. As part of a mixed defense on the wall, it makes sense, especially until you grow into stronger defensive shooters in the late game. Forget about it in attack; with an attack of 0, it has no place there. And do not take the "offensive" focus seriously; with an attack of 0, it is purely a defensive unit.

121Attack

14Melee defense

23Ranged defense

28Speed

4Food upkeep

The crossbowman of the royal guard is a defensive shooter in the mid-game, which you can train in the barracks at level 5. Be careful right from the start: even though it has "offensive" in its focus, its attack value is a flat 0. This is strange for a unit labeled this way and smells of a data error or a special variant, because offensive versions of units usually have high attack values. Take it as it is: with an attack of 0, it is purely a defensive piece for the wall and nothing else. Its strength lies in defense against shooters at 23, and it can handle melee combat with 14.

How to use it

It belongs only to wall defense, nowhere else. Deploy it on fronts where you expect enemy shooters; there, the defense of 23 will do the job and it only costs you 148 coins and 4 food per unit. Against melee infantry, it has only 14, so it cannot hold the wall by itself and you must supplement it with melee defense. It is a cheap unit, so you can build it in large numbers and easily replace more expensive elites on fronts where you don't need top stats. In the mid-game, when you don't yet have the economy for expensive defenders, it is a reasonable filler.

What to combine it with

By itself, it is one-dimensional, so never place it on the wall alone. The classic is this crossbowman against shooters plus a block of swordsmen, who will cover that weak melee defense of 14. Swordsmen are your main infantry for the front line. Add pikemen only when you are facing a lot of cavalry; they are more of a situational anti-cavalry unit, not an equivalent replacement for swordsmen. Important: as a defender, you cannot see what the attacker will hit you with, and you also don't know which gate they will attack. Therefore, always mix melee and ranged defense so that you are not surprised by a different type of army than you expected.

Weaknesses and what to avoid

Do not send it into attack, on expeditions, or to foreign castles. An attack of 0 means literally zero contribution, it just takes up space in the army. Do not place it on the wall as the only defense against infantry; 14 is too little, and a smart opponent will send melee troops against it and break through. And do not keep it in large numbers into the late game when you already have stronger defensive shooters; it will just consume food without providing corresponding performance.

Related units

BowmanCrossbowmanVeteran crossbowmanHeavy crossbowmanVeteran heavy crossbowmanVeteran deathly horror

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