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Star-spangled crossbowman – Goodgame Empire

Star-spangled crossbowman

Offensive Ranged Special

An offensive archer with an attack of 162 who handles ranged fire in the offensive wave next to strong knights. Defense is tolerable for an attacker but not enough for walls, so keep him in offense. You won't recruit him from Barracks—watch offers and rewards around Independence Day, and when he lands, save him for attacks where full strength pays off.

162Attack
15Melee defense
24Ranged defense
28Speed
5Food upkeep

Quick overview

TypeOffensive, Ranged
SourceSpecial
Game stageSpecial
Cost400
RecommendationRather yes

rating

Attack
Defensive
Cost
Speed

The Star-Spangled Crossbowman is an offensive archer with an attack of 162, the American variant of the Grim Reaper from offers and rewards around Independence Day. A defense of 15 against melee and 24 against archers is slightly better than his knightly counterpart, but he's still an archer in the offensive wave, not a castle defender. At 400 cost and 5 food consumption, you take him for that ranged firepower.

How to use it

Deploy him as the archer part of an offensive wave against castles and camps where defenders have weaker defense against archers. An attack of 162 at range is a solid foundation that will punch through an averagely defended wall. With a defense of 24 against archers he'll survive tower fire a bit longer than a knight, so he's good on sides where you expect more defensive archers. A speed of 28 is the same as infantry, so the whole wave arrives together and you don't need to sync anything. For a new player I'd say the same as for all expensive event units—save him for an attack that's worth it and don't waste him on small raids.

What to combine it with

He works best next to melee offensive units, like the Star-Spangled Knight or Demonic Creep—according to your scout report you split the wave so each side gets the unit type the defender has the lowest defense against. Add offensive tools that lower defense against archers so his fire doesn't get wasted on well-reinforced walls. And ladders or battering rams don't just matter for knights; walls and gates have to be crossed by archers too, so count on tools for walls and gates for the whole wave.

Weaknesses and what to avoid

Don't build him into castle defense—15 and 24 are weak numbers for a defender and at 400 he'd be an expensive filler that the first wave would sweep away. Don't send him at targets where your scout report shows high defense against archers; his attack will fizzle out there. And if you just need to cheaply reach a lightly defended camp, grab a regular Barracks unit—this is a piece for attacks where wave strength matters.

Pro player tipStatistically he's identical to the Grim Reaper, so if you have both, treat them as one supply and don't need to distinguish them when building a wave. If your scout report shows the defender has weaker defense against archers on one side than melee on the other, send the crossbowmen there and move the knights to the other side; picking the right side is the whole trick. A loot of 40 per unit is a nice bonus, but the decisive factor is attack—that's what makes him a conquest piece, not a plunder piece.
Common mistakeThe most common mistake is looking at a defense of 24 against archers and sending him to the walls—that's a weak number for a defender and he'll just die in the garrison. The second mistake is a pure archer wave without melee units; a defender with a mixed garrison will shred it because the crossbowman can't handle melee at all. And the third is not accounting for food when you collect more of them and leave them sitting at home unused.

Related units

BowmanBowmanCrossbowmanCrossbowmanVeteran crossbowmanVeteran crossbowmanHeavy crossbowmanHeavy crossbowmanVeteran heavy crossbowmanVeteran heavy crossbowmanVeteran deathly horrorVeteran deathly horror

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