So, by "archer" here, I mean any unit from the Archery Range. Economical bonuses and other aspects of their tech tree will be considered, but only in how they support archers. With that said, lets get started:
#1: Hittites.
Is anyone surprised? Having arguably the best HHA in the game, when the HHA is already considered one of the best units in the game to begin with, and having most other archers fully upgraded, as well as several options to support then... What do the Hittites-Dont-Have, that actually matters, where archers are concerned?
#2: Yamato.
This may seem like a unconventional choice, but I think people dramatically underestimate the efficacy of the Cataphract/HHA combo. The Cataphract is actually a interesting unit, in that no meele unit is both able to defeat it in one versus one-And-Is fast enough to catch it up. This makes it very good in hit-and-run tactics... Much like the Heavy Horse Archer. So of course that I would personally deem these two as a match made in heaven.
#3: Minoans.
Another unconventional choice! Probably to make up for just how obvious the Hittites were. Although they are a pretty big one-trick pony, Hoplites+Composite Bowman are a powerfull combination on the Bronze age, and in fact, Centurions+Composite Bowman remain viable even on the Iron age thanks to the fact the Minoan bonus lets their Composite Bowman outrange the Heavy Horse Archer, what combined with the Composite Bowman cheapness, gives the Minoan archers a proper fighting chance against these powerfull Iron Age archers.
The biggest weakness of the Minoans is that, though this strategy does works well on the Iron Age, this is pretty much their only viable strategy on the Iron age. Also, compared with civilizations that rely on mounted archers, the Minoans-Really-Lack mobility. They just cant really afford to run away from a bad matchup.
#4: Assyrians.
I felt this list just wouldnt be complete without the civilization with the best Tool Age Bowman rush... If not just the best Tool Age rush on the game. For civilizations without the Slinger, the Assyrians are a headache to deal with on the Tool Age. Their weakness is that, again, they lack several Iron Age upgrades that makes then get weak fast as the game progress. They have a sort of viable Cataphracy/Horse Archer combo, but this will be the pale combo of the Yamato counterpart. Even Hittites, who lack the Cataphract upgrade, can arguably pull this combo better then the Assyrians can, as it just turns out that Heavy Cavalry with Nobility is actually -Better-Then Cataphracts without Nobility, though one could argue the Hittites are better off using Scythe Chariots or even Centurions instead.
#5: Egyptians.
Some of you may be wondering why the civilization with the best Chariot Archers in the game is low on the list. Basically, I think that extra bulk is not as important as things like, range, cheapness or damage output when looking at these units, and plus, I actually prefer Heavy Horse Archers to Chariot Archers whenever the resources allow. But as usual, I would be liyng if I didnt said the Egyptian Scythe Chariot/Chariot Archer combo is about as good as the Cataphracy/Heavy Horse Archer combo of the Yamato. Well... Maybe not-As-Good, as this combo is very vulnerable to Legions, but still...
#1: Hittites.
Is anyone surprised? Having arguably the best HHA in the game, when the HHA is already considered one of the best units in the game to begin with, and having most other archers fully upgraded, as well as several options to support then... What do the Hittites-Dont-Have, that actually matters, where archers are concerned?
#2: Yamato.
This may seem like a unconventional choice, but I think people dramatically underestimate the efficacy of the Cataphract/HHA combo. The Cataphract is actually a interesting unit, in that no meele unit is both able to defeat it in one versus one-And-Is fast enough to catch it up. This makes it very good in hit-and-run tactics... Much like the Heavy Horse Archer. So of course that I would personally deem these two as a match made in heaven.
#3: Minoans.
Another unconventional choice! Probably to make up for just how obvious the Hittites were. Although they are a pretty big one-trick pony, Hoplites+Composite Bowman are a powerfull combination on the Bronze age, and in fact, Centurions+Composite Bowman remain viable even on the Iron age thanks to the fact the Minoan bonus lets their Composite Bowman outrange the Heavy Horse Archer, what combined with the Composite Bowman cheapness, gives the Minoan archers a proper fighting chance against these powerfull Iron Age archers.
The biggest weakness of the Minoans is that, though this strategy does works well on the Iron Age, this is pretty much their only viable strategy on the Iron age. Also, compared with civilizations that rely on mounted archers, the Minoans-Really-Lack mobility. They just cant really afford to run away from a bad matchup.
#4: Assyrians.
I felt this list just wouldnt be complete without the civilization with the best Tool Age Bowman rush... If not just the best Tool Age rush on the game. For civilizations without the Slinger, the Assyrians are a headache to deal with on the Tool Age. Their weakness is that, again, they lack several Iron Age upgrades that makes then get weak fast as the game progress. They have a sort of viable Cataphracy/Horse Archer combo, but this will be the pale combo of the Yamato counterpart. Even Hittites, who lack the Cataphract upgrade, can arguably pull this combo better then the Assyrians can, as it just turns out that Heavy Cavalry with Nobility is actually -Better-Then Cataphracts without Nobility, though one could argue the Hittites are better off using Scythe Chariots or even Centurions instead.
#5: Egyptians.
Some of you may be wondering why the civilization with the best Chariot Archers in the game is low on the list. Basically, I think that extra bulk is not as important as things like, range, cheapness or damage output when looking at these units, and plus, I actually prefer Heavy Horse Archers to Chariot Archers whenever the resources allow. But as usual, I would be liyng if I didnt said the Egyptian Scythe Chariot/Chariot Archer combo is about as good as the Cataphracy/Heavy Horse Archer combo of the Yamato. Well... Maybe not-As-Good, as this combo is very vulnerable to Legions, but still...