Roman Archers

[Samer312]

Where are they? all I see is Syria Auxilia, which while accurate was not the only choice had for archers. This plus no guard mode makes it very difficult to play Rome II the way that the actual army fought

[STELLover]

Well Rome didn't have archers!!! LOL. They only had Heavy Infantry (the Legions). All other supplementary troops they recruited as auxillia this includes:

- Cavalry (most Imperial armies had auxilliary cavalry)
- Spearmen (staple auxillia infantry)
- Archers and Skirmishers (Syrian auxillia is an example).

EDIT: I guess you are looking for variety? I like how in RS 2.5 they had Cretan archer auxillia as well as the syrians

[Samer312]

I do mean archer Auxillia, much like in Rome I. AKA didn't have to conquer Syria to get archers

[STELLover]

I do mean archer Auxillia, much like in Rome I. AKA didn't have to conquer Syria to get archers

What do you mean really? Thats the definition of auxillia- they were local/provincial troops recruited from that province. So yes if you want auxilliary archers you have to conquer foreign provinces in which you could recruit auxillia from. In this case, if you want the Syrian archer auxillia you have to control Syria

[Samer312]

Romans have slingers. Slingers are their answer to foot archers. Slingers are a overpowered currently in game. You do know that they have a range of 150, right? Unrealistically, slingers outshoot archers and cavalry archers (range of 120).So for now, in Rome 2, the best missile troop is the cheap Slinger, not Parthian Horse Archer or Parthian Armored Horse Archer or Parthian Noble Horse Archer. For a faction that is supposedly cavalry-based and archer-based, Parthians are underpowered at the moment. Similarly, Pontus as an Eastern faction and all Steppe Barbarian factions are similarly improperly disadvantaged. Their one true advantage is gutted out. Slingers should have a range of 80 as do other Skirmishers like Javelinmen and Horse Skirmishers. Slingers typically do not overshoot archers. Rhodian and other specialty unique slingers were an exception, not the rule.

agreed right now slingers are way op

What do you mean really? Thats the definition of auxillia- they were local/provincial troops recruited from that province. So yes if you want auxilliary archers you have to conquer foreign provinces in which you could recruit auxillia from. In this case, if you want the Syrian archer auxillia you have to control Syria

What I'm saying is that the only archer auxillia Rome has available to it is Syrian archer auxillia....and that it seems to be counter to historical accuracy and game play functionality

[Toho]

what about mercenaries?

[TuranianGhazi]

Romans have slingers. Slingers are their answer to foot archers. Slingers are a overpowered currently in game. You do know that they have a range of 150, right? Unrealistically, slingers outshoot archers and cavalry archers (range of 120).

So for now, in Rome 2, the best missile troop is the cheap Slinger, not Parthian Horse Archer or Parthian Armored Horse Archer or Parthian Noble Horse Archer. For a faction that is supposedly cavalry-based and archer-based, Parthians are underpowered at the moment. Similarly, Pontus as an Eastern faction and all Steppe Barbarian factions are similarly improperly disadvantaged. Their one true advantage is gutted out.

Slingers should have a range of 80 as do other Skirmishers like Javelinmen and Horse Skirmishers. Slingers typically do not overshoot archers. Rhodian and other specialty unique slingers were an exception, not the rule.

[Destraex]

Romans have slingers. Slingers are their answer to foot archers. Slingers are a overpowered currently in game. You do know that they have a range of 150, right? Unrealistically, slingers outshoot archers and cavalry archers (range of 120).

So for now, in Rome 2, the best missile troop is the cheap Slinger, not Parthian Horse Archer or Parthian Armored Horse Archer or Parthian Noble Horse Archer. For a faction that is supposedly cavalry-based and archer-based, Parthians are underpowered at the moment. Similarly, Pontus as an Eastern faction and all Steppe Barbarian factions are similarly improperly disadvantaged. Their one true advantage is gutted out.

Slingers should have a range of 80 as do other Skirmishers like Javelinmen and Horse Skirmishers. Slingers typically do not overshoot archers. Rhodian and other specialty unique slingers were an exception, not the rule.

what makes you think slingers gad less range than archers in real life?

[1cmanny1]

Yeah, my slingers are conquering the world atm.

[Rittsy]

Hire mercenaries.

[Jimbojones33]

Slingers have much longer range than javelins or horse archers. Crack a history book and put down the pipe.

[TuranianGhazi]

Actually the situation is worse off. Currently, Horse Archers have a measly range of 110, not even 120. It's foot archers with a range of 125. Sorry, I got my stats a bit wrong, but the message stays same. Average slinger should not have greater range than an average composite bowman. @Jimbojones33 and Destraex There were some unique slingers, like the Rhodians, not average ones, that did and could overshoot javelins and short-range horse archers using hunting bows, etc.. However, longrange horse archers, mostly average steppe horse archers, utilizing the strong composite bow EASILY outrange average slingers. Sling range: approximately 400m, by modern liberal estimates, citing revisionist authors. Going by traditional school of thought, 300m tops. What made slingers easier was NOT their range, but they're cheapness. No need to create ammunition, it was naturally available. THAT is ALL. Composite Bow range: 500m EASY, by modern estimates. Ex: The Mongolian tradition of archery is attested by an inscription on a stone stele that was found near Nerchinsk in Siberia: "While Genghis Khan was holding an assembly of Mongolian dignitaries, after his conquest of Sartaul (Khwarezm), Yesüngge (the son of Genghis Khan's brother) shot a target at 335 alds (536 m). There are even higher ranges for exceptional, heroic troops, reaching 600m. English Longbow interestingly: 365m Ex: A flight arrow of a professional archer of Edward III's time would reach 365 m (399 yd). Note: I find it hard to believe that the slingers overshot English longbowmen. I really do think that the effective range of slingers was more like 300m. This way, longbowmen did overshoot them. 400 is way too liberal a range for slingers. Many historically accurate games like Age of Empires, Rise of Nations, Empire Earth, etc. too take this as truth. In ALL those games, slingers have LESS range than archers and/or horse archers. Horse Archer in Age of Empires 1 and Rise of Rome had a range of 7. Slingers had a range of 4. So, deal with it. PS: Can't format it with paragraph breaks and white space. It always comes out as a BLOB paragraph. Sorry. Something is up with the TWC forums.

[SinerAthin]

I find it weird that you have to conquer Syria just to get archers in the first place.It's like having to conquer Switzerland in order to get cheese!Why can't I just train some Romans to shoot with the bow?Sure, they may not end up being as good as Syrian archers, but they'd still be archers, using the best equipment available to the big Roman purse.

[Lockpick]

ANSWER!
Only in the multiplayer roster you have 1 type of bow unit.
In the campaign your auxilia-units depend on the region you build the auxilia-building.
So you can have a lot of different archers... cretan archers for example, much closer to italy.
If you want to see every posible aux-unit for rome check the aux-buildings in the enzyklopedia or check under ranged units (everything with "auxilia" in its name is roman).

[SonOfOdin]

I find it weird that you have to conquer Syria just to get archers in the first place.It's like having to conquer Switzerland in order to get cheese!Why can't I just train some Romans to shoot with the bow?Sure, they may not end up being as good as Syrian archers, but they'd still be archers, using the best equipment available to the big Roman purse.

You don't. You can recruit archers from, at least, Egypt, Libya, Germania, Crete and so on. At least, in my Roman campaign, through Auxilia barracks I've managed to recruit Auxilia Cretan Archers, Auxilia Egyptian Archers, Woodland Longbow Hunters or something from Germania Inferior etc. It makes sense because traditionally the Romans did not have any archers from Italia...if I remember correctly at least.

[SinerAthin]

You don't. You can recruit archers from, at least, Egypt, Libya, Germania, Crete and so on. At least, in my Roman campaign, through Auxilia barracks I've managed to recruit Auxilia Cretan Archers, Auxilia Egyptian Archers, Woodland Longbow Hunters or something from Germania Inferior etc. It makes sense because traditionally the Romans did not have any archers from Italia...if I remember correctly at least.

There was nothing stopping the Romans from recruiting archers either though.It'd make sense if I researched the doctrine, that I'd be able to recruit a Roman archer as well.I'm also pretty sure that there were Italian archers. After all the bow is very useful for hunting, and undoubtedly so for ship to ship battles before the Gladius is drawn(can fit a lot more arrows than javelins on board, also requires less space to fire). Given that the Romans loved their forts as well, I'd be surprised if none of the Romans knew how to draw or fire a bow. They would be kind'a hindered in defense if they had to almost soloaly rely on their auxiliaries.

[Ironhorse]

There was nothing stopping the Romans from recruiting archers either though.It'd make sense if I researched the doctrine, that I'd be able to recruit a Roman archer as well.I'm also pretty sure that there were Italian archers. After all the bow is very useful for hunting, and undoubtedly so for ship to ship battles before the Gladius is drawn(can fit a lot more arrows than javelins on board, also requires less space to fire). Given that the Romans loved their forts as well, I'd be surprised if none of the Romans knew how to draw or fire a bow. They would be kind'a hindered in defense if they had to almost soloaly rely on their auxiliaries.

Outside of the auxiliary archers, the sagittarii, Rome just did not employ archers the way you seem to want to. It was more practical to equip their regular units with the pilum (javelin) which worked just fine against the enemy they were facing, themselves without archers, and maintained the "manly" way to do things back then. Regular archer units were a thing of the east and that's why you see a lot more presence for auxilia units in eastern provinces.

[Ironhorse]

There was nothing stopping the Romans from recruiting archers either though.It'd make sense if I researched the doctrine, that I'd be able to recruit a Roman archer as well.I'm also pretty sure that there were Italian archers. After all the bow is very useful for hunting, and undoubtedly so for ship to ship battles before the Gladius is drawn(can fit a lot more arrows than javelins on board, also requires less space to fire). Given that the Romans loved their forts as well, I'd be surprised if none of the Romans knew how to draw or fire a bow. They would be kind'a hindered in defense if they had to almost soloaly rely on their auxiliaries.

This forum is broken, there was no reason for this double post..

[VektorT]

Get your facts straight. We are talking about classical period bows, not medievals bows. In classical period a good composite bow whould shoot, at its best limit, to around 270 meters, no more than that. Also the compiste bow wasn't very popular over Europe, so europeans army of the period used much more the common bow, shoting closer.

A sling can shot it projectile to around 400 meter, an requires much less training and strenght than a bow. That distances with classical period slings already was tested nowadays and achievied without much difficulty. While a shot from a sling from 400 meters away wound be so powerful or precise, something closer thant that can easily shatter bones and was a very effective weapon on roman days.

I didn't used lots of slingers in the game yet, but I beliebe you guys saying that it's OP. Almost everything in this game is bad balanced. But, still, a sling for reality sake, the sling should have a greater range than a bow.

[Lockpick]

ANSWER!
Only in the multiplayer roster you have 1 type of bow unit.
In the campaign your aux-units depend on the region you build the aux-building.
So you can have a lot of different archers... cretan archers for example, much closer to italy.
If you want to see every posiible aux-unit for rome check the aux-buildings in the enzyklopedia.