Bowmen (ETW Unit)

Bowmen are missile skirmishers available to every Native American faction in Empire: Total War.

Game Description

The bow is a tool as well as a weapon, used for providing food and defending the tribe. In the time it takes a musketeer to fire and reload, a skilled bowman can loose several arrows making them formidable enemies. Tribesmen hone their skills daily, hunting to provide food for their families and furs for trade with Europeans.

The materials used to make a bow vary from tribe to tribe. Some are made from wood, others from the horn of elks or mountain sheep. Bowstrings are sinew or rawhide but, in an example of using whatever is to hand, the Dakotas are reputed to use the necks of snapping turtles!

Overview

Bowmen are versatile units, boasting the ability to hide when immobile, high firepower, the ability to skirmish, and good maneuverability. In the early game, bowmen can prove to be especially dangerous for factions aspiring to conquer the Americas, thanks to their superior range until light infantry can be accessed and their tendency to run whenever approached thanks to their skirmish mode. If they do get caught in a melee, bowmen are inferior to line infantry, although they can still manage to hold their own for some time. Bowmen are formidable foes that should not be underestimated; a single bowmen regiment can kill dozens of infantry within seconds, and all at a long range. Artillery and cavalry are good counters for bowmen. In the later stages of the game, riflemen and light infantry rob bowmen of their only, though substantial, advantages.