Archer

 

These sharpshooters like to keep their distance on the battlefield and in life. Nothing makes them happier than single-mindedly taking down their target.

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SUMMARY

• The Archer is a single target ranged troop unlocked in Barracks level two.
• The Archer is a female warrior with sharp eyes. She wears a short, light green dress, a hooded cape, a leather belt, and an attached small pouch. She has a quiver slung on her back, a gold shortbow in her left hand, and a golden band on each of her upper arms.
• She is the first ranged troop unlocked in the Barracks, and the second overall troop unlocked in the game.
• Archers have no preferred target when attacking; they will simply attack the closest building. However, once they become aware of enemy Clan Castle troops, Heroes, or Skeleton Trap skeletons (either by being attacked themselves or by being near another friendly troop under attack), they will leave their previously targeted building and instead engage the enemy troops. Once all of the nearby enemy troops are defeated, the Archers will proceed to attack the nearest structure.

OFFENSIVE STRATEGY

• Archers are very weak when under fire but have a long range and can attack over Walls. Their low health makes them vulnerable to nearly all defenses, but Mortars, Wizard Towers and even Bombs are especially dangerous as they deal splash damage, which can take out groups of Archers quickly. This hindrance can be alleviated by placing them in several small groups so that one or a few hits does not kill all of your Archers.
• Archers work well when deployed in large numbers. However, it's a good idea to spread them out so that a Mortar or Wizard Tower cannot kill them with a single shot. This strategy is called an Archer Rush.
• Due to the Archer's low health, some people find it useful to use Barbarians or Giants as a distracting unit or "meat shield" in order to draw fire away from them.
• Even at higher levels, using solely Archers and Barbarians has a chance (albeit small) of getting 2 stars (50% damage and destroyed Town Hall). Rarely does this combination wipe a base entirely.
• Archers can be destroyed in a single shot by a Mortar of the same level. Consequently, at Town Hall 9 and above (with a level 7 Mortar), even maximum-level Archers can be killed instantly by Mortar fire.
• The Mortar's blind spot is smaller than the Archer's range, so they aren't safe from any tower except Air Defenses.
• Another strategy is to try out dead spots. Deploy one Archer for each building and see if you get hit by any defenses. With this tactic you will be able to destroy a lot of buildings and get a lot of loot without much loss. Additionally, you can go for the 50% damage and get one star by taking risks and destroying a few more buildings.
• They are good to take out lone buildings, like Builder's Huts placed far away to prevent full destruction.
• Putting a handful of Archers on one defensive building where only that building can attack the group is usually successful, but should only be done depending on the level of both your Archers and the defending building.
• When the Archer Queen uses her Royal Cloak ability, she summons up to fourteen Archers equal to the level of Archers you have researched in the Laboratory.
• Archers are expendable and have a very low cost, so you can deploy a few archers around an enemy base to set off some suspicious traps like Giant Bombs so you can deploy other troops safely.
• Archers are excellent at luring and killing Clan Castle troops, due to their ability to target dangerous troops at range. Spreading them out in a circle when killing the Clan Castle troops will minimise effects from splash-damaging troops like Wizards or Dragons.

DEFENSIVE STRATEGY

• She is an excellent troop to have in the Clan Castle because she can target both Air and Ground Units. Like all low health troops she is vulnerable to Lightning Spells and Poison Spells; if your enemy successfully lures them out of your Clan Castle, he/she can wipe out all of your Archers with a single Lightning Spell or Poison Spell. You can make it more difficult to lure them out by locating your Clan Castle deep in the interior of your base.
• If she is behind a Wall when enemy melee Troops without a favorite target notice her, those troops will start attacking the Wall in order to reach her. Unfortunately, she will often forget to stay behind the wall and begin attacking the Troops in open space.

UPGRADE DIFFERENCES

• The Archer undergoes significant visual changes at levels 3, 5 and 6.
• Initially, the Archer is a young woman, with pink hair, green coloured clothing, including a belt. She also has bow with arrows stored on her back.
• At level 3, the Archer’s hair turns purple and has a quiver full of flaming arrows.
• At level 5, the Archer’s hair turns back to pink, but she now wears her hood up. She has a quiver full of lightning arrows.
• At level 6, the Archer's hair switches back to a slightly darker shade of purple that grows slightly longer. She gains a tiara and the arrows have purple fletchings. Her cape also turns from green to black.
• At level 7, the Archer gains a small black crystal, similar to that of level eight walls on her tiara, which she wears untucked. Her cape becomes lined with a gold fabric and her quiver receives gold trim. Her arrows flame up whenever they are shot.
• At level 8, the Archer’s hair turns back to its original pink color and her tiara’s crystal turns purple, similar to that of a level 7 wall. Her tiara now has a “V” shaped crest for the crystal.

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TRIVIA

• It's unknown why the Archer has a small pouch on her belt, though it's most likely there to store supplies such as bow strings and water.
• Archers are generally recognized as the most popularly requested troops for the Clan Castle.
• When you tap on the Army Camp, all the archers stationed there pump their fists in the air three times. 
• You can have a maximum of 280 Archers at one time in a complete set of fully upgraded Army Camps. This number increases to 320 if you include the 40 that can fit into a fully upgraded Clan Castle. On the battlefield, you can clone an additional 90 Archers with three fully upgraded Clone Spells. On the battlefield, you can summon 14 additional Archers with a maximum-level Archer Queen.
• Since the July 1, 2015 Update, the arrow speed of the Archers and the Archer Towers has been increased.
• She is the only ranged low health unit, although the Minion can be used in a similar role.
• Unlocking the Archer in the Barracks earns you the first level of the Release the Beasts achievement.
• She is one of 6 female Troops, which includes the Archer Queen.
• Archers are among the only four troops in the Home Village that actually lived in history. All the other troops (except Barbarians, Miners, and maybe Balloons) are based off a mythological human/creature.
• As of the October 2016 Update, the training time of Archers for a single Barracks has been reduced from 25 seconds to 24 seconds.
• On 17 March 2013 there was a Clash-Off competition involving Archers and Valkyries: "Chief, it’s time for a CLASH OFF!! Archer or Valkyrie? Pick your favorite and tell us why - you could win 1000 gems!!! We'll announce the winner tomorrow!" The winning comment was made by Paula Shayne Lao Olbes, supporting Archers.