Archer Militia and Why Archers Are Useless

The Archer Militia is a Ranged unit that you can recruit in Manor Lords. See why archers are useless in Manor Lords, how to recruit an Archer Militia, how much it costs and more!

Why Archers are Useless in Manor Lords

Archers are Underpowered

Archers are underpowered right now. They were considered overpowered prior to launch, and balancing them is an ongoing concern.
Source: Official Manor Lords FAQ

The developers have confirmed that Archers are underpowered during the launch of Manor Lords. They are currently balancing the power of archers to avoid making them overpowered similar to their pre-launch build.

Does Not Attack if Allies are in the Way

During our playthrough, Archers are tied with Retinue for having the highest Attack stat in the game. However, if they're trying to attack an enemy that's engaged with your troops, they'll stop attacking to prevent friendly fire. This basically renders their role as a backline ranged attacker useless.

This may be a contributor to how useless they are, especially in battles where every unit's damage output matters.

Solution: Position Archers on the Side

To mitigate this, position your Archers on the enemy flank or side so that they'll continue to attack and decimate enemy troops. However, this exposes them to enemy attacks so try engaging enemies with your frontlines first to draw aggro.

Combat Guide: How to Battle

Archer Militia Info

Archer Militia is a Ranged Mercenary unit, a hireable military recruit to add to your forces.

Archer Militia Stats

Archers are light on their feet and are better used to flank enemies attacking from a safe distance. Archer Militia will have a slightly shorter range than Mercenary Archers. However, you can upgrade their defenses by upgrading your burgage plots and acquiring Mail Armor.

Recruited Unit Stats Explained

How to Recruit Archer Militia

Have Enough Men and Weapons

1. Click on the Army Button (V)
2. Click on the + Sign
3. Select the Archer Militia

As long as you have at least 5 Families and enough weapons, in this case 5 Warbows, you can recruit your male villagers as Archer Militia.

How to Make Warbows

Manor Lords Related Guides

List of All Recruits

All Recruit Types

All Militia