18 Pop Scouts into Archers
Source: Hera
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Target
- feudal
- Duration
- ~14 min
Recommended civilizations
Step Timeline
Follow the population rail and phase breaks while you play.
Opening
6 steps · pop 6-18
- pop 6#1
Food Town Center 6 → sheep under TC
- pop 8#2
Wood Lumber Camp +2 → wood, build lumber camp
- pop 9#3 Food
+1 → lure nearest boar
- pop 10#4House Mill Food
+1 → build house then mill on berries
- pop 16#5 Food
+6 → hunt under TC (boar + sheep)
- pop 18#6 Food
Loom +2 → lure 2nd boar and hunt
Research Loom; click Feudal at ~8:50
Feudal Age
5 steps · pop 18-25
- pop 18#7Lumber Camp Wood Food
Feudal arrives — 6 vils → wood (8 total on lumber), 4 → berries
- pop 18#8Barracks House
2 vils: one builds Barracks, one builds House
- pop 18#9Stable
Light Cavalry 
Double Bit Axe Build Stable, produce Scout Cavalry; research Double-Bit Axe
- pop 22#10Archery Range
+4 new vils → hunt or straggler trees; build 2 Archery Ranges
- pop 25#11
Gold Mining Camp Blacksmith 
Fletching +3 → gold, build Mining Camp; build Blacksmith, research Fletching
Strategy Notes
- Scouts into Archers is a flexible two-wave strategy: Scouts threaten first, then Archers sustain the pressure.
- Weak against: Opponent walling early and producing Spearmen to neutralize Scouts; Skirmisher response to Archers.
- Strong against: Greedy openings; opponents who cannot respond to two different unit types at once.
Options:
- Feudal All-In: Research Bloodlines, add a 2nd Stable for more Scouts; flood with Scouts + Archers and force a decision.
- Castle Transition: Balance economy, advance to Castle Age, and prepare for a strong Crossbow timing.
- Crossbow + Knights: Once in Castle Age, 2 Archery Ranges + 2 Stables creates a powerful combined arms push effective against Skirmishers and Siege.
Defense Tip: If the opponent has no Skirmishers, Ballistics can be prioritized in Castle Age for immediate Archer value. Continuously expand farm count and maintain gold/wood balance to sustain production through the mid-game.