Scouts into Cavalry Archers
Steps 11 · 6 → 18 pop · ~18 min
Source: Hera — Strategy Guide (December 2025)
Recommended Civilizations
Open with Scout Cavalry to grab map control in Feudal, wall up safely, then snowball into massed Cavalry Archers — and the Mangudai upgrade for Mongols — in Castle Age.
Step Timeline
Follow the villager rail and resource-split columns while you play.
Opening
6 steps · pop 6–18- 6
6 → sheep under the Town Center - 8
+2 → wood; build a Lumber Camp - 9 +1 → lure the first boar
- 10
+1 → build a House, then a Mill on berries; use the Scout to push deer toward the Town Center ↳ Free deer food without losing villager time
- 16 +6 → hunt; lure the second boar into the mix
- 18
+2 → wood; research Loom ↳ Mongols: hunters work 40% faster, so the food piles up fast
Feudal
3 steps · pop 18 8:50- 18 Click Feudal Age at 18 pop (perfect landing ~8:50). In Feudal: move 5 hunt → wood + 2nd Lumber Camp, 5 → berries, 1 builds a Barracks 8:50
- 18
2 villagers build a Stable; pump Scout Cavalry and harass; research Double-Bit Axe (Horse Collar on closed maps); add 1–4 Spearmen vs. enemy scouts ↳ Wall the base with the two Stable builders once it is up; seed Farms as wood frees up
- 18
At ~15 Farms send 5 → gold + Mining Camp; build a Blacksmith; finish walling fully
Castle
2 steps- 18
Click Castle Age behind a sealed wall, then build 2 Archery Ranges; research Gold Mining, Bloodlines + Fletching; start Cavalry Archers ↳ Bank gold and keep Scouts alive for the transition
- 18
Research Bow Saw, Bodkin Arrow, Husbandry; upgrade to Mangudai at the Castle
Strategy Notes
- The Feudal Scouts are a screen, not the win condition: their job is to deny the enemy map control and buy time while you wall fully. Do not over-commit them into Spearmen or Skirmishers.
- Walling is the linchpin. Cavalry Archers are fragile while massing, so a sealed base lets you tech up and build numbers behind cover before pushing out.
- Roll Scout production straight into the Stable's eco upgrades, then pivot all your gold into the Archery Ranges the moment you hit Castle Age.
- For Mongols specifically, beeline the Mangudai upgrade — the faster firing rate and anti-siege bonus turn the Cavalry Archer mass into a top-tier composition.
- Hard counters to respect: Skirmishers and Camels both shred the archer line, so keep moving, kite carefully, and add Hussars or Halberdiers as a melee screen for the late game.
- If you cannot wall in time, abandon the Cavalry Archer plan, keep producing Bloodlines Scouts, and lean on the eco lead instead.