The Arbalest is countered by Elite Skirmisher, Onager and Paladin. It is a archer unit of the Archer Line, and it wins against Long Swordsman, Pikeman and Camel Rider.
- Class
- Archer
- Line
- Archer Line
- Available to
- All civilizations
- Cost
-
25 
45
Arbalest stats
 Hit points | 40 |
|---|---|
 Melee attack | 0 |
 Pierce attack | 6 / 2s |
 Range | 5 |
 Melee armour | 0 |
 Pierce armour | 0 |
 Speed | 0.96 |
| Accuracy | 90% |
 Line of sight | 7 |
 Training time | 27s |
What counters the Arbalest?
Hard counters deal bonus damage against this unit — they beat the Arbalest even at a cost disadvantage. Soft counters win the fight through cost-efficiency or mobility, without a dedicated bonus.
| Counter | Type | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
 Elite Skirmisher | hard | Attack bonus, high pierce armor |
 Onager | hard | Area damage with great range |
 Paladin | hard | Fast in melee – archers have low HP and almost no armor |
 Elite Huskarl | hard | UU (Goths) – Extremely high pierce armor |
 Hussar | soft | Fast and no gold cost – reaches ranged units instantly |
 Elite Eagle Warrior | soft | Fast, pierce-resistant |
 Elite Shrivamsha Rider | soft | UU (Gurjaras) – Dodges projectiles |
What does the Arbalest counter?
One representative per unit line — the whole line behaves the same way in this matchup.
-
Long Swordsman hard -
Pikeman hard -
Camel Rider soft - Elite Eagle Warrior soft
-
Steppe Lancer soft
Unique units the Arbalest beats
-
Berserk hard -
Boyar hard -
Condottiero hard -
Elite Berserk hard -
Elite Boyar hard -
Elite Guecha Warrior hard -
Elite Ibirapema Warrior hard -
Elite Jaguar Warrior hard -
Elite Kamayuk hard -
Elite Karambit Warrior hard -
Elite Kona hard -
Elite Liao Dao hard -
Elite Obuch hard -
Elite Samurai hard -
Elite Serjeant hard -
Elite Shotel Warrior hard -
Elite Temple Guard hard -
Elite Teutonic Knight hard -
Elite Urumi Swordsman hard -
Elite White Feather Guard hard -
Elite Woad Raider hard -
Flemish Militia hard -
Guecha Warrior hard -
Ibirapema Warrior hard -
Jaguar Warrior hard -
Jian Swordsman hard -
Karambit Warrior hard -
Kona hard -
Liao Dao hard -
Obuch hard -
Samurai hard -
Serjeant hard -
Shotel Warrior hard -
Temple Guard hard -
Teutonic Knight hard -
Urumi Swordsman hard -
White Feather Guard hard -
Woad Raider hard -
Cataphract soft -
Ghulam soft -
Iron Pagoda soft -
Konnik soft -
Leitis soft -
Monaspa soft
Other units the Arbalest beats
-
Champi Warrior hard -
Elite Champi Warrior hard -
Elite Konnik (Dismounted) hard - Konnik (Dismounted) hard
Civilizations that improve the Arbalest
16 civilizations have a bonus or unique technology that affects this unit.
Britons
- Foot Archers +1/+2 range in Castle/Imperial Age
- Yeomen (unique tech): Foot Archers and Skirmisher-line +1 range; Watch Tower-line +2 attack
Cumans
- Archery Ranges and Stables cost -75 wood
Dravidians
- Skirmishers and Elephant Archers attack +25% faster
Ethiopians
- Foot Archers attack +18% faster
Gurjaras
- Frontier Guards (unique tech): Camel Riders and Elephant Archers +4 melee armor
Italians
- Foot Archers and Condottieri +1 melee/+1 pierce armor
Khmer
- Double Crossbow (unique tech): Ballista Elephants and Scorpions fire an additional projectile
Koreans
- Archer armor and tower upgrades free (Bombard Tower requires Chemistry)
Maya
- Foot Archers cost -10/20/30% in Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age
Muisca
- Champi Warriors and Archery Range Units +1/2/3 melee armor in Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age
- Herbalism (unique tech): Archer-line and Champi Warriors move +15% faster
Persians
- Kamandaran (unique tech): Archer-line gold cost replaced by additional wood cost
Shu
- Archery Unit technologies at the Archery Range and Blacksmith cost -25%
- Bolt Magazine (unique tech): Archer-line, War Chariots and Lou Chuans fire additional projectiles
Tupi
- Archery Range and Barracks upgrades cost -50% food
- Curare (unique tech): Foot Archers and Fortifications deal poison damage
Vietnamese
- Archery Range units and Fire Lancers +20% HP
Vikings
- Bogsveigar (unique tech): Archer-line and Longboats +1 attack
Wu
- Red Cliffs Tactics (unique tech): Demolition Ships and Fire Archers deal fire damage to ships and buildings
The Archer Line
-
Archer -
Crossbowman - Arbalest
For the strategy behind these matchups — when to build counters, how to mix them and which civs do it best — see the Archer Counters guide.
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