Camel Archer (Civ5)

Camel Archer
Mounted unit of the Medieval Era
Introduced in Civilization V
Unique to
Civilization	Arabian
Civilization	Arabian
Replaces	Knight
Replaces	Knight
Cost
Production	120
Production	120
Stats
Combat strength	17
Combat strength	17
Moves	4
Moves	4
Range	2
Range	2
Ranged strength	21
Ranged strength	21
Required
Technology	Chivalry
Resource	Horses
Upgrades to
Cavalry
Cavalry
Notes
No defensive terrain bonuses Can move after attacking May not melee attack

Back to the list of units

Game Info

Unique ranged mounted unit of the Arabian civilization. Replaces the Knight. Requires Horses Horses.

• Common abilities:
  • Can Move After Attacking
  • No Defensive Terrain Bonuses
• Special abilities:
  • No Penalty Attacking Cities
  • May Not Melee Attack
• Special traits:
  • Ranged attack (21 Ranged strength)
  • Reduced Strength (17 vs. 20 Melee strength)

Strategy

The Camel Archer is a Medieval Era version of the earlier mounted archer units, but has considerable advantages over them. First, it may move after attacking, and second, it doesn't suffer the Chariot Archer's rough terrain penalty. And of course, its attack is much stronger, making it extremely dangerous in the field. This unit is stronger than the Mongolian Keshik, but it doesn't have any other special abilities.

Use it primarily for hit-and-run attacks. Its ability to fire, then move away out of danger is invaluable when attacking cities.

Historical Info

Some Muslim cavalrymen rode camels into battle. This often had an unsettling effect upon European-bred horses that had not before encountered those unusual beasts. As might be expected, camels are better-suited to desert terrain than are horses. Generally, the camel archer employed hit-and-run tactics against the enemy, more similar to Mongol horse archers than to knights or other heavy cavalry units. A well-trained camel archer unit could be extremely difficult for knights to deal with, if those knights were not protected by archers or their own light cavalry.