- For other units with a similar name, see Crossbowman.
Description[]
The Crossbow is a stand-alone archer unit in Empire Earth, available in Dark and Middle Ages. It is the first 'Sniper unit' available.
Strengths[]
With its long-range and high attack values, it can kill non-upgraded Infantry units with a single shot.
By default, it also has the highest range and Line of Sight among infantry units until Sharpshooters come along, making it somewhat useful in a sentry role, as they can detect incoming hostiles from further than other infantry.
The Crossbow's mix of qualities makes it very useful against clergy units; Priests can turn the enemies' strength to their side and steal vital units like Siege Weapons, whilst Prophets can be devastating if left to live long enough to cast even just one calamity; by the Dark Age, the clergy units have substantially more range and speed than in the Prehistoric Age, making them more difficult to deal without using melee cavalry who could be at risk of catching Plague. Thus, there's a special value in the Crossbow's deadly attack and their superb range.
Weaknesses[]
Almost everything else about the Crossbow is sub-par compared to other units. For everything they excel at, the things they do not are often the worst among all available units. They are expensive, take a long time to produce, move slowly, and have very few hit points for combat units, with no armor against any particular attack type.
Even their offensive capacity has a glaring flaw in their very low attack rate, which could be a foil offensively and defensively. Paired with their slow movement speed, this makes them terrible pursuers despite their superior range, and Crossbow shots can still miss despite flying faster than Arrow or Piercing type projectiles. This means most units who are fleeing and can dodge their initial shot will likely succeed in losing them, as Crossbows have little hope getting them in range again. Their slow rate of fire also makes them very vulnerable in combat situations; if the Crossbow is cornered or ambushed, they would easily be taken out, as they take a lot of damage from almost any Attack type and cannot dish out its one-shot projectiles fast enough to save themselves.
