Best archer units to have for AS?...also Thorakitai do seem some what vunerable

[Cute Wolf]

The thing about heavy persian archers is that they're still terrible in melee (unlike bosphorans). Their armor really only helps them out in archer duels because their terrible sidearm hinders them so much in melee. Generally, since you can't put the heavy persians in melee anyways, I just prefer Caucasians, the various steppe archers, or, for versatility, Persian-Archer Spearmen because their spear makes them useful against cavalry.

Bosphorans are always great, but their AOR is just so small...

here's a small trick, put lowest tax rate here, and export pantodapoi there to be disbanded and traded with Thureopherantes Toxotai, setting such trip that pump out them almost every turns will take the trick, especially when you got insane riches from conquering All Mikhra Asia (but that trick was better spent on Galatian Nudists, in my opinion)

[WinsingtonIII]

here's a small trick, put lowest tax rate here, and export pantodapoi there to be disbanded and traded with Thureopherantes Toxotai, setting such trip that pump out them almost every turns will take the trick, especially when you got insane riches from conquering All Mikhra Asia (but that trick was better spent on Galatian Nudists, in my opinion)

Not a bad idea, I've done that before to provide enough population to get other AOR restricted units. Still, you do have to transport them quite a way.

Well their lethality is still 0.1, so it is at least a sword. And they have a range of 198m, which is better than standard Persian archers and far more than the Bosphorans sport.
This also means they out-range all HAs except Saka riders (tied), Yuezhi HAs (same IIRC), Saka Early Bodyguard, Saka Early Nobles, and Yuezhi Nobles.

I mean, they are good archers, I was more just letting him know that you can't expect them to be all-purpose wall holding troops like you can with Bosphorans.

[Cute Wolf]

Not a bad idea, I've done that before to provide enough population to get other AOR restricted units. Still, you do have to transport them quite a way.

That's why I advise using that for pumping out Galatian Nudists instead of Thureopherantes Toxotai, the Pontos Euxinos sea means you must spent at least 500 minai per turn on those Kerkuroi Fleet you use to transport the Panda

[WinsingtonIII]

That's why I advise using that for pumping out Galatian Nudists instead of Thureopherantes Toxotai, the Pontos Euxinos sea means you must spent at least 500 minai per turn on those Kerkuroi Fleet you use to transport the Panda

Yeah that's not really worth it unless you have the extra cash lying around

[Claudius]

My sole mercenary Kretan archer just had 488 kills vs Carthage. Overpowered if you ask me.

I never use Kretans in melee though unless I was absolutely forced so the retraining argument wouldn't affect me. Persian archer-spearman are dirt cheap with a huge AOR. That and their versatility is what makes em great if I'm playing Eastern faction.

[Cute Wolf]

My sole mercenary Kretan archer just had 488 kills vs Carthage. Overpowered if you ask me.

Not pretty much OP if you are play on HUGE any superrior archer units should got insane ammount of killing, especially against those numidian skirmishers and assorted bunch of low armoured mercs the carthage often thrown at...

[Claudius]

They weren't unarmored. It was merc Phalax and a crap load libyan speamen (forget which kind but they had a decent armor value like 10 or something).

The AI's fault probably but Kretan's rack up kills like crazy. Factor in their price and overkill melee ability probably the best unit value wise in the game.