[1057] Ultimate Archer Guide

Welcome to the Ultimate Archer Guide! A.K.A Trumbleswastoolazy
This will be the full-on, definitive guide to archer combat, so I will need suggestions and/or corrections.

The Basics:

Spoiler: Loosing an arrow

Hold down the left mouse button to loose an arrow. The longer you hold it, the more velocity it is given. Arrow damage is is dealt through the speed of the arrow when it hits the enemy, regardless of when you released it.
View attachment 32875

All you can do is choose the initial speed and where to fire it from. Areas higher up allow you to deal out more damage in succession.

Spoiler: Breaking Shields

To break a knights shield, you will need a close-range hit from a fully charged arrow. This opens up opportunities for your teammates to strike, so try to get a rhythm for their attacks.

Spoiler: Basic Grapple

Use the right mouse button to unleash your grapple upon the world. When this handy piece of kit hits a solid block, it will latch on and pull you in. Use it to hang from or climb walls and to swing from trees like a mad-man.

Common Mistakes:
Don't be that guy.

Spoiler: Stay away from doors

Do not use doors as a defence. Use it to burst out of, sure, but never stay in the door frame. A knight will slash you, and you will die, holding the door open with your corpse. This can lose your team the game. Instead, utilise the top of the tower or find some platforms to shoot out from.

Spoiler: You are not a close combat unit

You are a ranged class, so do not engage in close combat with multiple knights. There are exceptions, but they are rare for new players.

Spoiler: Don't Camp

If there are no enemies coming towards your tower, do not stay in it. Advance with a group of knights and provide cover.

Spoiler: Support your team

Back up knights by stunning enemies. Shoot arrows at walls to let friendly units over.

Spoiler: Go kill yourself

If a knight brings a keg to your base, stop him. At any cost. Shoot him. Stomp him. Grab the keg and grapple away. Your survival means nothing if your team loses. Yes, you will probably die, but you will look like a boss doing it. If by some freak accident (you're not that good yet) you do survive, you will be revered as legendary.

Slightly More Advanced Techniques:
Only begin these once you have fully come to terms with the basic attacks and movements. These techniques can only be fully utilised by someone with experience in previous areas. Archers have a high skill curve and if you advance to quickly in this guide, you may forget essentials and begin to rely on one single tactic. As a team game, in KAG you must be multi-purpose and be able to take advantage of every opportunity. If not, you will hold your team and yourself back. Relying on one advantage that may not work is boring and repetitive. A mastered archer class should be able to greatly enhance your team. That way as you team up and outwit your enemies, you will have the most fun possible.

Spoiler: Legolas Shot

A more effective way to deal damage is to use the Legolas Shot, also known as the Triple Shot. Charge your arrows until you see a sparkle, then tap the fire button three times. This will break knights shields at close range and the other arrows will deal a heart each of damage.
Remember, while this may be your most powerful attack, do not overuse it. Just because it can deal three hearts does not make it the best option in every situation. Using this attack effectively may involve getting close to a knight, so make sure you can escape. Weaker arrows can often play to your advantage.
If you do not loose the first arrow, you will be stunned. This is especially dangerous when hanging from a ledge. The second arrows do not have to be fired at all, so this can give you an edge if both you and another archer are charging shots and you wish to delay and get them while they are open. The delay between shots can be utilised in order to loose arrows in different directions and to mislead opponents into thinking you are not looking at them.

Spoiler: Advanced Grapple

Perhaps the most overlooked aspect of the grapple is the ability to increase your horizontal movement, outspeeding every other unit in the game. Grappling the ground will increase your downward speed and so can allow you to stomp enemies quickly for maximum damage. Allow your grapple to connect when you are further away to give yourself some lift to overcome edges. Invest your time to grappling walls without touching them to avoid spikes and moving around platforms efficiently. Make sure you learn how to stomp and combine that with multiple arrows to overwhelm your opponent.

Spoiler: Running Away

It's okay to run. As previously mentioned, the archer is very, very, squishy. With only two hearts, a knight can take you out in one slash. First grapple away from the knight at close range, to avoid his quick and powerful slash. You need to fire at the ground near you, not far away. (But not under you). By the time the grapple connects, you will be dead. Perfect the angle that maximises your momentum and jump consistently. Once you have some distance between you, how much may depend on the situation, you have two options. Attacking him once he has slashed, or gaining some vertical distance.

Spoiler: Wall Combat

A more experienced knight may decide to wall glide up your tower. Shoot him in the face. You may opt for a triple-arrow-stomp combo, or a simple single shot. Utilise knockback and slam him into the ground. Also remember to take out any bomb-jumpers if possible. Be warned, they can be hard to hit.

Spoiler: Knockback solutions

If an enemy knight is slashing, shoot him away. If he is defending, and you happen to be behind him, shoot him towards. Knock builders off towers for an easy kill. Use knockback during combat to stop a knight before he slashes you. Make sure you charge it enough though.

Spoiler: Kill the builder

Your true enemy is not the knight. Knights are dumb. Your real enemy is the mastermind of the battle. The artisan of the block. The dreaded builder. If you see a builder, kill him. This will provide your team with ridiculous advantages. Is he building a wooden platform across a gorge? Kill him, burn it. Increasing his tower height? Kill him, topple it. Coming towards your base? Bomb arrow. Don't worry about losing coins, worry about losing the game. If you are good enough, this should replenish your coins and weaken the enemy knights as well.

Spoiler: Wall-kicking

You may have seen knights do this. They dash up a wall, kick off and then slash for extra reach. As an archer this is also extremely useful, though not many apply it in combat. Charge up a legolas shot as you do this then release it as you launch yourself at your foe. They will not be aware of the sudden decrease in distance so they will be open to stuns. You may want to release the first arrow slightly earlier, just to stop any quick slashes.

Special Weapons:
Archers have many weapons at their disposal. Again, master the basics to prevent yourself from relying on one tactic alone, then develop these into your own strategy.

Spoiler: Fire Arrows

Use these to burn wooden structures or platforms or to deal extra damage. With these bad boys, a single legolas shot is a guaranteed kill against a knight.

Spoiler: Water Arrows

These are useful for stunning enemies or extinguishing fires. Be warned. You need a direct hit to stun a shielded knight. Water arrows can turn the tide of a battle, allowing pair of knights to slash through five or six of the enemy dumb enough to stand in your way.

Spoiler: Bomb Arrows

Bomb arrows don't damage blocks, they erase them. A single shot can blow open a stone door, crumble a tower or allow access to a flag. Groups of enemy archers are a good target, one hit kill, and they will multiply the coins gained. These should not be used in combat against single enemies except in TDM. Unless you're killing a builder. Seriously, screw those guys.

Spoiler: Pitfall: The Mineyan Adventure

Hide mines in bushes near the start of matches when they are plentiful. Grapple to high point then lob one down on an unsuspecting foe, it will activate and blow their face off. Scale a tower and stick on on shops, doors, or siege engines. Try sticking one in a single block hole in a wall then trick other archers into shooting you. Or use a burger arrow.

Terrain Advantages
Archers have many uses, but knights may outclass you. However, if you use everything offered by the situation to your advantage you should come out on top.

Spoiler: Higher Ground

Even a small slope can give you the advantage you need. Your arrows will become more powerful for a shorter charge time and avoiding attacks from a ledge is much easier. Knights need to switch to shield gliding to deflect your arrows, slowing them considerably and often leaving them open to attack.

Spoiler: Tunnels

Long, flat tunnels are an archer's best friend. Knights cannot jump or bounce as they slash, so legolas shots become deadly. Team up with a knight and builder of your own and you will be nigh unstoppable. In larger tunnels with more space, knights will have the advantage as they can now jump and their slashes will be able to take you out if you grapple. If cornered, use a legolas stun or water arrows to stun and flee. Throw in a stomp for good measure too.

Spoiler: Water

For the most part, try to minimise your time spent in the water. Often it is unavoidable, but if you need to go, do not go alone. Knights can slash to speed themselves up, but you are slowed and your grapple is severely crippled by a shorter range. You will still provide invaluable support to friendly knights, so co-ordination is essential here. Bombs are now much less of a threat, as they will float along the surface and can easily be shot back. Watch if you are closer, as the bombs tend to dip before they surface.

Dealing with noobs

Spoiler: Jabspam

A common tactic for inexperienced knights is to run at you while constantly jabbing. This can throw you off guard if you were expecting slashes, but it is much easier to handle. Keep your distance while launching weaker arrows, then using stronger ones to stun them if they get to close. As jabs only do one heart of damage, you can get health back using food or hearts to last longer.

Spoiler: Heart Hoarders

If some pesky noob archer is gathering hearts up and stashing them in his inventory, (who gave him that idea?) use a legolas shot or bomb arrow to kill him before he has time to heal.

Being outclassed
Sometimes you will come across a player or situation that is too much for you to handle in a straight match. In these cases use everything to your advantage to defeat them.

Spoiler: Hearts

Sometimes you will face an archer in TDM that will beat you nine times out of ten. In this case grab some hearts off the ground then hold "f" and stick them in your inventory. Press the spacebar to use them. Be careful of legolas shots though, as you may not be able to heal in time.

Spoiler: Bomb em', stun em', stick em' in a stew

Use bomb arrows in TDM to kill stronger archers, (only in special cases in CTF, see above). Water arrows are always a good plan though. Stunning will allow you to make your escape and let more experienced players do the dirty work.

Playing Mindgames

Spoiler: Spoiler Hint

Sometimes it is best not to take the safest course of action in favour of the least predicted. When a knight whips out a bomb, try running towards him. He will expect you to run away and will cook the bomb for that distance. Grapple over his head or stun him.

If you make it into the enemy base, but have no bomb arrows, try to hide atop a tower taking out anybody who tries to strike you down. Most people will concentrate a ridiculous amount of time trying to stop you. The angrier they get, the more they will slip up. This will help your team's knights to get the upper hand. Also COIHNS.

Hang on the edge of a tower to tease an enemy knight down. As he slashes inwards, jump out and swing up. This may need some practice but it is worth it to see their pixelated little faces.

Remember, if an enemy is especially pleased to have killed you, you are winning. Forge rivalries with enemies and watch them waste their precious bomb arrows on one lone archer.

Ridiculous Tricks
Some of these are useful, others are just showboating. If the insaneness of it causes shock and disbelief or large amounts of FUN it is always worth it.

Spoiler: Burger Arrows

Charge a single shot and release it just after you throw the burger. It will pierce it and launch it far to heal friends (or foes). Live fish also work. This will also activate friendly mines for explosive results. Origin:Trumbles Usefulness: High

Spoiler: Bomb deflection

Shoot enemy bombs in mid air to knock them back. Hard to pull off and often the bomb's AOE can take you out regardless. Origin: Unknown Usefulness: Medium

Spoiler: Keg deflection

Often a knight will drop a keg in front of several layers of doors. Burst out and pummel it with a legolas shot sending it rolling and taking out the waiting knights. If only shooting kegs gave you the kills. -_- Origin: NinjaCell Usefulness: High

To be added

Damage given from attacks
Playing mindgames - Added
Being outclassed - Added
Dealing with noobs - Added
Common enemy tactics
Ridiculous tricks - Added

Once complete, this guide will enhance the skills of everyone that reads it. Even Trumbles.
Please add any suggestions below.

Credits:
@Nighthawk
@BanakaI1
@Verzuvius
@Trumbles
@SirDangalang
@Aurora-

 

https://forum.kag2d.com/threads/921-guide-a-laymans-guide-to-archery.16794/

 

You lack a stealth section to be added (although I plan on writing a stealth general guide later, but not sure if I want to share my ninja secrets)

 

I feel the need to go over every single part of this. Brace yourself.

Spoiler: ENTIRE OP INSIDE.

The Basics:

Spoiler: Spoiler Hint

Hold down the left mouse button to loose an arrow. The longer you hold it, the more velocity it is given. Arrow damage is is dealt through the speed of the arrow when it hits the enemy, regardless of when you released it.
View attachment 32875

All you can do is choose the initial speed and where to fire it from. Areas higher up allow you to deal out more damage in succession.

Basics, fine and dandy.

Breaking Shields

Spoiler: Spoiler Hint

To break a knights shield, you will need a direct hit from a fully charged arrow. This opens up opportunities for your teammates to strike, so try to get a rhythm for their attacks. Warning: knights can break arrows with a slash as well, so keep an eye on your enemy.

"Direct hit" is really misleading. Any hit from an arrow is a direct hit in this game so long as it hits. What you need to inform people of is that the hit must be from close range, a detail that you completely leave out.

Basic Grapple

Spoiler: Spoiler Hint

Use the right mouse button to unleash your grapple upon the world. When this handy piece of kit hits a solid block, it will latch on and pull you in. Use it to hang from or climb walls and to swing from trees like a mad-man.

Basics again, no problems here.

Common Mistakes:
Don't be that guy.

Stay away from doors

Spoiler: Spoiler Hint

Do not use doors as a defence.

Spoiler: Spoiler Hint

Use it to burst out of, sure, but never stay in the door frame. A knight will slash you, and you will die, holding the door open with your corpse. This can lose your team the game. Instead, utilise the top of the tower or find some platforms to shoot out from.

Good.

You are not a close combat unit

Spoiler: Spoiler Hint

You are a ranged class, so do not engage in close combat. There are exceptions, but they are rare for new players.

This is true, but if this is going to be the "Ultimate Archer Guide," you'd better as heck get into close combat at some point, because it's actually a huge part of playing Archer for experts.

Don't Camp

Spoiler: Spoiler Hint

If there are no enemies coming towards your tower, do not stay in it. Advance with a group of knights and provide cover.

Thank the freaking heavens you said this. Nothing worse than a camping Archer (although there are situations where you should not advance, once of them being when there's a large body of water between you and the enemy and you have no boat... but that's another thing).

Support your team

Spoiler: Spoiler Hint

Back up knights by stunning enemies. Shoot arrows at walls to let friendly units over.

Again, you might want to mention the two ways that Archers can stun enemies - water arrows and close range shots.

Go kill yourself

Spoiler: Spoiler Hint

If a knight brings a keg to your base, stop him. At any cost. Shoot him. Stomp him. Grab the keg and grapple away. Your survival means nothing if your team loses. Yes, you will probably die, but you will look like a boss doing it. If by some freak accident (you're not that good yet) you do survive, you will be revered as legendary.

No problems, but I don't think you will be revered as legendary, unless you not only survive but also somehow kill 5+ enemies with the keg.

Advanced Techniques:
Only begin these once you have fully come to terms with the basic attacks and movements. These techniques can only be fully utilised by someone with experience in previous areas. Archers have a high skill curve and if you advance to quickly in this guide, you may forget essentials and begin to rely on one single tactic. As a team game, in KAG you must be multi-purpose and be able to take advantage of every opportunity. If not, you will hold your team and yourself back. Relying on one advantage that may not work is boring and repetitive. A mastered archer class should be able to greatly enhance your team. That way as you team up and outwit your enemies, you will have the most fun possible.

Legolas Shot

Spoiler: Spoiler Hint

A more effective way to deal damage is to use the Legolas Shot, also known as the Triple Shot. Charge your arrows until you see a sparkle, then tap the fire button three times.
Remember, while this may be your most powerful attack, do not overuse it. Just because it can deal three hearts does not make it the best option in every situation. Using this attack effectively may involve getting close to a knight, so make sure you can escape. Weaker arrows can often play to your advantage.

Don't forget to mention that Legolas shots have deviation, making them less accurate over long distances. They are very useful in taking out enemy Archers, though; there's nothing harder than dodging three arrows coming at you at once. You also don't mention that the Legolas shot is pretty important in close combat, but then again you don't seem to be going over close combat at all in this guide.

Advanced Grapple

Spoiler: Spoiler Hint

Perhaps the most overlooked aspect of the grapple is the ability to increase your horizontal movement, outspeeding every other unit in the game. Grappling the ground will increase your downward speed and so can allow you to stomp enemies quickly for maximum damage. Allow your grapple to connect when you are further away to give yourself some lift to overcome edges. Invest your time to grappling walls without touching them to avoid spikes and moving around platforms efficiently.

More specifics would help, but this is fine.

Running Away

Spoiler: Spoiler Hint

It's okay to run. As previously mentioned, the archer is very, very, squishy. With only two hearts, a knight can take you out in one slash. First grapple away from the knight at close range, to avoid his quick and powerful slash. You need to fire at the ground near you, not far away. (But not under you). By the time the grapple connects, you will be dead. Perfect the angle that maximises your momentum and jump consistently. Once you have some distance between you, how much may depend on the situation, you have two options. Attacking him once he has slashed, or gaining some vertical distance.

Wall Combat

Spoiler: Spoiler Hint

A more experienced knight may decide to wall glide up your tower. Shoot him in the face. You may opt for a triple-arrow-stomp combo, or a simple single shot. Utilise knockback and slam him into the ground.

It's sometimes hard to plant a single shot directly on a Knight when he's bouncing up your wall, but otherwise this is sound advice.

Knockback solutions

Spoiler: Spoiler Hint

If an enemy knight is slashing, shoot him away. If he is defending, shoot him towards. Knock builders off towers for an easy kill.

I completely fail to understand what you mean when you say "shoot him towards," considering you can't pull Knights toward yourself with an arrow, but maybe that's just me.

Kill the builder

Spoiler: Spoiler Hint

Your true enemy is not the knight. Knights are dumb. Your real enemy is the mastermind of the battle. The artisan of the block. The dreaded builder. If you see a builder, kill him. This will provide your team with ridiculous advantages. Is he building a wooden platform across a gorge? Kill him, burn it. Increasing his tower height? Kill him, topple it. Coming towards your base? Bomb arrow. One hit kill. Don't worry about losing coins, worry about losing the game. If you are good enough, this should replenish your coins and weaken the enemy knights as well.

Builders have 3 hearts of health, and a direct hit from a bomb arrow does 2.5. Not a one hit kill.

Special Weapons:
Archers have many weapons at their disposal. Again, master the basics to prevent yourself from relying on one tactic alone, then develop these into your own strategy.
Fire Arrows

Spoiler: Spoiler Hint

Use these to burn wooden structures or platforms or to deal extra damage. With these bad boys, a single legolas shot is a guaranteed kill against a knight.

Fire arrows typically come in twos - not enough for a Legolas shot. Frankly, I don't know why you would be wasting them by Legolas shotting, considering the extra damage is done by the fire over a period of time AFTER the enemy is hit, and shooting more arrows into them in quick succession does not increase the period of time they spend on fire. Telling people to Legolas Shot fire arrows into a person is probably the worst advice ever.

Water Arrows

Spoiler: Spoiler Hint

These are useful for stunning enemies or extinguishing fires. Be warned. You need a direct hit to stun a shielded knight. Water arrows can turn the tide of a battle, allowing pair of knights to slash through five or six of the enemy dumb enough to stand in your way.

Sound advice, but you could talk about more ways to use them. For example, if there is an enemy Archer hanging on the wall of a tall tower, a single water arrow will stun him, breaking his grapple hold and sending him falling to his death. Also, shooting a Knight who is cooking a bomb for a bombjump at the right time will cause the bomb to go off in their hand, dealing 3 hearts of damage to them - more than even a bomb arrow can do.

Bomb Arrows

Spoiler: Spoiler Hint

Bomb arrows don't damage blocks, they erase them. A single shot can blow open a stone door, crumble a tower or allow access to a flag. These should not be used in combat except in TDM. Unless you're killing a builder. Seriously, screw those guys.

Like I said before, bomb arrows do 2.5 hearts of damage. It's kind of a waste to shoot them at anyone, unless you're about to die and really don't want to lose the investment... or you just have absurd amounts because you're playing TTH. If anything, they're trolliest against enemy Archers, because a direct hit will OHKO them.

All in all, there's a lot of missing information and incorrect information. I think you should probably consult Trumbles if you want to actually construct the "Ultimate Archer Guide."

 

On impact a bomb arrow deals 2,5 dmg... 1 dmg from the arrow and 1,5 from the explosion...

Therefor if you miss the target it might deal 1,5 dmg. Good against Malfunction, shot him five times with bomb arrows in a game, dat insta-kill

 

Actually, direct hitting with a bomb arrow doesn't even -count- as a direct hit, there's no special damage modifier for it or anything.

It's all based on blast proximity. You can still deal 2.5 hearts with a very close shot.

 

I feel like you should go a little more in depth with the grappling hook. I always see people taking ages to get up towers. The farther u shoot it, the farther it'll launch u.. Letting ur self fall a little then grappling as ur still falling will launch u upward. Also a section for evading bombs since they're probably the biggest threat to archers. A little tip on that there are people who can time they're bombs perfectly. So the best counter is having water arrows. Three hearts of damage for the bomb blowing up in their hand and u should be able to get one shot in them. A kill and really funny to watch

 

Today I got a double kill with a bomb arrow and in the right upper corner of my screen I saw how they had died and it said that the guy I hit died from an arrow not an explosion, fall, drowning, etc.

Trumbles I think you are wrong about this...

 

I was wrong. That also doesn't mean you should be directly insulting me over it.

I really dislike you...

 

poor oodle don't get no respct.

 

Great guide, learnt some key points about archer. Thank you!

 

>Advanced techniques
>Legolas Shot

mfw

Great guide though!, and it seems like you'll be adding more obviously into the near future.

 

Tingle! Tingle!
Kooloo-limpah!
Become an update!

 

Liking the development of this thread with all the sound advice so far. Can't wait to read up on the Mindgames and combating Common Enemy Tactics section since I feel one of the core strengths of the archer is to make everyone on the other team regard you as a annoying pest they just can't get rid of :D

Thanks for the hard work guys :)

 

The next part is done!

 

Might want to add the physics of an arrow.

 

You should rename this thread
"How not to be awful at Archer"

 

From personal experience, just grapple away if they don't have bombs, and if you have a legolas charged, shoot away. Rinse and repeat. Target builders and other archers more than knights if a situation presents itself.

 

Also, did you mention pressing the right mouse button will stop the arrow you are charging, in case you don't need to shoot it any more?