Saxons 19 Pop Archers with Tower

A safe archer opening that uses the Saxons' defensive bonuses. Every mill, lumber camp and mining camp you build gives you extra food and **10 stone**, so you reach Feudal Age with enough stone for a **tower without a single villager mining stone**. Saxon towers shoot double arrows from Castle Age, which makes that tower even stronger later. The plan: two lumber camps for a smooth economy, archers to pressure, a tower on your gold and a full wall at home. In Castle Age go up to **3 Town Centers** quickly: every Town Center or Castle makes your foot soldiers 5% cheaper, up to 20%. Then follow up with Varangian Guards and skirmishers, or Hearth Troops. This is a first impression from Hera's pre-release video against the AI, so treat the follow-ups as a starting point, not settled meta.

Added 17 Oct 2026

  1. **6** on sheep
  2. **3** on wood; one builds a **house** at the same time
  3. **1** lures the **boar**
  4. **2 more** under the TC
  5. **1** builds a **mill** on berries, **3 more** join (4 on berries). One of the villagers under the TC lures the **second boar**
  6. **2 more** under the TC
  7. Research **Loom** and **click up to Feudal Age** (19 pop)
  8. While going up: build a **second lumber camp** and move **4** from food to it (7 on wood)
  9. **1 from wood and 1 from food** build a **barracks** and a **house**
  10. The same 2 build an **archery range**; then one starts **walling** and the other goes to **gold**. Move **2** from under the TC to gold. **Double-Bit Axe**
  11. First new villager to **gold** (4 on gold). Build a **mining camp on the stone** next to your gold for the +10 stone. Make **archers** nonstop
  12. Build a **tower** on your gold
  13. **Horse Collar**. Sheep villagers move to **straggler trees**; **3** new villagers go to **wood** and build **farms** gradually
  14. Attack with your first **3 archers**
  15. New villagers keep going to **wood**. When wood reaches about **15**, move **1 from wood to gold**, then gradually move villagers from **wood onto farms**
  16. **Blacksmith** and **Fletching**
  17. New villagers: **1 more to gold** and **3 to stone** (for the Town Centers in Castle Age)
  18. 17:30 Click **Castle Age** at **17:30** while pressuring with archers. On the way: **Gold Mining**
  19. Add **2 Town Centers** right away (3 in total, -15% on foot soldiers). The discount only counts once they are finished. **Crossbowman**, **Bodkin Arrow** and **Bow Saw**
  20. Don't drop a 4th Town Center straight away. Then add a **4th TC** if you're booming, or a **Castle** if the game is intense: either gives the full **-20%**
  21. Main army: **Varangian Guards and skirmishers** from extra barracks and ranges. Get **Gambeson** so your Varangian Guards beat skirmishers. Don't float resources
  22. Tip: Your towers now shoot **double arrows**. Keep fighting near them and garrison archers inside when attacked
  23. Switch to **Hearth Troops + Varangian Guards**. **Shield Wall** gives infantry +1/+1 armor per 15 infantry together, up to +3/+3 at 45