The Javelineer is a Ranged Infantry Unit. It becomes available in the Stone Age.
It requires the following equipment for each unit: 1 Javelins.
Javelineers are one of the first ranged unit unlocked during the Stone Age and are the superior ranged unit of the stone age. Compared to the Rock thrower Javelineers are a lot quicker, have much longer range, and do more damage. Javelineers become mostly obsolete as defensive units after Bowpigs become available.
Usage[]
Javelineers' speed and range make them effective defenders. When stationed inside a Palisade fort they can defend even with inferior numbers against large raids.
On the offensive, javelineers perform a few specialized roles. They can safely kill melee and stone thrower defenders that are inside forts due to their superior range. They must be used with care against melee enemies not inside forts due to their low melee skill, as they will die ease. Ideally other units will be sent in before javelineers to distract melee attackers, and then javelineers can be sent once there is no danger of them being caught in melee.
Usage post obsolescence[]
After Bowpigs become available the usefulness of the Javelineers is heavily reduced. Bowpigs can kill javelineers defending inside forts without losing any units due to their longer range.
Javelineers can still be used as a cheap alternative to bowpigs as they do not need Leathercloth to be recruited. This makes them suitable for massing ranged units and equipping militias until such a time where replacing them with better units is possible. Javelineers' also have higher damage than bowpigs, so they can be used at times where an enemy is expected to be delayed inside the smaller javelineer range, especially when there is a large height advantage.