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Idle Villager
On this page
  1. What it does
  2. Strengths
  3. Weaknesses
  4. Strong counters
  5. Situational counters
  6. What it counters
  7. Why matchups work
  8. Line, cost, and age
  9. Upgrades
  10. Mistakes
  11. Supporting units
  12. Civ exceptions
  13. Related

Counter finder

Skirmisher

Verified

archers · Archery Range · feudal Age

Trash anti-archer. The cheapest way to shut down archer civs.

Idle Villager is current for Update 177723, with minor updates through 180059. Facts on this page were checked on 2026-09-19. Counters are not unconditional. Numbers, upgrades, terrain, and micro change the fight.

What it does

When you scout an Archery Range, add Skirmishers. Keep them behind spears. Do not chase Knights with them.

Strengths

  • No gold.
  • Hard counter to archers.
  • Fine behind pikes vs mixed Castle armies.

Weaknesses

  • Minimum range.
  • Low damage vs Knights and siege.
  • Need armor upgrades to survive return fire.

Strong counters

Strategic advice built on verified armor classes and unit access. Not unconditional.

  • Knight · cost-effective · can win in equal numbers

    Knights flatten Skirmishers. Even Scouts do if they reach.

    • Spear cover.
    • Onagers in the back.

Situational counters

  • Militia · cost-effective · can win in equal numbers

    Men-at-Arms walk through Skirmishers in Feudal Age if they catch them.

    • Archers mixed in.
    • Minimum range fights in a choke can still go to Skirms.

What it counters

  • Archer

    Skirmishers are the cheap, equal-number answer to generic archers.

  • Cavalry Archer

    Elite Skirmishers are the cheap wall vs CA and Mangudai.

  • Longbowman

    Still an archer. Skirms work. Range means you need to take the fight, not stare from 10 tiles away.

  • Mangudai

    Elite Skirmishers are the reliable cheap answer.

Why matchups work

High pierce armor plus bonus vs archer armor class. Melee units ignore that and walk into minimum range.

Line, cost, and age

Verified fact from the aoe2techtree dat extract. Base stats, no civ bonuses.

Skirmisher line stats
UnitAgeHPAttackRangeArmorCost
Skirmisherfeudal302 pierce40/325f 35w
Elite Skirmishercastle353 pierce50/425f 35w
  • Skirmisher: Bonus vs archers and spear line. Minimum range 1.

Upgrades

  • Elite Skirmishercastle Age

    More HP, attack, range, and pierce armor.

  • Archer armor and attack upgradesfeudal Age

    Skirmishers use the archer blacksmith line.

Common mistakes when fighting it

  • Fighting Knights with Skirmishers.
  • Standing in Onager range as a blob.

Supporting units

Civilization-specific exceptions

These sit on top of the generic matchup, not inside it.

  • Byzantines

    Skirmisher line costs 25% less.

    verified fact

  • Britons

    Yeomen gives Skirmishers +1 range.

    verified fact