Age of Empires 2 Definitive Edition has brought a huge number of series fans back to the game, as well as bringing entirely new fans to the franchise. While there are a lot of fascinating strategies to try and learn with over thirty civilizations, it can be difficult to pin down which ones are the best in certain areas.
In terms of archers and ranged attacks, there is nothing more satisfying than seeing enemy forces destroyed before they can even get near the units taking them out. Civilizations with strong archer forces have a lot of options for ways to win a game, as archers can be set up to defend or attack long-range, making them difficult to deal with when well-upgraded.
6 Chinese
The Chinese civilization has an excellent focus on the economy, with an interesting and unique start-up which could be difficult for new players to get used to. Starting with extra villagers and population from their town center, the Chinese are able to quickly gather resources and are generally considered to be one of the more powerful overall civilizations as they have such capability both in attack and defense.
A lot of this ability comes from full archer and infantry technology options. The Chinese also get technologies at a cheaper price, which makes it incredibly easy to get a lot of advanced units. Their unique unit is the Chu Ko Nu, which is a short-range crossbowman with a deadly multiple-arrow attack. Additionally, they have access to almost all the siege weapons and special technologies like Rocketry, which make units like the Chu Ko Nu perfect for longer-range siege attacks.
5 Vietnamese
The Vietnamese are a fascinating civilization in that they are an archer-heavy group that focuses on tackling other archer-focused civilizations. Age Of Empires 2 strategy goes all the way down the rabbit hole, and the Vietnamese are an example of how to counter the counterattacks that can be formed with great archer civilizations.
Unique units like the Imperial Skirmisher and the Rattan Archer are especially useful components as they are anti-archer archers. With extra bonuses for archer health as well, the Vietnamese are in a unique position to ruin other civilizations' archers. They have almost every unit at the archery range and nearly every important archer-based upgrade there as well. They even have great front-line options, as they have unique technology that makes their battle elephants more durable.
4 Italians
The Italians are known in Age Of Empires 2 for their heavy focus on the navy, and indeed that is their primary strength. But their archer capabilities are not to be overlooked, as they are one of the best in those terms as well. With quick aging due to cost decreases and cost reductions in gunpowder units, there are a lot of ways the Italians can field a dangerous force quickly.
The Italians have two unique units, one of which is the Genoese Crossbowman, a strong archer unit with great bonus versus cavalry. This unit alone provides a massive bonus for the Italians over other, similar civilizations with powerful archers.
3 Ethiopians
Ethiopians are another civilization that benefits massively from having a complete technology tree for siege weapons. This makes them one of the most dangerous civilizations from that perspective. Their biggest advantage with archery is that Ethiopian archers naturally fire faster than any other kind of archer unit.
Additionally, there are a great set of upgrades available with blacksmiths for strong archer lines. While they would be able to stand almost in the front lines with enough upgrades, the Ethiopians also bring the valuable unique units called Shotel Warriors. These units can be trained cheaply and quickly, enabling players with a bit of preparation to put out a huge force that their strong archers can stay behind for maximum damage.
2 Britons
The Britons are considered an easy civilization to get to grips with, making them a strong choice for new Age Of Empires 2 players. However, they are also one of the very best for archers, partially due to the powerful Longbowman unique units. These units have a lot of range and strength, and can be upgraded into the incredibly deadly elite Longbowman in the late game.
The Britons also gain bonus archer range in later ages and archery units can be trained faster later in the game. Their unique technology increases this range even further. Foot archers get a total of +3 range bonus over other civilizations, meaning Briton archers are considered the most dangerous in the entirety of Age Of Empires 2.
1 Mayans
However, despite the Britons being known as the best archer civilization in the game, it is worth noting that the Mayans, when played correctly, can probably beat the Britons for archer units. Mayan's archers decrease in cost every age, making for an enormous discount, especially late-game. What's more, there is a huge focus on the impressive and easily reinforced unique Mayan unit.
The Plumed Archer is durable and strong. He is cost-effective and particularly great at everything, except for his slightly lower attack over other archers. In numbers, and with the unique Mayan technology which bolsters his hit points even further, this unit will outmatch most other archers. The cheap costs enable Mayan archers to overwhelm even Briton archers in most scenarios with the sheer force of numbers, making them the best archer civilization in the game.