There has been much debate over our archers, the main disapproval has been the lack of special rules that benefit their ranged abilities, and their high price. Although there has been some criticism I will try to explore the possibilities of using archers.

At 11 points per model, and with a minimum unit size of 10, a single archer unit isn't the cheapest option around, especially when you consider how expensive HE support units are, but with BS 4 and 30" range, high elven archers aren't a complete waste should you include them in your army.

If you're unwilling to use spears to fill up your core choices, you can buy a unit of 10 archers with no command units and have them sit back, offering light ranged support or even babysit your Bolt Throwers or mages. for just about the same price as a regiment of 21 spears with full command, you get two units of ten archers. While you lose the prospect of having a quite reliable battle-line unit, you instead gain two units with range enough to be on par or outshoot many enemy core archers. While lesser races have longbowmen in their core options, none of them have BS 4, and with that in mind, we can usually get the first shot, even if we do not get the first turn.

Having archers in unit sizes greater than 10 is greatly frowned upon in the HE community, mostly because they work best on high ground, and then you can field them in a 5x2 formation. Fielding them on the ground requires you to try to maximize the number of models that can shoot. Needless to say, finding a safe position where you can have them deploy 10 wide is a very rare sight, non-existent, some would say.

A single unit of archers isn't a very big threat, despite superior range and ballistics skill. However, when used in pairs, the chance of causing panic is greatly increased. And when used in unison with out Repeater Bolt Throwers, you quickly get enough ranged offence to compete in the shooting phase. If you have some RBT's in your list, just a single unit of archers can help you put those last kills into your target unit.

Magic can also help a unit of archers. Our own lore High Magic holds the spell curse of arrow attraction, which becomes deadlier as the number of ranged units you posess increases. Of course, getting it off might be a problem, since no enemy would let it through without an effort. Of course, this holds true for just about all spells.

Besides being a somewhat useful core filler, and a nuisance to our enemies, our archers can also wear light armour, for an additional point per model. Most High Elven players have never tried this, although some claim that that 6+ save is a wonder. My suspicion is that with that armour save, no matter how small, a unit of archers can better hold back a unit of war machine hunters. And all things considered, the statline of an archer is the same as a spearman, so the only difference between spears and archers is the armour save and the armament.

How to use a unit of archers then? As previously mentioned, they are best left standing on a hill somewhere in your deployment zone. Odds are that they will always have something to shoot at, and if you're really lucky, you might have the range on an enemy war machine. Some people chose to move their archers along their combat line, although this means you're either not shooting, or shooting with the "move and fire" penalty. Although with the promise of firing at close range, the trade off could be worth it.

If you keep them close to home, keeping your war machines close to the archers is always a good choice. Thanks to ASF, a unit of archers can stall, or even defeat, many war machine hunters. Giving you precious time to either make a final shot with the bolt thrower, or run back home with a support unit. Another option is to have the archers host a mage, or a character with a bow. This way, the character or mages protected by the archers, and with the right lore, staying back will not affect the mage's performance. If you're keeping a scroll caddy in the archer unit, chances are that he is safer there than tagging along the main battle line.

Archers will not kill anything heavily armoured, with strength 3, they will not modify armour saves at all, and they will struggle to harm anything with toughness 4 or more. But in large enough numbers, and with Curse of Arrow attraction, even bows can defeat a dragon. Of course, this might be a bad choice when you think about the fact that the same point cost in a unit of spears with the right spell might cause the dragon to flee from combat resolution.

Archers are nothing to hold a parade for, but they're not god-awful. They're a pricey choice, but in an army where everything has a steep price tag, perhaps the price is right? If you can get your archers to do more than simply shoot arrows, and protect a war machine or mage, then you're getting more value for your points, and subsequently, more usage from the protected unit. Use them together with bolt throwers or other ranged units such as reavers, chariots or shadow warriors. Concentrated fire is in most cases better than scattered fire.

In the end:

- Archers are expensive if you only use them as a missile battery.
- Are nigh-worthless alone, but can shine when used in cohesion with other ranged units.
- Have ASF and can prove a potent speed bump even for a tomb scorpion.