That’s the issue, in 80% situations knights and archers are better at fighting and raiding. It’s a shame, diversity in AOE is so enjoyable… and however, even among 11 Infantery civs we rarely see them in ranked.
I don’t know how you see it, but from my point of the view they should be one of the main unit in the game, and not just for a 4-5 m@a rush or eventually a late champ trash killers.They already have a different impact than knights and xbows, being better at tearing down buildings and deserve to be more valuable.
Balance changes are complicated, but I think a lot of players can agree on those points :
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A little speed boost 0,9 → 0,95 will help them, being easier to play, better at raiding and could finally escape archer’s fire. That’s their biggest downside atm, unlike knights and xbows they’re harder to keep alive.
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Upgrades cost and researching time are too heavy, especially for LS or a late game champ transition.
It’s also worth for some UU I think.