Battlefield role: Bow infantry.
Unit type: Missile infantry.
Content pack: Realm of the Wood Elves — Wood Elf core roster. Immortal Empires ownership
Availability
- Core Wood Elf roster from Realm of the Wood Elves; also available through the Sisters of Twilight’s Wood Elf campaign in The Twisted & The Twilight. Drycha’s Elven recruitment has separate restrictions.
- Realm of the Wood Elves unlocks Orion and Durthu’s Wood Elf campaigns in Immortal Empires, with Glade Guard in their roster.
- The Twisted and the Twilight unlocks the Sisters of Twilight and their Wood Elf core roster. Other Wood Elf factions can have different recruitment rules.
Official references
Keep the bows working
Deploy Glade Guard where friendly troops will leave them a useful shot. Keep space between the archers and the troops holding the front, and watch for cavalry or flyers approaching from another direction. A bow regiment loses its main job when it is trapped in melee.
Reposition unengaged archers to shoot at an exposed enemy rather than crowding every regiment behind the same fight. Tree Kin can occupy an attacker while the bows move to a safer angle. Keep an escape route open before the enemy reaches them.
Position Glade Guard where they can shoot an approaching enemy and still move behind protection. Their value comes from repeated volleys, so watch fast flankers and flyers before those threats reach the archers. A clear retreat route matters as much as a clear initial shot.
Move an unengaged regiment to a safer angle while another continues firing. Avoid pulling every archer away at once and leaving the infantry without ranged support. If a hostile unit reaches the bow line, use nearby melee troops to interrupt it and create room to reposition.
Standard arrows and specialised regiments
Glade Guard, Glade Guard (Starfire Shafts) and Glade Guard (Hagbane Tips) are separate recruitment entries. Starfire arrows add fire, while Hagbane arrows bring poison. Match the available variant to the task you want it to perform.
Use the recruitment panel to check which entry your faction and buildings provide. Drycha has a different Elven roster and Glamoured Elves; confirm her actual options before basing a plan on a particular archer variant.
Glade Guard, Glade Guard (Starfire Shafts) and Glade Guard (Hagbane Tips) have separate recruitment entries. Starfire Shafts bring enchanted flaming arrows; Hagbane Tips bring poisoned arrows. Select the regiment for the targets and support your army needs.
Deepwood Scouts and Waywatchers are different archer families. Choose the actual unit entry rather than assuming every Wood Elf with a bow has the same movement, concealment or ammunition properties.
Build around a protected shooting line
Orion supplies a fighting leader, Durthu adds a Treeman caster, and the Sisters provide shooting from the air. Each still needs a ground formation that can keep enemies away from its bows.
A Spellsinger or Branchwraith adds magic; a Waystalker adds a ranged character. Choose support that helps the whole army function rather than filling every slot with another source of arrows.
Recruit the bow line for your faction
In Immortal Empires, use the Wood Elf building browser to locate the Glade Guard variant you want. Secure a recruitment location with its unlock before planning replacements for a distant army.
Keep melee troops or forest spirits between the archers and an enemy advance, then use the space they create to maintain volleys. Do not send the entire protective line forward if that leaves an easy path to the bows. Adjust the formation when the enemy can approach from several directions.
Race and roster
All profiled and notable units for this race · Compare all profiled units