Academy of Noble Conduct/Lectures/History/Units

The effectiveness of archers depends on many factors, such as the size of the enemy force, the amount of wind blowing, how many volleys of fire they can get off while the enemies, etc. Against undead and monsters, archers are devestating if the wind is calm since these rogues cannot respond in kind. However, they should accompanied by infantry to provide a screen against enemy forces so that they are not caught up in close combat, as they will usually take excessive casualties if caught in a melee.

So yes, archers are excellent at taking out monsters or undead with little in casualties, but only if they have infantry to take care of what makes it to our lines.

Infantry can be considered the core of an army. They are essential to the success of any operation. Infantry are needed to assault enemy walls and screen your archers.

Cavalry are your shock troops, a single charge from cavalry can change the tide of battle. However, they cannot scale walls and suffer when in prolonged combat.

Special Forces are the elite of the elite, be they ranged troops or melee specialists. These troops are incredibly expensive, but are also incredibly powerful. Just be prepared for the excessive expenses required to maintain the unit.

Mixed Infantry You almost never want to hire these, as while they try to do ranged and melee combat, they are mediocre at both. You are better off asking your Marshal what type of unit he needs most at the moment and getting that. They tend to be sub-standard archers and sub-standard infantry all rolled into one package.