Although you would have a higher rate of fire using a normal bow, crossbows in fact have a higher chance of piercing armour and also were less strenuous to use (marksmanship with the bow was seen as the hobby and profession of nobility in Asia) and so by the end of the 12th century, almost every organised polity on earth was armed predominantly with crossbows. Yet, like all missile weapons, crossbows take some time to load, and an even longer time to hit accurately if used against moving targets. Additionally, the crossbow by itself is a highly intricate weapon, and so players who upgrade from archers to crossbowmen will see a steeper cost and longer training time as well, although train time remains just as fast. But once complete, you have a fast-training, hard-hitting unit capable of de