Pavise Crossbowman in Command An Army — Stats, How to Get, Worth It

The Pavise Crossbowman is the 4-star end of the Crossbowman line, added in the October 17, 2026 class-expansion update. It is the first ranged unit in the game with a shield, and the verdict from the creators who took it to level 20 is consistent: a real upgrade to a weak unit, still not a unit you build around.

How do I get a Pavise Crossbowman?

Evolve it. There is no summon route:

1. Pull a Crossbowman — a 3-star from the standard banner, about 1% per pull (how the Crossbowman works).
2. Level it to 20.
3. Evolve it on the Evolve podium for the 4-star Pavise Crossbowman.

The evolution guide covers the podium and star costs. It is not part of the Archer line — Archers go Archer → Longbowman → Flame Archer and never reach this unit. If you already own a levelled Crossbowman, the evolution is the cheapest 4-star you will get this month; if you do not, summoning and levelling one just for this is a poor use of gems (get them from codes first).

Stats

Numbers read off the in-game card by creators on October 17–18:

Two readings float around, so treat the ceiling as approximate: one creator read the freshly evolved unit as 12.1 DPS at 270 range with 115 block, and a second creator’s maxed copy showed 24.2 DPS and 230 damage with range nodes pushing it toward 300. The lower number is the base card; the higher one includes upgrades. We have not seen a third source confirm which stage that 24.2 reading came from.

What the shield actually changes

Survivability. 115 block on a ranged unit is the whole point of the pavise. Against archers and other ranged chip damage it lives noticeably longer than the base Crossbowman, and inside a spear or shield line it survives the first volley that used to kill it.

Stay disciplined about what that buys: it does not make the unit tanky. Lancers still reach it and still delete it — a creator testing it against the current meta put it plainly: “even with a shield, their biggest enemy, lancers, still just wipe them out in seconds.”

What it can’t do

It cannot arc shots. Every Archer-line unit lobs over walls and formations; the Pavise Crossbowman fires flat. That removes the hiding spots archers rely on — behind a wall, on a ledge, on high ground — and it means you have to keep it in the open with a frontline in front of it, which is exactly where cavalry wants to find it.

That single limitation is why the unit is rated mid despite carrying a shield that no other ranged unit has.

Is it worth it?

Creator consensus after testing at level 20+ is no, not as a goal — yes, if it falls out of a Crossbowman you already levelled.

The blunt version from DinozaurPlays (October 17): “the better version of an already bad unit… makes it better, but the better version of an already bad unit doesn’t have to be great… I would not spend your time grinding for it.” He rates it better than the Crossbowman, worse than the Flame Archer, and specifically worse than the Longbowman line you get on the way to the Flame Archer.

Where that leaves it in the ranged queue:

Skill tree: what creators picked

Skill crystals go into the same tree as the Crossbowman (how the tree works). The path creators tested: accuracy and precision first for the flat-shot problem, then heart seeker, damage, range and speed, with piercing as the last pick. Range nodes are what took the maxed copy from 270 to about 300.

If you only have crystals for one branch, take range — the unit’s problem is not damage, it is finding a firing position it can actually shoot from.

How to beat it

• Cavalry. Lancers reach it through or around a shield line and end it. This holds at every level tested.
• Anything that forces it into the open. It needs line of sight, so pushing the fight off its chosen angle costs it most of its value.
• High ground. It cannot shoot up a wall. Archers can.

For the rest of the roster, see all units and the best units tier list.

Sources

• DinozaurPlays — “NEW PAVISE CROSSBOWMAN is CRAZY OP” (October 17, 2026): evolution path, base card reads (12.1 DPS, 270 range, 115 block, speed 20, interval 2), testing verdict.
• u_VSXBrcNCY — “I MAXED OUT the Pavis Crossbowman” (October 17, 2026): maxed skill tree, range at 300, 24.2 DPS / 230 damage reading, the rest of the class-expansion changes (Skyview, ping wheel, cheaper skill tree, smarter AI balancing).
• Steam-style in-game card and Command An Army Roblox page (app updated October 22, 2026).