Skeleton Archers are undead warriors who wield bows and fire arrows at their enemies. They have appeared in all three of the Diablo games, as ranged variants of their Skeleton brethren.
Lore
Skeletons do not seek to consume the flesh of the living as do many of their other undead kindred, but seek only to slay those who live to increase their ranks. Single-minded in their mission to slay the living, some of these animated warriors now use the bows that served them in life to deadly effect.
Diablo I
Skeleton Archers appear particularly in the Catacombs. They can be quite dangerous if not dispatched quickly.
Like Skeletons, Skeleton Archers have four variants, including Corpse Bows, Burning Dead Archers, and Horror Archers.
Stats
| Name | Image | Level | Damage | HP | Resistance | Immunity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skeleton Archer | 
|
3 | 1-2 | 1-2 | None | Magic |
| 18 | 6-8 | 53-56 | None | None | ||
| 33 | 10-14 | 104-108 | None | Magic | ||
| Corpse Bow | 
|
5 | 1-4 | 4-8 | None | Magic |
| 20 | 6-12 | 62-66 | None | None | ||
| 35 | 10-22 | 116-132 | None | Magic | ||
| Burning Dead Archer | 
|
7 | 1-6 | 5-12 | Fire | Magic |
| 22 | 6-16 | 65-86 | None | None | ||
| 37 | 10-30 | 120-148 | None | Magic, Fire | ||
| Horror Archer | 
|
9 | 2-9 | 7-22 | Lightning | Magic |
| 24 | 8-22 | 71-116 | None | None | ||
| 39 | 14-42 | 128-190 | Lightning | Magic |
Unique Skeleton Archers
- Deadeye - Level 2
- Skullfire - Level 3
- Blackash the Burning - Level 4
Diablo II
Skeleton Archers return in Diablo II. They appear often in large packs, and they can be quite deadly; on higher difficulties, only a few volleys are enough to kill even the sturdiest of warriors. They can be found normally with other monsters and act as suppressive fire until the melee units get close enough. Good encounters to deal with Skeleton Archer groups are to lure their other units away until out of range then deal with the Archers. Since the Skeleton Archers can deal devastating damage in groups, a good way is to use ranged spells or anything that can do an area-of-effect such as Fist of the Heavens. There are four other variations besides normal Skeleton Archers: Returned Archers, Bone Warrior Archers, Burning Dead Archers, and Horror Archers.
Stats
| Property | Normal | Nightmare | Hell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Undead | Undead | Undead |
| Act(s) found in | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Monster Level | 5 | 38 | 68 |
| Experience | 62 | 2792 | 26687 |
| Health points | 11–24 | 415–593 | 2219–4227 |
| Damage 1 | 2–3 | 11–16 | 27–39 |
| Attack Rating 1 | 89 | 890 | 3176 |
| Damage 2 | 2–3 | 11–16 | 27–39 |
| Attack Rating 2 | 89 | 890 | 3176 |
| Defense | 25 | 552 | 1352 |
| % to Block | 15 | 23 | 15 |
| Damage Resist | 0 | 0 | 40 |
| Magic Resist | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fire Resist | 0 | 0 | 33 |
| Cold Resist | 0 | 0 | 33 |
| Lightning Resist | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Poison Resist | 50 | 60 | 100 |
| Drain Effectiveness | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Immunities | — | — | Poison |
| Chill Effectiveness | 50 | 40 | 25 |
| Walk/Run Speed | ? | ? | |
| Group/Minion Size | ? | ? |
| Property | Normal | Nightmare | Hell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Undead | Undead | Undead |
| Act(s) found in | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Monster Level | 8 | 39 | 69 |
| Experience | 90 | 2986 | 27978 |
| Health points | 21–42 | 438–627 | 2279–4342 |
| Damage 1 | 3–5 | 11–16 | 28–40 |
| Attack Rating 1 | 169 | 910 | 3220 |
| Damage 2 | 3–5 | 11–16 | 28–40 |
| Attack Rating 2 | 169 | 910 | 3220 |
| Defense | 40 | 564 | 1370 |
| % to Block | 23 | 23 | 23 |
| Damage Resist | 0 | 0 | 40 |
| Magic Resist | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fire Resist | 0 | 0 | 33 |
| Cold Resist | 0 | 0 | 33 |
| Lightning Resist | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Poison Resist | 50 | 60 | 105 |
| Drain Effectiveness | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Immunities | — | — | Poison |
| Chill Effectiveness | 50 | 40 | 25 |
| Walk/Run Speed | ? | ? | |
| Group/Minion Size | ? | ? |
| Property | Normal | Nightmare | Hell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Undead | Undead | Undead |
| Act(s) found in | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Monster Level | 9 | 40 | 70 |
| Experience | 99 | 3196 | 29269 |
| Health points | 23–48 | 462–661 | 2340–4457 |
| Damage 1 | 4–6 | 11–16 | 28–40 |
| Attack Rating 1 | 197 | 931 | 3263 |
| Damage 2 | 4–6 | 11–16 | 28–40 |
| Attack Rating 2 | 197 | 931 | 3263 |
| Defense | 45 | 576 | 1387 |
| % to Block | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| Damage Resist | 0 | 0 | 40 |
| Magic Resist | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fire Resist | 0 | 25 | 33 |
| Cold Resist | 20 | 50 | 75 |
| Lightning Resist | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Poison Resist | 50 | 60 | 105 |
| Drain Effectiveness | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Immunities | — | — | Poison |
| Chill Effectiveness | 50 | 40 | 25 |
| Walk/Run Speed | ? | ? | |
| Group/Minion Size | ? | ? |
| Property | Normal | Nightmare | Hell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Undead | Undead | Undead |
| Act(s) found in | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Monster Level | 13 | 43 | 74 |
| Experience | 137 | 3914 | 34433 |
| Health points | 33–66 | 534–764 | 2581–4917 |
| Damage 1 | 4–6 | 12–18 | 29–42 |
| Attack Rating 1 | 307 | 993 | 3438 |
| Damage 2 | 4–6 | 12–18 | 29–42 |
| Attack Rating 2 | 307 | 993 | 3438 |
| Defense | 65 | 612 | 1458 |
| % to Block | 35 | 35 | 35 |
| Damage Resist | 0 | 0 | 45 |
| Magic Resist | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fire Resist | 30 | 50 | 75 |
| Cold Resist | 0 | 0 | 33 |
| Lightning Resist | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Poison Resist | 50 | 60 | 110 |
| Drain Effectiveness | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Immunities | — | — | Poison |
| Chill Effectiveness | 50 | 40 | 25 |
| Walk/Run Speed | ? | ? | |
| Group/Minion Size | ? | ? |
| Property | Normal | Nightmare | Hell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Undead | Undead | Undead |
| Act(s) found in | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Monster Level | 18 | 47 | 78 |
| Experience | 223 | 5131 | 39597 |
| Health points | 47–96 | 630–900 | 2823–5377 |
| Damage 1 | 5–8 | 13–19 | 31–44 |
| Attack Rating 1 | 446 | 1076 | 3613 |
| Damage 2 | 5–8 | 13–19 | 31–44 |
| Attack Rating 2 | 446 | 1076 | 3613 |
| Defense | 90 | 660 | 1528 |
| % to Block | 45 | 45 | 45 |
| Damage Resist | 0 | 0 | 50 |
| Magic Resist | 20 | 50 | 75 |
| Fire Resist | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cold Resist | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lightning Resist | 40 | 70 | 75 |
| Poison Resist | 50 | 60 | 110 |
| Drain Effectiveness | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Immunities | — | — | Poison |
| Chill Effectiveness | 50 | 40 | 25 |
| Walk/Run Speed | ? | ? | |
| Group/Minion Size | ? | ? |
- Skeleton Archers are Undead, so they are therefore vulnerable to Undead-specific spells and abilities.
- You cannot steal Life or Mana from Skeleton Archers.
- Burning Dead Archers shoot Fire Arrows.
- Horror Archers shoot Lightning Arrows.
- All are immune to poison in Hell mode.
- There are no super unique Skeleton Archers.
Diablo III
Skeleton Archers return for their third go in the Diablo series, and they are as much of a hassle as they have ever been.
A humanoid skeleton with a bow and a relatively slow firing rate, they are not dangerous one on one, but a pack of them can be pretty nasty, especially against low armor or stationary targets. In Diablo III, they usually spawn with Skeletal Shieldmen, firing from the relative safety they find behind their blocking brethren. They may also appear with a Skeletal Summoner. In Act V, they are replaced with Revenant Archers and Summoned Archers (some Champion Skeletal Archers could be found in Westmarch prior to patch 2.2.0).
Uniques
- Belagg Pierceflesh (Keep Depths)
- Johanys (Royal Quarters)
- Killian Damort (Cathedral)