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With the addition of four new characters,Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Editionrounds out its roster of AI opponents at twenty. They’re designed to have a range of difficulties and strategies, so your approach to fighting one Lord or Lady won’t necessarily work against another. If there are multiple characters on a team against you, you’ll need to contend with all their personae at once.
You don’t have any control over who you fight on Skirmish Trails, but if you set up a Custom Skirmish you can fight against whomever you want. That’s a good way to practice!
Beginner Lords
These characters are designed to be easier than most, either because they tend to use weak units and inefficient strategy, or because they just aren’t particularly focused on fighting.
Spearmen
Sends Spearmen rushes without much support or planning.
Simple walls manned by Archers should be plenty to stop the Rat’s charges; just verify to defend your resource camps as well. Just about any unit type will outclass the Rat’s armies, so once you get inside his walls a Maceman rush to his Keep should finish him off.
Snake
Archers, Slaves, Slingers
Basic walls defended by bows and slings, with Slave raids on undefended resource camps.
The Snake tries to burn down your farms and mines until his economy can outpace your own, then strike once he’s in a position of strength. Patrol your supply routes to keep him from succeeding, and respond with raids of your own, and you can lay siege to his fortress at your leisure.
Sultan
Arabian Swordsmen, Slingers
Uses entertainment buildings to boost troop morale, at the expense of his economy.
The Sultan’s armies tend to be on the smaller side, but they can deal outsize amounts of damage thanks to hisFear Factor bonus.Use Archers and Crossbows to out-range his Slingers, with Swordsmen to protect your bow line from the occasional infantry push. Fire Ballistae and Catapults will make quick work of his walls and defenders.
Emir
Arabian Swordsen
Focuses on economy to build up large forces of Arabian Swordsmen, then attacks in numbers.
Predict where the Emir will attack and set up towers with Ballistae and Mangonels, supported by as many Crossbows as you can afford. When his Swordsmen push fails, he’ll take a while to set up another one. Use that time to reset your defenses while preparing your own siege. If you use fast troops like Macemen, you can move your own attackers into position while his troops are halfway between his castle and yours; they’ll be too slow to turn around and respond effectively.
Abbot
Monks, Catapults
The Abbot tends to have poor-quality infantry but lots of Catapults to breach walls for them.
Knights, Macemen, and Horse Archers can race out to deal with the Catapults as they arrive, and are more than capable of handling the Monks in combat. Use multiple Trebuchets to knock down the Abbot’s walls, since he tends to build them thick, then send the Macemen in for the kill.
Balanced Lords
These characters strike a balance between offense and defense, while still providing a moderate challenge on both fronts.
Wolf
Pikemen, Swordsmen, Trebuchets
Armored troops and well-planned castles make the Wolf dangerous on both attack and defense.
Use both stationary and mobile Ballistae to penetrate the armor of his infantry. Push progressively closer to his walls until you can get a Battering Ram into place, supported by Trebuchet bombardment. A secondary force of Assassins can also be useful, since they can quickly defeat armored infantry.
Nizar
Assassins
Favors unconventional warfare, sending waves of Assassins to head straight for your Lord.
Keep patrols on all your walls and in your Keep to watch for Assassins from every possible angle. The Nizar’s own base is usually filled with traps, so send cheap units in first before committing with your more valuable troops.
Defensive Lords
These characters prefer to buildstrong fortifications,letting you wear yourself out trying to attack them while they prepare their own assault.
Pig
Crossbowmen, Macemen
Builds up progressively larger raiding parties of Macemen until he can start producing siege engines.
Keep the pressure on the Pig by targeting his Dairy Farms; without leather, he can’t produce either of his favorite units. His castle will be defended by Crossbows, making it hard to get close, so bombard it at long range with Trebuchets before moving in.
Saladin
Arabian Bowmen, Arabian Swordsmen
Builds a strong, defensible fortress while developing a powerful army. Only attacks when he’s good and ready.
Use Saladin’s patience to your advantage by taking the time to build Pitch Ditches and Killing Pits around your walls. You can also outflank him with Horse Archers; whatever it takes to catch him off guard. Once you’ve dismantled his carefully-built army, have your siege engines ready to move out and counterattack before he can rebuild.
Caliph
Slaves, Fire Ballistae
Builds lots of towers and likes to use fire, including Pitch Ditches.
Patrol your resource camps with Archers or Slingers to drive off the frequent attacks from Slaves; otherwise, the Caliph will burn your economy to the ground. Otherwise, he’s content to hid behind his towers. Trebuchets are great for getting through his walls, but you’ll likely need a Knight charge to get rid of the Fire Ballistae he’ll have stationed around the perimeter. Send a wave of cheap units in first to trigger any fire traps, though.
Frederick
Crossbowmen, Trebuchets
Builds up a massive economy to spam Trebuchets in the late game.
It’s important to harass Frederick’s supply lines at every opportunity; raid his lumber camps, quarries, mines, and farms to slow him down. Even just eliminating peasants going to and from their workplaces helps.
Battering Rams and possibly even Tunnelers can be a useful way of getting to his walls, since he relies more on ranged attacks than melee. Have Knights or Macemen ready to charge his Trebuchets and shut them down when he comes to lay siege to your castle.
Sheriff
Crossbowmen
Encloses as much of his territory as he can and makes heavy use of traps.
The Sheriff is more focused on building up a strong economy, but his defenses can be formidable. He tends to overextend his walls, so try to cut off his supplies of stone and pitch. Once you create a breach, a massed rush of Slaves and Fire Throwers can cause a lot of havoc in his city, especially since he’ll likely have an attack penalty thanks to his Fear Factor.
Knights
Builds up a large force of Knights.
Attack from two fronts; one to draw out the Knights into a hail of Ballista fire, and another to actually breach his fortress. If they have enough support to get over the walls, Assassins can sometimes be a quick way of finishing off the Marshall.
Macemen, Crossbowmen
Builds powerful defenses first, then develops an attack force.
The Sentinel is a late-game threat, so hit his economy whenever possible. He always builds his walls in a cross shape, which can leave some resource camps undefended. Don’t fall for the trap of trying to go straight for the Keep at the center of the cross; you’ll just end up getting shot at by towers from all sides. Instead, dismantle two adjacent arms of the cross and work your way in.
Eunuchs, Heavy Camels
Builds up slowly, but attacks in force once she does.
Use Horse Archers to keep pace with her camel units in open terrain, and harass her economy when not in battle. Her castles usually have traps, so be prepared to send in throwaway units when the time comes to attack.
Aggressive Lords
These characters like to keep the pressure on, sometimes at the cost of defense. This can leave them vulnerable on defense if you may afford to move units away from your garrison, but you can expect to always have some of their troops causing trouble in your territory somewhere at all times.
Lionheart
Swordsmen
Encloses his main structures, leaving everything else out in the open, then attacks constantly and relentlessly.
Build your own defenses first to weather the Lionheart’s endless assaults, with a squad of Horse Archers and Slaves to run around picking off his peasants and resource buildings. When the time comes to besiege him, bring Fire Ballistae, Swordsmen, and Crossbows to fight off the inevitable counterattack while your Catapults and Trebuchets do their work.
Philip
Builds lots of Stables to support a large force of Knights.
Knights are dangerous, but only on open ground. Have plenty of Ballistae mounted on your towers and they’ll have trouble reaching your walls. Traps are also great at one-shotting Philip’s expensive cavalry. If the map allows it, try flanking his base with Slaves or Fire Throwers to burn his Stables to the ground.
Horse Archers
Stockpiles food and constantly raids enemy farms.
Towers and patrols of ranged units, including Horse Archers of your own, are essential for dealing with the Wazir’s cavalry. If you can, get your Trebuchets in range to destroy his Granary; since he relies so much on food, losing it can cause his recruit pool to dry up.
Swordsmen, Knights
Builds an army, attacks, repeats.
The Jewel is predictable, which can be useful. You can either slow her down by interrupting her supply chain, or let her attack like clockwork and catch her army in a trap similarly to Saladin. Like other armor-heavy characters, use Ballistae to blunt her attack, then counter by barraging her walls with Trebuchets before moving in for the kill.
Camel Lancers, Skirmishers
Fast-moving, mobile warfare. More focused on raiding than fortress assaults.
Like the Wazir, you need to make sure that your resources are well-defended while the Nomad is around. A rush of your own with Assassins, Macemen, or even Horse Archers can take the Nomad down quickly before he becomes too much of a problem; just beware of traps in his camp.
