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Every real-time strategy game is a little bit different, andStronghold Crusaderis no exception. If you’re used to more fantasy fare, or even the more balance-forward approach of historical games like Age of Empires, the battles in Stronghold might at first seem tricky. Arms and armor play an enormous role, and a few well-equipped troops can cleave through hordes of peasant conscripts with ease.
Add in the game’s small but deep roster of siege weaponry and focus on defensive gameplay, and you’ll find that the standard strategies from other games just don’t work. Here’s everything you need to know to start winning battles.
Combat Basics
At its heart, Stronghold is like any other RTS; some units excel in melee, others at range, and still more have unique, specialized roles. Until you’ve learned the specifics of each unit type, a good way to approach the game isjust to look at a unit’s gear.
You can generally do as much or as little micromanaging of orders and targeting as you like during battle. Some units, though, like Horse Archers, are better with some extra guidance, and traps like Pitch Ditches need to be manually triggered, so you do need to take at least a bit of an active role in fights.
Hiring any military unit requires an idle peasant, who willimmediately transform into the unit and move to the appropriate rally point.If there are no idle peasants, you may’t hire new soldiers; usually, this means you need tobuild more Hovelsor increase your Popularity.
Sieges
Apart from campaign missions with specific objectives, your goal in a game of Stronghold is toget inside your opponents' castles and take down their Lord.Build your army (and the economy behind it) with the intent of getting through their walls and fighting past the defenders, while preventing them from doing the same to you. You’ll need plenty of melee, ranged, and siege units, on both offense and defense, to make it happen.
Have a plan for attacking your opponent’s castle, and one for defending your own!
European Units
The soldiers of the invading Crusaders arerecruited from the Barracks.You need to either manufacture or purchase their equipment and have it stored in the Armory before you can hire them.
12
Basic ranged unit.
Long range but very weak; best for defending the walls in large numbers. Can thin out large groups of unarmored units.
20
All-purpose ranged unit.
Slower rate of fire, but deals more damage and has more health.
Assault infantry.
Extremely fast despite their armor, Macemen are good for outflanking and clearing bow lines, or for rushing an undefended position.
Defensive infantry.
Slow and durable but with low damage, they’re useful for holding the line until reinforcements show up.
8
Basic melee unit.
Extremely weak, but faster than most other Crusader infantry. Cheap enough to be useful in groups or sacrificed to protect more important units.
40
Heavy infantry.
Extremely slow but powerful and hard to kill. Can beat most other units one-on-one. Best for defending your Lord or holding key positions; if you have enough time to get a group of Swordsmen to an opponent’s Keep, you’re probably about to eliminate them.
Heavy cavalry.
A Swordsman on horseback, Knights are expensive because of the extra requirement of horses, but fast and deadly.
Arabian Units
The defenders of the Holy Land are recruited fromMercenary Posts. They supply their own gear, so youdon’t need to manufacture equipment for them. It’s still a good idea to make weapons and armor, though, as you couldsell them on the marketto finance a large army.
In Skirmishes, you can haveboth a Barracks and a Mercenary Post, recruiting units from both factions!
75
Ranged unit
The middle ground between Archers and Crossbows;expensive to field in large numbers though.
80
Heavy infantry
Slightly faster than European Swordsmen, with a bit less health and damage. These will be the front line of your army.
60
Infiltration
Invisible until they get close to an enemy and able to scale walls, their main purpose is toopen gates from the inside.They can take a few arrows, but you should expect attrition and deploy them in groups. True to their name, Assassins can kill most units if they get to melee range.
100
Building destruction
Fire throwers are slow and need to get close to their targets, but once they start a fire it can spread quickly. Escort them to resource camps or just inside the enemy walls and let the flames do the rest.
Mobile ranged unit
Horse Archers canshoot while moving.Be sure to keep them moving while they’re in combat to help protect them from return fire. They’re also good fordrawing away dangerous melee units, who can’t possibly catch them; just watch out for Knights.
5
Expendable firestarter
With no armor and just a torch for a weapon, they’re used forrushing en masseto light as many fires as possible before getting cut down. Only a few need to get through, especially if your opponent’s buildings are tightly packed.
Cheap ranged unit
Slingers are very weak, but cheap to recruit and have a fast rate of fire, so a large group of them can wear down targets.
Siege Units
Siege engines need to be operated byEngineers, who are recruited from the Engineers' Guild.
Ladderman
4
Sets up ladders allowing infantry to climb walls; fragile and requires escort.
Tunneler
30
Digs a tunnel toward an enemy wall; if successful, the wall collapses, destroying it instantly.
Ballista
50
Must be deployed on a Square or Round Tower, with 2 Engineers. Powerful, long-range shots that can destroy siege weapons or armored units in a few hits.
Battering Ram
150
Deals massive damage to buildings, including walls, gates, and towers. Vulnerable to melee attacks.
Needs 2 Engineers; slow to fire, but massive damage.
Needs 2 Engineers; like the regular Ballista, but mobile.
Mangonel
Must be deployed on a Square or Round Tower, with 2 Engineers. AoE attack with high damage.
Siege Tower
Requires 4 Engineers; attaches to a wall, allowing infantry units to instantly scale it.
Trebuchet
Requires 3 Engineers; immobile and slow to fire, but incredibly long range and extreme damage.
