الوسم: Stronghold

  • All Lords & How to Completing and Solving Them in Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition

    All Lords & How to Completing and Solving Them in Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition

    New Characters in Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition

    With four new characters added, the game now features twenty AI opponents. Each character offers different challenges, with varying difficulty levels and strategies. You can’t control who you’ll face in Skirmish Trails, but in Custom Skirmishes, you can choose your opponents. This is a good way to practice and learn their tactics!

    Beginner Lords

    These characters are easier to beat because they often use weak units or aren’t very focused on fighting. They tend to rush with simple tactics, making them less challenging for new players.

    Character Favored Units Style Tips
    Rat Spearmen Rushes with Spearmen without much support or planning. Build simple walls and man them with Archers to stop his charges. Protect your resource camps. Once inside his walls, a quick Maceman attack on his Keep can finish him off.
    Snake Archers, Slaves, Slingers Defends with basic walls, bows, slings, and raids resources with Slaves. Stop his economy from growing by protecting your farms and mines. Raid him back and siege his fortress to take control.
    Sultan Arabian Swordsmen, Slingers Uses entertainment to boost troops, which weakens his economy. His armies are small but strong. Use Archers, Crossbows, and siege weapons like Ballistae to break his defenses.
    Emir Arabian Swordsmen Builds economy and attacks in numbers. Predict his attack and defend with towers, Ballistae, and Crossbows. Use fast units for counterattacks during his pushes.
    Abbot Monks, Catapults Relies on Catapults and weak infantry. Send Knights, Macemen, and Horse Archers to handle Catapults and Monks. Use Trebuchets to take down walls before sending in Macemen.

    Balanced Lords

    These characters have a good mix of offense and defense, making them a moderate challenge.

    a balanced castle and units in stronghold crusader: definitive edition.

    Character Favored Units Style Tips
    Wolf Pikemen, Swordsmen, Trebuchets Uses armored troops and strong defenses to attack and defend. Use stationary and mobile Ballistae against his infantry. Push closer to his walls for a Ram, supported by Trebuchets. Assassins can quickly defeat his armored soldiers.
    Nizar Assassins Focuses on quick, unconventional attacks on your Lord. Patrol all your walls and keep your Lord well guarded. Send cheap units first to trigger traps before committing your strongest troops.

    Defensive Lords

    These characters prefer building strong defenses and are harder to attack early on. They often mask their strength behind fortifications while building up their armies.

    a mid to early tier settlement in Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition.

    Character Favored Units Style Tips
    Pig Crossbowmen, Macemen Builds large raiding parties of Macemen and then produces siege engines. Keep attacking his Dairy Farms to limit his armor. Use Trebuchets to weaken his walls before moving in.
    Saladin Arabian Bowmen, Swordsmen Builds a tough fortress and waits to attack. Use patience, build traps around your walls, and flank with Horse Archers. Break his army and then prepare for a counterattack with siege weapons.
    Caliph Slaves, Fire Ballistae Builds many towers and uses fire attacks, including Pitch Ditches. Patrol resource areas to defend against frequent attacks. Use Trebuchets to breach walls and Knights or Horse Archers to deal with fire traps.
    Frederick Crossbowmen, Trebuchets Races to build a large economy and spam Trebuchets late game. Raid his supply lines often. Use Knights or Macemen to destroy his Trebuchets and break through his walls.
    Sheriff Crossbowmen Uses heavy traps and encloses territory tightly. Focus on destroying his supply structures. Breach defenses and rush with Slaves and Fire Throwers to cause chaos.
    Marshall Knights Builds a big force of Knights and attacks strongly. Attack from multiple sides to draw his Knights out. Use assassins to finish him quickly if possible.
    Sentinel Macemen, Crossbowmen Builds strong defenses first, then strikes. Target his economy; dismantle parts of his walls, then attack with siege units like Trebuchets.
    Kahinah Eunuchs, Heavy Camels Gradually builds strength before attacking with a large force. Harass her economy with Horse Archers. Use traps and throwaway units against her castle defenses.

    Aggressive Lords

    These characters constantly pressure you, often sacrificing defense for relentless attacks. They stay active, forcing you to defend and retaliate often.

    a relentless attack by aggressive lords in stronghold crusader: definitive edition.

    Character Favored Units Style Tips
    Lionheart Swordsmen Encloses most of his structures and attacks constantly. Build defenses first, then use Horse Archers and Slaves to pick off his peasants. When attacking, bring Fire Ballistae, Swordsmen, and Crossbows to defend while your siege units do their job.
    Philip Knights Builds many Stables to support heavy cavalry. Use towers with Ballistae to counter Knights. Set traps and flank with Slaves or Fire Throwers to destroy his Stables.
    Wazir Horse Archers Specializes in fast raids and food stockpiling. Deploy towers and patrols of ranged units. Use Trebuchets to destroy his Granary, crippling his food supply.
    Jewel Swordsmen, Knights Builds armies and attacks repeatedly. Take advantage of her predictability. Interfere with her supply chain or set traps to catch her off guard. Use Ballistae to block her attacks and Trebuchets to weaken her walls before attacking.
    Nomad Camel Lancers, Skirmishers Mobile raiders focused on quick strikes. Protect your resources. Send fast units early to stop his raids before he grows too strong. Watch out for traps in his camp.
  • Top Buildings to Complete First in Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition

    Top Buildings to Complete First in Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition

    Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition revives the classic castle-building and siege mechanics from the original, enhanced with modern graphics and user-friendly features. Whether you’re revisiting the game or experiencing it for the first time, achieving victory in Crusader demands strategic foresight, smart management of resources, and a well-designed base.

    One of the key early choices revolves around which structures to construct first. Focusing on the right buildings can establish a solid economic base, boost citizen morale, and ensure your military is well-prepared for any conflicts. Here, we’ll discuss the fundamental buildings to prioritize and their significance for your long-term success.

    Key Buildings to Focus On

    When you start in Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition, laying down the right structures will greatly influence how well your campaign unfolds. Emphasizing food production, basic industries, and defensive capabilities guarantees that your economy flows smoothly while keeping your population fed and secure. Here are the most crucial buildings to consider early on:

    Granary

    The Granary, costing five wood, should be one of your first placements. It can hold up to 1,000 food units, playing a vital role in ensuring your population stays happy and grows. A well-stocked Granary keeps your peasants loyal and productive, while lacking one can quickly lead to economic collapse.

    Woodcutter’s Hut

    Wood serves as the main currency for early constructions, and woodcutters’ huts are relatively cheap at just three wood each. Establishing two or three huts in nearby forested areas will provide a constant supply of timber, necessary for everything from farms to fortifications.

    Hovel

    Each Hovel costs six wood and accommodates eight peasants. As you advance, you’ll need additional workers to manage farms, workshops, and military structures. Gradually add more Hovels to align with your workforce demands; overbuilding without adequate food can decrease your popularity.

    Food Farms

    Food farms, like Apple Orchards or Wheat Fields, are vital for maintaining your popularity, which directly affects population growth and tax acceptance. Apple Orchards, costing only five wood, are the quickest and easiest food source to establish. Position them close to your Granary and on suitable land, and consider diversifying with Dairy Farms later.

    Quarry

    Stone is essential for constructing advanced defenses such as walls and towers. Although a Quarry requires a steeper investment of twenty wood, it provides a reliable long-term source of stone, essential for fortifying your base.

    Stockpile

    Stockpiles can be built at no cost and are essential for storing wood, stone, and iron. Expanding them early on prevents resource shortages. A cluttered stockpile can hinder workers from depositing goods, crippling your economy.

    Armory

    Establishing the Armory early is crucial as it stores weapons produced by your workshops, including bows, swords, and maces. Without it, the production from your blacksmiths will come to a halt. Keep this building close to your weapon workshops to streamline operations.

    Barracks

    Once your Armory is set up, the Barracks becomes the core of your military operations. This is where you train basic soldiers with the weapons and gold you’ve accumulated. Getting this building up quickly is essential if you face early threats or want to launch fast attacks.

    Bedouin Stockade

    This new Arabian structure allows you to recruit powerful mercenaries like Horse Archers and Sassanid Knights using gold instead of weapons. The Bedouin Stockade provides unique units like Healers and Eunuchs without the need to engage in lengthy weapon production processes, proving beneficial for rapid military advancement.

    Engineer’s Guild

    The Engineer’s Guild is crucial for both siege warfare and fortification efforts. It enables the recruitment of Engineers who can construct siege equipment such as Ballistae and Catapults, and operate defensive devices like oil pots. Prioritizing this building is essential in late-game sieges or against heavily fortified enemies.

    By understanding the importance of these foundational structures, you can build a more resilient and efficient stronghold in Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition, paving the way for victory.

  • Completing Your Economy in Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition

    Completing Your Economy in Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition

    Managing resources is crucial in the classic strategy game Stronghold Crusader, and gold often determines victory in battles. Key buildings and military units require a significant amount of gold, so if your treasury runs low, you’ll need to find a solution quickly.

    This guide is designed for both newcomers and those returning with the Definitive Edition. It covers everything you need to know about maintaining a steady income, including how to manage workers and production effectively.

    Taxes and Peasants

    Your primary source of gold comes from taxation. You can adjust your tax rate using the slider on your Keep. Every peasant living in your fortress pays taxes each month, regardless of their job status. Thus, the bigger your population, the more gold you collect over time.

    At the start of a new game, your tax rate is set to zero. You won’t earn any income until you change it, but raising taxes can hurt your Popularity. It’s generally best to use your initial funds to build a basic resource economy first.

    Even a small increase in taxes can lower your overall Popularity. If you don’t have other ways to keep your Popularity up, it will gradually decrease each month. This isn’t a concern until it falls below 50, after which recovery becomes challenging. If you raise taxes, make sure you have strategies to keep your citizens satisfied.

    Alms for the Poor

    You can also set your tax rate to negative, which means you’ll distribute gold to the populace rather than collect it. While this approach raises your Popularity, it can also be costly, as the expense scales with your total peasant population.

    Whether you’re taxing or distributing, the effects on Popularity increase with the amounts involved. Higher taxes correspond to lower Popularity, while larger charity payments boost Popularity.

    Popularity and Population

    Your Popularity directly impacts your stronghold’s population. If your Popularity remains above 50, your population will grow steadily until it reaches the maximum housing capacity. Conversely, if it falls to 50 or below, peasants will begin to leave your settlement.

    The extent of your Popularity above or below 50 doesn’t affect the rate of population growth or decline. However, being near 100 gives you more leeway for emergency measures like reducing food rations or raising taxes. Recovering from a Popularity of 10 will take much longer than from 45.

    You can hover over the campfire by the Keep to check population trends. A ring will indicate growth (green) or decline (red). If it’s fully green, new peasants will appear if there is housing available. You can build more Hovels to accommodate them, but be aware this will increase your needs for food, religion, and ale. A fully red ring signifies that a peasant will depart.

    If there are no available workplaces, new peasants will wait at the campfire until one opens up. They will consume food, drink ale, and pay taxes while they wait. You can also recruit peasants at the Barracks, Mercenary Post, or other military buildings. Soldiers do not count toward your population and stop consuming goods once they join the army, making room for new peasants.

    Always keep some idle peasants ready for conscription.

    Popularity Factors

    Popularity Source

    How It Works

    Tip(s)

    Food

    Providing food will keep your people happy. Adjust the ration level at the Granary, but be cautious about running out.

    A Popularity bonus applies if you have multiple types of food stored.

    Fear Factor (Entertainment)

    Keep entertainment structures active to slow down peasants’ work while boosting soldiers’ attack bonuses.

    Religion

    Clerics from religious structures spread blessings. More clerics mean better coverage, while larger churches offer flat Popularity bonuses.

    Place smaller religious buildings strategically so clerics can cover more ground efficiently.

    Ale

    Brew ale from hops and distribute it through Inns. Each Inn serves up to 30 peasants, so expanding access increases your Popularity.

    Each barrel of ale lasts about two-and-a-half minutes once delivered to an Inn.

    Resources and Storage

    Starting the Tyre campaign mission in Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition, showing a stronghold with ample supplies.

    A satisfied workforce is essential, but it’s equally important that they can perform their tasks efficiently. This is where resource layout and storage management play a significant role in Stronghold Crusader.

    Workers need to travel to their jobs and deliver goods. The less they have to move around, the more productive your stronghold will be.

    The requirements depend on the specific map; if the closest sources of stone and iron are far from your Keep, adapt accordingly.

    There are three key storage buildings: the granary, stockyard, and armory. Each can be expanded, but only next to the existing structure; these will become central hubs for managing resources during the game.

    • The granary stores finished food items—anything edible goes here.
    • The armory stores weapons, armor, and shields.
    • The stockyard stores everything else, making it the one most likely to fill up and require expansion.

    If possible, spread these three buildings out to create districts within your settlement. This way, industries can grow without congestion. For example, position bowyers, tanners, and blacksmiths near the stockyard and armory to streamline material pick-up and delivery.

    Notable Resources and Buildings

    Multiple bakeries producing bread in Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition.

    Most buildings need just one or more workers to produce resources, but some have specific rules. For example:

    • Stone quarries require a nearby ox tether to transport stone to the stockyard. Workers bring the stone to the tether, after which the ox carries it to storage.
    • Hop fields must be harvested quickly; otherwise, they become infested with weevils, necessitating their deletion and rebuilding.
    • Dairy farms generate cows until reaching three, then they produce cheese. If tanners are in operation, they may occasionally take cows for hides, affecting cheese production.
    • A single wheat field can supply a flour mill and two or three bakeries. Although this demands more workers and time, it yields more food overall than other production chains.

    Trading resources at the Market can be a lifesaver, but availability varies by map. It can be a good strategy to produce surplus goods for sale to maintain a steady flow of gold.