Crusaders | Units Stronghold: Crusader II Guide

Crusader units.

Crusaders are one of the two "sides" of conflict in the game (together with the Arabic side, which only has access to mercenary units). They are composed of the best known units in the franchise and of the medieval era. In contrast to mercenaries, you will need weapons, apart from gold, to hire them. It means that those units are harder to hire, but at the same time they are way stronger than those from the Mercenary Camp.

Crusaders have access to 10 types of units: Conscripts, Man-at-Arms, Archers, Rangers, Crossbowmen, Macemen, Pikemen, Swordsmen, Templar Knight and Sergeant at Arms.

Conscript

Cost: 4 gold

The primary Crusader unit, which is the only one which does not require a weapon to hire - all you need is a tiny amount of gold. It's, unfortunately, connected with the fact, that the unit is one of the weakest in the game - it won't be able to kill anything on its own, and even sending a huge group of them won't be able to deal any significant harm.

However, because of the fact that this unit is so cheap and does not require any weapon, it comes in handy in the beginning of the mission / skirmish, to make a small group which will be able to push back enemy advances. After several minutes, however, you will forget of its existence - especially because you can use that gold (with a little addition) to hire cheap mercenaries, which are way more effective.

Man-at-Arms

Cost: 6 gold, 1 Pole

Still a relatively weak unit, but definitely stronger than a Conscript - unfortunately, it's significantly more expensive and it requires you to have a weapon (pole) to hire it. Men-at-Arms are hardly of any threat to most units in combat, unless it's another Man-at-Arms, a Conscript, or a Slave.

They, however, have an interesting ability - before they engage enemy in melee combat, they are able to hurl a javelin, dealing quite a lot of damage before the fights starts for real. Javelins have a relatively short range, but because of bugs in the game, they are able to hurl them even at the highest towers - additionally, they are able to deal surprisingly high damage, compared to an arrow from an Archer.

Archer

Cost: 12 gold, 1 Bow

The first long-distance fighting unit in the game, as well as the one you will probably be using the most. The cost of recruitment of an Archer is relatively low and those units are splendid against lightly armored enemies - sending them on the walls / towers will give your enemies a really hard time to burst through your defenses.

There are two flaws of Archers - the first one is that they are extremely ineffective in melee combat and most of units (even Conscripts and Slaves) can easily kill them if they manage to get close enough. The other thing is their low damage against heavily armored targets - they have problems with every unit equipped with any armor. Fortunately, they make up for that flaw with their incredible firing range - excluding some of the siege equipment, there's no unit in the game that can outrange them.

Additionally, Archers (like Arabian Archers and Rangers) have a special ability called Volley. It allows them to fire upon a specified area until the order is canceled. What is important about that ability, is the fact that they are able to shoot at places normally beyond their reach, like behind walls - in normal scenario their arrows would just hit the wall. It's not the most accurate and dangerous attack in the game, but it certainly may come in handy.

Ranger

Cost: 8 gold, 1 Bow, 1 Sword

The ranger is a hybrid between a Man-at-Arms and an Archer - it's quite effective at a long-range combat, while still being able to hold his own in melee range. Unfortunately, those abilities come with a relatively high recruitment price - to make a single Ranger, you will need both a Bow and a Sword, which makes this unit quite unprofitable, especially in 'late' game, when the battlefield is flooded with armored targets.

Additionally, Rangers (like Arabian Archers and Archers) have a special ability called Volley. It allows them to fire upon a specified area until the order is canceled. What is important about that ability, is the fact that they are able to shoot at places normally beyond their reach, like behind walls - in normal scenario their arrows would just hit the wall. It's not the most accurate and dangerous attack in the game, but it certainly may come in handy.

Crossbowman

Cost: 12 gold, 1 Armor, 1 Crossbow

Crossbowman is the Archer's "older brother" - equipped with a better weapon, dealing several times more damage. What is the most important about this unit, is the fact that it can easily break through heavily armored targets. The armor allows the Crossbowman to withstand quite a beating, making them harder to eliminate when stationed on a wall / tower.

Unfortunately, every unit has some flaws. The first one is shorter firing range (compared to an Archer), which makes them effective on a medium range only. Shorter range makes this unit ineffective at sieges - before your Crossbowmen manage to get into firing range, enemy Archers will deal significant damage to them. The second thing is their movement speed - Crossbowmen are one of the slowest units in the game, meaning that you must protect them from enemy melee attacks at all costs, because they won't be able to get away like Archers can. Their last flaw is their attack speed - they have several times the damage of an Archer, but they take more time before they can attack again.

Maceman

Cost: 10 gold, Mace

Macemen are the iconic unit in the Stronghold franchise. It's one of the strongest offensive units in the game, especially if you want to employ a hit & run tactics. The main reason behind that is their special ability - Sprint Attack. After selecting Macemen and issuing an attack order, they will begin a short charge at the enemy, during which they have significantly increased movement speed and the first attack after a charge deals additional damage. It works especially well during sieges, when you want to get rid of dangerous enemies (Archers, Crossbowmen), as well as in the defense of your castle - you can send a group of Macemen, destroy the enemy siege equipment and quickly retreat them behind your walls again. Sprint Attack requires several seconds to be ready again, which is signaled by a 'lightning' icon next to their health bar. Apart from their mobility, they can inflict quite large amounts of damage - only the most expensive units in the game can deal with a group of Macemen - provided that they can keep up with their movement speed.

As with every units in the game, they have their flaws. The first one is their durability - they do not wear any armor, meaning that even a small group of archers can inflict serious damage. The second one is the recruitment cost - you will require Iron to manufacture Maces, which are required to recruit them, and iron can be difficult to acquire on some maps.

Pikeman

Cost: 10 gold, 1 Pike, 1 Armor

Pikemen are the best defensive units in the game - they have the highest durability from all the units. The only units that can deal with them are Templar Knights and Sergeant at Arms (because they have several times higher damage, while still being less durable), but they are several times more expensive. Pikemen, with their Set Spikes ability are extremely effective against mounted units, as well as against units with the Sprint Attack (Macemen, Sassanid Knight, Whirling Dervishes). After selecting "Hold position", Pikemen will dig their pikes into the ground and stay still, awaiting the arrival of enemy. Every enemy charging at them will be dealt huge damage.

Set spikes ability is extremely effective against mounted units, as well as those with the Sprint Attack ability.

Unfortunately, Pikemen are extremely slow, making them effective only in defense. Despite their huge durability, they deal moderate damage, so they should be used to defend the castle, by blocking key positions (like a narrow passage, or entry to your Lord).

Swordsman

Cost: 40 gold, 1 Sword, 1 Armor

Swordsmen are one of the strongest units in the game - the only units stronger than them are Sassanid Knights, Templar Knights and Sergeant at Arms, but all of those units are several times more expensive. This unit is extremely durable, and, contrary to Pikemen, is still able to dish out a lot of damage. They are perfectly suited as the first line of your offense, as even a huge group of enemy Crossbowmen will have problems with killing them. If you lack the resources to recruit Templar Knights and/or Sergeant at Arms, it's the best unit in the game, both in offense and defense - although the latter one should still be given to Pikemen, given their lower recruitment cost.

Swordsmen have a single flaw - their movement speed. Similar to Pikemen, they are extremely slow, meaning that they will take a serious beating before they reach their destination. But after they managed to do so, they will show what they are capable of. They are also extremely vulnerable to hit & run tactics, as they are unable to keep up with most of units in the game.

Templar Knights

Cost: 150 gold, 1 Mace, 1 Armor

Without a doubt the strongest unit in the game, second only to the Lord himself. It's basically an upgraded version of a Swordsman - it has even greater durability and can deal more damage. This unit is not threatened by almost anything in the game - even enemy Crossbowmen will have to fire hundreds of belts to take a single one of those tanks, while Archers are completely ineffective. Even Tower Ballistas won't change that fact - they would be able to kill a small group of them, but they won't be able to keep with a larger group. Unless the enemy floods you with troops, the only thing that can fight on equal grounds is another Templar Knight or the Lord itself.

Templar Knights have the same flaw as their 'cheaper' version, Swordsmen - movement speed. It can be nullified by building a stable and mounting the Templar Knight. Each Templar Knight can mount a horse, making this unit several times more deadly and eliminating the only flaw it had. The only real drawback of this unit is the recruitment cost - it's gigantic and you won't be able to recruit a lot of those units, until you've established a really strong economy.

Sergeant at Arms

Cost: 150 gold, 1 Armor, 1 Pike

The last unit from the Crusaders camp is closely related to the Templar Knight. Their recruitment cost is very similar, aside from a difference in weapon they use. Sergeant at Arms is a little weaker and deals slightly less damage.

Sergeant at Arms is able to increase the defenses of nearby allied units.

What makes this unit so special is its ability - Buff Units. Every allied unit standing near the Sergeant will have its armor doubled - it should be obvious how that can change the outcome of a fight! Similar to Templar Knights, Sergeant at Arms are sluggish and can be easily outmaneuvered by most units in the game - unlike their fellow knights, they can't mount horses.

Sergeant at Arms are extremely effective when paired with Templar Knights - extreme durability of knights is doubled, meaning that those units are practically unkillable. Remember, that Sergeant at Arms won't increase his own defense - you will need a second one to do so.

This unit is extremely versatile, performing both in offense, marching together with Templar Knights, as in defense - you can set them up on walls / towers to increase the durability of your Archers and Crossbowmen.