Stronghold – Crusader

Stronghold - Crusader

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/ /_\|  __/| | | ||  __/| |  | (_| || | | (_| || |_| || || (_| ||  __/
____/ ___||_| |_| ___||_|   __,_||_|  __, | __,_||_| __,_| ___|
                                          |___/      
Guide made by: Richard Wise

"Greetings sire, the desert awaits you."


=============
Latest update
=============

Latest update: 5/9/04
What was added:
Ok I have a new email address. All questions and stuff must now be sent to:
tardogs_faqs@hotmail.com
I will answer them ASAP. tardo316@hotmail.com will no longer answer questions.
----------



=================
Table of contents
=================
  1. Introduction

  2. What you can find here

  3. Tips

  4. Defence tips and hints

  5. Attack tips and hints

  6. Unit guide

 A. European units
1. Archers
2. Crossbowmen
3. Spearmen
4. Pikemen
5. Mace men
6. Swordsmen
7. Knights
8. Tunnelers
9. Ladder men
10. Engineers
11. Black monk
 B. Arabian units

1. Arabian bows
2. Slaves
3. Slingers
4. Assassins
5. Horse archers
6. Arabian swordsmen
7. Fire throwers

  C. Siege equipment
1. Portable shield
2. Battering ram
3. Siege tower
4. Catapult
5. Trebuchet
6. Fire ballista

  D. Castle units
1. Lord
2. Lady
3. Jester
4. Woodcutter
5. Hunter
6. Farmer
7. Peasant
8. Children
9. Mother and baby
10. Stone mason
11. Iron miner
12. Pitch digger
13. Mill boy
14. Baker
15. Brewer
16. Innkeeper
17. Drunkard
18. Fletcher
19. Armourer
20. Blacksmith
21. Poleturner
22. Tanner
23. Priest
24. Healer
25. Market trader

   7. Resources

  A. Building resources
1. Wheat
2. Flour
3. Hops
4. Ale
5. Stone
6. Iron
7. Wood
8. Pitch

  B. Food resources
1. Meat
2. Apples
3. Cheese
4. Bread

   8. Food and weapon chains
  A. Food chain
  B. Weapon chain
  
   9. Who to thank!

   10. Bye!

   11. Copyrighted!
  


  
   
============ 
Introduction
============

Hello all and welcome to my general guide for Stronghold: Crusader. Before I 
start I'd like to say one thing. This does NOT 

have a strategy for the missions, it's a strategic game. Any suggestions, 
compliments, complaints, or questions email me at:
tardo316@hotmail.com I have MSN
Or
tardounderdog@yahoo.com
Thanks!

======================
What you can find here
======================

Here you can find a variety of things. You will find just the general stuff 
for Crusader If you want your stuff here then 

email me. Thanks.

====
Tips
====

In Stronghold: Crusader there is many ways to flourish, or fall. Here are a 
few tips on how to flourish and succeed rather than fall.

Pitch is not your friend, in fact it can become a nightmare if set off 
accidentally. Make sure you have your troops either on 

walls or a good distance away from pitch ditches as it can spread quite 
quickly

The "Bring them to their knees" attack failed? Have a second army, a bit 
smaller than your attack force and put them on "Code 

red". If you hit the enemy to hard than a counter attack will take place. 
Believe me, counter attacks can hit you hard if you 

are not prepared.

If you see a siege tower moving near your base, get it down immediately. Do 
not underestimate these machines. I once let one 

go past my outposts and by the time I found it, the enemy had taken the 
outer, second outer walls and four courtyards. Make 

sure you have an "anti siege machine" group on constant standby.

Forging weapons and armour takes time. Build ten of each weapon building hut. 
With the weapons, assign five of each to make 

one type of weapon, assign the other five to make the other kind of weapon. I 
usually have ten of each weapon being made at 

once so every Armoury visit I get a fair bit of weapons

The Arabian troops seem stronger than the European. I myself use MORE 
Arabians than Europeans! Use the Arabians if you need 

men in a hurry. They cost a fair bit which is the down-side.

Defence tips and hints

1. Most importantly, NEVER have a base without walls. If you don't, than your 
base and people are high at risk from archers 

and swordsmen. Make this the first defence building you do!

2. Gatehouses can be captured, have a guard constantly on it. I have five 
Arab archers with a brazier and five swordsmen. If 

assassins got past the arrows, than the swordsmen would smash them off

3. Don't rely on your outposts much. Too much defending can cut the outposts 
down. Make sure you keep the outposts powerful constantly. 


=====================
Attack hints and tips
=====================

1. Never strike with a small army and no archers. Do not even think of 
attacking anyone (excluding rat) with just 50 

swordsmen. Have at least 100 archers to bombard enemy positions while a 
battering ram takes the walls down. Once the wall is 

breached, charge your men forward to kill the king!

2. When you attack Wolf or Richard Lion Heart, almost always they respond 
with a counter attack. While your forces are off 

fighting, they may pull some forces off their base and into yours! Make sure 
you have a good number of troops inside your 

base, ready to defend your king.

3. NEVER use spearmen as your primary attack. They have no armour and can 
fall very easily. Only use these men as defence 

men.

4. Distance is no problem with trebuchets. If you plant ten trebuchets a fair 
distance away then they can inflict massive 

damage upon the enemy walls. 

==========
Unit guide
==========

Stronghold: Crusader has heaps of units to help you in your conquest, here's 
a 
general guide about them and how to train them!



..: European units:..

The European units are slightly better than their Arabian counterparts but 
require more to build.

Archers
Briefing: These are your standard long-rang troops. Their lack of armour 
makes them one of the quickest units in the game but 

in hand-hand-to-hand combat, these are virtually useless. They have a long 
firing range and are very effective against units 

that don't wear metal armour.

Attack rating: LOW
Defence rating: LOW
Speed: FAST
Weapon: BOW
Armour: N/A
Can the unit climb ladders? YES
Can the unit dig moats? YES



Crossbowmen
Briefing: These units are slow to move and reload and have a shorter range 
than archers. They are however very accurate and 

their deadly bolts can easily penetrate metal armour.
 
Attack rating: LOW
Defence rating: MEDIUM
Speed: SLOW
Weapon: CROSSBOW
Armour: LEATHER
Can the unit climb ladders? NO
Can the unit dig moats? NO

Spearmen
Briefing: These are the first melee troops you have access to and the 
cheapest to produce. Having no armour makes them 

quicker than most troops and they prove useful for pushing ladders off of 
walls and digging moats. They are also one of the 

few units able to use ladders to scale walls.
 
Attack rating: MEDIUM
Defence rating: VERY LOW
Speed: AVERAGE
Weapon: SPEAR
Armour: N/A
Can the unit climb ladders? YES
Can the unit dig moats? YES

Pikemen
Briefing: Their heavy pike and metal armour make pikemen slow to move but 
also make them the ultimate defensive unit. They 

are able to take a lot of damage and are ideal for blocking access to certain 
areas of your castle.

Attack rating: MEDIUM
Defence rating: HIGH
Speed: SLOW
Weapon: PIKE
Armour: METAL
Can the unit climb ladders? NO
Can the unit dig moats? YES

Mace men
Briefing: These thuggish brutes are quick and deal out a lot of damage, 
making them the ideal assault troops. They are not 

heavily armoured and, like spearmen, they can use ladders to scale walls.

Attack rating: HIGH
Defence rating: MEDIUM
Speed: AVERAGE
Weapon: MACE
Armour: LEATHER
Can the unit climb ladders? YES
Can the unit dig moats? YES

Swordsmen
Briefing: These are the elite foot soldiers. Their heavy armour makes them 
the slowest unit in the game but once they reach 

their targets, they prove devastating. They have both great attack and 
defensive capabilities.


Attack rating: VERY HIGH
Defence rating: VERY HIGH
Speed: EXTREMELY SLOW
Weapon: SWORD
Armour: METAL
Can the unit climb ladders? NO
Can the unit dig moats? NO

Knight
Briefing: The ultimate trained soldier, knights are both fast and deadly in 
combat. They are also especially useful for 

surprise attacks. The knights are useful to destroy siege equipment. Each 
knight requires 1 horse from your stables.

Attack rating: VERY HIGH
Defence rating: HIGH
Speed: VERY FAST
Weapon: SWORD
Armour: METAL& HORSE
Can the unit climb ladders? NO
Can the unit dig moats? NO

Tunneler
Briefing: These units can burrow beneath the foundations of enemy walls and 
turrets, causing them to collapse. They are 

trained (for a cost of gold) at the tunneler's guild.

Attack rating: MEDIUM
Defence rating: VERY LOW
Speed: FAST
Weapon: PICK AXE
Armour: N/A
Can the unit climb ladders? NO
Can the unit dig moats? NO

Ladder men
Briefing: If you can't bring down a wall, then you can go over them with 
ladder men! They are cheap to produce and quick but 

are vulnerable so they need to be deployed quickly.

Attack rating: N/A
Defence rating: VERY LOW
Speed: FAST
Weapon: N/A
Armour: N/A
Can the unit climb ladders? NO
Can the unit dig moats? NO

Engineer
Briefing: These are perhaps the most versatile and useful unit in the game. 
They are required to build and man all of your 

siege equipment in and out of the castle. They also can build moats.  You can 
train these from the engineer's guild.

Attack rating: N/A
Defence rating: VERY LOW
Speed: AVERAGE
Weapon: N/A
Armour: N/A
Can the unit climb ladders? NO
Can the unit dig moats? YES


Black monk
Briefing: These are mysterious units to say the least. They are slow and 
cumbersome and fight with a quarterstaff. These can 

be trained in the cathedral.

Attack rating: MEDIUM
Defence rating: MEDIUM
Speed: SLOW
Weapon: STAFF
Armour: N/A
Can the unit climb ladders? NO
Can the unit dig moats? NO



Arabian units

These mercenaries can be found at the mercenary post. They don't require 
weapons to train but cost a lot more gold.

Arabian bows
Briefing: These units are similar to their European counterparts and are 
relatively cheap to hire.

Attack rating: LOW
Defence rating: LOW
Speed: FAST
Weapon: BOW
Armour: N/A
Can the unit climb ladders? NO
Can the unit dig moats? NO


Slaves
Briefing: These are the cheapest units in the game. They are armed with a 
flaming torch and if they get through your defences 

they can reduce your castle to a smouldering heap of rubble.

Attack rating: EXTREMELY LOW
Defence rating: EXTREMELY LOW
Speed: FAST
Weapon: TORCH
Armour: N/A
Can the unit climb ladders? NO
Can the unit dig moats? YES

Slingers
Briefing: These units fire small rocks at their attackers and deal out some 
hefty damage but they only have a short range.

Attack rating: LOW
Defence rating: VERY LOW
Speed: FAST
Weapon: SLING
Armour: N/A
Can the unit climb ladders? NO
Can the unit dig moats? NO

Assassins
Briefing: These useful units can use a grappling hook to climb up enemy walls 
and are especially useful for capturing enemy 

gatehouses.

Attack rating: MEDIUM
Defence rating: AVERAGE
Speed: AVERAGE
Weapon: SCIMITAR
Armour: N/A
Can the unit climb ladders? NO
Can the unit dig moats? NO

Horse archers
Briefing: These fast moving mounted archers are a major thorn in the 
European's side. Their ability to fire while on the move 

allows them to run circles around the opposition.

Attack rating: LOW
Defence rating: AVERAGE
Speed: VERY FAST
Weapon: BOW
Armour: HORSE
Can the unit climb ladders? NO
Can the unit dig moats? NO

Arabian swordsmen
Briefing: Not as well armoured as their European counterparts but are a 
little quicker.

Attack rating: HIGH
Defence rating: HIGH
Speed: VERY SLOW
Weapon: SCIMITAR
Armour: METAL
Can the unit climb ladders? NO
Can the unit dig moats? NO

Fire throwers
Briefing: These throw fiery grenades of Greek fire at the enemy and are 
devastating to both building and troops.

Attack rating: HIGH
Defence rating: LOW
Speed: VERY SLOW
Weapon: GREEK FIRE
Armour: N/A
Can the unit climb ladders? NO
Can the unit dig moats? NO




Siege equipment

Siege equipment can be either devastating or useless. The portable shields 
are hard to use but can prove useful. Others like 

the trebuchets can be DEVASTATING. Here's a bit about them.


Portable shield
Briefing: These are good for protecting your infantry from volleys of arrows 
and bolts but are very weak against infantry 

attacks. Each shield requires 1 siege engineer to man it before it becomes 
operational.


Battering ram
Briefing: Battering rams are slow but can take a lot of damage and prove a 
superior weapon for bringing down gatehouses. They 

are also effective against castle walls and towers when they manage to reach 
them. Each battering ram requires 4 siege 

engineers to man before they become operational.

Siege tower
Briefing: When in position, these gigantic mobile constructs will give all of 
your troop's quick access to the top of enemy 

walls. To use a siege tower, select it and then select an enemy wall. Once it 
is close enough, the tower will dock and a 

gangplank will drop onto the wall. Once the gangplank is in place, units will 
be able to climb up through the siege tower and 

onto enemy walls. Each siege towers requires 4 siege engineers to man before 
they become operational.

Catapult
Briefing: These siege machines allow you to demolish enemy structures from a 
distance. Catapults are fairly mobile, fairly 

accurate, have a medium range and do a medium amount of damage. They fire a 
low trajectory so they are good for precision 

attacks to take out enemy structures. Catapults can also fire diseased cattle 
into an enemy castle to spread the plague. To 

do this, select the fire cow button from the catapult menu, then select a 
target. Each catapult requires 2 siege engineers to 

man before they become operational.

Trebuchet
Briefing: Trebuchets are awesome siege machines for knocking down castle 
structures. They are huge machines and once built, 

stay in a fixed position. They lack the accuracy of catapults but have a very 
long range and do a large amount of damage when 

they hit enemy structures. Trebuchets fire with a high arc so they are ideal 
for firing over castle walls. You can also fire 

cattle into enemy castles as well. Each Trebuchet requires 3 siege engineers 
before they become operational.

Fire ballista
Briefing: The Arabian fire ballista is similar to the European fixed 
ballista, but is mobile. They are exceptionally accurate 

and superb against enemy units, taking many of them out in a single shot. The 
flaming javelins they fire can also be 

devastating to the enemy's buildings but do no damage against defensive 
structures.



============
Castle units
============

In Stronghold: Crusader, there are a number of units that your cannot control 
that appear at your castle. Here's a bit aobut 

each of them. Oh, you can move the lord in a single skirmish.

Lord
His lordship is the most important character in the game. He is an absolutely 
deadly fighter as well as the master of all the 

surveys. Should he fall in combat the game will be lost.

Lady
Although she has the good of the castle at heart, she can come across as a 
little bossy. She used to live in a luxurious 

manor house with her father adn now complains about the conditions she is 
forced to live in.

Jester
The jester runs around your castle teasing people while doing acrobatics.

Woodcutters
They cut down trees and enjoy showing off their bulging muscles to passers by.

Hunter
These kill deer for food, taking meat to your granary. They are rough folks 
and have a strong appreciation for fine ale.

Farmers
These lowly citizens tend to your various crops grown on the farmland around 
the oasis. They enjoy grumbling about their poor 

treatment and have a dislike for town folk.

Peasants
They spend their days sitting around the fire and hope to be given work.

Children
These little scamps run around causing mischief all day.

Mother and baby
These appear when a hovel is placed. They will be seen running to their hovel 
when enemies appear at the castle.

Stone mason
They work in the quarry cutting and carving stone.

Iron miner
They work long hours underground, smeltering and delivering iron.

Pitch digger
These people extract pitch from the surrounding mashland. Working in this 
environment has an effect on their sense of smell 

and have a hygene problem.

Mill boys
These lads rush wheat to your mill, hastily grind it up and then quickly 
deliver the flour.

Baker
He bakes bread for your people. The baker comes across as a happy gentlemen 
and is the centre of much castle gossip.

Brewer
She brews ale for your inns. The brewer has a problem focusing and walking 
straight.

Innkeeper
He distributes ale among your workers.

Drunkard
These wobbly individuals only stop walking around to drink some more ale.

Fletcher
He crafts bows and crossbows for your troops.

Armourer
He crafts metal for your soldiers and is a military veteran with a tale for 
the children

Blacksmith
He forges swords and maces for your troops. He is usually a quiet and 
reserved gentleman.

Poleturner
He turns spears and pikes for your troops. He is in fact the wisest character 
in the game.

Tanner
She is a strong willed women and has no problem making leather armour for 
your troops.

Priest
They spread joy by carrying out blessings and weddings. Due to their strict 
order, priests are not allowed a sense of humour.

Healer
He clears up any clouds of disease, which float around your castle. He 
sometimes disappears for days on end.

Market trader
He will arrive when a market place is built. The trader is a quick talker and 
is always ready to negotiate the fairest and 

best deal for himself.

Those are all the units. Finally!

=========
Resources
=========

There are many resources for you to gather in crusader, here's just a bit 
about them all.

Building resources
There are a number of resources you need to build your econemy and base in 
stronghold: Crusader, here's a bit about them all.

Wheat
This grows on your wheat farms and is the start of the most productive food 
chain in the game. Wheat is required to make 

flour and can only be build on an oasis.

Flour
This is produced at the mill and requires heat. Flour is required to bake 
bread.

Hops
These grow on your hop farms. If you want to brew ale, you will first need to 
grow hops, which can only be placed on an 

oasis.

Ale
This is produced at the brewery and requires a supply of hops. When ale is 
finally distributed at your inns, you will gain a bonus to your popularity!

Stone
Stone is cut from the quarry and delivered by oxens. Stone is required to 
build most of your castle defensive structures.

Iron
The mines, which extract this, must be placed on the redish colour rocks 
found on top of hills. You will need iron to forge 

swords, maces and metal armour.

Wood
This is the basic of resources and is required to build most buildings. Wood 
is also used to make bows, crossbows, spears, 

and pikes.

Pitch
You fill find this bubbling up through marshes. Once you have placed a pitch 
rig on some oil in the marsh, pitch diggers will 

extract pitch. Pitch is used for boiling oil and pitch ditches.


Food resources

No castle will flourish with no food! There are 4 types of food you can get 
for your castle. Here they are!

Meat
Hunters will gather this for you when a hunters hut is placed. This is quick 
to get working and can generate quite a bit of 

food. However, overhunting can make meat an unreliable food source.

Apples
These are grown in your orchards, which must be placed on an oasis. These are 
quick to get working but require a large area 

of land for each orchard. Apple production proves to be more reliable than 
meat and much more productive than cheese.

Cheese
This is produced in your dairy farms that must be placed on an oasis. Dairy 
farming is slow to get going. Only three cows 

have been raised in your dairy farm . Once up and running, dairy farming is 
little more effective than hunting.

Bread
This is made in the bakery and requires a supply of wheat. The food chain 
leading up to bread requires more time and 

resources but when your wheat farms, mills and bakeries are all in place, it 
proves the most efficent food source in the 

game.



Food and weapon chains

It requires a food chain to get food for your castle. It requires a weapons 
chain to get weapons for your castle. Here's how 

the chains work.

Food chain
The food chain is the most complex chain out of the two.

HUNTERS HUT-- MEAT-- GRANARY

DAIRY FARM-- CHEESE-- GRANARY

ORCHARD-- APPLES-- GRANARY

WHEAT FARM-- WHEAT-- MILL-- FLOUR-- BAKERY-- BREAD-- GRANARY

HOPS FARM-- HOPS-- BREWERY-- ALE-- INN

Weapons chain
The weapons chain is a fiarly simple chain.

DAIRY FARM-- COW-- TANNER-- LEATHER ARMOUR-- ARMOURY

IRON MINE== IRON-- BLACKSMITH-- MACE-- ARMOURY

IRON MINE== IRON-- BLACKSMITH-- SWORD-- ARMOURY

IRON MINE== IRON-- BLACKSMITH-- METAL ARMOUR- ARMOURY

WOODCUTTER'S HUT-- WOOD- FLETCHER-- BOW-- ARMOURY

WOODCUTTER'S HUT-- WOOD- FLETCHER-- CROSSBOW-- ARMOURY


WOODCUTTER'S HUT-- WOOD- POLETURNER-- SPEAR-- ARMOURY


WOODCUTTER'S HUT-- WOOD- POLETURNER-- PIKE-- ARMOURY

=============
Who to thank!
=============

I'd like to thank the following people:

CjayC, for posting the FAQ on gameFAQS.
YuGiOhFm2002 for the Stronghold: Crusader logo.
RaistlinMagius for recommending the ASCII generator (email me for the 
address, it seriously rocks)
and you for reading it!

Bye

Bye!Peace out! hope you enjoyed the guide!
signed,
tardounderdog
(Richard Wise)

..: Copyrighted!:..
This document is fully protected by law. No one can use it without my 
permission!


Guide end

"Swordsmen! Attack!"












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