Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition is all about defending and attacking castles or meeting the foe out in the field. As such, having the best units is a must, although their prowess in battle must also be weighed against their cost in Gold and the weapons and armor required to recruit them.
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Some units also fill unique roles, such as those involved in breaking down walls. Lastly, there are 8 new Bedouin units in this latest edition, and some units from the original have been slightly buffed or nerfed, meaning a new tierlist of the best Stronghold Crusader units is required. Players can use cheats or Free Build mode to test out all these units at no cost.
S Tier Units In Stronghold Crusader Definitive Edition
Knights
- Recruited At: Barracks
- Gold Cost: 40
- Equipment: Sword, Metal Armor, & Horse
Knights are easily one of the best units in Stronghold Crusader, but recruiting them is not easy with lots of Iron needed for their equipment, as well as horses from the Stables. They are the joint fastest in the game, allowing for surprise counterattacks.
Horse Archers
- Recruited At: Mercenary Post
- Gold Cost: 80
Thanks to great mobility, range, and heavy armor, Horse Archers are considered a top-tier unit in Stronghold Crusader.
Players can kite melee units with them, while raining down arrows.
Engineers
- Recruited At: Engineer's Guild
- Gold Cost: 30
Engineers are incredibly useful, as they are the only ones capable of building and using siege equipment. Players will need plenty of them as most siege equipment requires 2 or 4 men to man them.
They can build Portable Shields, Catapults, Trebuchets, Siege Towers, Battering Rams, and Fire Ballistas. Out of these, Catapults are considered the strongest given their mobility and devastating power.
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A Tier Units In Stronghold Crusader Definitive Edition
Ambushers
- Recruited At: Bedouin Stockade
- Gold Cost: 130
Ambushers are essentially Fire Throwers who hide until the last moment, making them devastating to attackers. If players have the Gold, they are much better than normal Fire Throwers, and can also be used to light Pitch Ditches.
Pikemen
- Recruited At: Barracks
- Gold Cost: 20
- Equipment: Pike & Metal Armor
Pikemen are one of the best defensive units thanks to their Metal Armor, and their Pikes can hold the enemy for a long time at choke points.
Crossbowmen
- Recruited At: Barracks
- Gold Cost: 20
- Equipment: Crossbow & Leather Armor
Crossbowmen are highly accurate and can penetrate heavy armor, making them ideal for defending the walls. However, their slow movement speed means they aren't good at attacking.
Camel Lancers
- Recruited At: Bedouin Stockade
- Gold Cost: 40
Seeing as they only cost 40 Gold, Camel Lancers are right up there with the other mounted units, especially when deployed in large numbers. Think of them as a cheaper but lighter alternative to Knights. Use them to chase down enemies.
Sappers
- Recruited At: Bedouin Stockade
- Gold Cost: 50
Sappers are used to break down enemy walls, and can be particularly good, seeing as they take less damage from fire. Send in a medium-sized group of Sappers and they will bring a wall down in no time, given the right protection.
Heavy Camels
- Recruited At: Bedouin Stockade
- Gold Cost: 100
Out of the new units introduced, Heavy Camels are easily one of the most interesting, serving as a versatile tank. This is thanks to them having an archer and melee unit on the camel's back. While not as fast as other mounted units, they aren't much slower than Archers and can defend against melee attackers.
Heavy Camels also seem to counter Horse Archers, which are popular.
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B Tier Units In Stronghold Crusader Definitive Edition
Monks
- Recruited At: Cathedral
- Gold Cost: 10
If players are able to afford 1000 Gold to build a Cathedral, then Monks become one of the best units at just 10 Gold per head. They are tough in battle and deal decent damage, but also fairly slow.
Swordsmen
- Recruited At: Barracks
- Gold Cost: 40
- Equipment: Sword & Metal Armor
Whilst incredibly slow, Swordmen are an elite unit once they reach the enemy, dealing lots of damage whilst shaking off returning blows.
Arabian Swordsmen
- Recruited At: Mercenary Post
- Gold Cost: 80
As Arabian Swordsmen are slightly faster than standard Swordsmen, they are better at attacking the foe, although this is at the cost of less armor. Their cost isn't too high either, seeing as no equipment is required.
Fire Throwers
- Recruited At: Mercenary Post
- Gold Cost: 100
These units throw fiery grenades, ideally from a wall or tower where they will have increased range. Try to protect Fire Throwers from ranged units who will be sent in first to neutralize them. Fire Throwers can also set Pitch Ditches alight.
Having a few of these when defending is ideal.
Assassins
- Recruited At: Mercenary Post
- Gold Cost: 60
Assassins use grappling hooks to climb enemy walls. They can then infiltrate gatehouses and raise the gate. Their stealth helps them do so, and they can even take down heavily armored foes in single combat.
For how useful they can be, 60 Gold isn't too much to ask, but if used badly, they will die before achieving anything.
Healers
- Recruited At: Bedouin Stockade
- Gold Cost: 100
Having one or two Healers can be great, especially when defending against waves of attacks. They can be a bit of a hassle to micromanage given their short range, but there is no other way to heal troops in the game.
Archers
- Recruited At: Barracks
- Gold Cost: 12
- Equipment: Bow
Requiring only wood for the production of their bows, Archers are easy to field early and in large numbers. While they struggle against armored targets, they are great for manning the walls of a defense cheaply, or for taking out Fire Throwers from range before sieging.
Archers are great for beginners in Stronghold Crusader.
Skirmishers
- Recruited At: Bedouin Stockade
- Gold Cost: 25
For just 25 Gold, large numbers of Skirmishers can serve as better arrow fodder than slaves, whilst being able to take out some foes by throwing their spears. They are also good at destroying siege equipment.
Their high speed also means they can be moved around to protect or attack specific targets.
Tunnelers
- Recruited At: Tunneler's Guild
- Gold Cost: 30
Tunnelers are a unique unit as they dig tunnels under walls to eventually bring them down. The downside to Tunnelers is that players must build a Guild for 100 Gold, and it has no other purpose than to recruit them.
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C Tier Units In Stronghold Crusader Definitive Edition
Macemen
- Recruited At: Barracks
- Gold Cost: 20
- Equipment: Mace & Leather Armor
Macemen are fairly fast and deal good damage, but only wearing Leather Armor, they are vulnerable to missile attacks. They can also scale ladders.
Eunuchs
- Recruited At: Bedouin Stockade
- Gold Cost: 100
Eunuchs are alternatives to Pikemen, excelling at defending choke points where they can use AoE damage to wipe out multiple attackers at once. Given their high price, however, players should usually go with Pikemen unless they have no resources for equipment.
Slaves
- Recruited At: Mercenary Post
- Gold Cost: 5
Slaves are incredibly cheap and can be used as arrow fodder to distract defenders. In large numbers, they can set a castle or resources on fire.
Slingers
- Recruited At: Mercenary Post
- Gold Cost: 12
Slingers are a good early game unit against unarmored foes. They are the cheapest ranged units, but do suffer from short range, so they will die to Archers before being able to attack.
Demolishers
- Recruited At: Bedouin Stockade
- Gold Cost: 80
Demolishers are tanky, but slower versions of Sappers. They use a shield to protect themselves as they approach the walls, and impressively, they will spot and disable traps. Consider sending them in first, followed by some cheaper Sappers.
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D Tier Units In Stronghold Crusader Definitive Edition
Spearmen
- Recruited At: Barracks
- Gold Cost: 8
- Equipment: Spear
Spearmen are fast but vulnerable due to wearing no armor, and they are also cheap to produce as Spears only use 1 Wood. They can also scale ladders or push them away.
These lower-tier units can also dig moats in Stronghold Crusader.
Arabian Bowmen
- Recruited At: Mercenary Post
- Gold Cost: 75
The Arabian Bowmen are similar to normal Bowmen, but their cost is rather high, so they should only be considered when you have no wood for Bows. Slingers are also considered more cost-efficient.
Laddermen
- Recruited At: Engineer's Guild
- Gold Cost: 4
Whilst incredibly cheap to recruit, Laddermen rarely make it to a castle's walls, making them useless without the right tactics.
- Released
- July 31, 2002
- ESRB
- t
- Developer(s)
- Firefly Studios
- Engine
- Vision
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Real-Time Strategy
