Stronghold Crusader Definitive Edition Tips and Tricks

The reissue of the classic castle-building simulation adds practical convenience features, larger maps, and new graphics to the familiar gameplay. In our Stronghold Crusader Definitive Edition tips and tricks, we provide an overview of all units, explain how the building system works, and help you win every battle and siege.

1) How to get off to a good start

• Finish the tutorial to master the user interface, building mechanics, and all other basics.
• Press the space bar to hide buildings and vegetation for a clearer view of your units.
• Reduce the game speed to give yourself more time to plan strategies, build, and think.
• Use hotkeys to command your units more efficiently.
• Start small and work your way up. Organize your food supply capacity to align with your population size.
• Plant apple trees early to enjoy consistent harvests later.
• Build wheat farms in oases and construct mills and bakeries to make bread.

2) Combat tips

The combat system in Stronghold Crusader Definitive Edition works like in most real-time strategy games. There are different unit types, each with unique strengths and weaknesses. Melee fighters excel at close-quarters combat, while ranged fighters are effective at attacking from a distance. Specialized troops, on the other hand, have specific roles.

The clothing or armor of units provides information about their combat strength and durability. If a soldier isn’t wearing armor, he has only a few HP. Leather armor indicates a moderately strong unit, while metal plates signify strong fighters. However, keep in mind that heavier armor affects running speed. The heavier the clothing, the slower the movement.

To recruit a military unit in Stronghold Crusader Definitive Edition, you first need a free peasant. They automatically become a combat unit and go to the assembly point. If you don’t have any free peasants, you can’t hire new troops and must either build new housing or increase your popularity.

Aside from story-based missions, the main goal in Stronghold Crusader Definitive Edition is usually very simple: invade the enemy castle and defeat its lord. To do this, you must build a strong army made up of different unit types (melee fighters and ranged fighters) as well as siege weapons.

But don’t forget: your own castle also needs protection. Therefore, develop not only attack plans but also defense plans. Depending on your playstyle, you can manually control every move or allow your units to act automatically.

When using ranged fighters in Stronghold Crusader Definitive Edition, you should always have multiple units firing at once. Their accuracy is relatively low, and the more archers you assign to a target, the higher the chance of hitting.

Enemy melee fighters can destroy your siege engines. Therefore, always keep them protected and station guards nearby.

3) The units

Let’s take a closer look at the different units. The following Stronghold Crusader Definitive Edition tips and tricks will give you an overview of the equipment, costs, strengths, and weaknesses of all fighters and machines.

European units

• Archers cost only 12 gold and are ranged fighters with high mobility and solid range. They are very effective for defense and should always be used in larger groups. Their drawbacks are their low combat strength and poor accuracy.
• Crossbowmen cost 20 gold and are highly versatile. They have more health and deal increased damage. However, their firing speed is slower than that of archers.
• Macemen are great for assault attacks. They also cost 20 gold and have very high speed on the battlefield. This makes them the perfect tool for flanking attacks and breaking through lines.
• Pikemen are slow but sturdy units. They are best used for defense to hold your position. They cost 20 gold.
• Spearmen are mainly used as cannon fodder. They can’t withstand much damage and deal little damage themselves. However, they are quick and inexpensive to produce. Cost: 8 gold.
• Swordsmen are relatively slow but very resilient and strong. They cost 40 gold and are effective in fortress battles. Knights also cost 40 gold. They are effective melee fighters who can move quickly across the map thanks to their horses.

Siege units

• To climb the walls of the enemy castle, you need Laddermen. They cost 4 gold and can take almost no damage. You should never send them out alone, but always guard them.
• For 30 gold, you can recruit Tunnelers. They can dig beneath enemy walls and weaken the castle’s defenses.
• To attack buildings and battlements from afar, use ballistas. Each requires two engineers and 50 gold. With their powerful shots, they can break down walls and eliminate groups of enemies.
• With a battering ram costing 150 gold, you can break down gates and walls. It has very high power but is vulnerable to melee attacks. Therefore, never leave it unattended.
• Catapults function similarly to ballistas but have much greater combat power. They need two engineers and cost 150 gold. For the same price, you can buy fire ballistas. These are mobile and can set everything and everyone on fire.
• A portable shield for 5 gold protects your troops. It’s indispensable, especially if your opponent has many ranged fighters.
• To build a siege tower, assign four engineers and invest 150 gold. In return, it will carry your troops directly to the walls and into the enemy’s castle without needing to destroy them first.
• The Trebuchet is operated by three engineers. It costs 150 gold and has the longest range of all siege weapons. It causes enormous damage, but is relatively slow.

Arabian units

• The characteristics of Arabian bowmen are, in a sense, a blend of those of European bowmen and crossbowmen. They cost 75 gold but are very strong and can endure a lot.
• Arabian swordsmen move faster than their European counterparts. However, they have less health and deal less damage per hit. They cost 80 gold.
• Assassins have the advantage of being invisible to enemies until they are right in front of them. This makes them experts in infiltration, enabling them to climb walls and open the gates of enemy castles from the inside. Cost: 60 gold.
• Fire throwers can demolish buildings and walls rapidly. Although these units cost a hefty 100 gold pieces, they have a short range and are slow. Nevertheless, their destructive potential is immense.
• Horse archers can shoot while riding, giving them an advantage over most enemy units except for knights. They cost 60 gold.
• Slaves are even less expensive than European spearmen at 5 gold. They are kamikaze units that set fire to everything they strike with their torches.
• Slingers cost 12 gold and are ranged units with a very high firing rate. They deal little damage and have low health, but they are effective against weak units.

4) Stronghold Crusader Definitive Edition tips on buildings and construction

To get familiar with the construction system, try your hand at free building first. The sandbox mode, accessible via the main menu, lets you build castles without enemy attacks or random events. This quickly helps you understand how production chains and building hierarchies work in Stronghold Crusader Definitive Edition.

If you have placed an object incorrectly or changed your mind, you can simply remove it. To do this, go to the building menu and then click on the cross icon on the right side. After clicking it, your mouse pointer will change, and you can delete any building or wall section with a simple left click.

And the deletion can be undone if you click the wrong button. However, please note that you can only undo one deletion at a time, and you can’t remove buildings with enemies nearby.

The placement of your buildings in Stronghold Crusader Definitive Edition greatly affects your economy. Production facilities like mills, bakeries, or workshops should be built as close as possible to storage warehouses and granaries. This way, workers don’t have to travel long distances, and idle time is reduced.

Buildings that influence your people’s satisfaction, such as inns, churches, or residential structures, do not need to be placed centrally. Their impact is not affected by their distance. It’s therefore better to position them on the edge of your castle to free up space in the center for economically important buildings.

5) More people are not always better

A large population in Stronghold Crusader Definitive Edition offers many advantages: work in the village becomes more efficient, and you can collect more taxes, thus increasing your income. As long as you have weapons and gold, you will always be able to recruit new soldiers thanks to your large population. The maximum population is determined by the number of buildings you have constructed.

However, a large population can also have disadvantages. For example, if you are besieged and can’t produce enough food, your popularity will drop dramatically.

This creates a downward spiral: your taxes decrease, the morale of your people drops, and defending your castle becomes more difficult and complex. With a smaller population, you can hang on longer and keep your reputation among the people even during a crisis.

Win every battle with PLITCH!

Thanks to our Stronghold Crusader Definitive Edition tips and tricks, you can become a successful and respected lord who is popular with the people. The Stronghold Crusader Definitive Edition cheats from PLITCH will help you overcome obstacles and make the game even more customized.

Set your subjects’ satisfaction to 100% or increase your raw materials. With the single-player codes, you can make your units invulnerable or pour as much gold as you want into the treasury.

Check out this blog and our YouTube channel to learn more about PLITCH!

Happy Gaming!