Castle | Buildings Stronghold: Crusader II Guide

Last update: 11 May 2016

All of the buildings from this group are used in a defensive manner, increasing your defenses and preventing the enemy from entering your castle. From this building tab you can access buildings such as:

• Stone Curtain Wall
• Stone Wall
• Curtain Gatehouse
• Gatehouse
• Stairs
• Watch Tower
• Medium Tower
• Grand Tower
• Tower Mangonel
• Tower Ballista
• Tower Haybale Launcher

Stone Curtain Wall / Stone Wall

Cost: 3 stones / 7 stones

Function: restriction of enemy movement

Both of those buildings serve the same purpose - they allow you to separate a section of your castle, preventing the enemy from accessing it. The difference is that the Stone Curtain Wall does not allow you to mount it with your army - it only acts as a barrier. The regular Stone Wall, although more expensive, can be mounted by your army, provided that a staircase is connected to the wall.

Stairs

Cost: 10 stone

Function: allows access to the walls

Stairs can be connected to a wall and/or a tower, which will your troops access to those constructions - without them you won't be able to send them there, or get them off walls / towers if the situation requires it.

Curtain Gatehouse / Gatehouse

Cost: 25 stone/ 50 stone

Function: accessing the other side of the wall

The gate allows your troops to access the other side of the wall - without it, your army and/or peasants wouldn't be able to access the part which was surrounded by a wall. There are two differences between those buildings - the Curtain Gatehouse is cheaper and less durable and you can't send your troops at the top of it. The Gatehouse has higher resistance and can be mounted by your troops.

Towers

Cost: 60 stone / 100 stone / 180 stone

Function: can be mounted by your army to gain height advantage

Towers allow you to increase your castle's defenses. They can be mounted by most of your units, but the most desired ones are Archers / Crossbowmen - thanks to the height advantage those buildings give, they will be able to get rid of a much more numerous enemy invasion.

There are three types of towers:

• Watch Tower - the cheapest, the least durable and offering the lowest height advantage. Arabian forces have their own equivalent - the Arabian Watch Tower is the tallest building in the game, giving the biggest height advantage.
• Medium Tower - a 'bridge' between the Watch Tower and the Grand Tower. Used only when you need bigger durability and space than that of a Watch Tower, and you can't afford a Grand Tower.
• Grand Tower - the most expensive and durable, as well as the most spacious of all the towers available in the game. It allows you to place a large amount of units at the top of it and it's extremely durable, able to withstand dozens of attacks from the enemy siege equipment. Unfortunately, it's one of the most expensive buildings in the game.

Siege equipment

Cost: 300 gold, 100 wood

Function: increases the effectiveness of the defenses

There are three buildings in this group:

• Tower Mangonel - it hurls several small stones on a relatively long distance. It's extremely effective when you are attacked by swarms of enemies - the stones aren't the most accurate ones, but they deal high damage, and when there's lots of enemies, there's a chance that some of them will be hit.
• Tower Ballista - it fires extremely accurate and deadly bolts on a huge distance. It works well against heavy armored targets, as well as against enemy siege equipment - properly placed Tower Ballista can even outrange a Trebuchet.
• Tower Haybale Launcher - this tower hurls burning hay bales. The moment the projectile hits the ground, a small area around the impact will be set ablaze. It's effective against swarms of enemies, as well as heavy armored troops, which are extremely vulnerable to fire.

Buildings from this group are used as a supplement to your defenses. They have one of the longest ranges in the game and each serve different role. Given their extreme costs you should think twice before setting them up - also, remember that they aren't the most durable buildings in the game and should be build behind the walls.