Siege Equipment | Units Stronghold: Crusader II Guide
Last update: 11 May 2016
Siege equipment, like in any medieval strategy game, plays a crucial role, as it allows the player to break through the enemy defenses, which regular units are incapable of. Constructing siege equipment is a lot easier in Stronghold Crusader 2, as you don't have to build engineers beforehand - all you need to do is to have enough gold and peasants and you are ready to go.
Mantlet
Cost: 80 gold, 1 peasant
Mantlets are the equivalent of mobile shields from the previous installments of the game. They lack any offensive capability, but they are serving another role - they provide cover from projectiles to units around them. All the troops in a circle around them are completely protected - they won't sustain any damage from ranged attacks, as the Mantlet is absorbing all the damage. Once the Mantlet is destroyed, the units will lose their protection.
Their only drawback is the vulnerability to close combat - even the weakest units can easily destroy them in a matter of seconds. Mantlets are extremely effective at sieges, as they allow you to protect your more vulnerable units (Archers and Crossbowman in most cases) from enemy ranged fire.
Hussite War Wagon
Cost: 200 gold, 1 peasant
A unit which can be simply called a troop-carrier. It allows a small group of units enter itself, which can then be moved safely to another place. All the troops inside are protected from enemy attacks - if the wagon is destroyed, all the units will jump out of it unharmed.
It would be a boring unit if it was all about it. Units stationed inside that have ranged attacks - Man-at-Arms, Archers, Arabian Archers, Rangers, Crossbowmen and Oil Pot Throwers - can fire at will from the inside of the wagon while it is moving! This way you will be able to create a fairly durable unit of great firepower, which is extremely effective at clearing enemy walls off troops - several wagons filled with Archers / Crossbowmen can easily take out a bigger group of enemy shooters.
This units has two flaws - the first one being vulnerability to melee combat, which is even more evident because of their low mobility, making them unable to run away from all but the slowest units. Another one is the vulnerability to Ballistae attacks - a few bolts from those machines can turn a wagon into a pile of wreckage.
Battering Ram
Cost: 150 gold, 1 peasant
Battering Rams are an ideal choice if you are just planning to burst through the enemy gate and swarm the enemy castle with your troops, instead of dealing with all the defenders stationed on the walls first. Those slow-moving siege machines are brutal against enemy gates and walls - they only need a few seconds before they can break through enemy defenses. They are also one of the cheapest siege machines in the game, with a price of 150 gold.
Their main drawback is their movement speed - it's practically the slowest unit in the game. It makes Battering Rams vulnerable to enemy fire, as well as to quick attacks, performed by Macemen, Whirling Dervishes or Sassanid Knights.
Fire Ballista
Cost: 200 gold, 1 peasant
Fire Ballista is the equivalent of the ones that are stationed on the walls (Tower Ballista). They can fire their deadly bolt over a long distance, offering pin-point accuracy - even the most mobile units won't be able to avoid getting shot by them. Additionally, this unit does immense damage - even the most heavily armored targets will lose a huge portion of their health with each shot. Last but not least, their bolt are able to set enemy buildings on fire (if they won't destroy it in one shot). They are effective at sieges, as they can easily take out Archers from a relatively safe distance.
Their only flaw is their durability, which isn't high - a few shots from enemy Ballista, or a concentrated fire from Archers and/or Crossbowmen can turn a Fire Ballista into a pile of rubbish in a second.
Catapult / War Wolf
Cost: 100 gold, 1 peasant / 500 gold, 1 peasant
Catapults are well known to almost anyone. They are the low-budget siege equipment, allowing you to burst through enemy defenses. They aren't as effective as Battering Rams in terms of power, but they are able to fire from a relatively long distance, staying safe from most attacks. Additionally, they are extremely cheap, so you will be able to construct large quantities of them, making their job a lot easier.
Catapults have a couple of flaws, of course. They are ineffective in smaller groups (below 3 units) and on their own can't do anything at all - a single Catapult won't be able to destroy a single wall. The second one is similar to all siege equipment - vulnerability to melee combat.
War Wolf is basically an upgraded version of a Catapult. This unit is bigger, stronger, more durable and able to destroy defenses faster, but at the same time is 5 times more expensive, making it quite unprofitable.
Trebuchet
Cost: 400 gold, 1 peasant
Without a doubt the most effective siege machine in the game. Trebuchet has extremely long attack range, able to outrange almost anything in the game (only a Tower Ballista can hope to reach it), not to mention its firepower - a single boulder hurled from a Trebuchet can destroy almost any building, dig a huge hole in a wall or severely damage a tower. Additionally, it's the only machine that allows you to fire carrion at your enemy - when it hits the ground, it releases a gas cloud, inflicting damage to anything in its range, which is extremely lethal to enemy units. Additionally, they are effective in defense - a Trebuchet set up just behind your wall will be able to destroy enemy siege equipment before it can be used, or severely wound enemy army with the carrion it fires.
This effectiveness comes with a price - except for the War Wolf, it's the most expensive unit in the game. The second thing is the lack of mobility and the need to set it up before it can fire. They are also less accurate than Catapults and may need a few shots before they can hit their target.