Stronghold Crusader

Stronghold: Crusader is the follow-up to Firefly Studios’ 2001 real-time strategy game Stronghold. While it shares much of the original Stronghold’s core castle-building and RTS gameplay, Crusader shifts the setting from a pseudo-European backdrop to the Middle East during the Crusades. It adds a range of new Arabian units that can be hired from a new structure, the mercenary post. These Arabian troops do not require weapons to produce, but they are comparatively expensive. The game was also released as Stronghold Warchest, a compilation that includes Stronghold and an enhanced version of Stronghold: Crusader with additional characters and an extra Crusader Trail. Stronghold Warchest was only released in a limited number of countries (e.g., the USA and Poland), so many players worldwide never encountered the second Crusader Trail or the second set of characters. This later changed with the early 2008 release of an updated version of Stronghold Crusader, Stronghold: Crusader Extreme.

Stronghold: Crusader shifts the series’ castle-building RTS to the Middle East during the Crusades. You build a fortress economy, lay claim to territory, and fight for control as rival lords clash across desert strongholds. Alongside traditional troops, you recruit specialized Arabian mercenaries to endure sieges and punch through enemy defenses.