Stronghold Crusader

31.07.2002
Critic 80/100
Users 84/100
Stronghold: Crusader is the successor to Firefly Studios's 2001 game Stronghold. Crusader has much in common with the original Stronghold, but differs from its predecessor in the fact that the game is no longer set in a pseudo-Europe, instead being set in the Middle East during the Crusades. The game features a multitude of new Arabian units that can be purchased in a new building, the mercenary post. Though the Arabian troops do not require any weapons to produce, they are rather expensive. The game was also released as Stronghold Warchest. This version was a compendium of Stronghold and an enhanced version of Stronghold: Crusader, containing additional characters and an additional Crusader Trail. Stronghold Warchest was only released in limited number of countries (i. e. USA or Poland), meaning players in the rest of the world have never encountered the second Crusader Trail, or second set of characters. This changed when an updated version of Stronghold Crusader, Stronghold: Crusader Extreme was released in early 2008.

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Expanded games

15.07.2025

Gird your loins and sharpen your steel! Besiege 20 unique enemy lords and battle friends online, in this expanded remaster of the classic 'castle sim'. Relive history with new units, AI opponents, visuals, audio, campaigns, skirmish trails, co-op and larger maps.

02.07.2008

Stronghold: Crusader Extreme is an updated version of 2001's Stronghold expansion, Stronghold: Crusader by Firefly Studios. Crusader Extreme is set in the Middle East during the Crusades era. Stronghold Crusader Extreme has additions of larger armies of 10,000 men, new buildings and missions. It also contains an updated version of the original Stronghold Crusader, which includes everything except for outposts, the god powers and the Extreme Crusader Trail. However if the official HD patch is installed, outposts can be built on maps on the original Stronghold Crusader part of Stronghold Crusader Extreme.

Part of collection:
Stronghold (last 3 games)

07.11.2023

Greetings sire! Your stronghold awaits you. Build a castle economy, besiege unforgettable villains and return to the 'castle sim' that started it all. Experience this classic RTS with upgraded visuals, modernised gameplay, Steam multiplayer and a new campaign.

09.03.2021

The next chapter in Firefly Studios' real-time strategy series, Stronghold: Warlords is Firefly's first game to recreate the castle economies of the Far East. In Warlords you take command of Mongol hordes, imperial warriors and samurai clansmen as you lay siege to Japanese castles and fortified Chinese cities. Besiege historical warlords using new gunpowder-fuelled siege weapons, classic units and a completely new way to play Stronghold.

05.10.2017

Tax, torture or treat your peasants! Rehabilitate criminals or sentence them to death? Decide as you enjoy jousting over a lavish banquet, all while under siege from the warmongering Lord Barclay. The Steam Edition comes with tighter integration with Steam including Steam Achievements, Multiplayer, Trading Cards and Workshop plus some new additions such as new maps, visual enhancements and widescreen support.

Part of collection:
Stronghold: Crusader (last 3 games)

22.09.2014

Stronghold Crusader 2 is the long awaited sequel to Stronghold: Crusader, the original 'castle sim'. After 12 years Stronghold returns to the deserts of the Middle East circa 1189, with a new 3D engine and realistic castle destruction powered by Havok Physics. Crusader 2 will recapture the original game’s addictive, fast-paced gameplay and authentic castle simulation. True to its roots this new Stronghold will define old school real time strategy, combining RTS and city builder gameplay. Playing as a brutal Crusader Knight or Arabic freedom fighter, you must use a deadly array of troops and destructive siege equipment to decide the fate of the holy lands. Lead your forces into battle as either Richard the Lionheart or the Sultan of Syria in two historic single-player campaigns, with dynamic events such as tornados and locust swarms. Become the greatest Lord by managing your desert economy and seizing control of vital oases. To dominate the battlefield you will need to command more than 25 unique unit types, mastering their special abilities. Raise morale with the Sergeant at Arms, charge in with the Sassanid Knight, use Archers to launch an arrow volley or scale castle walls with the deadly Assassin. Once your skills have been perfected put them to the test in skirmish mode or take the battle online with up to eight players. Create teams, choose different AI opponents and design your own map in the ultimate skirmish or multiplayer game!

21.10.2013

The highly anticipated sequel to the best-selling Stronghold, Stronghold Crusader HD throws you into historic battles and castle sieges from the Crusades with fiendish AI opponents, new units, 4 historical campaigns and over 100 unique skirmish missions. Stronghold Crusader HD features several campaigns documenting the First, Second and Third Crusades, as well as conflicts within the individual Crusader states. Battles such as Nicea, Heraclea, siege of Antioch, Krak des Chevaliers and the Siege of Jerusalem all feature, as do the Crusader Trails from the Stronghold Warchest and Stronghold Crusader Extreme.

Could be interesting

19.10.2001

Stronghold is a historic real-time strategy game developed by Firefly Studios. While the game focuses primarily on conquest and expansion through military pursuits, Stronghold does provide space for economic strategy and development: there is both an economic and a military campaign to be played and both are discussed in the game manual. The game takes place in Medieval Britain around the time of AD 1066, though, since there is sometimes no time limit, scenarios can continue to hundreds of years beyond this date.

22.09.2014

Stronghold Crusader 2 is the long awaited sequel to Stronghold: Crusader, the original 'castle sim'. After 12 years Stronghold returns to the deserts of the Middle East circa 1189, with a new 3D engine and realistic castle destruction powered by Havok Physics. Crusader 2 will recapture the original game’s addictive, fast-paced gameplay and authentic castle simulation. True to its roots this new Stronghold will define old school real time strategy, combining RTS and city builder gameplay. Playing as a brutal Crusader Knight or Arabic freedom fighter, you must use a deadly array of troops and destructive siege equipment to decide the fate of the holy lands. Lead your forces into battle as either Richard the Lionheart or the Sultan of Syria in two historic single-player campaigns, with dynamic events such as tornados and locust swarms. Become the greatest Lord by managing your desert economy and seizing control of vital oases. To dominate the battlefield you will need to command more than 25 unique unit types, mastering their special abilities. Raise morale with the Sergeant at Arms, charge in with the Sassanid Knight, use Archers to launch an arrow volley or scale castle walls with the deadly Assassin. Once your skills have been perfected put them to the test in skirmish mode or take the battle online with up to eight players. Create teams, choose different AI opponents and design your own map in the ultimate skirmish or multiplayer game!

13.10.2006

Lead as fantasy characters throughout history: King Arthur and the forces of Camelot, Siegfried and Dietrich in the German Ice Campaign, and unleash the fury of the forces of evil in Vlad Dracul’s Transylvania.

18.04.2005

Tax, torture or treat your peasants! Rehabilitate criminals or sentence them to death? Decide as you joust over a lavish banquet, all while under siege from the warmongering Lord Barclay. Will you entertain with medieval tournaments or rule with an iron fist and dispense feudal justice to overworked and malnourished peasants? With powerful barons jostling for power over a disintegrating kingdom, it is up to you to stem the tides of ambition and unite the land under the one true King! Building on the sim gameplay of the original Stronghold, Stronghold 2 allows players to rule as they please and still conquer each skirmish. Unhappy peasants turn to crime and must be punished, rival lords can raise entire armies on their title alone and sieges must be fought tooth and nail, with close combat taking place inside castle structures. Stronghold 2 Online extends this gameplay to competitive multiplayer for up to eight players, with offline skirmish mode also available against computer-controller opponents. The online services used GameSpy which was shutdown. The Steam Edition is the only version of Stronghold 2 that still features multiplayer using Steam Multiplayer.

23.11.1994

Warcraft: Orcs & Humans is the first game in the Warcraft series developed by Blizzard Entertainment. The Orcish hordes are summoned through the dark portal to the peaceful human Kingdom of Azeroth. When the two races meet each other, a terrible war ensues. Only one race can dominate the land. Players can choose to play as either the Humans or the Orcs. There are 12 scenarios for each race with mostly a single objective: destroy the enemy. As with most RTS games of the same era, a lot of time is spent collecting resources and building structures to make/upgrade different types of units.

19.08.2002

Experience the middle Ages in all their blood-soaked magnificence. From the lush grasslands of Western Europe to the arid deserts of Northern Africa, from the first Crusade to the fall of Constantinople, implement diplomacy, utilize trade, espionage and assassinations, spread your religion and wage total war in order to expand your influence and secure your reign as you build a dynastic empire to stretch across four centuries. Total War is the follow on from 2000’s Shogun- Total War. As with Shogun the game is split into two sections – the turn-based campaign map wherein the player is required to make strategic decisions, recruit and move armies, besiege settlements, fight naval battles and employ agents such as emissaries, spies and assassins to aid with diplomacy, offer alliances or bribes, or execute rather more clandestine actions. Religion is important in the game and whether a faction is Muslim, Orthodox or Christian will affect allegiances and public loyalty – as a catholic nation the player must carry out the wishes of the Papal States, embarking on a holy war if need be or else run the risk of excommunication. If public order and loyalty should fall too low in a particular region a rebellion or a civil war may occur – in these situations the player may decide to side with the rebels or the current rulers to quell the rebellion or overthrow a tyrannous regime-

01.10.2005

As King, it is your duty to lead your people in their struggle to raise your kingdom from its humble beginnings to a position of power and prestige. War, diplomacy and a burgeoning economy are the means by which you increase your power and expand your influence. A unique Knight-management system will offer you brand new possibilities to enhance your personal strategy.

30.11.1998

Take control of squads or individual units in order to accomplish tactically-challenging missions in the epic battle of the Forces of Light versus Dark.

22.09.2004

Set during the rule of the late Roman Republic and the early Roman Empire, Rome: Total War is a real-time tactics and turn-based strategy game that takes place across Europe, North Africa and the Near East. The player assumes control of one of three Roman families with eight other factions playable outside the main campaign. The main goal of the campaign is to become emperor of Rome by conquering fifty provinces with the support of the people before capturing Rome itself although a short campaign is also available wherein success depends on besting other factions in a race to seize control of 15 provinces.

31.10.1996

The lands of England and Wales are ruled by powerful feudal nobles who cruelly oppress the people. They all have their eyes on the English throne, and they’re willing to do anything to seize it. The people cry out for a leader who can unite them: A leader worthy of a kingdom. Advancing the series’ trademark template of turn-based and real-time strategy,