Castle buildings are the gatehouses, keeps, turrets, towers and traps you place to defend your settlement in Stronghold: Definitive Edition. Each one has a part in keeping attackers out, from the gates that let your own workers through to the killing pits that catch enemies on the way in. They work best as a set rather than on their own. Knowing what each piece does helps you place them where they count.
Building Type
Keeps
Saxon Hall
A starter keep that limits a castle to early buildings and troops.
- Cost
- Free
- Workers
- -
- What It Does
- Lowest keep tier; allows only basic buildings and early medieval troops.
Wooden Keep
A second-tier keep that opens more building and troop options.
- Cost
- Free
- Workers
- -
- What It Does
- Second keep tier; unlocks more buildings and troop types than Saxon Hall.
Keep
The third-tier keep used as the standard start in most campaign missions.
- Cost
- Free
- Workers
- -
- What It Does
- Third keep tier; the standard starting keep in most campaign missions.
Fortress
A fourth-tier keep with more roof space for archers and a broader technology set.
- Cost
- Free
- Workers
- -
- What It Does
- Fourth keep tier; has more roof space for archers and a fuller technology set.
Stronghold
The top-tier keep that unlocks the full building and troop set.
- Cost
- Free
- Workers
- -
- What It Does
- Highest keep tier; unlocks all buildings and late medieval troop types.
Building Type
Gates
Wooden Gate
A low-cost gate that lets units and workers pass through a wall.
- Cost
- 10 Wood
- Workers
- -
- What It Does
- Provides a passage through a wall; can be rotated before placement in Definitive Edition.
Inner Gate
A small stone gatehouse for a passage through a wall.
- Cost
- 10 Stone
- Workers
- -
- What It Does
- A small stone gatehouse that gives people a way through a stone wall.
Main Gate
A large stone gatehouse that can take a drawbridge.
- Cost
- 20 Stone
- Workers
- -
- What It Does
- The large stone gatehouse for an outer wall; a Drawbridge can be attached to it.
Drawbridge
A bridge across the moat that can be raised to cut off passage.
- Cost
- 10 Wood, 20 Stone
- Workers
- -
- What It Does
- Attaches to a stone gatehouse so people can cross the moat; raise it during a siege to delay the enemy.
Building Type
Towers
Wooden Platform
A small raised post where archers can fire from above.
- Cost
- 10 Stone
- Workers
- -
- What It Does
- A low raised defensive position where archers can fire from above.
Perimeter Turret
A small tower for defenders, but tunnelers can undermine it.
- Cost
- 10 Stone
- Workers
- -
- What It Does
- Smallest turret for defenders; tunnelers can undermine it.
Defense Turret
A taller turret that gives defenders greater range and height.
- Cost
- 15 Stone
- Workers
- -
- What It Does
- Taller than a Perimeter Turret, giving defenders better range and height.
Square Turret
A strong tower that can hold a ballista or mangonel.
- Cost
- 35 Stone
- Workers
- -
- What It Does
- Supports a ballista or mangonel on top and resists tunneling.
Round Turret
The toughest, costliest tower that can also mount a siege engine.
- Cost
- 40 Stone
- Workers
- -
- What It Does
- Most expensive and strongest turret; supports a siege engine on top.
Building Type
Military and Defense
Armory
Stores weapons and armor for troops recruited at the barracks.
- Cost
- 10 Wood
- Workers
- -
- What It Does
- Stores weapons and armor from workshops for troops recruited at the barracks.
Wooden Barracks
Recruits lighter troops using available weapons.
- Cost
- 10 Wood
- Workers
- -
- What It Does
- Recruits troops; the wooden version is sufficient for lighter troop types.
Stone Barracks
Recruits troops and can send new units to a set rally point.
- Cost
- 15 Stone
- Workers
- -
- What It Does
- Recruits troops and provides a rally point for newly trained units in Definitive Edition.
Engineer's Guild
Trains engineers and laddermen for siege and boiling-oil duties.
- Cost
- 10 Wood, 100 Gold
- Workers
- -
- What It Does
- Trains Engineers and Laddermen; required for siege engines and boiling oil.
Killing Pit
A hidden stake trap that only your own people can see.
- Cost
- 6 Wood
- Workers
- -
- What It Does
- A covered pit of sharpened stakes; invisible to enemies, who fall to their deaths, and harmless to your own people.
Oil Smelter
Fills pots with boiling oil for engineers to carry to the walls.
- Cost
- 10 Iron, 100 Gold
- Workers
- 1 Engineer
- What It Does
- Produces boiling-oil pots. In Defensive stance, the assigned Engineer pours when three enemies approach; in Aggressive stance, the Engineer pours when any enemy approaches.
How Castle Buildings Work Together
Start with the keep, since your lord lives there and it's the building you'll most want to protect. Your other pieces then decide where attackers have to fight. A gate, turret or trap placed on the route enemies will take does far more than one placed at random, so think about the approach before you build.
Gatehouses, Gates and Stairs
The gatehouse is the part of your wall where people pass through, which also makes it the spot enemies will push hardest. The Wooden Gate, Inner Gate and Main Gate are the pieces you'll place there. Each one lets your own workers through while giving attackers one narrow point to push at.
Because every attacker has to reach that opening, it's worth posting archers nearby. Archers grouped together on high ground, such as the top of a gatehouse, are especially deadly. Troops reach that high ground by stairs, which run up to the top of walls and gatehouses.
Turrets vs Towers: Which to Build
Turrets are the cheaper option. The Wooden Platform, Perimeter Turret and Defense Turret cost less, but they hold only a few troops, can't take siege equipment, and can be collapsed by tunnelers. Those limits make them a good fit for light coverage on a tight budget.
The Square Turret and Round Turret are bigger, and they can mount a ballista or mangonel. A ballista is a large crossbow and a mangonel is a catapult, so both let you hit attackers from a distance. These towers are also immune to tunneling, so diggers can't bring them down.
The choice mostly comes down to budget and threat. Use turrets for cheap coverage, and the Square or Round Turret where attackers are likely to bring siege weapons or dig in.
Wood or Stone Castle Buildings
Wood is the material you'll use first, since you can build with it before a quarry is running. Stone is much sturdier, and it's worth the extra effort on the buildings that take the most punishment. Stone comes from a quarry, and a quarry only works on maps with stone deposits, so plan your defense around what the map gives you.
Killing Pits and Pitch Ditches
Traps catch attackers before they reach the rest of your castle. A killing pit is a hidden pit with sharpened stakes at the bottom, so enemies that step onto it fall in. Pitch ditches are filled with flammable pitch, and archers can light them with a brazier as enemies come in, which burns anyone crossing. Put these traps on the route attackers take, at the gate and along the approach, since they only work when enemies actually walk over them.
FAQ
How do I protect my keep?
Ring it with walls, towers and gatehouses so attackers have to break through before they reach it. Towers withstand much more damage than walls and can't be scaled with ladders, so they make strong anchor points around the keep.
Does stone hold up better against siege weapons?
Yes. Stone takes siege weapon hits better than wood does, so it's the safer choice for any building enemies are likely to batter.