Stronghold: Definitive Edition is a remake of the 2001 castle-building strategy game, where you gather resources, raise a town and fight rival lords in real time. Units are the soldiers and specialists you raise to defend your castle and attack rivals, from archers and spearmen to knights and engineers. Each one has a clear role, so knowing what each does matters as much as how many you have.
Units
Units
Archer
A lightly equipped bow unit that attacks from long range and moves quickly.
- Cost
- 12 Gold
- Attack Rating
- Low
- Defense Rating
- Low
- Speed Rating
- Fast
- Weapon
- Bow
- Armor
- -
- How to Recruit
- Barracks; requires an available peasant, gold, and a bow in the Armory.
Crossbowman
A slower ranged unit whose bolts can pierce metal armor.
- Cost
- 20 Gold
- Attack Rating
- Low
- Defense Rating
- Medium
- Speed Rating
- Average
- Weapon
- Crossbow
- Armor
- Leather
- How to Recruit
- Barracks; requires an available peasant, gold, a crossbow, and leather armor in the Armory.
Spearman
A fast, lightly equipped melee unit that can use ladders and dig moats.
- Cost
- 8 Gold
- Attack Rating
- Medium
- Defense Rating
- Low
- Speed Rating
- Fast
- Weapon
- Spear
- Armor
- -
- How to Recruit
- Barracks; requires an available peasant, gold, and a spear in the Armory.
Pikeman
An armored pike unit built to hold narrow approaches.
- Cost
- 20 Gold
- Attack Rating
- Medium
- Defense Rating
- Very High
- Speed Rating
- Average
- Weapon
- Pike
- Armor
- Metal
- How to Recruit
- Barracks; requires an available peasant, gold, a pike, and metal armor in the Armory.
Maceman
A quick melee attacker with a mace and leather armor.
- Cost
- 20 Gold
- Attack Rating
- High
- Defense Rating
- Medium
- Speed Rating
- Fast
- Weapon
- Mace
- Armor
- Leather
- How to Recruit
- Barracks; requires an available peasant, gold, a mace, and leather armor in the Armory.
Swordsman
A heavily armored swordsman with high attack and defense, but low speed.
- Cost
- 40 Gold
- Attack Rating
- Very High
- Defense Rating
- High
- Speed Rating
- Slow
- Weapon
- Sword
- Armor
- Metal
- How to Recruit
- Barracks; requires an available peasant, gold, a sword, and metal armor in the Armory.
Knight
A fast mounted swordsman who can sally out to attack enemy siege equipment.
- Cost
- 40 Gold
- Attack Rating
- Very High
- Defense Rating
- High
- Speed Rating
- Very Fast
- Weapon
- Sword
- Armor
- Metal and horse
- How to Recruit
- Barracks; requires an available peasant, gold, a sword, metal armor, and a horse bred at the Stables.
Tunneler
A lightly equipped specialist who tunnels beneath enemy walls to collapse them.
- Cost
- 30 Gold
- Attack Rating
- Medium
- Defense Rating
- Low
- Speed Rating
- Average
- Weapon
- -
- Armor
- -
- How to Recruit
- Tunneler's Guild; recruited for gold.
Ladderman
A fast unarmed unit that carries ladders so troops can climb over walls.
- Cost
- 4 Gold
- Attack Rating
- -
- Defense Rating
- Very Low
- Speed Rating
- Fast
- Weapon
- -
- Armor
- -
- How to Recruit
- Engineer's Guild; recruited for gold.
Engineer
A specialist who builds and operates siege equipment and boiling-oil defenses.
- Cost
- 30 Gold
- Attack Rating
- -
- Defense Rating
- Very Low
- Speed Rating
- Average
- Weapon
- -
- Armor
- -
- How to Recruit
- Engineer's Guild; recruited for gold.
Black Monk
A fast, unarmed fighter who appears periodically through the Cathedral.
- Cost
- -
- Attack Rating
- Medium
- Defense Rating
- Medium
- Speed Rating
- Fast
- Weapon
- -
- Armor
- -
- How to Recruit
- Appears periodically at the Cathedral.
What Units Do in Stronghold: Definitive Edition
Units are the people who fight for you. They are separate from peasants, who gather resources and keep your town running. Once you have spare peasants and the gear to equip them, you draft them into soldiers, which means every soldier is one less worker. Picking the right mix for each threat matters more than simply adding numbers.
How to Train Units in Stronghold: Definitive Edition
Most foot soldiers come from the barracks, which needs spare peasants, enough gold, and weapons and armor from your armory before it can train anyone. Your workshops make those weapons and armor, so a steady supply there keeps training going. Gold also pays for your soldiers' food, which means they take no rations from the granary. Specialists such as engineers and laddermen come from guilds rather than the barracks.
Archers vs Crossbowmen: Which Armor Each One Handles
Archers are usually the first ranged units you lean on, and they do their best against troops without metal armor. Once enemies start wearing heavy armor, archers struggle, and that is when crossbowmen earn their place. Crossbow bolts easily pierce metal armor, so crossbowmen are the ones to bring against heavily armored foes like pikemen, swordsmen and knights. They are slow on the move and weak in close combat, so keep them behind your front line.
Spearmen and Macemen at the Walls
Spearmen earn their keep at the walls. They are useful for pushing enemy ladders off the battlements and for digging moats, and they can climb ladders themselves. Macemen can climb ladders as well, so both can get onto the walls when you need them there.
Engineers, Laddermen, Tunnelers and Black Monks
Engineers build and man all of your siege equipment, so you need enough of them before you start building machines. Laddermen carry the ladders your troops climb, and tunnelers dig under walls to bring them down.
Black Monks are a special case. They appear now and again at the Cathedral, where they share their knowledge and help you fight, so plan your army without counting on them.
FAQ
Do archers or crossbowmen have longer range in Stronghold: Definitive Edition?
Archers reach farther. Crossbowmen have a shorter range and reload more slowly, but their bolts are very accurate and pierce metal armor, so they trade reach for stopping power.
Where do engineers and laddermen come from in Stronghold: Definitive Edition?
The Engineer's Guild recruits both, and it charges gold for each one.