Stronghold- Crusader Extreme

The Arabian faction in Extreme becomes overpowered on defense. The Hashishin (Assassin) cannot climb walls, but they can hide. When the enemy breaches your outer wall, unleash 200 assassins hiding in your market district. They will slaughter the enemy engineers and armorers instantly. This is the only reliable way to stop an enemy "Lord Kill" squad.

A new lord is introduced: The Wazir. Unlike the cowardly Rat or the economic Pig, the Wazir is a hyper-aggressive assassin user. He floods the map with fast-moving horse archers and uses the Arabian "Hashedishin" (Assassins) to infiltrate your castle the second you leave a hole in your wall. Stronghold- Crusader Extreme

Swordsmen are expensive and slow to train. Archers are excellent but die instantly to enemy horse archers. The unsung hero of Stronghold: Crusader Extreme is the Spearman. They are cheap, train quickly, and act as a disposable screen for your ranged units. Place 100 spearmen in a shallow ditch outside your castle to stop the initial cavalry charge. The Arabian faction in Extreme becomes overpowered on

If playing offensively (Skirmish Trail or Multiplayer), turtling is difficult because the AI builds faster. They will slaughter the enemy engineers and armorers

The community around Stronghold: Crusader has kept it alive via the Unofficial Stronghold Crusader Extreme patcher (USCE). This mod fixes memory leaks, adds widescreen support, and even introduces new AI lords. The game is cheap on GOG.com (often $2.99) and runs on a potato laptop.

The design philosophy of Stronghold: Crusader Extreme can be summarized in two words: "Threshold assault." Where the original game emphasized careful economy, Extreme emphasizes speed. You cannot afford a slow start. By the five-minute mark in most Extreme missions, you will face waves of horse archers or swordmen that would constitute a final boss in other RTS games.