Swordsman - Stronghold 2 Game Units

Cost in Gold	40
Cost in Honour	8
Recruited From	Barracks
Ranged Attack	No
Recruits needed	1
Requirements	Sword, Armour

Swordsman are excellent in both offensive and defensive attacks. They are the best infantry you have available next to Knights. Swordsmen can easily and quickly cut down most enemy units, especially those without any form of Armour or protection.

The Swordsman wears Armour for protection which means that they are very well protected against both missiles and also very well protected in melee combat as well. However, unlike Pikemen, Swordsmen are not as fast-moving and instead take much longer to get to destinations. Swordsmen are ideal to attack your opponent in your main attacks or sieges due to the high amount of damage they can take in.

An Archer can barely touch a Swordsman in his missile, while even a Crossbowman takes a significant amount of time to do any serious damage to a Swordsman. This is largely due to the Armour that he wears.

You can recruit Swordsmen from the rank of Royal Champion, and you will also need a Sword before you can recuit Swordsmen.

Swords are produced through the Blacksmith's Workshop, which also becomes available at the rank of Royal Champion. Note also that you will require Armour to recruit Swordsmen, which is produced through an Armourer's Workshop. This becomes available at the earlier rank of Knight Bachelor.

You will also need a single recruit from the campfire before you can recruit a Swordsmen, as well as Honour. Honour can be produced by the means shown in this article.

Swordsmen are also a useful alternative to Knights when you cannot afford them due to the massively increased cost of recruiting Knights. Strategically using Swordsmen instead of Knights can save you a lot of trouble in your main assault, and cost in recruitment which can be better spent on other units.

Tip: Swordsmen are excellent in combat, however can easily get overwhelmed by defence systems such as Burning Logs, Ballistae or pitch ditches. This is primarily due to the fact the units move so slowly. In addition, be careful not to leave your Swordsmen undefended entirely via ranged units, because it is exceptionally easy for Horse Archers in particular to "distract" the Swordsmen, and then pick them off at a distance. It is advisable to use your Swordsmen for tasks that are likely to avoid these scenarios.