Crossbowman - Stronghold Legends Game Units

Cost in Gold	12
Cost in Honour	0
Recruited From	Barracks
Ranged Attack	Yes
Recruits needed	1
Requirements	Crossbow, Leather Armour
Available Factions	All

Crossbowmen are part of the standard troops available to all factions in Stronghold Legends, and are the elite missile units from this category.

They are probably the most powerful and effective standard ranged unit in the game, however this comes at a price. The Crossbowman has a much smaller range than the Archer.

The Crossbowman wears Leather Armour for protection, which means that he is far slower when moving than the Archer, although he is far more protected, particularly against missiles.

It takes an Archer many shots to kill a Crossbowman- if he actually survives that long- while a Crossbowman can kill an Archer in a single shot due to the Archer's lack of protection. Like Archers and other similar ranged units, the Crossbowmen can defend himself against aerial attack by Dragons and other attacking units.

Crossbowmen are slow to reload, but far more accurate and reliable as missile troops. You will need a Crossbow to recruit Crossbowmen, along with Leather Armour, which is why the Crossbowman has such good protection against missiles.

Crossbows are also produced through the Fletcher's Workshop. Note that by default the Fletcher Workshops all produce Bows for Archers unless you specifically toggle the production to Crossbows. To do this, simply left click on the Fletcher's Workshop and select the Crossbow icon. You will also need to place a Tanner's Workshop in order to produce Leather Armour, along with a Dairy Farm for it to function. In addition to these requirements, you will also need a single recruit from the campfire before you can recruit a Crossbowman.

Note that Crossbowmen are vulnerable to Vampiric Creeper attacks. If you are playing against a player who is currently the 'Evil' faction, you must ensure you take adequate measures to protect your Crossbowmen against these attacks or you could risk losing large swathes of your troops to the enemy. Vampiric Creepers can also climb up walls and attack your troops stationed on gatehouses or towers as well, so it's important you keep this in mind.

Tip: Since Crossbowmen are slower than Archers and have a shorter range, they are best placed protecting walls and towers which will allow them to fire further. It also protects them as they are a slower moving unit that cannot move out of the way as quickly as Archers can. Crossbowmen can easily dispose of troublesome units such as Knights and in a group they are a lot stronger as well, doing far more damage.