Mordred - Stronghold Legends AI Lords

Mordred is a skirmish opponent in Stronghold Legends.

Overview

A bastard son of King Arthur, Mordred is hellbent on fighting for power and influence. His evil tendencies paired with her magical prowess grants him a fearsome appearance on the battlefield. Dabbling in the dark arts, Mordred heavily draws on the powers of brutish warriors and fire to gain the upper hand.

Castles & Defenses

Unlike most other lords, Mordred builds a very tiny and elongated castle, leaving most buildings outside it. His design concentrates on fortifying the west and east sides by symmetrically placed Engine Towers, Lookout Towers and Gatehouses, housing Crossbowmen, Dragon Harpoons and Men-at-arms. Closer to the Keep, Fire Drakes are installed to fend off attackers, while the southern parts have Moat and assorted Pitch Ditches spread out. Hidden Man Traps are also placed in front of the dual gates. Staircases on either side provide access to the walls. There are also Giant Bats patrolling around the perimeter.

Due to its compactness Mordred's castle may prove hard to break into. There are no exposed wall sections, so only a properly organized attack can prove successful. Once his Bats are exhausted, his Sorcerer's Tower should be removed orderly to prevent any more disruption and reinforcements. Mordred tends to have sizable armies in the area, so meeting him on the battlefield should be done with Crossbowmen and heavily armored troops backed by siege engines. Lookout Towers are tall but fragile, and as Mordred's castle is reduced to rubble on either side, send in a few laddermen to spring traps first, before the main army marches up the Keep.

Economy

Mordred's economy is suitably productive. He builds the Inn to garner popularity along with a small ale production line, as well as assorted weapon workshops to equip his normal units. Mordred supplies his Pantry with Eels and Pigs, as well as he produces Meat, Cheese and Apples for his peasants. Being an Evil lord, Mordred gathers Pitch from a single rig and builds two Stone Quarries and Iron Mines to build his castle and produce Maces.

The reserves for Mordred tend to build up once he strengthens his position enough. He tends to keep a small batch of every equipment in the Armory, as well as other resources too. He sells most Hops and resources he cannot utilize.

Raids & Sieges

Mordred is one of the most disruptive and psychologically effective opponents. He prefers resorting to annoying tactics, most famously sending Giant Bats at random targets. Bats have a tendency to dive bomb enemy defenses, which are often deployed in groups and on towers, sending them fly from huge heights, often greatly wounding, if not outright killing them. Stake Hurlers and groups of Saxon Warriors are also sent forward, sometimes with Archers. Mordred also likes to send out the Sorcerer, although he is not very skilled at using him. Should he infiltrate the castle, the Sorcerer can start setting buildings on fire with his regular attack, causing great damage over time.

Mordred's persistence also shows in his sieges. He uses a mixture of normal and special units, namely a small sprinkle of Crossbowman and Men-at-arms supporting a large group of Werewolves. These powerful beasts can take quite a beating and Mordred makes sure to use them in a multitude of ways. While most of the groups tend to charge in with the first wave, Mordred also makes use of the Siege Camp by building two Trebuchets, a Battering Ram and a Werewolf Launcher. Unlike other siege engines, the Launcher and the large swarm of Laddermen are constantly rebuilt and sent in to keep up the attack. A Catapult and two Cats are also constructed to aid the siege, however their efficiency is greatly limited as Mordred's forces are largely mobile.

Dealing with Mordred's siege attempts requires a few preparations. His Wolfmen can prove really dangerous once they get over your walls, but as with other lords, they are stopped by ranged attackers and traps, as they rely heavily on Laddermen. Still, a few of them may get catapulted over your defenses in the heart of your castle, so keep a response force on the lookout before the Werewolves may get in to your Lord. Litter the area with a few traps to thin out the charging werewolves' ranks and Mordred's efforts will quickly fizzle out once you dealt with the immediate threat. The said response squad can also be deployed against the bombarding Trebuchets once most of the army has left the vicinity of Mordred's Siege Camp.