The Sentinel - Stronghold Crusader AI Lords

The Sentinel is a skirmish opponent in Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition.

Overview

A mysterious and faceless Templar knight, the Sentinel is a man of few words. Having spent the majority of his time in the desert, he is thought to be a battle-hardened veteran, whose devotion to the defense of the Church has eroded every sense of humanity, leaving only a husk of a man within metal armor. The Sentinel is always on the lookout within his withered castles, who is faithful to his beliefs, and never gives in to his enemies.

Castles & Defenses

The Sentinel's castles are always constructed in the shape of the Maltese Cross, the symbol of the Knights Templar. They are sprawling large crosses with a confined interior, which take quite a while to build, but are considerably defensible. The keep is bordered by thick walls, moat and Gatehouses in the corners. Various large towers are constructed in opposite edges, which house Tower Mangonels and Ballistae. Small groups of Crossbowmen are spread out to repel unwanted intruders. The castle bailey gives safe shelter to most of the Sentinel's industry and Hovels. The Sentinel tends to address harassment with a band of Pikemen and Crossbowmen, but tends to forgo patrolling his economic buildings.

Sieging the Sentinel's castle is easier to be done than said. His largely open wall sections make him vulnerable to Siege Tower attacks, allowing your troops to easily overrun the elevated defences. Moreover, his corners are blind spots that can be used to quickly infiltrate with a mass of ranged troops, cutting reinforcement access through his gates and blocking line of sight for the Sentinel's tower defenders. Assassins can also easily climb his exposed gatehouses with impunity, as the Sentinel employs no traps. Once his walls are overrun, the Sentinel can amass a massive retaliatory armored force from his keep, but his macemen can easily be thwarted by a good-sized group of your melee troops. After the Sentinel exhausted his troops, nothing stands in your way.

Economy

The Sentinel's economy is advanced. His potential to operate an oiled war machine is immense, once he manages to build to his full power. The Sentinel gathers apples and cheese from his farms, as well as he grows hops to provide ale for his peasants. He also builds a few Chapels to provide basic religion coverage, however the economic power comes from the numerous Iron Mines and Stone Quarries he operates. At full power, the Sentinel can stockpile thousands of gold between two siege attacks.

Raids & Sieges

Due to his build speed, the Sentinel is predominantly defensive, however he is not discouraged to raid at all by small squads of Macemen and at later stages, Catapults. He does not cause much damage with these troops, however their speed necessitates a powerful squad on the lookout.

The Sentinel's siege attempts also take a while to form up, but they are quickly restored after an attempt fails. Sturdy units are preferred by the Sentinel: Macemen are fast shock troopers who can reliably fight out in the open, Crossbowmen can take some punishment at the cost of firing rate, and Demolishers arrive with tower shields to sustain a slow advance under concentrated fire. Interestingly, the Sentinel also sprinkles in a few Healers in the mix, whom he uses rather ineffectively, mostly staying back at the formation point until the last charge occurs. Siege engineers also arrive to the scene, who construct a balanced mix of Catapults and Portable Shields. The Portable Shields tend to cover advancing Crossbowmen, granting much needed longevity during the fight.

Defending against the Sentinel can be done either by rushing him before he has a chance to build up, or overpowering his attempts. On the defense, having droves of Crossbowmen can thwart most of his medium-armored units, as well as Moat can greatly slow down and stall the Sentinel's advance. Against Catapults, some tower-mounted engines are advised. Fire throwers or Ambushers are also a nice way to provide close-range defense against a cluster of units that manage to close the distance. If rushing the Sentinel, be mindful of his retaliatory units and his Pikemen, who can display surprisingly high stopping power. Don't get bogged down and instead charge one of his weaker sections. With a good mix of sturdy units and the armor-piercing Crossbowmen, the Sentinel is bound to fail against you.