The Caliph - Stronghold Crusader 2 AI Lords

The Caliph is a skirmish opponent in Stronghold Crusader 2.

Overview

The Caliph's reputation for cruelty is well founded. He likes to defend his castle with hidden traps and pitch ready to maim and burn anyone who dares defy him. The Caliph is a nasty piece of work so watch your back.

Castles & Defenses

The Caliph's castle is rather basic and of a rectangular shape with a single gatehouse. Multiple watch towers housing Arabian archers and oil pot throwers are placed along the wall, along with several haybale launchers. The entire castle is surrounded by pitch, which the Caliph gladly turns into a sea of fire at the first sign of danger. His keep is usually manned by a combination of Arabian archers, oil pot throwers, slaves, slave drivers and Arabian swordsmen.

The Caliph is generally tougher than he looks. His castle may not look impressive, but his reliance on pitch makes headlong assaults against his walls suicidal. It is recommended to destroy as many of his towers and haybable launchers as possible before rushing into his castle. One should also be aware of his large stone stockpiles. This allows the Caliph to replace destroyed towers or sections of the wall rather quickly.

Economy

The Caliph runs a very strong economy based around bread and stone. Dairy farms provide him with cheese while wheat farms produce wheat which his two to three mills turn into flour which in turn is baked into bread by his bakeries. Several wood camps provide him with the wood he needs, while up to four quarries provide more stone than he could ever use.

Raids & Sieges

The Caliph's armies consist of slaves, slave drivers, Arabian archers, horse archers and Arabian swordsmen supported by fire ballistas and mantlets.

The Caliph's love for fire seen in his defence continues on in his offence as well. His preferred tactic is to destroy his opponent's economy with constant raids made up slaves and slave drivers. These will easily set everything on fire if not countered quickly enough. His siege armies also lean heavily into slaves and slave drivers but also include horse archers, Arabian archers and Arabian swordsmen. Up to three fire ballistas and mantlets provide support for his troops.

Fending off the Caliph isn't difficult, but one must be prepared for early harassment right away. Investing into some early archers or Arabian archers is vital against the Caliph. Enough wells should also be present outside the castle. Once the slave raids no longer pose a threat, the Caliph becomes a much more manageable opponent, as his siege armies can easily be fought off my archers and crossbowmen.