The Jackal - Stronghold Crusader 2 AI Lords

The Jackal is a skirmish opponent in Stronghold Crusader 2 (available as part of the The Jackal & The Khan DLC).

Overview

"Everything about the Jackal is guarded from his appearance to his style of play. The Jackal is cautious and defensive, preferring to build a strong economy before risking an attack. When he does attack his military style is similar to his old mentor the Wolf with a mixture of crusader and Arabic troops. A dogged opponent."

– the Jackal's in-game description

Castles & Defenses

The Jackal constructs a well fortified cross shaped castle. Depending on the size, it features between two and four gatehouses, with the largest example also hosting two additional curtain gates. The keep is flanked by two grand towers, while the outer perimeter hosts numerous watch towers. The Jackal's castle design is unique in featuring both crusader and Arabic architecture. Multiple tower mounted ballistae, mangonels and hay bale launchers provide additional protection. The towers and gatehouses host many crossbowmen and Arabian archers. Except the granary, the inside of the castle hosts all important buildings such as stockpile, armoury, a mosque, hovels, weapons production and chandlers. A bodyguard made up of Arabian swordsmen and healers can be found atop the keep, protecting the Jackal himself.

The Jackal's castle is very formidable and well defended. The large number of ballistae mean one cannot rely on trebuchets alone to bring down his castle. As with many of the stronger lords, it's recommended to use a combination of siege weapons and ranged units protected by mantlets against the Jackal. Unlike other Arabic lords the Jackal doesn't suffer from a lack of armour piercing defenders thanks to his crossbowmen, as such approaching his castle should be treated similarly to how one would approach the Wolf, Emperor or Templar. Once inside the castle, one should be prepared to face numerous macenen, men at arms and Arabian swordsmen. It should also be noted that plenty of Sassanid knights tend to patrol the area around the Jackal's castle as well.

Economy

The Jackal runs a solid economy. For food, he relies on five sheep and seven dairy farms. For resource production, he constructs six wood camps, three quarries and one iron mine. His weapons industry is made up of a single artillator, one armourer, two forgers and two pole turners. Six chandlers provide him with candles for religious needs.

Raids & Sieges

The Jackal's armies are quite varied and are made up of men at arms, macemen, Arabian swordsmen, crossbowmen, Arabian archers, assassins and Sassanid knights. His preferred siege weapons are trebuchets, catapults and mantlets.

The Jackal is a very dangerous opponent. Despite his intricate castle, he likes to attack early and aggressively. Already early on, he will begin sending one of his two harassment groups. The first being made up of up to sixty men at arms, macemen and Arabian archers, while the second group is made up of a maximum of seventy assassins. Besides early harassment, the Jackal is quick to assemble a siege army. This army consists of macemen, Arabian swordsmen, Sassanid knights, crossbowmen and Arabian archers. These are supported by trebuchets, catapults and mantlets.

Defending against the Jackal isn't too different from lords like Saladin. Early on, one should be prepared to defend outlying economic buildings from his assassins. A combination of ranged and melee units to spot the sneaky raiders is recommended. When dealing with the Jackal's siege armies, it's advisable to have some cheap and fast melee units at hand, like slaves or militia. The Jackal will deploy a trebuchet from his first siege on and especially early on the range of his weapon can cause quite some damage. Taking it out with some cheap units quickly is a good idea. Later tower mounted ballistae are a good option for dealing with his siege weapons. Crossbowmen and archers are perfectly adequate for repelling his macemen and Arabian swordsmen.