Catapult/Stronghold Crusader

Catapults are considerably cheap and effective in bringing down buildings and units. They have decent fire rate and their low arc comes with good accuracy, marking the catapult a reliable offensive weapon. Their rocks cause heavy damage on structures and on units, as they are capable of killing most of them in one shot. Catapults may also hurl cow carcasses from a distance to spread disease in a selected area. Carcasses fly at a much higher angle than rocks, letting them land behind walls and other obstacles.
As all ground siege engines, an engineer must construct it in a pre-placed siege tent. Once built, the catapult is free to move around. Two engineers are used to operate the engine, in addition to its dedicated supply that must be replenished with stone from the stockpile. Moving will simply cancel the engine's firing animation, without using up rocks.
Hurled stones will kill units and siege engines instantly. They can even hit civilians such as mothers, children and drunkards, who simply disappear without any death animation.
However, catapults are fairly big and slow, and they fall from concentrated missile fire or melee attacks, so they need support from friendly units. Portable shields can greatly increase their resistance against missile fire, while a fire ballista or some missile units can provide covering fire.
Category:Stronghold Units
Category:Stronghold Crusader Units