@@poryg5350 Best unit in the sense that they're actually usable as combat units in a siege. When attacking someone's castle, spearmen, slaves, and engineers outside of their siege engines are pretty much useless. Slaves maybe in huge waves to burn some shit down, but even still, digging in a moat takes some time even for them, and if the enemy still has some defensive units up then the slaves are as good as dead. However, pikemen are tanky as hell and as such can actually withstand a beating to some degree while filling in a moat. Now if you're talking about digging a moat when making your own castle, then yeah sure, go with spearmen or slaves or engineers, no issue there. But I took it from an attacking point of view
@@im_sorry_i_forgot_my_username I prefer to provide supporting fire to the moat diggers as well as shields, so for me macemen are quite enough to do the job. But yeah, I can see your point.
@@poryg5350 Oh yeah, horse archers are a must for any attack. I just like using pikemen, because then I don't have to have as many of the horse archers :)
The Team behind the UCP is cranking out an additional optional "Balance Patch" soon - 100% bonus damage against mounted units will be part of that both for pike and spearmen.
aren't Pikemen already the best utility units? voicelines suggest they could once push down ladders too, but I guess that would have made them too OP and multiuse
Interestingly, Swordsmen actually tank Archer shots better than Pikemen, but Pikemen can take far more Crossbow shots than Swordsmen. Swordsmen can take over 150 arrows but die in only ~10 crossbow bolts. Pikemen are 50/17 while also being faster, capable of digging, and substantially cheaper. Pikemen also take the least damage from fire of any unit in the game, being able to survive 11s in flames while Swordsmen can only survive 5.5s (and most other units die in 2-3s). In general, I like using Pikemen + Siege Towers for clearing walls against European castles, filling in Saladin's moats, and for setting off the Caliph's pitch ditches. I really find I only need pikemen in the late game if a bot has been able to build up and fully execute on their castle with no eco harassment. Despite their tankiness they typically do die in the process of doing their job. But it allows you to comprise an attack of 40 pikemen + 60 macemen rather than an attack that would require 150+ macemen to pull off. This army is also much easier to rebuild given that they don't share any weapons production. A lot of people are citing Pikemen as "defensive units" and I can't say I agree with that. Not that Pikemen can't be used for plugging holes in your walls, but... how often do you end up with holes in your walls in Crusader? If you're getting rushed early game, the answer certainly isn't pike production, it's dropping a Cathedral and massing monks + good fear factor for combat bonus.
Yes, I always do attack with pikemen and nothing else, if enemy has a lot of crossbowman. Then you can carry Siege Tower and castle is taken. They are also great in assaulting keep, because they can withstand a lot of damage and stack and eventualy defeat keep defenders. Maceman are actualy quite poor attacking unit, crossbowmen kill them very quickly. I use maceman for defense, because you can clear a lot of wandering units quickly. Whereas pikeman stack the enemy, which can be great for fire, but very bad when they are assaulting your keep. Swordsmen are best in defending keep, maybe assaulting keep, but they are otherwise useless if the enemy is using the crossbows. But thats strategy that works only against AI or casual human opponent. Experienced player will probably use cavalry archers with shields, so...
I use pikemen religiously they are extremely flexible. A swordsman can only do one thing well and is insanely slow. I typically roleplay though and pick a few units to use and build my castle with intentional weaknesses it really rubs the game when you put 50 crossbows in a round tower with a ballista.
Pike man lines are my favorite. Some of my favorite interactions with them. “I serve Thee”--> choosing the unit “Your lordship” --> choosing the unit “Hi sir” --> choosing the unit “Righto” --> choosing the unit “Great use of our time lord” --> sending pikemen to dig moats “How many fit on this thing,ehh?” --> send hoards of pikemen to attack “Ain’t Gravity GGGGreat” ---> my all time favorite, they say it whenever they are ordered to remove the ladders in use of the enemy troops. And about them being great to move large scales of other units with them around the map I totally agree, as a pikemen archer main, That explanation of this unit’s use is so accurate, fast moving tanks that are suppose to protect weaker ranger units or marge in with other more important units to draw fire. Great Job on this video👍🏼 In online play i once also played against someone who trained them with a bunch of slingers. I lost in the end but seeing the strategy worth it. Different lords have different unit combos that works for them.
but they can't actually push down ladders as far as I know, or has it been patched in? I know they have the voicelines in the files, but their ability wasn't added in the final game
Love their borderline deadpan quotes when you target Swordsmen & the enemy Lord "As you command" "Nothin' scares us" "Take heart, lads" "It'll be a bloody fight!"
I consider pike a jack of all trade unit, able to tank a lot of damage like a swordsman, is as easy to mass as a mace man, cheap, can dig moat, decent speed and damage as well. Of course in all of those areas there are other units that does it better, but pike is the most well rounded.
Well they are still most tanky when it comes to eating archer/crossbow shots and surviving fires. I can see the logic behind it, that you can let's say use them to plug the gaps in the walls when enemies pour in. You can even throw boiling oil on top of them without worrying they will get instantly roasted. Swordsmen are super slow and are sitting ducks in the fire, while other units are more fragile. This makes them best defensive unit, but they can't defend alone due to lackluster damage, which falls down hard when stacking. Not to mention cool looks and voice.
I only use pikemen for decorative purposes around my castle, making them guard entrances to important buildings. 1 on each side of a door/gate or on patrol.
I use Pikeman in almost every attack, they are just amazing Tanks and move much quicker than Swordmen and Pikes only Cost Wood which is great. And the unit design is just God Tier
The "Pike" is mistakenly mentioned everywhere in fiction, like it's some sort of a "joker" word. Maybe the only videogame where I've seen a real Pikeman is Medieval Total War
Even in medieval centuries it was more efficient to make pikes over swords for cost efficiency, besides these units are very cheap for what they can provide, arguably i skip swordmen and i just make Pikemen especially when the source of iron is scarce.
I like pikemen because of their armor, their cool voice and their attitude. Most complain when they gotta walk far or dig moats, these guys don't complain and recognize stuff needs to be done. They are prolly my favourite units after assassins and tied with swordmen, i don't often build them often however.
@@TM0TP I do admit that due to their thick accent i didn't catch all of the words they said. Still, overall they complain relatively less than other troops. Tho it has been a long time since i last time played, i don't really remember anymore.
In stronghold 2 i used to edit the unit files. I would give Pikeman the armor skin of William and the swing and attack sounds of the berserkers and lords. So you had this dude in big ass armor swinging around a halberd like a madman and had all the gruesome swing and kill effects from berserkers and others
I used to make pik man whenever I make swordsman just like Lionheart and I let the pike men go first and keep archers from firing and they're a bit faster and they could dig the moats then The swordsman follow behind and eat up the Castle even if they all die hehe
in online 1vs1 you produce armor so you only need to buy axe and produce it for about 50 gold and in online 1vs1 they are very strong due to their tanking ability and very strong when mixed with assassins
Armor is fast to make and pikes aren’t painfully time consuming, plus decent stats all around. And yet the reason I spam pikemen is because the way they are portrayed character-wise is badass. Stoic and straightforward, but with a veneer of dry humor and confidence. I absolutely adore them.
I know this is a questionable strategy but I have found that deploying monks, archers or slingers in mass melee against pikes to be surprisingly effective. The first two are so incredibly cheap that they are easy to mass, and since pikes have bad dps they lose against the dps of the spam hordes in terms of cost effectiveness, even if it's archers being used. The point I'm trying to make is that it can feel like pikes are outclassed by a lot of options. I know their purpose is to be tanks and draw fire, but it all honesty portable shields do a better job. Pikes cost too much, don't do well enough in melee and they're slow.
Yeah that's what I do when pikemen make it to my towers, they can't kill stuff quickly so a huge army of anything can end up beating them melee Especially monks, monks have insane DPS they just die to archer fire too quickly
Pikemen in most times are like siege weapons than an army. They both tank and dig moats efficiently and monks do more damage to armored units is what i know.
I love them, because they do extra damage against knights and swordmen, they are faster than swordman and more tanky, which is why they do not come in handy only after the battle is over, like swordmen usually do. But still, nothing kills a lord faster than a few macemen, they still do an a-mace-ing job
@@Jefflenious It is indeed not a myth. Try macemen vs pike, than try mace and pike vs knights and swordsman. Me thinks it's because of their attackspeed and how it interacts with armor. They also do more damage to walls because of that or something else. The german stronghold youtuber udwin made a great comparison video, it's in german ofc but the fights do show it all.
I don't know if it's bonus damage or if knights have a low damage output overall pikemen can surprisingly deal out damage substantially because they tank so hard
@@weebslayer3411 watched udwin's video as well and apparently there does not seem to be a special reason in regards to their stats, they just do more damage against knights and swordmen, than against any other unit
1:03 They're weak against the regular arrows. 50 vs 67 for arab swordsmen, 134 Knights and 167 eu swordsmen. Even masemen can tank 15 arrows, but they'll cover much more distance. Pikes are only good against crossbows, fire and moat
I meant 50 shots is still good enough for a cheap unit, it's definitely not easy killing them with archers either Sure Knights and Swordsmen are both better against arrows but they're also a lot more expensive, that being said Knights are a better unit late game overall
i mostly use them because their weapon made my wood(funny). create arabian swordsman much as it and a few swordsman. use them on siege which is 'siege tower' siege.
I play this game for 18 years now. Completed the trails of SH, Crusader and Extreme several times. There are some units I have never used in my life. Like laddermen, oil smelter engineers, portable shields, pikemen and some other units... I always found them to be boring
Well I think it makes sense to call portable shields boring, but at the same time they're one of the best units to use! Give them a try, Your ranged units will become immortal
You have beaten all of those campaigns without using portable shields? Hats off to you sir! I hard a hard time beating many missions without using portable shields to protect my archers on towers or advancing horse archers! And the extreme campaign is impossible for me!
@@MrPablosek well.. Not to play it smart. The first many years I didnt know what they were for. I didn't know they can tank that much, so I thought they were usless. Same for pikemen. I just saw them as usless with that speed and damage. But I beat the campaigns. Even though some missions like Misty River and Thunderhill were too hard. (I rushed Caliph inThunderhill to beat it). Now, whenever I play the game I still dont use these units, to keep my original experience.
Honestly, Pikemen really get the short end of the stick in Stronghold games because they usually unlock for only one mission as your new thing before you then get Swordsmen. In Stronghold 1, you only get them right before sacking the Pig's castle (where you don't get any for the offense despite the Pig having hurled lots at you before), and then the very next mission gives you Swordsmen so at that point... you may as well go for Swordsmen. In Stronghold 2, same deal - they unlock when you defend Edwin's castle, but chances are you can't even set up the infrastructure for them as you fix that disaster of a castle and the next castle building mission after that gives you Swordsmen. Stronghold 3 did finally give them a chance to shine a bit more as you went after the Rat's bastards, but soon enough the very same deal. And in Crusader? You get Swordsmen first, and missions where Pikemen not requiring as much iron would be really useful like Antioch or Tyre don't even let you field Pikemen. Which is a shame as despite not actually being pikemen (more like Halberdiers or Billmen :D ) they're some pretty cool and reliable units for the siege defenses you usually play.
As you said it's absolutely worth to make, pikemen is defensive unit, guarding gate, walls, towers, people, your liege line from tutorial: "Their heavy pike and metal armor make pikemen slow to move but also make them the ultimate defensive unit. They are able to take a lot of damage and are ideal for blocking access to areas of the castle."
Honestly, in terms of realism, swordsmen should do less damage but be more defensive because of their big shields, while pikemen should do more dmg (the pike was literally created to be a versatile killing tool) while being more vulnerable due to no shield.
Yeah, it especially makes no sense that they would be more resistant to arrows. In every other strategy game, pikes are more vulnerable to arrows than other infantry and make up for it by shredding cav
Pikemen would be excellent in sieges since if holes in the walls appear or if you have tight urban battlefields for units to fight in and walls too then pikes can hold enemies off for archers to finish them. They're also good meatshields for arrows.
I use them as human walls in chokepoints, protecting archers, or if I want to secure a strategic location far from the castle, again with ranged support.
i always use them when i bring lots of crossbowmen as the pike guys buy lots of time for the rain of bolts they are really good when i advance to gain more control over the map as they can tank for crossbowmen so well
Pikemen are the ultimate soldiers of the game: the ones who do the heavylifting. Not just great defence, but also siege labour: digging, pulling down buildings, tanking, drawing fire from other units. Macemen on the other hand are like marines or paratroopers: ideal for quick surprise assault, but quite fragile when tangled in a fight for too long.
The Pikemen literally strike a perfect balance between the faster Macemen and the slow-ass Swordsmen. They're literally my go-to unit for offensive as they pick moats fast, take down walls easily, and are absolute tank against ranged units, esp towered Crossbowmen. 30-40 Pikemen, along with some seige towers, and a helping hand from the Horse Archers will literally sabotage the enemy castle.
it's used for pike and "shot" tactics imo macemen(or knights if i get too rich) provide the punch, macemen and catapults for range, pikemen and portable shields for support
I think they are the best melee unit offensively, since they can withstand arrows, bolts, other melee units, fire, pits and stones and can fill in moats, so a big enough force can always get through somehow, which isn't really true for any other unit. And you can increase their efficiency by adding shields, siege engines, a single horsearcher to draw the fire, tunnelers to break walls while ranged units are occupied etc. They are NOT a defensive unit - monks, macemen, assassins or swordsmen (and probably even spearmen) are better since they stack up more DPS in the same time.
I don’t play online and probably never will. I like pikemen because they are great for standing in front of catapults and taking arrows. I mix them in with an assassin army because then you get the best of both worlds. High DPS but low health and then the other way around.
pike men are best army walking speed very good. resistance against fire and arrows is awesome. they have best armor resistance. If we put them with some archers and crossbow mens they show best result for defensive purpose.
I actually use pikemen with swordsmen such an op army swordsmen has the highest attack units in the game Pikemen has the highest resistance in the game
i once back in the day decided to challenge myself. so i only built Pikemen and Crossbowmen. that game did not end quickly😅😆boy were they slow. but tanky and damagy. i recommend the challenge. thanks for the analysis. keep up the good work👍
I used to play as if the Rat was competent and copied his bases but added buildings so my unit of choice was crossbowmen and pikemen as like better archer/spearmen :D
...Pikemen and Crossbows are pretty much my main army force, with archers, horse-archers, and assassins as support or for rushing. Then again i play with the Krarilotus agressive ai which uses a lot more crossbows and fire across the board.
@@Phoenix-qv9hg this was way way back in the day, before even second group of AI lords were added. i was bored and wanted a cool challenge. ..........and ironically i didn't play a lot of trail back in the day. bad first experience
I find Pikemen the most useful against lords that use an excessive amount of crossbowmen/ballista/mangonels + moats , they can resist crossbow bolts and move quickly enough to the walls to slowly chip away. (Wolf and one of his largest castle designs come to mind). And I find pikemen much weaker against Arabian Lords or specifically lords that use Arabian Archers because they fire quite fast.
What always brothers me most about pikemen is that they are not pikemen. They are halberdiers.
We all know:)
Yes indeed... but PIKEMEN READY
@Janis Yayo Naaa wer spiest am meisten auf?
Funny. In German I always had the same problem.
@@Viktor-gi5up How many fit on this thing, eh?
I like pikemen for their good looking and how they match like line infantry.
Big fan
thats exactly what Im thinking like 10 years
That macemen speed is insane!!
They can also dig and fill in moats, and stay alive longer to do so.
Pikemens are good for tearing down walls, and tbh macemen can destroy Pikemens
Like👍👍👍
👍
You forgot to say that pikeman is the best unit to dig a moat :D
As always great work
Also easily the best unit for destroying buildings and walls, so much so that sometimes you won't even need siege engines
Best unit in what sense? Not speed. Spearmen dig the fastest. Slaves and engineers are second.
@@poryg5350 Best unit in the sense that they're actually usable as combat units in a siege. When attacking someone's castle, spearmen, slaves, and engineers outside of their siege engines are pretty much useless. Slaves maybe in huge waves to burn some shit down, but even still, digging in a moat takes some time even for them, and if the enemy still has some defensive units up then the slaves are as good as dead. However, pikemen are tanky as hell and as such can actually withstand a beating to some degree while filling in a moat.
Now if you're talking about digging a moat when making your own castle, then yeah sure, go with spearmen or slaves or engineers, no issue there. But I took it from an attacking point of view
@@im_sorry_i_forgot_my_username I prefer to provide supporting fire to the moat diggers as well as shields, so for me macemen are quite enough to do the job. But yeah, I can see your point.
@@poryg5350 Oh yeah, horse archers are a must for any attack. I just like using pikemen, because then I don't have to have as many of the horse archers :)
One thing I feel like would be cool for them is if they did additional damage to mounted units specifically knights. It just makes sense
The Team behind the UCP is cranking out an additional optional "Balance Patch" soon - 100% bonus damage against mounted units will be part of that both for pike and spearmen.
@@Phoenix-qv9hg I did not know they were going to do that... Glad to know 😎
aren't Pikemen already the best utility units? voicelines suggest they could once push down ladders too, but I guess that would have made them too OP and multiuse
@@agbrenv No, that wouldn't be too powerful mostly because ladders weren't made good enough to use in the first place.
@@somber8233 okay, then it would make spearmen totally useless
A small bonus you forgot to mention is how they break down walls, towers, gates and buildings far faster then the majority of units
Well . Throwing rocks is the best method for me
Interestingly, Swordsmen actually tank Archer shots better than Pikemen, but Pikemen can take far more Crossbow shots than Swordsmen. Swordsmen can take over 150 arrows but die in only ~10 crossbow bolts. Pikemen are 50/17 while also being faster, capable of digging, and substantially cheaper. Pikemen also take the least damage from fire of any unit in the game, being able to survive 11s in flames while Swordsmen can only survive 5.5s (and most other units die in 2-3s).
In general, I like using Pikemen + Siege Towers for clearing walls against European castles, filling in Saladin's moats, and for setting off the Caliph's pitch ditches. I really find I only need pikemen in the late game if a bot has been able to build up and fully execute on their castle with no eco harassment. Despite their tankiness they typically do die in the process of doing their job. But it allows you to comprise an attack of 40 pikemen + 60 macemen rather than an attack that would require 150+ macemen to pull off. This army is also much easier to rebuild given that they don't share any weapons production.
A lot of people are citing Pikemen as "defensive units" and I can't say I agree with that. Not that Pikemen can't be used for plugging holes in your walls, but... how often do you end up with holes in your walls in Crusader? If you're getting rushed early game, the answer certainly isn't pike production, it's dropping a Cathedral and massing monks + good fear factor for combat bonus.
best
don't forget fire throwers, those take really little fire damage^^
and, for the sake of completeness, well workers^^
Yes, I always do attack with pikemen and nothing else, if enemy has a lot of crossbowman. Then you can carry Siege Tower and castle is taken. They are also great in assaulting keep, because they can withstand a lot of damage and stack and eventualy defeat keep defenders. Maceman are actualy quite poor attacking unit, crossbowmen kill them very quickly. I use maceman for defense, because you can clear a lot of wandering units quickly. Whereas pikeman stack the enemy, which can be great for fire, but very bad when they are assaulting your keep. Swordsmen are best in defending keep, maybe assaulting keep, but they are otherwise useless if the enemy is using the crossbows. But thats strategy that works only against AI or casual human opponent. Experienced player will probably use cavalry archers with shields, so...
A very interesting take on pikes
Mit Gott
I use pikemen religiously they are extremely flexible. A swordsman can only do one thing well and is insanely slow. I typically roleplay though and pick a few units to use and build my castle with intentional weaknesses it really rubs the game when you put 50 crossbows in a round tower with a ballista.
That is actually so interesting, how do you implement the weaknesses? can you give me some tips on how to make the castles more historical?
Pike man lines are my favorite.
Some of my favorite interactions with them.
“I serve Thee”--> choosing the unit
“Your lordship” --> choosing the unit
“Hi sir” --> choosing the unit
“Righto” --> choosing the unit
“Great use of our time lord” --> sending pikemen to dig moats
“How many fit on this thing,ehh?” --> send hoards of pikemen to attack
“Ain’t Gravity GGGGreat” ---> my all time favorite, they say it whenever they are ordered to remove the ladders in use of the enemy troops.
And about them being great to move large scales of other units with them around the map I totally agree, as a pikemen archer main,
That explanation of this unit’s use is so accurate, fast moving tanks that are suppose to protect weaker ranger units or marge in with other more important units to draw fire.
Great Job on this video👍🏼
In online play i once also played against someone who trained them with a bunch of slingers.
I lost in the end but seeing the strategy worth it.
Different lords have different unit combos that works for them.
Pretty sure he says "Aye sir" not "Hi Sir"
_Wonder if they can FLY?_
but they can't actually push down ladders as far as I know, or has it been patched in? I know they have the voicelines in the files, but their ability wasn't added in the final game
i never got the hang of using slingers.
only arab troops id use is archer ponys and swordsmen early game to reinforce my keep from rushes.
Love their borderline deadpan quotes when you target Swordsmen & the enemy Lord
"As you command"
"Nothin' scares us"
"Take heart, lads"
"It'll be a bloody fight!"
I consider pike a jack of all trade unit, able to tank a lot of damage like a swordsman, is as easy to mass as a mace man, cheap, can dig moat, decent speed and damage as well. Of course in all of those areas there are other units that does it better, but pike is the most well rounded.
Well they are still most tanky when it comes to eating archer/crossbow shots and surviving fires. I can see the logic behind it, that you can let's say use them to plug the gaps in the walls when enemies pour in. You can even throw boiling oil on top of them without worrying they will get instantly roasted. Swordsmen are super slow and are sitting ducks in the fire, while other units are more fragile. This makes them best defensive unit, but they can't defend alone due to lackluster damage, which falls down hard when stacking.
Not to mention cool looks and voice.
I only use pikemen for decorative purposes around my castle, making them guard entrances to important buildings. 1 on each side of a door/gate or on patrol.
I use Pikeman in almost every attack, they are just amazing Tanks and move much quicker than Swordmen and Pikes only Cost Wood which is great.
And the unit design is just God Tier
Pikemen is often all you need in an offencive in Stronghold. Pikes have weak damage, but they soak up arrows and all other kinds of damage
I like how they're called pikemen when they're clearly carrying a halberd. Or how the "macemen" are actually using flails.
The "Pike" is mistakenly mentioned everywhere in fiction, like it's some sort of a "joker" word.
Maybe the only videogame where I've seen a real Pikeman is Medieval Total War
I call them imperial guard and make 40 of them on keep.
Ok i am not at all intrested in pikeman but still never mind
Even in medieval centuries it was more efficient to make pikes over swords for cost efficiency, besides these units are very cheap for what they can provide, arguably i skip swordmen and i just make Pikemen especially when the source of iron is scarce.
PIKEMAN GANG 👊👊👊 Best melee unit in the game accept no substitutes
Your avatar is a crazy squirrel.
@@Noobtato_Channel Indeed. Glad to see a fellow Stronghold enjoying risuner
@@im_sorry_i_forgot_my_username eat nut 🌰 everyday 👌🏻
I like pikemen because of their armor, their cool voice and their attitude. Most complain when they gotta walk far or dig moats, these guys don't complain and recognize stuff needs to be done.
They are prolly my favourite units after assassins and tied with swordmen, i don't often build them often however.
i always thought when digging moat with them "great use of our time lord" felt a little sarcastic to me lol could be just me tho.
@@TM0TP I do admit that due to their thick accent i didn't catch all of the words they said. Still, overall they complain relatively less than other troops. Tho it has been a long time since i last time played, i don't really remember anymore.
In stronghold 2 i used to edit the unit files. I would give Pikeman the armor skin of William and the swing and attack sounds of the berserkers and lords. So you had this dude in big ass armor swinging around a halberd like a madman and had all the gruesome swing and kill effects from berserkers and others
Is it possible to edit unit stats and archer accuracy?
I used to make pik man whenever I make swordsman just like Lionheart and I let the pike men go first and keep archers from firing and they're a bit faster and they could dig the moats then The swordsman follow behind and eat up the Castle even if they all die hehe
pikemen are simply the best! I live for them only and play this game for them only
in online 1vs1 you produce armor so you only need to buy axe and produce it for about 50 gold and in online 1vs1 they are very strong due to their tanking ability and very strong when mixed with assassins
The legend said that the Arabian Archer still shooting the pikeman for now 2:50
Can confirm, he's still trying
@@Jefflenious Is he done yet?
Armor is fast to make and pikes aren’t painfully time consuming, plus decent stats all around.
And yet the reason I spam pikemen is because the way they are portrayed character-wise is badass. Stoic and straightforward, but with a veneer of dry humor and confidence. I absolutely adore them.
Они также отлично подходят для копания рва из-за плотности и скорости, в стронгхольд 1 даже была фраза "Вы гениально нас используете,сэр"
I know this is a questionable strategy but I have found that deploying monks, archers or slingers in mass melee against pikes to be surprisingly effective. The first two are so incredibly cheap that they are easy to mass, and since pikes have bad dps they lose against the dps of the spam hordes in terms of cost effectiveness, even if it's archers being used.
The point I'm trying to make is that it can feel like pikes are outclassed by a lot of options. I know their purpose is to be tanks and draw fire, but it all honesty portable shields do a better job. Pikes cost too much, don't do well enough in melee and they're slow.
Yeah that's what I do when pikemen make it to my towers, they can't kill stuff quickly so a huge army of anything can end up beating them melee
Especially monks, monks have insane DPS they just die to archer fire too quickly
Pikemen in most times are like siege weapons than an army. They both tank and dig moats efficiently and monks do more damage to armored units is what i know.
In a game dominated by archers. The unit that tanks arrows the best is pretty useful.
i like pikeman cause they're move faster than swordman
I love them, because they do extra damage against knights and swordmen, they are faster than swordman and more tanky, which is why they do not come in handy only after the battle is over, like swordmen usually do.
But still, nothing kills a lord faster than a few macemen, they still do an a-mace-ing job
Pretty sure the extra damage against knights and swordsmen is a myth
They still trade well though
@@Jefflenious It is indeed not a myth. Try macemen vs pike, than try mace and pike vs knights and swordsman. Me thinks it's because of their attackspeed and how it interacts with armor. They also do more damage to walls because of that or something else. The german stronghold youtuber udwin made a great comparison video, it's in german ofc but the fights do show it all.
@@Phoenix-qv9hg They don't deal bonus damage to Swordsmen however.
I don't know if it's bonus damage or if knights have a low damage output overall pikemen can surprisingly deal out damage substantially because they tank so hard
@@weebslayer3411 watched udwin's video as well and apparently there does not seem to be a special reason in regards to their stats, they just do more damage against knights and swordmen, than against any other unit
pikemen take the least damage from lords
They are also great for digging a ditch because of the density and speed, stronghold 1 even had the phrase "You're using us brilliantly, sir"
What I liked about them was that you could make the pike from wood and they are a bit faster than other armored soldiers
Their tankiness is extremely useful for covering up moats. Like you say, they last forever.
1:03
They're weak against the regular arrows. 50 vs 67 for arab swordsmen, 134 Knights and 167 eu swordsmen. Even masemen can tank 15 arrows, but they'll cover much more distance.
Pikes are only good against crossbows, fire and moat
I meant 50 shots is still good enough for a cheap unit, it's definitely not easy killing them with archers either
Sure Knights and Swordsmen are both better against arrows but they're also a lot more expensive, that being said Knights are a better unit late game overall
pikemen are young threats, young goons, young thugs. definitely og units
i mostly use them because their weapon made my wood(funny). create arabian swordsman much as it and a few swordsman. use them on siege which is 'siege tower' siege.
By*
How to do 500speed?
90 isnt the maximum?
You can do it with Unofficial Crusader Patch
Yes. Frees up iron for sale.
The key for pikemen sheer tankiness is his british accent
"Take out, lads!"
I play this game for 18 years now. Completed the trails of SH, Crusader and Extreme several times. There are some units I have never used in my life. Like laddermen, oil smelter engineers, portable shields, pikemen and some other units... I always found them to be boring
Well I think it makes sense to call portable shields boring, but at the same time they're one of the best units to use! Give them a try, Your ranged units will become immortal
You have beaten all of those campaigns without using portable shields? Hats off to you sir! I hard a hard time beating many missions without using portable shields to protect my archers on towers or advancing horse archers! And the extreme campaign is impossible for me!
@@MrPablosek well.. Not to play it smart. The first many years I didnt know what they were for. I didn't know they can tank that much, so I thought they were usless. Same for pikemen. I just saw them as usless with that speed and damage. But I beat the campaigns. Even though some missions like Misty River and Thunderhill were too hard. (I rushed Caliph inThunderhill to beat it). Now, whenever I play the game I still dont use these units, to keep my original experience.
Honestly, Pikemen really get the short end of the stick in Stronghold games because they usually unlock for only one mission as your new thing before you then get Swordsmen. In Stronghold 1, you only get them right before sacking the Pig's castle (where you don't get any for the offense despite the Pig having hurled lots at you before), and then the very next mission gives you Swordsmen so at that point... you may as well go for Swordsmen. In Stronghold 2, same deal - they unlock when you defend Edwin's castle, but chances are you can't even set up the infrastructure for them as you fix that disaster of a castle and the next castle building mission after that gives you Swordsmen. Stronghold 3 did finally give them a chance to shine a bit more as you went after the Rat's bastards, but soon enough the very same deal. And in Crusader? You get Swordsmen first, and missions where Pikemen not requiring as much iron would be really useful like Antioch or Tyre don't even let you field Pikemen.
Which is a shame as despite not actually being pikemen (more like Halberdiers or Billmen :D ) they're some pretty cool and reliable units for the siege defenses you usually play.
As you said it's absolutely worth to make, pikemen is defensive unit, guarding gate, walls, towers, people, your liege
line from tutorial: "Their heavy pike and metal armor make pikemen
slow to move but also make them the ultimate defensive
unit. They are able to take a lot of damage and are
ideal for blocking access to areas of the castle."
Honestly, in terms of realism, swordsmen should do less damage but be more defensive because of their big shields, while pikemen should do more dmg (the pike was literally created to be a versatile killing tool) while being more vulnerable due to no shield.
Yeah, it especially makes no sense that they would be more resistant to arrows. In every other strategy game, pikes are more vulnerable to arrows than other infantry and make up for it by shredding cav
Pikemen would be excellent in sieges since if holes in the walls appear or if you have tight urban battlefields for units to fight in and walls too then pikes can hold enemies off for archers to finish them.
They're also good meatshields for arrows.
A mix of mikeman and maceman is very effective in attacking castles
Pikemen FORWORD
Pikeman is the strongest infantry unit to withstand various attacks even up to 3 killing pits (I've tested it myself)
Thanks for the video! It is especially helpful for me as I started my own TH-cam channel with Stronghold gameplay! Peace 🔥
I use them as human walls in chokepoints, protecting archers, or if I want to secure a strategic location far from the castle, again with ranged support.
i always use them when i bring lots of crossbowmen as the pike guys buy lots of time for the rain of bolts
they are really good when i advance to gain more control over the map as they can tank for crossbowmen so well
Pikemen are the ultimate soldiers of the game: the ones who do the heavylifting. Not just great defence, but also siege labour: digging, pulling down buildings, tanking, drawing fire from other units. Macemen on the other hand are like marines or paratroopers: ideal for quick surprise assault, but quite fragile when tangled in a fight for too long.
The pikemen were my Honor guard. I'd send any other unit to attack but I would have pikemen always defending my castle and my Lord.
The Pikemen literally strike a perfect balance between the faster Macemen and the slow-ass Swordsmen.
They're literally my go-to unit for offensive as they pick moats fast, take down walls easily, and are absolute tank against ranged units, esp towered Crossbowmen.
30-40 Pikemen, along with some seige towers, and a helping hand from the Horse Archers will literally sabotage the enemy castle.
it's used for pike and "shot" tactics imo
macemen(or knights if i get too rich) provide the punch, macemen and catapults for range, pikemen and portable shields for support
How many fits on this thing? EH!? EH?!
probably my favorite unit line in all of crusader, even though i don't use pikemen
Am I the only fan from indonesia here?
Actually most of my viewers are from Indonesia!
I think they are the best melee unit offensively, since they can withstand arrows, bolts, other melee units, fire, pits and stones and can fill in moats, so a big enough force can always get through somehow, which isn't really true for any other unit. And you can increase their efficiency by adding shields, siege engines, a single horsearcher to draw the fire, tunnelers to break walls while ranged units are occupied etc.
They are NOT a defensive unit - monks, macemen, assassins or swordsmen (and probably even spearmen) are better since they stack up more DPS in the same time.
Pikemen only downside is its wood requirement. In many maps, wood is just rare and metal always exists. So.. I still prefer swordman
I don’t play online and probably never will. I like pikemen because they are great for standing in front of catapults and taking arrows. I mix them in with an assassin army because then you get the best of both worlds. High DPS but low health and then the other way around.
So what about Pikeman with a max Fear Factor bonus? That would help the damage tremendously wouldn't it?
pike men are best army
walking speed very good.
resistance against fire and arrows is awesome.
they have best armor resistance.
If we put them with some archers and crossbow mens they show best result for defensive purpose.
Imo. They are the best melee unit in the game, fight me. Only Assasins and the OP Crossbowmen & Horse Archers are better
I actually use pikemen with swordsmen such an op army
swordsmen has the highest attack units in the game
Pikemen has the highest resistance in the game
Why do i watch videos like that. It's my childhood game and I don't care about who's better or worse. All I care is that I had great time playing it.
Stronghold 2 and Stronghold Legends made these guys totally useless. Stronghold Crusader 2 made them god-tier though.
Pikemen actually have a bonus against armoured units (knights and swordsmen).
Pikeman In stronghold crusader: takes 50 archer shots
Meanwhile General in stronghold warlords: takes 2400 archer shots
Whats your point? I would take 1 arrow, boromir took 3.
I am a pikeman. I consider good.
I love germany so much.
I prefer pikeman when I don't have access to much or any iron. Or if I am playing against a weaker enemy.
As far as I know Pikeman deal extra damage to armored units, so basically against swordsmen and knights
Usually i send 10 companies of them towards the enemy, break their walls and rush in.
Walt...you can play this game online even after all those years??!! How?
Pikemen and crossbows are everything xou could ever need or want
Why they called pikeman? Its halberdiers with halberds!
Used pikemen because they match with crossbowman
Pikeman is the most balanced unit in Stronghold.
What a Golden game lol the fact I'm still playing it 20 years latwe
Piqueros adelante!
Cuantos caben en esta cosa eh?
No pasaran!
Empaladlos!
You ever try stronghold kingdoms?
still not in the early gang :*(
pikemen and archers n maybe crossbow are all u need
1:45 was absolutly not representative
Use pikemen with the miner engineers combined
ThAt'L sTrEtCh oUr LeHgZ
You forgot the best thing about them, they can dig up trenches and can tank arrows, thats why they were made in the first place!
It's not Pike Man
It's Tank Man
Why of course
They're op af
nah bro pikemen are goat.
Bro i wana play it online any one here
Pikemen gotta catch them all
P men are the best
i once back in the day decided to challenge myself. so i only built Pikemen and Crossbowmen. that game did not end quickly😅😆boy were they slow. but tanky and damagy. i recommend the challenge.
thanks for the analysis. keep up the good work👍
I used to play as if the Rat was competent and copied his bases but added buildings so my unit of choice was crossbowmen and pikemen as like better archer/spearmen :D
...Pikemen and Crossbows are pretty much my main army force, with archers, horse-archers, and assassins as support or for rushing. Then again i play with the Krarilotus agressive ai which uses a lot more crossbows and fire across the board.
@@Phoenix-qv9hg this was way way back in the day, before even second group of AI lords were added. i was bored and wanted a cool challenge.
..........and ironically i didn't play a lot of trail back in the day. bad first experience
+ fear factor
Aye
Do you have original shc or cracked ?
Original, steam version
I find Pikemen the most useful against lords that use an excessive amount of crossbowmen/ballista/mangonels + moats , they can resist crossbow bolts and move quickly enough to the walls to slowly chip away. (Wolf and one of his largest castle designs come to mind). And I find pikemen much weaker against Arabian Lords or specifically lords that use Arabian Archers because they fire quite fast.