Beowulf is a character and a campaign opponent appearing in Stronghold Legends.
Overview[]
"The great Anglo-Saxon hero, Beowulf overcame his fear of the unknown to slay the monster Grendal. He can draw both on this experience of the dark places and his friendships with the northmen to command a wide range of legendary beasts."
Information[]
Beowulf was a legendary hero of Geatland (part of Sweden), who was a loyal servant of the Geatish king, Hrodgar. The court soon got terrorized by a hostile Grendel of Zealand. Zealand and Geatland fought a war, in which Grendel and his mother was killed.
Beowulf then became the Geatish king when he removed his usurper uncle and his armies from the way. He reigned for roughly 50 years. Beowulf eventually died when he chased a dragon to its lair and got mortally wounded by the dragon's horn.
Defense[]
Beowulf builds an elongated rectangular castle with a fortified front section, including most stone buildings and the keep in the walls. His front section hosts two gatehouses and an engine tower with a dragon harpoon, supported by fire drakes and oil tipper wall defenses. His walls also have sporadically placed lookout towers filled with archers, as well as Saxon warriors patrol the very entrance of the keep.
Economy[]
The economy of Beowulf serves him well in sustaining a steamrolling fighting style. While his food production of chicken farms is simplistic, he builds lots of iron mines to gain raw gold and also produces ale for tax income. Beowulf produces bows from multiple workshops for his archers.
Offense[]
Beowulf is a relentless attacker, favoring light and agile troops and fire. He uses lots of archers and the fastest evil units to keep his adversaries under pressure, sending them wave after wave to take estates and demolish outer buildings.
The most common waves from Beowulf include archers and hellhounds, as well as groups of Saxon warriors or demons. Very often, a black dragon is also brought into play, sent after clumps of units to harass. It is remade almost instantly after its expiry, making Beowulf the most consistent dragon user in the game.
Siege attacks from Beowulf include all aforementioned infantry and men-at-arms, which also happen fairly frequently. The siege camp produces two catapults, a cat and two siege towers, which can prove troublesome if they create a breach or the towers dock on the walls. Saxon warriors are the backbone of this army and they are a major threat if not handled correctly.
Defense[]
Beowulf's aggressive style requires a considerable early defense. Not only are the evil troops fast to arrive, but they can also cause serious damage by circumventing groups of defenders and start working on vulnerable buildings.
Sealing off the keep and as much land as possible is a priority against harassments, so get walls up quickly. Walls in particular can stop most of the raiders Beowulf sends against you and keep guards at outlying buildings, preferably quarries and mines. Beware of the demon's wall-jumping ability and the Saxon warrior's brute strength, so have at least crossbowmen and some hefty troops of your own ready. With a stable defense of this combination, Beowulf's raiders are reduced to "walking glory points".
Use the same principle against the siege forces of Beowulf. Due to the sheer amount of light troops, he falls easy prey to crossbowmen and other durable units. Try focusing his siege camp in order to prevent annoying siege engines from coming out.
Finally, the black dragon Beowulf loves requires a precaution of its own. Since it is usually sent directly at an economic quarter, it's best to prepare a few engine towers with dragon harpoons and missile defenders. If playing Ice, the Ice Queen can work wonders, as her ice ray can freeze the dragon, providing ample time for your ranged units to bring it down.
Offense[]
Beowulf's castle can crack pretty quickly before an organized attack. Even though he has lots of units swarming around, they are usually not a threat due to their frailty. Saxon warriors are however just as numerous, and Beowulf can churn them out easily with his economy standing.
Amass an army of sturdy units, most notably crossbowmen and armor just outside of Beowulf's castle, then start pushing slowly. With such a defensive formation, crossbowmen can eliminate nearly every unit Beowulf throws at you. If the black dragon is hatched in the meantime, try focusing it while moving out of burning ground. Also prepare a siege tower and roll it forward, which will be used later to dock at the walls.
When arriving under the walls, watch the fire drakes, as they can still burn through your troops. Dock the tower and scale the walls with your army, eliminating any resisting unit in the way. The layout of the castle should allow you to move freely around, bringing the towers and the gates under your control. When the interior is contained, move in with a few melee units to kill Beowulf, mopping up his guardian werewolves he might spawn.
| Action | Quote | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| Prepares for siege | My warriors, prepare for war! | |
| Sends army 1 | Get ready for war, my warriors! | |
| Sends army 2 | Warriors, we head to war! | |
| Launches attack 1 | Warriors, attack! | |
| Launches attack 2 | Let the fight begin! | |
| Sends hellhounds | Loose the dogs on them! | |
| Player's buildings are destroyed | Bring down all their buildings, my warriors! | |
| Close to victory | There is no shame in a warrior's death, my friend. | |
| Defeats player | We will soon rule in these lands, my warriors! | |
| Player deflects attack | All is lost, my brothers! Fall back... | |
| Player destroys buildings | Let my people be. It's me that you want, is it not? | |
| Panicking | The highlords and their armies make camp before us... take courage, my warriors! | |
| Defeated | My death will make a fine song! | |
| Requires help | The highlords surround me like dogs! I need you now, my friend! | |
| Predicts defeat | These are chill days, my warriors! | |
| Kills common enemy | Another of these highlords died today! | |
| Player kills common enemy | Bravely fought, my friend! | |
| Falls as ally | I die a warrior's death... you must take up the battle without me. |
[]
| Stronghold Legends characters | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skirmish | Good | Arthur • Lancelot | Ice | Dietrich • Siegfried | Evil | Vlad • Mordred |
| Campaign | Good | Alfred the Great | Ice | Evil | Beowulf | |