Medieval RTS Stronghold Crusader packs new maps and missions into a free update, alongside two brutal DLC lords

A new Stronghold Crusader update has just bulked up the medieval RTS with a fresh clutch of things to do. There’s a pretty beefy helping of additions, including new maps and a ten-stage co-op campaign, but if it’s not to your liking, the best part is the inclusion of several tools allowing you to customize and tweak all manner of elements exactly to your liking, from castle designs to mission trails. Alongside it comes the game’s second DLC, The Sergeant and the Lioness, which brings two vicious warriors and nine extra missions to the table.

The Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition winter update might be coming towards the end of the season, but it has everything you need to get through the remainder of the chilly period. There are three free maps: Oasis Crossing splits tall embankments up by water, forcing siege warfare before any ground assault. Approaching Seas has spacious flatlands, but the cliffside high ground is a tempting spot to claim. Finally, Mind Games will push you into uneasy alliances in order to deal with “the bigger issues at hand.”

If you’ve got a friend to join you, there’s the ten-mission co-op trail, Caravan of the Camels. There’s also a new way to ping locations to other players in your match for quick communication. Want to prove you’re the best of the best? Extreme difficulty has been introduced “for all missions across the classic trails and Sands of Time.” This extra-hard mode gives all CPU-controlled lords access to prebuilt castles from the start of the mission; good luck, you’ll need it. If you’d rather just sit back and watch, spectator mode lets you relax as a fully computer-helmed skirmish plays out.

Accompanying this is the introduction of full Steam Workshop support, which comes with a suite of new tools and written tutorials to help you create your own customizations. The ‘castle and CPU lord editor’ lets you create or adjust the designs of either to your liking, complete with a text and video guide to help you get started.

The ‘custom trail maker’ can be found in the map editor section, allowing you to create your own mission tracks complete with settings such as troop limits, enemy health, CPU advantage, and more, tweaked as you please. You’re also able to edit the lord and castle configuration of any mission from existing trails.

Then we have the new DLC, The Sergeant and the Lioness, which introduces the two eponymous lords. The former is a battle-hardened military veteran who prioritizes “brute force over strategy,” while the latter brings together Arab and Bedouin troops, and is “a brutal foe who equally emphasizes offence with economic might.” Complementing them are nine specially designed missions that will push your strategies to the limit “across unfamiliar environments and against unexpected tactics.”

Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition’s free winter update is live now, and its second DLC pack The Sergeant and the Lioness is available on Steam for $4.99 / £3.99. You can grab the base game at a 30% discount through Monday February 9; expect to pay $13.99 / £11.89. If you’ve yet to try the classic castle sim’s modern overhaul, it’s an ideal moment to jump on board as the community gets its hands on these tools.