The game features a multitude of new Arabian units that can be purchased in a new building, the mercenary post. Crusader has much in common with the original Stronghold, but differs from its predecessor in the fact that the game is no longer set in England, instead being set in the Middle East during the Crusades.
Stronghold: Crusader is the successor to Firefly Studios's 2001 real-time strategy video game Stronghold.