Crusaders
The Crusaders was a coalition army of numerous monastaic/military Christian knights who have declared war and set out on a Crusade to the Holy Land. To forcefully reclaim it from the Muslim Saracens in the name of Christianity. Their leader is King of England Richard the Lionheart. They appear in the city of Acre,Kingdom, and Arsuf. The coalition is composed of Crusader Knightly Orders like: Knights Templar, Knights Hospitaller, and Teutonic Knights. You will also see Richard the Lionheart's Crusaders.
Crusader knights
Lionheart
Crusader soldiers can be found throughout the Kingdom, and chain district of Acre, (where they are always Informed and very easily provoked due to the war) loyal to King Richard.
Crusader knights are commonly mistaken for Templar knights. This is because of their similar coloration of uniforms. Lionheart Crusader knights, however, can be distinguished from Templar Knights by their crest- Templars have a red cross whereas Lionhearts have a prancing lion as a crest.
King Richard
- Main article: Richard the Lionheart
Richard I of England, commonly known as Richard the Lionheart, is the leader of the Crusaders. He makes only 2 appearances in the game, one in the city of Acre, having a conversation with William of Montferrat just before he rides off to battle and another in Arsuf before and after the battle with Robert De Sable.
In Battle
Low Ranking Soldier
The lowest ranking soldiers are the most common Crusaders, having no complicated armor. They're dressed in red and white. They speak English. The Low Ranking Crusaders can't grab, counter, or dodge Altaïr (only blocking with their sword), cannot break Altaïr's grabs, and are dispatched easily. These soldiers can be killed by just one sword/short blade counter, in which Altair will end up impaling the soldier, instead of just throwing him away from himself. Of course, like most guards in the game, these soldiers can be killed with just one Hidden Blade counter. Low Ranking Soldiers are also known to be frightened the most during battle, especially when Altaïr pulls off intense moves. Because of this, they will usually either run away after their comrades are slain, or get on their knees and beg for mercy. The quickest way of doing that is killing their higher ranked compatriots.
Middle Ranking Soldier
The middle ranking soldiers are the second most common types of Crusaders. They also speak French or German.These soldiers have some armor worn (heavy chain mail with Plate armor, vambraces and shoulder badges), unlike their lower counterparts and seem to have a degree of combat experience. Because of this, they are harder to kill, and may take a few more hits to kill, unless the player is using the Hidden Blade to counter. These soldiers can grab Altaïr by his robe and throw him, which makes these soldiers a much more deadly adversary than low ranking soldiers. If Altaïr continuously slashes at these foes, they will either counter Altaïr, or dodge him, and can either follow up the dodge by rushing back with a sword slash, or just staying back. These soldiers also can tolerate one sword/short blade counter, though a second one should work beautifully. Those skilled with the Hidden Blade can finish it with one counter. Altaïr can try to grab these soldiers, but there's a chance they will break his grab, and Altaïr will end up on the floor. Low ranked players (those that don't have counter) should chance a throw, then wail on the soldier when he's down.These soldiers CAN and WILL run away if frightened enough by Altaïr, but have a bigger chance of sticking around and fighting than the lower class soldiers.
High Ranking Soldier
The high ranking soldiers are the least common types of Crusaders (save the Templars). These soldiers also wear red and white, but have a kind of robe on, a LOT of armor (also chain mail), and a knight helm. Like the middle-rankers, they speak French or German. They are easily the strongest (again, save the Templar Knight) type of soldier. They are usually found leading a small troop of lesser soldiers on patrol. These soldiers can take two counters before dying or you can use the Hidden Blade counter. They also have practice at the fine art of countering.There is a very high chance Altaïr's slashes to be countered, usually ending up with Altaïr being smacked across the face and falling to the ground. These soldiers also have a huge chance of breaking grabs, and dodging attacks. You should focus on their underlings (at least until you get the defence break move) and wait for them to attack (where you can soften them with a counter) .These soldiers rarely flee from battle,usually fighting to the death.
Templar Knight
The toughest non-boss unit that is found in game. They are not actually aligned with the Crusaders' goals. The Templar Knight is similar to the High Ranking Crusader Soldier (see above) except the Templars have Plate Mail Greaves, wear a Templar tunic, and the helm and sword are usually bloodstained. The Templar speaks all three Crusader dialects (English, French, and German). There are sixty Templar Knights lurking in secluded spots throughout the entirety of Outremer (besides Masyaf), they are very hostile and will attack you on sight. While usually found alone, the fight could easily attract extra guards or worse, ruin a mission. The Templar Knight is not much more durable than a high ranking soldier, but is more aggressive and you should be wary of one at all times. The Templar Knight is quite aggressive and will relentlessly assault you and will often use defence break. He will also counter most of your grabs and attacks. As a result, you should pray you have counter and a medium size health bar, 3 counters should be enough to finish the fight. If you don't flee to the high ground, then try to get the Templar to fall off. Either way, you can chance a grab, if the Templar ends up on the floor, then use the Hidden Blade to finish him. When a Templar confronts you, usually the other guards will give you room for your duel, but don't even think about trying to get the Templar to flee.