Ashlands Siege Weapons: Catapults, Battering Rams, and Fortress Breaching

Fortress wall armor and structural damage thresholds

Charred Fortresses feature grausten masonry fortified with magical wards and barbed graveyard spikes. Player axes, maces, bows, and pickaxes deal exactly 0 damage against the main structure and portcullis gates.

Only true Siege-class blunt and explosive damage types produced by mechanical war machines can reduce fortress structure health pools. Each section of grausten wall has 3,000 HP, while the heavy iron portcullis gate has 2,000 HP with high blunt vulnerability.

• Handheld weapons and pickaxes deal 0 structural damage to outer walls.
• Portcullis gate requires specialized siege blunt damage from Battering Rams.
• High wall turrets house Charred Marksmen and Ballistae that target siege operators.

Constructing and operating the Catapult

The Catapult is a stationary artillery piece crafted with 15 Ashwood, 10 Ceramic Plates, and 2 Mechanical Springs. It features an adjustable elevation arm that launches heavy projectile payloads over distances of 25 to 60 meters.

Catapults can fire raw Grausten rocks, explosive Bile Pods, or payload barrels. A single direct hit from an explosive projectile deals 400+ siege area-of-effect damage, rapidly clearing rooftop marksmen and destroying automated ballista installations before infantry advances.

Deploying the Battering Ram for direct gate breach

The Battering Ram is a mobile assault engine crafted from 20 Ashwood, 10 Ceramic Plates, and 4 Flametal ingots. It is pushed forward by one or two players into contact with the fortress front gate.

Each ram swing cycle takes approximately 4.5 seconds and deals 350 to 400 blunt siege damage. Demolishing a fresh 2,000 HP portcullis gate requires 5 to 6 clean strikes.

• Battering Ram speed is reduced by rough terrain; level the approach path with a hoe.
• Operate the ram beneath an active Shield Generator dome to block incoming flaming ballista bolts.
• Never leave the ram unattended, as roaming Asksvins and Charred Warlocks will prioritize attacking the engine.

Infiltration, loot extraction, and fortress conversion

Once the gate falls, rush the courtyard with area-of-effect crowd control (such as Staff of the Wild vines or Demolisher hammers) to eliminate the central Charred Spawner before elite Charred spawn.

Climb the interior tower stairs to harvest the Bell Fragment (required to summon the final biome boss Fader), Flametal chests, and Molten Cores. Afterward, place a Stone Portal and Workbench inside the courtyard to convert the conquered fortress into an impenetrable Ashlands stronghold.