Medieval Siege Machines for Minecraft

Review Medieval Siege Machines

Medieval Siege Machines

It is a small but very interesting and recognizable mod that adds medieval siege machines to the game. They can boast not only elaborate models but also advanced animations and mechanics.

Siege Weapon Table

The first new block, with the help of which various massive medieval machines are manufactured, is the siege weapon table. Its ingredients are quite simple: a compass, the crafting table, two iron ingots, and three wood blocks of any kind. You can place it anywhere. Click the RMB on the siege weapon table, and quite a simple and familiar interface will open. It is basically identical to the crafting table, but things are not that simple. Everything is complicated by the fact that for the crafting of the siege equipment, you will have to put resources not one by one but several at once. Below are examples of some recipes:

Battering Ram

The cheapest siege weapon is the battering ram. Besides the vanilla resources, three new components will be needed to craft it: the beam, turret base, and wheel. The beam is created using any two planks placed in one slot. The turret base will require two boards and two beams. The wheel is crafted as in the screenshot below:

Crafting the Battering Ram

The battering ram itself is crafted as follows: you will need a lot of beams, turret bases, planks, strings, six wheels, and four leather. As you create it, find a convenient and, most importantly, flat area and click the RMB. The battering ram, being a siege weapon, has 125 durability but can be dismantled by any player with one blow, say, of a sword, and dropped as an object without losing its characteristics. But if it is attacked by mobs, this machine will, of course, receive damage.

Ram's Features

When the ram is completely destroyed, it simply disappears without dropping anything. But its main function is, of course, to destroy walls. Approach the machine from behind and click the RMB. The main character will take control of the ram, and you will be able to pull it either back or forward. To destroy a wall, try to get as close as possible to it and press the F button (by default). The central log will hit the wall and break several blocks. The ram is capable of breaking any block except for obsidian and bedrock.

Ballista

The next medieval weapon is the ballista. It is crafted quite easily — almost like the battering ram but without wheels. After you install it, it will not be possible to move it, as it is completely static and has the following appearance:

Using the Ballista

After clicking the RMB, you will take control of this weapon and also see a sight in the middle of the screen. To shoot, press the F key. After a shot, you will notice a chat message indicating that you have no ammo. You will need to load the ballista either with vanilla or giant arrows added by this mod. To do this, press the I button while on the gunner's seat. A special inventory will open where you need to put the arrows.

As soon as the ballista is loaded, a huge arrow will appear externally. Its damage level is about the same as that of the bow. But after each shot, you will see the bowstring tension animation, which both takes time and creates a certain atmosphere. Besides, it should be borne in mind that the ballista cannot be loaded with special arrows but only with ordinary or giant ones. The latter are slightly more expensive than the former, and only sixteen of them can be stacked, which is not very convenient. However, if you load a giant arrow and shoot at a mob, it will be instantly eliminated, as the damage level of such an arrow is much higher.

Mortar

The next weapon is the mortar, which is a small short-barreled cannon. It is crafted from the above components, but a special barrel is also used, which is created from several iron ingots. The mortar, like all other weapons, is placed by pressing the RMB. If you click the RMB again, you will take the gunner's place and be able to control it. Since the mortar has wheels, it can be moved both forward and backward to a convenient position. It uses heavy cannonballs as the ammo, which are square.

The cannonballs are crafted from two iron ingots and stacked by sixteen. To open the mortar's inventory, press the same I button. You need to put the gunpowder and cannonballs there. The mortar can deform the terrain but can boast quite a high damage level and a very beautiful shooting animation. Unfortunately, its reloading is very long. Another disadvantage of the mortars and all the wheeled weapons is that they cannot move through rough terrain, that is, rise. However, you can still use steps for that.

Catapult

The next siege weapon to consider is the catapult. It is crafted from the already familiar materials and is quite inexpensive. The catapult is quite large, which you will notice after placing the machine on the ground. Press the RMB to take control of it. It will shoot rather slowly, but that is really worth it.

You should keep in mind that during the turn, the catapult will not hit exactly where your cursor is but slightly to the right. However, as soon as it is fixed, it will hit very accurately. The ammo for the catapult is quite cheap, as it uses ordinary cobblestones. By pressing the F button, you will thus launch a huge cobblestone right on target. The catapult significantly deforms the terrain and causes huge damage, but it is still problematic to hit a target. But if you manage to do that, even the netherite armor will not save your enemy.

The last medieval weapon added by the mod is the trebuchet. It is the most difficult to craft. Besides the above items, you will need a counterweight. By placing a trebuchet, you will realize that it is the biggest machine of the mod. It can boast quite a good durability — as high as 150. To take control of this weapon, click the RMB. Then open the trebuchet's inventory by pressing the I button and put a cobblestone there.

It prepares for a shot for a very long time and, like the catapult, uses a cobblestone, thus causing enormous damage. This weapon features a characteristic creaking sound and animation. As soon as your cursor turns white, it will mean that the trebuchet is ready for a shot. Press the F key, and a cobblestone will fly at great speed to the target. When it reaches it, it will inflict great damage and deform the terrain. It is very problematic to hit mobs with this weapon, though, but if that happens, absolutely any mob (and possibly even several) will instantly die.

Besides, all of these machines can somehow interact with vanilla objects. Thus, after you pour a bucket of water into some weapon, even a static one, it will move along the flow. Further, you can very quickly destroy any siege machine with a trident. Besides, these weapons are considered living objects, so they can both suffer and benefit from potions. They are also vulnerable to explosions, although they do not significantly move them.