Holy Crusaders are elite troops of the New Gods followers. They and very deadly to early-game players, and can still pose a challenge later in the game. They have heavy horses, heavy armour, lances, shields, and deadly two-handed swords. Just one Crusader can kill a few top tier units before falling. If you have low tier units, they will usually be quickly shredded to pieces. One of the most effective ways to kill Crusaders is to knock them off their horse, or kill them with a couched lance blow. The Holy Crusaders spawn in a party of 75-100 troops, so it is best to wait until they have lost a few men in other fights, or have a comparable force of elite troops before you enter battle with them.