The rocks can hurt either player's properties and units, meaning that a badly targeted mangonel can cause severe losses if one does not pay attention. Mangonels are a threat to friend and foe both. They can also harass the enemy if they placed buildings close to the mangonels. Mangonel groups can create death zones and cover a huge area in the perimeter when set on area attacks. Operating the mangonel at their peak of range actually sends rocks farther than the target range, outclassing the fire ballista's and the trebuchet's range. Their 'area target' attack can prove very useful. In big numbers, a wall of these two machines is virtually impenetrable. Mangonels are best used in conjuction with ballistae: mangonels can provide area damage, while ballistae snipe enemy siege engines and potential targets. When they are protected by shields, they are almost invulnerable to projectiles. They can also cause significant damage to siege engines, to a lesser extent. They can effectively stop a seemingly devastating attack, as the attacker has his army in one big clump, offering many kills to one mangonel. Mangonels are a frequent sighting, being one of the most reliable (and cheap) defenses. They can only be sited on towers that have stable foundation, such as square and round towers. Mangonels can be ordered to attack a specific target or circular area within range, but they fire with great inaccuracy. These rocks can also damage buildings, but not to a great extent. Catapulted rocks can incapacitate and knock out units with only one hit, regardless of health. The mangonel is an anti-personnel weapon that is placed atop of a tower and is operated by two engineers: one of them for reloading and the other to pull, then release the hurler.

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