I love the ballistas. They've been catching a lot of flak for the "shoot the player thing". Using them appropriately as palisade defense is excellent. I've got about 8 or 10 of them along my walls and hearing them engage stuff in the middle of the night or fully repell troll events by them selves is nothing short of awesome.

They have killed me twice due to my under estimating their accuracy and damage during a time I had almost no food in me. Careful use is required. If you respect them they will take care of you!

If I could change one thing, it would be adding a quick way to disable them like an off switch instead of having to destroy then.

The trap on the other hand seems okay. Just is what it is. A static trap that only covers a very small area which inflicts high damage. Certainly not as versatile as a balista but lacks the increased risk to the player.