The best units in Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord (2023)

was regularly changed and updated during Early Access. Unit balancing has always been a focus of the TaleWorlds team, and the meta units have changed since the early days.

TIED TOGETHER:Mount And Blade 2: Bannerlord: All Faction, Ranked

This list takes a look at the best units in Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord as they stand in the full version. Some you may know from Early Access, others may surprise you.

Updated November 18, 2022 by Christopher Argentino:With the official release of Mount & Blade 2 on October 25th, 2022, we wanted to look at some new troops to add to your army. We have a few newbies on the list that will help you defeat enemy armies with ease. After reading through our list and assembling your army with the best infantry in Bannerlord, but also some of the best cavalry and snipers in the game, you will be worthy of holding the Dragon Banner and conquering all of Calradia. Now go out and become the true Bannerlord.

13/13Imperial Legionnaire

during the changes, the Imperial Legionary has remained one of the most versatile infantry units in the game. These heavily armored Tier 5 troops of the Empire boastSome of the best armor to weight ratios of any other heavy unit in the game. This means they'll swim damage and act as a very flexible front line.

With the spear buffs,The Legionnaire's Pila is also a formidable weapon. It was always pretty good anyway, but with the bonus damage to thrown shields, the Pila is even better. Be sure to turn off fire at will for your legionnaires, especially if you want a coordinated attack.

Here's a closer look at this unit's abilities:

• One-handed - 130
• Two-handed - 80
• Bar Arm - 130
• The book - 60
• Crossbow - 60
• Throw - 80
• Riding - 20
• Athletics - 130

12/13Khuzait Darkhan

Much like the Legionnaires, the Khuzait Darkhan are a formidable fighting force, with a good mix of polearms, heavy armor, and their nifty saber that deals decent damage.

TIED TOGETHER:

Darkhan are at their best when you play to their greatest strength:With their polearm, they can fight most types of cavalry. The Imperial Legionnaires, on the other hand, can only handle cavalry long enough to throw their pila.

Here is an overview of the Darkhan's stats:

• One-handed - 130
• Two-handed - 60
• Bar Arm - 130
• The book - 80
• Crossbow - 20
• Throw - 60
• Riding - 80
• Athletics - 130

11/13Vlandian Voulgier

The Voulgier is a powerful two-handed unit that wields its powerful namesake: the Voulge. This polearm is both a spear and a melee ax that can cut through multiple enemies at once and quickly dismount knights and other cavalry units. These units are powerful and form a strong front line or work as shock troops.

Although they don't have the same ranged combat flexibility as other units' javelins or pila, the Voulgier is equipped with a short-range throwing axe. The range isn't fantastic, but it's actually pretty powerful. A few volleys of the ax and you can pierce even heavily armored units.

Here's a closer look at Voulgier's stats:

• One-handed - 80
• Two-handed - 130
• Bar Arm - 130
• The book - 20
• Crossbow - 60
• Throw - 80
• Riding - 60
• Athletics - 130

10/13Sturgian Heroic Line Breaker (Ulfhednar)

In close competition with the Voulgier is the two-handed Sturgian Heroic Line Breaker, a powerful, fast unit with high overall damage. The Line Breakers wield a powerful ax and can deal tremendous damage, but their lower armor stats than the Voulgiers can be a disappointment in long fights.

TIED TOGETHER:

These units are best used as a sort of shock squad. For example, with an armor rating of just over 14, they have a much harder time holding off against a cavalry charge. They can be powerful when used appropriately on the battlefield.

Here are the line breaker's stats:

• One-handed - 100
• Two-handed - 110
• Polearm - 40
• Crossbow - 15
• Throw - 50
• Riding - 45
• Athletics - 130

9/13Battan Fian Champion

The Battanian Fian Champion ranged unit is the best archer unit in the game. Not to mention how broken ranged combat is in Mount & Blade in general. They are equipped with a Woodland Bow (a lot of damage, very accurate) and two stacks of Bodkin Arrows, which are also strong. With a stack of these archers in play, you'll often find the AI's morale cracking and crumbling before combat even begins. You need toIncrease your party sizeto create an almighty fian army.

These units aren't just excellent at range: thanks to their melee weaponry, incredibly high athletic ability, and decent armor, you can use these troops to repel a melee attack or even hold your own against cavalry. A very well-rounded unit with great stats that justify how difficult it is to get.

Take a look at the Fian Champion's full stats:

• One-handed - 90
• Two-handed - 220
• Polearm - 50
• The book - 260
• Crossbow - 25
• Throw - 40
• Riding - 60
• Athletics - 170

8/13Imperial Palatinate Guard

If you're looking for a squad to support your legionnaires in a square formation, the Palatine Guard is what you're looking for. They are not only great archers who can accompany you in all phases of the game. But they can also be great in one-handed combat.

Your 130 One-Handed and 130 Athletics are a godsend when you run out of arrows and it's time to fight your enemies head-on.

Now here is the full stats list:

• One-handed - 130
• Two-handed - 30
• Rod arm - 80
• The book - 140
• Crossbow - 80
• Throw - 60
• Riding - 40
• Athletics - 130

7/13Aserai Vanguard Faris

Of all the troops on our list, the Vanguard Faris will be the easiest to get hold of. Not because training this unit up to sixth rank is a breeze, but because Aserai villages are full of Aserai youth seeking adventures in foreign lands.

The combo of 200 Polearm, 170 One-Handed, 140 Throwing, and 170 Riding is a combination made from heaven to give you powerful heavy cavalry to flank your enemy troops.

Now for some Vanguard Farris stats:

• One-handed - 170
• Two-handed - 60
• Polearm - 200
• The book - 65
• Crossbow - 20
• Throw - 140
• Riding - 170
• Athletics - 90

6/13Heavy cavalry of the Aserai Mamluks

(Video) Best Infantry Unit? Infantry Tier List for Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord

These heavy cavalry units are the best mounted troops in Bannerlord, although some of the Khuzait cavalry outperform them in certain areas. The Mamluk Heavy Cavalry is a versatile unit thanks to the Long Kaskara melee weapon and Steppe War Bow. They are also faster compared to similar type cavalry units in other factions.

You can use these as heavy cavalry to attack foot soldiers, or keep them in range to use as mounted archers. They're definitely worth targeting if you're playing as the Aserai, who don't offer much more than their heavily mounted Palace Guard unit and master archers.

Here are the Mamluk stats:

• One-handed - 130
• Two-handed - 60
• Rod arm - 60
• The book - 130
• Crossbow - 20
• Throw - 80
• Riding - 130
• Athletics - 80th

5/13Khuzait Khans Wache

Staying on the subject of powerful cavalry units, we have to mention the Khan's Guard. This unit has undergone all sorts of balance changes throughout Early Access and still retains its place at the top of its class list: Mounted Archery. It's quite common for these units to be listed as the very best units in the game.

TIED TOGETHER:

With an impressive 260 Bow Skill and a powerful Steppe Recurve Bow, these are essentially Fian champions but with the benefit of riding a horse. Even better, their Glaive is a decent weapon to swap into once they run out of arrows, and can turn the Khan's Guard into decent shock troops. You are very, very good. However, they are also difficult to obtain: they are the last form of the rare noble Khuzait unit line.

Here are the stats of the unit:

• One-handed - 60
• Two-handed - 60
• Polearm - 220
• The book - 260
• Crossbow - 25
• Throw - 30
• Riding - 200
• Athletics - 60th

13.4Imperial Bucellarii

The Bucellari are not as good as the Khan's Guard. You can see that in the statistics. However, they are much, much easier to acquire. They train from regular Imperial recruits rather than the rare and expensive noble line.

There is one area where they rival the Khan's Guard quite well: heavy armor. Of course asberitten FernkampfeinheitenThis isn't very important as they're often farther from combat, but it's something to consider the next time you think about your army composition.

Here's the breakdown of Bucellarii stats:

• One-handed - 130
• Two-handed - 40
• Rod arm - 60
• The book - 130
• Crossbow - 60
• Throw - 40
• Riding - 120
• Athletics - 100

3/13Imperial Elite Cataphract

The Empire may be enduring civil war as we play Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord, but its troops were the reason it was in full control of Calradia before Emperor Arenicos died.

There are three imperial units in this list, and with good reason. The first one we consider is the Elite Cataphract. Not only are they a great cavalry unit (260 Polearm, 200 Riding), but with their 200 One-Handed stat they can also be a great infantry unit for those sweet Bannerlord sieges.

Here are some Elite Cataphract stats for you:

• One-handed - 200
• Two-handed - 60
• Rod arm - 260
• The book - 60
• Crossbow - 25
• Throw - 45
• Riding - 200
• Athletics - 60th

Imperial Cataphract or Vlandian Banner Knight? There's a lot to be said for the power of these two units, although the Banner Knights only take the top spot in terms of sheer damage on the battlefield. It's all about Couched Lance's damage.

We all know how broken the Couched Lance can be, whether used by the player or the AI. The lance deals incredible damage and can kill even heavily armored troops in a single blow. The Banner Knights are devastating with their spears.

These are the Banner Knight's stats:

• One-handed - 220
• Two-handed - 60
• Rod arm - 260
• The book - 25
• Crossbow - 60
• Throw - 30
• Riding - 200
• Athletics - 60th

1/13Vland sniper

The competition between the Vlandian Sharpshooter and the Imperial Sergeant Armbowman has raged over the past year as various patches have changed the units' loadout. Currently, it's the Vlandian Sharpshooter that snatches the title of best crossbow unit in the game.

This is thanks to the powerful bound crossbow, currently the best crossbow in the game. Although the Imperial Sergeant Crossbowman seems to be better in terms of bow skill, the difference between the Bound Crossbow (Vlandian) and the Hickory Crossbow (Imperial) is a massive one.

Here are the Sharpshooter stats:

• One-handed - 130
• Two-handed - 60
• Rod arm - 80
• The book - 20
• Crossbow - 130
• Throw - 60
• Riding - 80
• Athletics - 130

NEXT: