This Bannerlord troop tier list will rank the tier 5 and tier 6 soldiers of every culture by the job they do, from shield infantry and archers to cavalry and ship crews, and show you which ones are worth your denars on v1.4.8 with War Sails.
A lot has moved since War Sails came out in November 2025. The Nords brought the only tier 6 infantry in the game, every culture except the Khuzaits got mariner troops, patch 1.3.8 lowered the Bow skill of the Fian Champion and the Khan’s Guard, and patch 1.4.5 changed how spearmen, riders and javelin throwers fight. An older list that still puts the Legionary or the Elite Cataphract on top is going to send you after the wrong troops.
The skill, armor, ammo and wage numbers in this list are read from the v1.4.8 game files with War Sails 1.2.8 installed, and each tier weighs those numbers against battle tests from 2026.
If you only need the top pick for each role, here it is:
- Shield infantry: Nord Huscarl (S), or the Aserai Veteran Infantry (S) if you want a tier 5
- Shock infantry: Nord Skjaldbrestir (S)
- Archers: Battanian Fian Champion (S)
- Crossbowmen: Imperial Sergeant Crossbowman (A), level with the Vlandian Sharpshooter (A)
- Skirmishers: Battanian Wildling (S) and Imperial Naute (S)
- Cavalry: Aserai Vanguard Faris (S)
- Horse archers: Khuzait Khan’s Guard (S)
- Naval: Nord Huscarl (S), or the Imperial Naute (S) outside the Nord trees
Contents
- Bannerlord troop tier list
- Best shield infantry
- Best shock infantry
- Best archers
- Best crossbowmen
- Best skirmishers
- Best cavalry
- Best horse archers
- Best naval troops
- Best troops of each culture
- What is the best unit in Bannerlord?
- How to get noble troops
- Best budget troops
- Troops to avoid
- Best army composition
- Troop changes since War Sails
- FAQ
- Conclusion
Bannerlord troop tier list
The list only ranks tier 5 and tier 6 troops, since those are the soldiers you will field once your campaign gets going, and tier 4 units show up further down as budget picks. S is the best in its role on the current patch, A is strong, B is solid but situational, C works but loses out to something you could field instead, and D is not worth your upgrade money.
A unit moves up or down depending on how it did in 2026 battle tests, checked against its skills, armor and gear. The numbers decide close calls and expose ratings that still rest on old bow skills or loadouts, but no file will tell you who wins a fight, and every tier is a judgement built on both. Bear in mind that every soldier has the same 100 hit points before your perks, whatever its tier. The Nord trees and the mariner troops of the other cultures are in the list as well.
Best shield infantry
The Nord Huscarl (S) is the best shield infantry in Bannerlord right now and, since War Sails, the only tier 6 infantry in the game. With 200 One-Handed and Polearm it has more weapon skill than any other infantry, and all three of its loadouts wear the Reinforced Huscarl Armor for 197 armor on average. You will also get five throwing axes with a bonus against shields and a Nordic shield with 620 to 660 HP. The launch complaints about weak Huscarls were about the November 2025 build and no longer apply.
Huscarls hold a line far better than they kill. Think of them as the anvil, and you will still want a hammer of shock troops, archers or cavalry to finish what the shield wall pins in place. My Bannerlord Nords guide goes through both Nord trees tier by tier.
If you would rather stay at tier 5, the Aserai Veteran Infantry (S) is the pick. It has the highest One-Handed of any tier 5 infantry at 160, the best combined head and body armor of any tier 5 infantry and five Horseman Javelins that it will throw before the lines meet. It also beat Legionaries quite clearly in this year’s tests. Its weak spots are bare legs, with 22 armor where the Legionary has 46, and a smaller 360-HP shield. A loose formation before contact should let more of its ranks throw.
The Sturgian Heavy Spearman sits in A as the toughest tier 5 shield line, with 195 armor on average and a kite shield of 520 to 600 HP. In a 2026 test where shield units were left surrounded by horse archers, it lasted longer than any other. Its spear has no brace grip, though, and it carries no throwing weapon, which is the main reason you will find it below the two S picks.
In B you will find the Nord Shield-Companion, which is the Huscarl one tier earlier, and the Sturgian Heavy Axeman, which swaps the Heavy Spearman’s spear for six throwing axes.
The Imperial Legionary is a B as well, even though it used to top most lists. It still has 194 armor, a 530-HP kite shield and a fast Calradic Mace in two of its three loadouts, but its One-Handed and Polearm sit at 130 and its ranged punch is small.
Every Legionary carries two pila, but only one of them can be thrown, it holds just two throws of 66 pierce, and throwing is its third grip behind two spear grips. Once patches 1.3 and 1.4.5 improved AI aim and let troops throw on the run, five javelins or five axes became worth a lot more than that.
The C tier holds the Battanian Oathsworn, the Khuzait Darkhan with its bare legs and small shield, the Vlandian Sergeant with no throwing weapon at all and the Nord Berserkir, which has fought with nothing but its Berserkr Axe since the 1.4 patches removed its swords.
| Troop | Tier | Key numbers | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nord Huscarl | S | One Handed/Polearm 200, Throwing 190, avg armor 197 | Mariner with five throwing axes and Nordic shields |
| Aserai Veteran Infantry | S | One Handed 160, Throwing 80, avg armor 181 | Five javelins, best tier 5 head and body armor in total |
| Nord Skjaldbrestir | S | Two Handed 140, Throwing 140, avg armor 167.7 | Mariner with five throwing axes and no shield |
| Battanian Wildling | S | Throwing 130, 10 javelins, armor 158 | Ten Hooked Javelins and a shield |
| Imperial Naute | S | Throwing 130, 10 javelins, avg armor 128 | Mariner with ten Hooked Javelins and a kite shield |
| Sturgian Heavy Spearman | A | One Handed/Polearm 140, avg armor 195.3 | Leaf-Point kite shield, but no throwing weapon |
| Battanian Veteran Falxman | A | Two Handed 130, Throwing 130, armor 136 | Long Falx and six throwing axes, but no shield |
| Nord Ulfhedinn | A | One Handed/Polearm 140, Throwing 90, avg armor 156.3 | Mariner with the Ulfhednar Atgeir and three throwing knives |
| Battanian Skipari | A | Throwing 140, 10 javelins, avg armor 112.7 | Mariner with ten Hooked Javelins, but light armor |
| Nord Shield-Companion | B | One Handed/Polearm 140, Throwing 140, avg armor 173 | Noble mariner with five throwing axes |
| Imperial Legionary | B | One Handed/Polearm 130, armor 194 | Kite shield and two pila |
| Sturgian Heavy Axeman | B | One Handed 130, Throwing 130, avg armor 181.7 | Six Raider Throwing Axes and a kite shield |
| Imperial Elite Menavliaton | B | One Handed/Polearm 130, armor 163 | Menavlion polearm and two pila, no shield |
| Sturgian Heroic Line Breaker | B | Two Handed 150, Throwing 130, armor 212 | Most armor of any foot troop, two-handed mace |
| Vlandian Voulgier | B | Two Handed/Polearm 130, Throwing 80, avg armor 139.3 | Voulge and three Francescas, but low armor |
| Sturgian Reaver | B | Throwing 130, 10 throwing axes, avg armor 126 | Mariner with ten Balanced Engraved Throwing Axes |
| Battanian Oathsworn | C | One Handed/Polearm 130, Throwing 60, avg armor 175.3 | Three throwing axes and a shield |
| Khuzait Darkhan | C | One Handed/Polearm 130, avg armor 180.7 | Three Triangular Throwing Spears, Eastern Cavalry Shield |
| Vlandian Sergeant | C | One Handed/Polearm 130, armor 173 | Heater Shield and long spear, no throwing weapon |
| Nord Berserkir | C | One Handed/Two Handed 140, Throwing 140, avg armor 167.3 | Mariner, five throwing axes, Berserkr Axe only |
| Vlandian Pikeman | C | Two Handed/Polearm 130, avg armor 159.3 | The only main-culture tier 5 that can brace, weak in melee |
| Aserai Mamluke Palace Guard | D | Two Handed 140, Throwing 130, avg armor 153 | Slow Southern Two Handed Mace in 2 of 3 sets, no shield |
Spear bracing
Bracing a spear against a charge only works for a soldier who carries no shield. Among tier 4 to 6 foot troops that leaves the Vlandian Pikeman and the tavern Hired Pike and Hired Elite Pike, and since patch 1.4.5 the formation will push these bracers into the front rank when cavalry charges. The Huscarl Spear has been braceable instead of couchable since patch 1.3.13, and Shield-Companions, Oathsworn and Vlandian Sergeants carry spears with a brace grip too, but they always carry a shield as well. You should not count on them as pike bracers, because the formation only treats soldiers without a shield as bracers.
Best shock infantry
For shock infantry, you will want the Nord Skjaldbrestir (S). It pairs 140 Two-Handed and 140 Throwing with 150 Athletics and fights with the Ravens Wing Axe, which hits for 129 to 130 cut at swing speed 84 with 128 to 129 cm of reach. Four two-handed axes hit a little bit harder, but none of them pairs that reach with that swing speed, and you will also get five throwing axes to open with.
Recent tests on the War Sails patches had it among the strongest close-combat infantry of all, and it even beat Huscarls head-on. With no shield, though, it can take heavy losses from horse archers and massed bows before it reaches anybody.
Make sure to give your shock troops their own formation and keep them back until your shield line has made contact. Every volley they take on the way in is going to cost you men.
The Battanian Veteran Falxman lands in A thanks to its Long Falx, a two-handed sword with 131 cut and the fastest swing of any heavy two-hander that tier 4 to 6 infantry carry. It also throws six axes. The downside is protection, since you get no shield, 136 armor and almost bare arms.
The Nord Ulfhedinn is the A-tier reach option. Its Ulfhednar Atgeir hits harder than the Ravens Wing with 165 cut and reaches 171 cm, but it swings slower, cannot be braced and comes with only three throwing knives. You will want it in the second line against riders. At sea it drops to C, because a long polearm and no shield suit a crowded deck badly.
Three lines sit in B. The Imperial Elite Menavliaton swings a 163 cm Menavlion that cannot be braced and wears 163 armor with no shield. The Vlandian Voulgier has the hardest-hitting two-handed swing of any tier 4 to 6 infantry weapon, the Voulge with 184 cut, but only 139 armor. The Sturgian Heroic Line Breaker still wears the most armor of any foot soldier in the game at 212, yet its old two-handed axe is gone, and every loadout now swings a 73-damage two-handed mace. Most complaints about it came before patch 1.4.5 gave all two-handed maces a knockdown, and it is still one of the better picks for sieges.
The Vlandian Pikeman sits in C as the only real bracer among the culture troops, with a 301 cm Pike and no shield. Patch 1.4.5 helped it by moving bracers to the front and making spearmen aim better at riders, but in a general melee it is weak. Treat it as a specialist for wars against heavy cavalry.
At the bottom, in D, sits the Aserai Mamluke Palace Guard. Two of its three loadouts now carry the slow Southern Two Handed Mace, and with no shield and 153 armor it has little to offer next to the lines above.
Best archers
Even after patch 1.3.8 (November 2025) reduced its Bow skill, the Battanian Fian Champion (S) remains the archer to beat. It now has 220 Bow, down from 260, and that is still the highest of any troop. Its Woodland Longbow is only a tier 3 bow with 64 damage, the same one the tier 5 Fian uses.
What sets it apart is the skill and the ammo, because you will get 64 Stacked Bodkin Arrows in two quivers, the most of any archer. With 220 Two-Handed it is also one of the strongest melee troops in the game, and nothing on the whole line needs a horse.
With the tier 5 Fian (A) you will get the same bow and the same 64 arrows with 160 Bow. It costs 12 a day instead of 17, which makes it a fine archer to stop at while you save up for the last upgrade.
| Troop | Tier | Key numbers | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battanian Fian Champion | S | Bow 220, 64 arrows, armor 167 | Woodland Longbow, the most arrows, no horse on the line |
| Battanian Fian | A | Bow 160, 64 arrows, avg armor 125 | Same bow and arrows as the Fian Champion |
| Nord Sky-Gods Chosen | A | Bow 140, 32 arrows, avg armor 125 | Mariner with a shield in every set and an axe |
| Aserai Master Archer | A | Bow 160, 46 arrows, armor 126 | Best Bow of any regular troop, strongest arrows |
| Imperial Sergeant Crossbowman | A | Crossbow 130, 18 bolts, avg armor 145.3 | Hickory Crossbow and a shield in every set |
| Vlandian Sharpshooter | A | Crossbow 130, 18 bolts, armor 138 | Bound Crossbow, fastest projectile, pavise |
| Aserai Bahriyyah | B | Bow 140, 23 arrows, avg armor 91.3 | Mariner with the Nomad Bow, but one quiver |
| Vlandian Nauta | B | Crossbow 130, 18 bolts, avg armor 98 | Mariner with the Sharpshooter skills and Bound Crossbow |
| Imperial Palatine Guard | C | Bow 140, 48 arrows, armor 125 | Steppe War Bow and Bodkin Arrows, nothing stands out |
| Khuzait Marksman | C | Bow 130, 48 arrows, armor 124 | Lowest Bow of the tier 5 foot archers |
| Sturgian Veteran Bowman | C | Bow 140, 40 arrows, armor 149 | Weakest bow, best armor of any tier 5 foot archer |
| Elite Hired Crossbow | C | Crossbow 140, 20 bolts, armor 103 | Tavern mercenary with the Bound Crossbow, but low armor |
| Veteran Sword Sister | D | Crossbow 150, 18 bolts, avg armor 64.7 | Heavy Crossbow weaker than its tier 4, no helmet |
The Nord Sky-Gods Chosen (A) gave up its second quiver for a big Nordic shield, which leaves it with 32 arrows and 140 Bow. As a pure shooter it is clearly behind the Fian line. What you get instead is a shield in every loadout, a one-handed axe, 150 Athletics and no penalty at sea, and once the arrows run out it will hold a wall, a breach or a ship deck like infantry.
The Aserai Master Archer, also an A, is the best regular archer, with 160 Bow and Piercing Arrows, the strongest arrow type at tier 5. Its bow is the ordinary 52-damage Steppe Recurve Bow.
The Aserai Bahriyyah has the hardest-hitting bow of any tier 5 or 6 troop line, the 70-damage Nomad Bow, which beats even the Fian Champion’s 64. With it you only get a single quiver of 23 arrows and 91 armor. On land that makes it a B, and at sea, where it is a mariner, it moves up to A.
The other tier 5 archers are close on paper and all land in C. The Imperial Palatine Guard and the Khuzait Marksman have nothing that stands out, and the Sturgian Veteran Bowman has the weakest bow and arrows of any tier 5 archer line. Its 149 armor, the best of any tier 5 foot archer, keeps it out of D, but Sturgian bowmen are simply the last archers you should recruit on purpose.
Whatever archers you bring, spread them in a loose formation. In an archer duel, hold fire until the enemy stops to shoot, because the side that lands the first volleys will usually win.
Best crossbowmen
Only the Empire and Vlandia field crossbowmen, and their two tier 5 lines share the A tier. The Vlandian Sharpshooter carries the best crossbow any troop gets, the 100-damage Bound Crossbow, which also fires the fastest projectile of any troop weapon and with it the flattest shot. It hides behind a 750-HP pavise. The Imperial Sergeant Crossbowman uses a Hickory Crossbow that is a little bit weaker, but it has more armor, a shield in every loadout and a mace in two of three, which makes it the better fighter once the bolts are gone.
That matters, because every tier 5 crossbowman carries a single stack of 18 to 20 bolts, and you will see them run dry long before most archers, which carry 40 to 64 arrows. In long field battles that favors the Sergeant Crossbowman, while the Sharpshooter with its pavise is the better pick for defending walls. Note that Crossbow skill adds no damage to a bolt, which is exactly what goes wrong with the Sword Sisters.
The Vlandian Nauta is the Sharpshooter’s War Sails twin, with the same crossbow and the mariner tag but only 98 armor and no pavise. It is a B on land and an A at sea. The tavern Elite Hired Crossbow sits in C with the same crossbow, light armor and a wage of 18 a day.
Both tier 5 Sword Sisters carry a worse crossbow than the tier 4 Sword Sister. The foot Veteran Sword Sister (D) gets an 82-damage Heavy Crossbow and the mounted Gallant Sword Sister, a D in the horse archer list, an 85-damage Fine Light Crossbow, against the 93-damage Hickory Crossbow of their tier 4. The Gallant’s light crossbow can at least be reloaded on horseback, but neither of them has a helmet in any loadout.
Best skirmishers
Javelin troops are the big winners of the War Sails era. The Hooked Javelin and the Jereed have the same damage on v1.4.8 (117 and 121) that they had during the 1.3 beta. What changed is accuracy and AI. Patch 1.3 made AI ranged troops lead moving targets better, and patch 1.4.5 cut the accuracy penalty for throwing while moving toward the target and made AI troops throw while running instead of slowing to a walk.
The Battanian Wildling (S) tops the skirmishers. You will get ten Hooked Javelins, 130 Throwing and 140 Athletics behind a 430-HP Highland shield. Hold its fire until the enemy is near, empty all ten javelins from a loose line and pull it back before the melee starts, because top infantry can shred Wildlings in a long fight. In tests since the 1.3 patch, Wildlings even beat Banner Knights and Legionaries head-on.
The Imperial Naute (S) keeps the Legionary’s One-Handed and Athletics but trades 50 Polearm for 50 Throwing and carries ten Hooked Javelins behind a kite shield. It wears 66 less armor than a Legionary, yet it is the better troop on today’s patch, on land and even more so at sea, where it ignores the mariner penalty.
The Battanian Skipari (A) has the most Throwing of the skirmishers in this list at 140, but at 113 armor it is also the least protected. The Sturgian Reaver (B) throws ten tier 6 throwing axes and then fights with a two-handed axe. It has the numbers for a higher rank, but there is little recent battle evidence for it yet.
Best cavalry
Right now the strongest cavalry in Bannerlord is the Aserai Vanguard Faris (S). It has the most armor of any tier 6 troop at 207, 200 Polearm and 140 Throwing, and it rides the fastest horse of any tier 6 rider. It will open with five Jereeds, the strongest javelin any rider carries, and then couch its lance with its small adarga still up.
In three separate 2026 tests it beat the Khan’s Guard in cavalry fights, though all of them ran before patch 1.4.5 changed how spearmen and riders fight.
Every tier 5 and 6 javelin rider carries exactly one stack of five. The Aserai Veteran Faris (A) throws the same Jereeds one tier earlier with only 80 Throwing, the Sturgian Horse Raider (B) has weaker javelins and a horse with almost no armor, and the Battanian Mounted Skirmisher (C) has the highest Throwing of any rider at 150 but no spear and a slow pony.
The Vlandian Banner Knight (A) is probably the best pure lancer. You get 260 Polearm, a Knight Lance it couches with its shield up and a Destrier with 260 HP. Its weak points are its own armor, the lowest of the four tier 6 melee riders at 189, and the slowest horse of any tier 6 rider.
| Troop | Tier | Key numbers | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aserai Vanguard Faris | S | Polearm 200, Throwing 140, armor 207 | Jereeds and a lance it couches with the shield up |
| Khuzait Khan’s Guard | S | Bow 200, 48 arrows, armor 172 | Glaive and no shield, same bow as ordinary tier 5 archers |
| Vlandian Banner Knight | A | Polearm 260, armor 189 | Knight Lance couched with a shield on a Destrier |
| Aserai Veteran Faris | A | One Handed/Polearm 130, Throwing 80, avg armor 167.7 | Faris Jereeds, but a small adarga |
| Khuzait Heavy Horse Archer | A | Bow 130, 48 arrows, armor 168 | Saber only, no shield, best tier 5 horse archer armor |
| Khuzait Kheshig | A | Bow 160, 24 arrows, armor 126 | Best Bow of any tier 5 horse archer, but one quiver |
| Imperial Elite Cataphract | B | Polearm 260, armor 204 | Best horse armor, but its Courser Lance can’t couch |
| Sturgian Druzhinnik Champion | B | One Handed 200, avg armor 201.7 | Couchable lance and shield, but the weakest tier 6 horses |
| Vlandian Champion | B | Polearm 160, avg armor 171.7 | Knight Lance couched with shield on a Destrier |
| Sturgian Horse Raider | B | One Handed 130, Throwing 130, armor 160 | Broad Blade Javelins and kite shield, but light horse armor |
| Aserai Mamluke Heavy Cavalry | B | Bow 130, 23 arrows, armor 161 | Piercing Arrows and a Large Adarga, but one quiver |
| Khuzait Heavy Lancer | C | One Handed/Polearm 130, avg armor 170.3 | Couchable lance, shield and a fast Karahan |
| Imperial Cataphract | C | Polearm 160, armor 175 | Noble, single loadout, Courser Lance with no couch |
| Sturgian Druzhinnik | C | Polearm 140, armor 171 | Noble with couchable lance and shield on a Revyl Chaser |
| Vlandian Vanguard | C | One Handed/Polearm 130, armor 152 | Knight Lance couched with shield, slow Valanby Courser |
| Battanian Mounted Skirmisher | C | One Handed 130, Throwing 150, armor 156 | Highest Throwing of any rider, no spear, slow pony |
| Imperial Bucellarii | C | Bow 140, 40 arrows, avg armor 139.7 | Barbed Arrows, low body and horse armor |
| Veteran Outrider | C | Bow 130, 24 arrows, armor 83 | Tavern mercenary with a fast Asaligat, but low armor |
| Battanian Horseman | D | One Handed/Polearm 130, armor 141 | Hooked Spear that can’t couch, a targe and a slow pony |
| Gallant Sword Sister | D | Crossbow 150, 18 bolts, avg armor 64.7 | Fine Light Crossbow weaker than its tier 4, no helmet |
Banner Knight or Elite Cataphract
The Imperial Elite Cataphract (B) cannot couch its lance. Its Courser Lance is a two-handed lance that can only thrust or brace, which means it charges with a long thrust while its kite shield stays slung, and it only gets the shield back once it switches to its sword.
The Banner Knight couches with its shield up. The Cataphract does have more armor (204 against 189) and the best-armored horse of any tier 6 rider, while the Banner Knight’s Destrier has more HP and a stronger charge.
On a battlefield full of archers and javelins, that slung shield hurts. The Cataphract still beat Banner Knights head-on in a 2026 test, but it ranked near the bottom of the tier 6 riders overall. I would say the Banner Knight is the better pick for most armies, and you should keep the Cataphract for wars against infantry-heavy enemies without much ranged support.
The Sturgian Druzhinnik Champion, another B, is a different kind of noble rider. It only has 170 Polearm and Riding, but 140 Athletics and a 610-HP kite shield in two of its three loadouts make it the best of the noble riders on foot. Its weak spot is the horse, because two of its loadouts ride a 200-HP Revyl Chaser, the weakest mount of the tier 6 riders.
One tier lower, the Vlandian Champion (B) and the Khuzait Heavy Lancer (C) both couch with a shield up. The tier 5 Imperial Cataphract, the Sturgian Druzhinnik and the Vlandian Vanguard are in C as well, and the Battanian Horseman (D) is the weakest cavalry of the lot.
Patch 1.4.5 did not change any cavalry troop’s stats, but it removed a flat cavalry bonus from auto-resolve, made spearmen step forward and aim better against charging riders, and made riders time their swings better. Auto-resolve will still favor horsemen on open ground (+25% power for attacking cavalry, +30% for horse archers) and punish them in forests and siege assaults. In a real battle you are going to get the most out of cavalry if you split it into groups, wait until the lines are engaged and then hit the flanks and the rear. My Bannerlord best weapons guide has more on lances and couching.
Best horse archers
The Khuzait Khan’s Guard (S) still leads the horse archers, with 200 Bow, 200 Polearm and 200 Riding, two quivers and a Glaive that swings for 142 cut with 152 cm of reach. Its Bow skill was reduced in patch 1.3.8, and the bow it shoots is the same 52-damage Steppe Recurve Bow that ordinary tier 5 archers use. Its bow and arrows deal about a fifth less damage per shot than the Fian Champion’s, and a better bow for the Khan’s Guard only exists in the 1.5.0 beta for now.
It is also simply no longer the unit that beats everything. As mentioned above, the Vanguard Faris beat it in cavalry fights, and the numbers explain why: the Faris wears 35 more armor, carries a shield against arrows and hits harder with its javelins. Against Huscarls the results went both ways.
The Glaive itself has no special block-breaking property, by the way. In the campaign any overhead swing that lands hard enough can smash through a block, and a long, heavy two-hander like the Glaive is the kind of weapon that does it.
The Khuzait Heavy Horse Archer (A) is the best horse archer outside the noble lines, with the most armor of any tier 5 horse archer and two quivers, but only a saber and no shield. The noble Kheshig (A) is the best shot of the tier 5 horse archers with 160 Bow and already swings the Glaive, but it has one quiver and only 126 armor. The Aserai Mamluke Heavy Cavalry (B) trades a quiver for a shield, while the Imperial Bucellarii (C) has the least armor of the regular tier 5 horse archers and the barest horse.
Horse archers have a harder time than they used to, since foot archers and javelin troops now lead moving targets better, but kept away from massed enemy archers they will still do a lot of damage.
Best naval troops
Ship battles have their own rules, and the most important one is the mariner tag. In a naval battle every soldier without it deals 20% less damage, moves 20% slower and aims worse, with about 30% more spread on its shots. Mariner troops ignore all of it.
For regular troops only the tag counts, and the Mariner number in their stats changes nothing in campaign battles, while heroes scale with their Mariner skill (200 cancels the penalty completely). The penalty only applies at sea, and it will not slow down attacks.
Every soldier in both Nord trees is a mariner. The Empire and Sturgia get a mariner branch from tier 3, Battania, Vlandia and the Aserai from tier 4, and the Khuzaits get none at all. Sea Raiders and Corsairs are mariners too, and you will find them a cheap way to fill a ship. Additionally, since patch 1.4.5, mariners count 20% stronger when a naval battle is auto-resolved, and your whole party will pay a fifth less in wages at sea.
At sea the Nord Huscarl (S) shares the top spot with the Imperial Naute (S), the pick outside the Nord trees, since ten javelins, a kite shield and the mariner tag make it very strong on a deck. In A you will find the Nord Sky-Gods Chosen, the Vlandian Nauta, the Aserai Bahriyyah, the Battanian Skipari and the Nord Skjaldbrestir, which hits hard once it boards but has no shield against arrows on the way across. The Sturgian Reaver is a B, and the Nord Ulfhedinn drops to C at sea.
| Troop | Tier | Key numbers | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nord Huscarl | S | One Handed/Polearm 200, Throwing 190, avg armor 197 | Mariner with five throwing axes and big Nordic shields |
| Imperial Naute | S | Throwing 130, 10 javelins, avg armor 128 | Mariner javelin infantry with a kite shield |
| Nord Sky-Gods Chosen | A | Bow 140, 32 arrows, avg armor 125 | Mariner archer with a shield in every set |
| Vlandian Nauta | A | Crossbow 130, 18 bolts, avg armor 98 | Mariner crossbowman, Bound Crossbow, Heavy Heater Shield |
| Aserai Bahriyyah | A | Bow 140, 23 arrows, avg armor 91.3 | Mariner archer, Nomad Bow and Ornate Adarga, low armor |
| Battanian Skipari | A | Throwing 140, 10 javelins, avg armor 112.7 | Mariner javelin troop, ten Hooked Javelins, light armor |
| Nord Skjaldbrestir | A | Two Handed 140, Throwing 140, avg armor 167.7 | Mariner shock troop, no shield against arrows on deck |
| Sturgian Reaver | B | Throwing 130, 10 throwing axes, avg armor 126 | Mariner with ten throwing axes and a two-handed axe |
| Nord Ulfhedinn | C | One Handed/Polearm 140, Throwing 90, avg armor 156.3 | Mariner, but a long atgeir and no shield |
Fian Champions are not mariners, but they still did well on ships in 2026 tests and beat Khan’s Guards ship against ship. If you already have a stack of them, take them along and put mariner infantry on the boarding ships. A good habit is to keep your archers on a lighter ship that shoots while your melee ships board, and my Bannerlord best ships guide compares the ships themselves.
Best troops of each culture
Some roles are simply missing from a culture’s trees. You will not find shock infantry, crossbowmen, foot skirmishers or mariners in the Khuzait trees. The Nords have no cavalry, no horse archers and no crossbowmen. Vlandia has no foot archer, the Aserai have no real foot skirmisher line, and only the Empire and Vlandia field crossbowmen at all.
| Culture | Best infantry | Best ranged | Best cavalry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empire | Imperial Naute (S) | Imperial Sergeant Crossbowman (A) | Imperial Elite Cataphract (B) |
| Aserai | Aserai Veteran Infantry (S) | Aserai Master Archer (A) | Aserai Vanguard Faris (S) |
| Sturgia | Sturgian Heavy Spearman (A) | Sturgian Veteran Bowman (C) | Sturgian Druzhinnik Champion (B) |
| Vlandia | Vlandian Voulgier (B) | Vlandian Sharpshooter (A) | Vlandian Banner Knight (A) |
| Battania | Battanian Wildling (S) | Battanian Fian Champion (S) | Battanian Mounted Skirmisher (C) |
| Khuzait | Khuzait Darkhan (C) | Khuzait Marksman (C) | Khuzait Khan’s Guard (S) |
| Nords (War Sails) | Nord Huscarl (S) | Nord Sky-Gods Chosen (A) | none |
Strongest faction
There is no single strongest faction, but if you count the S and A lines in this tier list (land roles only), Battania leads with five: Fian Champion, Fian, Wildling, Veteran Falxman and Skipari. The Nords and the Aserai follow with four each, the Khuzaits have three (all of them horse archers), the Empire and Vlandia two each and Sturgia one.
Battania and the Nords also have the easiest armies to build, since none of their best lines will ever ask you for a horse.
Sturgia shows that armor is not everything. It has the best-armored tier 5 shield line in the Heavy Spearman and the best-armored foot soldier in the game in the Heroic Line Breaker, but the rest of each kit is weak. The Heavy Spearman has no throwing weapon and a spear it cannot brace, the Line Breaker lost its two-handed axe for a 73-damage mace, the Veteran Bowman has the weakest bow and arrows of any tier 5 archer, and the Druzhinnik Champion has the lowest Polearm of any tier 6 rider on the weakest horses. Only the Heavy Spearman makes it into A.
What is the best unit in Bannerlord?
If you can only build one elite stack on v1.4.8, make it Fian Champions. They need no horses anywhere on the line, carry the strongest bow kit of any tier 6 troop with 220 Bow and 64 arrows, fight well in melee with 220 Two-Handed, and win sieges and ship fights where cavalry cannot. In 2026 siege tests they lost far fewer men than Khan’s Guards, both attacking and defending a castle. Take that verdict with medium confidence, since no file can crown a unit.
The Aserai Vanguard Faris is the best field unit on paper. Of the three it has the most armor and the highest sum of combat skills (915, against 875 for the Fian Champion and 835 for the Khan’s Guard), plus a shield and 121-damage javelins. Raising a Faris from a village recruit is also going to cost you a war horse, and it needs open ground to shine. The Khan’s Guard is still the best horse archer, but its bow is now the one ordinary tier 5 archers use, which may change if the 1.5.0 beta bow buff goes live.
How to get noble troops
Seven troops reach tier 6, one per culture, and every one of them is the top of a noble line: the Fian Champion, Khan’s Guard, Vanguard Faris, Elite Cataphract, Banner Knight, Druzhinnik Champion and, with War Sails, the Nord Huscarl. Regular lines, mariner branches and tavern mercenaries stop at tier 5, and minor factions at tier 4, which means the only road to tier 6 runs through a culture’s noble line.
Castle villages
Noble recruits are offered by the landowner notables of villages that belong to a castle, never by the village headman or by town notables, and every culture works this way, the Empire included. The recruit starts at tier 2 and can grow in its slot up to tier 4, which means a lucky village will sometimes offer you a Vlandian Knight or a Khuzait Torguud with its horse already paid for. Tier 5 and 6 troops will never appear in villages.
Relation decides how many slots you can hire from. With no relation that is one slot per notable, at 20 relation four and at 60 all six, a little sooner if you belong to the village’s faction or play on an easier difficulty. The Empire has by far the most castle villages (50 of its 97), and since patch 1.4.5 you will not be able to recruit from villages of a faction at war with you.
Bandit routes
The other road to nobles goes through bandits. With the Leadership perk Veteran’s Respect, bandit troops can upgrade into culture troops, and the bandit leaders go straight to tier 5. Forest Bandits become Battanian Fians, Harami become Aserai Veteran Faris, Raiders from steppe bandit parties become Khuzait Kheshigs and Highwaymen become Vlandian Champions. Sea Raider Chiefs turn into Sturgian Druzhinniks (with a war horse) or Nord Berserkirs, and Corsair Chiefs into Aserai Bahriyyah.
That is the horse-free road to Khan’s Guards and Vanguard Faris. The Imperial and Nord noble lines have no bandit road at all.
The Roguery perk Partners in Crime lets you recruit surrendering bandit parties, and the Mariner perk Arr! does the same for pirates. Beware that the route is only horse-free if you capture the leaders themselves, since growing your own from lower bandits still costs a war horse into Raider or Harami and a horse into Highwayman. My Bannerlord best perks guide has more on Veteran’s Respect and the other recruitment perks.
Horses for upgrades
Nord and Battanian noble troops never need a horse to upgrade, while the other noble lines will ask you for one or two. Aserai and Khuzait nobles need a war horse to reach tier 4, Sturgian nobles a horse at tier 4 and a war horse at tier 5, and Imperial nobles a horse and then a war horse at tiers 3 and 4. The Vlandian line should need a single war horse at its very first upgrade, from Squire to Gallant. The requirement sits on the troop you upgrade into, and the horse is used up, one per soldier.
Regular mounted lines need horses too. AI parties skip this check for every troop except bandits, which helps explain why their armies are full of cavalry, but your own party will not get that shortcut. If you need to stock up, my Bannerlord war mounts guide has more on war horses.
Troop costs
Wages depend only on tier: 8 denars a day at tier 4, 12 at tier 5 and 17 at tier 6, whatever the culture or role, and tavern mercenaries cost 50% more. A Khan’s Guard costs the same 17 a day as a Fian Champion and is only more expensive to raise, with 475 gold for the recruit and its upgrades plus a war horse, against 325 gold and no horse for the Fian Champion or the Huscarl.
| Troop tier | Daily wage | Upgrade gold | Upgrade XP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | 2 | Hired for 20 | None |
| Tier 2 | 3 | 15 | 300 |
| Tier 3 | 5 | 25 | 550 |
| Tier 4 | 8 | 50 | 900 |
| Tier 5 | 12 | 100 | 1,300 |
| Tier 6 | 17 | 100 | 1,700 |
| Tavern mercenaries | x1.5 at tier 4 (12) and 5 (18) | 100 into tier 4, 200 into tier 5 | Same as regular troops |
If you run a big archer army, the Crossbow perk Picked Shots is worth a look. It halves the wages of every tier 4 and higher archer, crossbowman and horse archer, Khan’s Guards included, and it stacks with the Steward capstone Price of Loyalty.
For example, 300 Fian Champions will cost you 5,100 denars a day. Picked Shots brings that down to 2,550, and with Price of Loyalty at 300 Steward on top it drops to about 1,900. At sea Picked Shots only takes off 25%.
Best budget troops
If you cannot afford tier 5 yet, a few tier 4 troops are much better buys than the rest. The Forest Bandit is probably the best of them, with 150 Bow (the highest of any tier 4) and the Fian Champion’s Woodland Longbow, though its armor is light. With Veteran’s Respect it will upgrade straight into the noble Battanian Fian without any horse, which turns forest bandit parties into one of the cheapest roads to Fian Champions.
For the other roles, the Nord Marauder already swings a tier 6 two-handed axe and never needs a horse. The Vlandian Hardened Crossbowman carries the same Hickory Crossbow and pavise that the tavern Hired Crossbow charges 12 a day for, at a wage of 8. The Varyag Veteran is the heaviest-armored tier 4 in the main trees, the Vlandian Knight already rides a barded Destrier with a couchable lance, and the Imperial Veteran Infantryman is a Legionary in waiting.
The Aserai Mamluke Cavalry is a horse archer with a shield at tier 4, and captured Nomad Bandits will turn into it with Veteran’s Respect without any horse. At sea, the Sea Raider Chief is a mariner with 160 One-Handed that upgrades into a Nord Berserkir, again with no horse.
| Role | Budget pick | Troop tier | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shield infantry | Imperial Veteran Infantryman | 4 | Best-armored main-tree tier 4 shield infantry |
| Shock infantry | Nord Marauder | 4 | Hollowed Wing Axe in every set, no horse in the line |
| Archer | Forest Bandit | 4 | Highest tier 4 bow skill, upgrades into the Battanian Fian |
| Archer | Battanian Hero | 4 | Best Bow of any regular or noble tier 4, slow longbow |
| Crossbow | Vlandian Hardened Crossbowman | 4 | Hickory Crossbow and Pavise, same kit as the Hired Crossbow |
| Skirmisher | Battanian Veteran Skirmisher | 4 | Harpoons and a highland shield, upgrades into the Wildling |
| Skirmisher | Lake Rat Wrecker | 4 | Hooked Javelins and a Heavy Round Shield |
| Cavalry | Varyag Veteran | 4 | Highest armor of any main-tree tier 4, kite shield |
| Cavalry | Vlandian Knight | 4 | Barded Destrier, couchable Knight Lance and heater shield |
| Horse archer | Aserai Mamluke Cavalry | 4 | Shield and piercing arrows, Nomad Bandits upgrade into it |
| Naval | Sea Raider Chief | 4 | Mariner bandit that becomes a Nord Berserkir, no horse |
Troops to avoid
Some troops look good in the encyclopedia and give you less than they cost. Do not upgrade Sword Sisters past tier 4, because both tier 5 versions get a weaker crossbow, still wear no helmet and cost 18 a day instead of 12.
Tavern mercenaries at tier 5 are a bad deal in general. They will cost you 18 a day and wear between 65 and 123 armor, while a typical culture tier 5 wears around 160. My Bannerlord best armor guide has the pieces behind those totals. The Hired Elite Pike, for example, braces like the Vlandian Pikeman with 123 armor against 159 and 18 a day against 12, and at tier 4 the Hired Crossbow costs 12 a day for the same crossbow and pavise that the Vlandian Hardened Crossbowman carries for 8.
The tier 4 Battanian Falxman is a trap because of an old tip. The “falxman effect”, a tier 4 nearly as good as its tier 5, no longer holds. Today it carries a shorter falx, no throwing axes and 93 armor, which is a good reason to push it through to the Veteran Falxman.
Minor-faction troops top out at tier 4, and a few of their best are paper-thin. The Jawwal Bedouin has good skills on a War Camel but only 26.5 armor, and the Veteran Eleftheroi, the Arboreal and the Chosen Wolf all stay below 70.
Best army composition
The right army depends on where you fight, and the Nord and Battanian setups below have the nice side effect of needing no horses at all.
Field battles
- A Nord anvil and hammer, with a Huscarl or Shield-Companion wall in front, Skjaldbrestir on a flank and Sky-Gods Chosen behind. Anything from one to four Huscarls for every Skjaldbrestir works well.
- A Battanian skirmish line of Fian Champions and Wildlings in loose formation that holds fire until the enemy is close, with some Veteran Falxmen to finish the job.
- A mixed elite army of Huscarls in front, Fian Champions behind and Vanguard Faris or Khan’s Guards on the flanks. It is the strongest army on paper and the hardest to build, since you will need the castle villages of three or four cultures and a lot of war horses.
- A Khuzait army of Khan’s Guards split into three groups, or Darkhans with Heavy Lancers and horse archers, kept away from massed foot archers and javelins.
- An Imperial army with a Legionary wall, Elite Menavliatons behind it against cavalry, Sergeant Crossbowmen and an Elite Cataphract hammer.
Sieges
- For an assault, bring armor and Athletics. Heroic Line Breakers, Huscarls and dismounted Druzhinnik Champions do well on the ladders, with Fian Champions shooting the walls clear.
- Leave the heavy cavalry outside. The Elite Cataphract, Banner Knight and Khan’s Guard only have 60 Athletics against 160 for the Huscarl, and auto-resolve punishes mounted attackers in sieges as well.
- For defense, put Sharpshooters behind the crenels, Sky-Gods Chosen where they can drop the bow and hold a breach, and Fian Champions backed by Huscarls.
Naval battles
- Nords are the easy answer, with Huscarls on the boarding ships and Sky-Gods Chosen on a lighter ship that shoots while the others board.
- Outside the Nord trees, Nautes and Nautas make a strong pair, and Skipari work well next to Fian Champions.
- Khuzait armies have no mariners at all. If you play the Khuzaits and want mariners on your ships, you will have to bring Nords, another culture’s mariners, Sea Raiders or Corsairs.
Troop changes since War Sails
For reference, here is what changed for troops from the 1.3 beta to the live v1.4.8:
- 1.3.0 to 1.3.4 (beta from September 2025, War Sails launch on 26 November 2025): Nords, mariner branches, better ranged aim against moving targets and stronger spear bracing.
- 1.3.6 (27 November 2025): stronger Nord troops, the intended armor for Huscarls and helmets for Nords, and nerfs to the Bahriyyah’s bow and the Battanian mariner javelins.
- 1.3.8 (29 November 2025): lower Bow skill for Fian Champions and Khan’s Guards, and proper shields for Vlandian and Sturgian mariners.
- 1.3.13 (24 December 2025): a braceable instead of couchable Huscarl spear, adjusted Berserkir skills, better Ulfhedinn armor and a slower couched lance start again.
- 1.4.5 (21 May 2026, bringing the 1.4.0 and 1.4.1 betas live): the Mariner skill, lower party wages at sea, no flat cavalry bonus in auto-resolve, bracers moving to the front, better spear aim against riders, better rider swing timing, more accurate throwing on the move, knockdown on all two-handed maces, the Reinforced Huscarl Armor, new Nord helmets and no more swords for Berserkirs.
- 1.4.6 to 1.4.8 (up to 10 August 2026): nothing that changes the troop lines in this list.
The 1.5.0 beta from 19 August 2026 improves the Khan’s Guard’s bow and arrows and gives the Druzhinnik Champion a noble horse, but it is still a beta, and none of it is in the live game yet.
FAQ
Is the Imperial Legionary still the best infantry?
No. It sits in B on v1.4.8, but the Nord Huscarl and the Aserai Veteran Infantry are better shield infantry, and the javelin-carrying Imperial Naute is the stronger imperial infantry on the current patch.
What is the best horse archer that is not a noble?
The Khuzait Heavy Horse Archer, with the most armor of any tier 5 horse archer and two quivers. If you want a shield, the Aserai Mamluke Heavy Cavalry is the alternative.
Are noble troops worth it?
For tier 6, yes, because nobles are the only way to get there, and the Fian Champion, Huscarl and Vanguard Faris rank among the best troops in the game. They are slower to collect, since villages only offer them up to tier 4 and most lines need horses. Regular tier 5 lines like the Aserai Veteran Infantry, the Wildling and the Naute are just as strong in their roles and only cost 12 a day.
What is the best Nord unit?
The Huscarl is the best Nord unit, as the only tier 6 infantry and the S pick for both shield infantry and naval battles. The Skjaldbrestir is the best Nord shock troop, and the Sky-Gods Chosen is the archer to put behind them. None of them will ever need a horse to upgrade.
Conclusion
The War Sails patches shuffled the troop rankings quite a bit. The Fian Champion is still the safest elite to build, the Huscarl and the Skjaldbrestir made the Nords the best infantry culture, and the Vanguard Faris replaced the old heavy lancers as the best cavalry. If you just want an army that wins without hunting for war horses, then I would start with Huscarls in front and Fian Champions behind.
