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With new factions and new units in Bannerlord, there are a ton of options when it comes to building an army.

If you’re looking to optimize your units and only train the best, we compiled a list of the best units in Bannerlord from horse archers to spearmen.

Some of these units are special faction units which makes them hard to acquire, but not impossible.

It should be no surprise though that the best units in the game are more expensive and rarer. Without further ado, let’s breakdown what the best units in Bannerlord a.

Best Archer in Bannerlord

Best Archer in Bannerlord

The best archer unit in Bannerlord is hands down the Battanian Fian Champion. The special unit for the Battanian faction, the Fian Champion outranges almost every single unit in the game and is insanely accurate.

If you can manage to get a small group of these together in your army and put them on high ground during a fight, they will constantly rain deadly arrows down on your enemies.

They are particularly useful against factions that rely heavily on footmen such as the Sturgians or the Empire since their forces will be forced to charge you or they’ll risk taking heavy losses as your Fian Champions assault them from above.

If they do have to fight with a sword, they pull out a massive two-handed sword that they are also quite deadly with, but it’s best to defend them and let them use their bows instead.

How to Get the Battanian Fian Champion

You can get the Fian Champion by recruiting any of their lower-level versions in Battanian villages or towns.

Look for Highborn Youth, Highborn Warrior, Hero, or Fian when recruiting troops in the Battanian home region.

Since this is a special unit for the Battanian faction, they are quite rare. If you want to mass these units, we suggest building relations with Battanian villages and towns so that you can buy more units.

We also advise you to keep your existing units out of harm’s way and never simulate battles as the AI is quite bad and you will lose them.

If you have the disciplinarian perk from the Leadership skill tree, you can upgrade forest bandits to the Fian Champion as well.

Best Cavalry Unit in Bannerlord

Best Cavalry Unit in Bannerlord

When it comes to the best cavalry unit in Bannerlord, the Imperial Elite Cataphract is the best.

The Empire’s special cavalry unit has the best polearm to match it’s impressive 280 skill level and a great one-handed weapon to match.

These units last long in a fight and can dish out a ton of damage when they mass up and charge.

How to Get the Imperial Elite Cataphract

You can get the Imperial Elite Cataphract by recruiting any of their lower-level versions in Empire villages or towns.

Look for the Vilga Recruit, Equite, Heavy Horseman, or Cataphract when recruiting troops in the Battanian home region.

The Vilga Recruit is the only unit in this tree that is on foot, but they can definitely hold their own against other tier I or even tier II troops.

Best Infantry Unit in Bannerlord

Best Infantry Unit in Bannerlord

The best infantry unit in Bannerlord that isn’t technically considered a spearman is the Imperial Legionary.

This is not a special unit like the above and can be easily farmed to have a massive army composed of them.

Imperial legionaries come with a devastating one-handed weapon and a spear, however, they will prefer to use their sword instead. They also have strong shields to block any arrows as they charge into battle.

How to Get the Imperial Legionary

You can get the Imperial Legionary by recruiting any of their lower-level versions in Empire villages or towns.

Look for the base Imperial Recruit, Infantryman, or Train Infantryman, or Veteran Infantryman when recruiting troops in the Empire region.

The Empire also has a really good archer unit and the best cavalry unit in the game making them a great choice to build your army from.

Best Spearman in Bannerlord

Best Spearman in Bannerlord

The Khuzait’s only infantry unit, the Darkhan, is the best spearman in the game.

While the Sturgian Shock Troop is a good choice too, they lack a ranged weapon which makes them easy targets for horse archers or enemy archers as they charge into battle.

The Darkhan has a great shield, throwing weapon, and spear which enable it to fight against the enemy in multiple ways.

Being able to throw a few spears at the enemy before they get to your line could be the difference between winning or losing.

How to Get the Khuzait Darkhan

The Darkhan is an easy unit to mass since it is in the regular troop tree for the Khuzait faction.

Simply go around to towns and villages in the Khuzait home region and recruit their base unit, the Khuzait Nomad, or any of the units in the tree with the Darkhan.

These include the Khuzait Footman, Spearman, and Spear Infantry. Keep an eye out for the Khuzait’s special horse archer unit as they are the best in the game when it comes to horse archers and are well worth the price.

Best Horse Archer Unit in Bannerlord

Best Horse Archer Unit in Bannerlord

The Khuzait rule the world when it comes to horse archers. Their special faction unit the Khan’s Guard is easily the best.

It has an insane 280 bow skill and if needed can pull out its glaive and one hit enemies with it.

We doubt they will have to though since they’ll probably be running circles around your enemies turning them into pin cushions.

The Khan’s Guard also has the highest riding skill out of any of the horse archers in the game. At 280 riding, this unit is extremely fast and agile on the battlefield.

How to Get the Khan’s Guard

The Khan’s Guard is part of the special unit tree for the Khuzait faction. This means they’re rare but worth it.

They will spawn randomly in the recruit menu at towns and villages in the Khuzait homeland. You can recruit the following units and upgrade them into the Khan’s Guard – the Noble’s Son, Torguud, and Kheshig.

We hope you enjoyed this guide to the best units in Bannerlord. If you’re looking for more Bannerlord tips and tricks, check out our other guides below!