The horns sound, the ravens gather. An empire is torn by civil war. Beyond its borders, new kingdoms rise. Gird on your sword, don your armour, summon your followers and ride forth to win glory on the battlefields of Calradia. Establish your hegemony and create a new world out of the ashes of the old.It’s finally here!
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord has left early access and is now available on GOG in its full glory. To celebrate that you can get
Bannerlord with a 20% discount. But it doesn’t end here - we can’t speak of
Bannerlord without remembering the series' previous titles that have started it all. Original
Mount & Blade,
Mount & Blade: With Fire & Sword and
Mount & Blade: Warband with its
Napoleonic Wars DLC and
Viking Conquest Reforged Edition are all available on GOG with 75% discount each! These promotions last until November 8th, 8 AM UTC and you can find them all in one place
HERE.
While there are good games with strong following, you also have exceptional games with fanatic following. The latter is without a doubt applicable to
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord. This eagerly awaited sequel to the acclaimed medieval combat simulator and role-playing game, is set 200 years before, and it expands both the detailed fighting system and the world of Calradia.
It really was hard to not hear about
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, but to sum it up, it’s an open world RPG combining strategy and action allowing us to bombard mountain fastnesses with siege engines, establish secret criminal empires in the back alleys of cities, or charge into the thick of chaotic battles in your quest for power.
Players can explore, raid and conquer their way across the vast continent of Calradia, making friends and enemies along the way. Raising their own army and leading it into battle, commanding and fighting alongside loyal troops in the thick of the action.
What drew all of us to Mount & Blade was its dynamic sandbox adventure making sure that no two playthroughs are the same. We can create and develop our own character to match our unique playstyle and progress skills by performing actions as we gain access to a selection of perks that represent our mastery of a talent.
It’s set in a realistic medieval world where we take part in a simulated feudal economy, where the price of everything from incense to warhorses fluctuates with supply and demand. But that’s of course not the only realistic part of the game. Until Mount & Blade there were little to no titles where we could vanquish our foes using a deep and intuitive combat system that is easy to learn but difficult to master in breathtaking, incredible battles with hundreds of on-screen units, each with their own detailed AI. And it is that part that we want to focus on today.
The game is full of different factions and units that can be upgraded and promoted to a different tier. During our conquest we can also hire mercenary units and bandits which results in tons of different unit types and army compositions. This variety allows to create unstoppable armies specialized in all kinds of combat. Appropriate maintenance of their strengths, weaknesses and enemy units’ counters can bring us to become the ultimate bannerlord feared by everyone in the realm.
Units come in 4 forms: infantry, archery, cavalry, or mounted archery units. Each faction has their own. We’ll take a look at the 5 most powerful ones in our opinion. Keep in mind that you may have a different take on that and we are more than happy to hear about your picks in the comments! But for now, let’s dive into it.
5. Imperial Legionary
As fifth-tier infantry troops of the Caladric Empire the Imperial Legionary are one of the most versatile infantry units in the game. These heavily-armored soldiers of the Empire boast some of the best armor-to-weight ratio stats of any other heavy unit in the game and completely dominate the infantry scene. From stopping cavalry charges, through breaking every infantry-type shield wall, to easily getting through archers when conquering settlements - they can do it all, and they are exceptional at it.
4. Battanian Fian Champion
Sixth-tier noble troops of Battania are the premier foot archers of Bannerlord. While rare, if a patient player can prepare even a small force of these to support their army, they will single-handedly win battles. They possess powerful bows with good accuracy and can out-range pretty much everyone. They are especially effective against the Empire, but when placed on high ground, or in front of your own troops so that they can fire on approaching units unimpeded it’s over for your enemy.
3. Aserai Mameluke Heavy Cavalry
One of the best non-noble options is represented by the fifth-tier heavy-cavalry of the Aserai. They are well-armored with possibly the best bow in the game, have really fast horses and are capable units of melee fighting both on and off the horse. Try to gather an army of these guys and your military problems will disappear immediately.
2. Khuzait Khan's Guard
Tier 6 cavalry special unit for Khuzait. Whole faction prides themselves in archery skills but Khan’s Guard are just something else. They ride into battle with recurve bows and glaives, but the latter won’t be needed much if they are controlled properly. Their ability to dish out damage without taking any in the process and shred unaware infantry units is absolutely fantastic and it is recommended to try to recruit as many of them as possible.
1. Vlandian Sharpshooter
And of course the Sharpshooters from Vladia - their fifth-tier troops. Not much to say about them besides that they have the strongest crossbows in the game, great range and accuracy, carry decent swords and shields so they can defend themselves and be used as infantry in a pinch and are relatively easy to recruit. Getting a large number of these units in your army can make most battles over before the melee combat starts.
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord offers an incredible variety of units so while we just selected a handful, we highly recommend discovering the rest by yourself and finding out which ones do you like the best during your future battles! And if you already played
Bannerlord and have your types, let us know in the comments as we’re pretty sure your opinion may differ - different lords, different playstyles!
But enough talking, time to draw our swords and conquer the land!
