Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord offers players a massive sandbox to explore and conquer as they see fit. But of course, no general regardless of their skill is anything without an army to back them up. Though you can find success with any soldiers if you play to their strengths and are tactical, not all soldiers are equal. Each nation in Bannerlord has its own distinctive types of soldiers, and each nation’s troops have things they are better suited for or in contrast, poorly suited for. But never fear, I’m here to go through the best soldiers (in my humble opinion) available to you in each of the six major factions. 

The Empire (Northern, Southern, and Western)

Top 3 Best Troops:

Imperial Legionary

• Arguably the strongest infantry unit available in the game at the moment, the Imperial legionaries smash into battle with swords, shields, and heavy armor. A line of Legionaries will be able to take down just about anything you can throw at them. 
• Heavy armor and large shields make them a very powerful shield wall
• Can smash through the lines of almost any other infantry unit
• Shields make them fairly resilient when facing ranged enemies

Imperial Elite Cataphract

• The Empire’s special unit. Imperial Elite Cataphracts can hold their own against any other cavalry, and crush most on-foot units unlucky enough to get in their way.
• Heavily armored soldiers and horses, allowing them to take a beating
• One of the most heavily armored units in the game.. 
• Some of the best cavalry units in the game.

Imperial Palatine Guard

• Imperial Palatine Guards are one of the two best options for ranged combat in the Imperial Faction. They are narrowly better than the Imperial Sergeant Crossbowman due to the increased firing speed of bows.
• Fairly accurate, solid ranged units
• Reasonably well armored for Archers
• Not bad in a melee fight if they have to be in one

Battania

Top 3 Best Troops:

Battanian Wildling

• The best the Batanians have to offer in terms of infantry. 
• Equipped with a large shield, allowing for protection from projectiles
• Can hold up an enemy with a shieldwall, as you pick them off with bowmen

Battanian Horseman

• One of the only cavalry units available for this faction
• One of the weaker Cavalry units in the game, but better than nothing
• If used carefully, they can effectively flank enemy troops and deal with enemy archers

Battanian Fian Champion

• Not only is this the strongest ranged unit in the game by a fair margin, but it’s also the only special unit in the game to be an archer (most of the factions favouring Cavalry)
• Use of a Longbow gives them more range, accuracy, and damage than any other ranged unit
• They carry a lot of arrows, and are capable of shooting at an impressive pace
• Can entirely destroy weaker charging enemies, entirely on their own

Vlandia

Top 3 Best Troops:

Vlandian Sargeant

• One of the better infantry units in the game.
• Heavily armored
• Equipped with a strong shield
• Have a spear to pose a serious danger to cavalry

Vlandian Banner Knight

• A very strong Cavalry unit.
• Very heavy armor gives it almost unparalleled protection
• Couchable Lance allows for much higher damage output on a charging strike than many other cavalry units

Vlandian Sharpshooter

• One of the best crossbow units in the game.
• Very strong crossbow damage

Sturgia

Top 3 Best Troops:

Sturgian Ulfhednar

• A heavy infantry wielding a two handed axe.
• Fast moving
• Capable of inflicting a lot of damage with their axe

Sturgian Druzhinnik Champion

• A reasonably solid cavalry unit that stands out most for its speed and maneuverability compared to other units in its class. 
• Faster Horse than most heavy cavalry
• Slightly longer lance than other cavalry (aside from the Imperial Cataphract)

Sturgian Veteran Bowman

• A respectable ranged unitto pad out your army.
• Fast moving, lightly armored
• Good for covering the charge of your Ulfhednar. 

Aserai

Top 3 Best Troops:

Aserai Mameluke Palace Guard

• A powerful infantry unit with a two handed axe. 
• Good armor and very heavy damage output
• Capable of causing a lot of damage so long as they are properly protected from enemy ranged units and cavalry

Aserai Vanguard Faris

• In my opinion, the second best Cavalry unit in the game. 
• The only true test of the Imperial Cataphracts
• Strong armor on both soldier and horse
• Their long lance gives them a strong advantage against most enemy units, especially enemy cavalry

Aserai Mameluke Heavy Cavalry 

• A heavy cavalry of horse archers that are better than all but the Khan’s Guard of the Khuzaits.
• A rarely powerful horse archer
• Unlike most horse archers, these are heavily armored
• good for harassing enemy infantry and damaging enemy morale.

Khuzait

Top 3 Best Troops:

Khuzait Darkhan

• A good versatile spear infantry.
• Combination of javaelines and a spear make it especially effective against cavalry.
• Well armored

Khuzait Heavy Lancer 

• A respectable heavy cavalry unit.
• One of the better horses for a cavalry unit
• a fairly long lance gives it a good edge on most cavalry
• Well armored

Khuzait Khan’s Guard

• A truly terrifying horse archer.
• It’s high archery skills make it deadly with it’s bow.
• It’s high-damage glave helps protect it from immediate death if it’s unhorsed. 

Also Be Sure To Read:

• [Top 10] Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord Best Cavalry Units
• Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord Best Faction - Which To Choose
• [Top 10] Mount & Blade 2 Bannerlord Best Companions
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• Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord Best Culture - How To Choose
• Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord Review - Is It Worth It?
• [Top 10] Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord Best Wife - How To Choose
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• Mount & Blade 2 Bannerlord Best Troops for Each Faction
• Mount & Blade 2 Multiplayer -How it Works