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The Imperial Legionary is the strongest all-round infantry choice in this role-based ranking, but no troop is best in every fight. Use shielded units such as Legionaries or Vlandian Sergeants to hold the line, then commit shock troops like Sturgian Heroic Line Breakers where they can reach engaged enemies without taking a volley on the approach. For cavalry defense, build around spearmen and polearm troops. This list combines the 2026 ranking by Liz Stone with role recommendations from Gamer Guides; its later placements are an editorial synthesis, not the result of a controlled tournament. It covers faction infantry plus two clearly marked exceptions: the ranged-melee Fian Champion and non-faction Sea Raider Chief.
How to choose the best infantry for your army
Infantry value depends on the job you need done: protecting a formation, breaking a line, denying cavalry a charge, or fighting through a siege. A unit that deals heavy damage may be a poor frontline choice if it lacks a shield or is exposed to missiles before contact. Recruitment and replacing casualties also matter over a long campaign; a theoretically powerful troop is less useful if rebuilding the force is impractical, a point made by Gaming Survival Guide’s September 2026 guide.
The order below is a practical ranking, not a claim of universal matchups or measured win rates. The first eight positions follow Liz Stone’s 2026 evaluation, while the remaining choices synthesize role guidance from Gamer Guides. Unit behavior and equipment can vary with patches, platform, difficulty, formation handling and tactical context; the available sources do not establish the exact current stable version or War Sails effects on these units.
The 15 best infantry units in Bannerlord
1. Imperial Legionary — best all-round frontline
Legionaries are the safest general-purpose pick when you need infantry to hold a line. Their heavy protection and large shields make them well suited to absorbing missile fire and staying in formation, while their weapon mix gives them more flexibility than a specialist. Liz Stone names them her all-round favorite in the 2026 ranking, an editorial judgment rather than an official rating. They are also a practical choice for sieges and extended campaigns.
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Heroic Line Breakers bring frightening two-handed damage, but their value depends on getting them safely into melee. Keep them behind shielded troops during the approach or send them against enemies already occupied by your frontline. Their lack of a protective shield makes an exposed advance costly. Stone ranks them second and emphasizes how much more dangerous they become after another unit has absorbed incoming arrows.
#1 Best Overall
3. Sturgian Heavy Spearman — best defensive anti-cavalry pick
Choose Heavy Spearmen when the priority is a stable defensive line and protection against mounted charges. They are the clearest cavalry-defense specialist in Stone’s top eight. Their role is not to chase enemies across the field: keep them formed where cavalry must approach and let their reach and formation do the work.
4. Vlandian Sergeant — durable shield infantry
Sergeants are a dependable choice for defensive formations and siege fighting. Their shield-and-armor profile favors holding ground over chasing damage, which makes them useful as the core that protects more vulnerable troops. Gamer Guides also lists Vlandian Sergeants among infantry with polearm proficiency, giving them potential utility against cavalry when properly formed.
5. Aserai Veteran Infantry — flexible shielded troops
Veteran Infantry combine a shielded frontline role with throwing capability, giving them a useful option before the lines meet as well as in close combat. Their versatility makes them a good fit when an army needs durable infantry without relying exclusively on one weapon role. Gamer Guides identifies them as suitable for siege battles.
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Rank #2
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6. Battanian Oathsworn — shielded support for a Battanian line
Oathsworn are a solid shielded choice for holding the frontline, particularly alongside Battanian ranged troops. Their job is to keep pressure off those damage-dealing units rather than serve as the army’s main shock element. Gamer Guides also notes polearm proficiency, which can help against cavalry when the troop is deployed in a suitable formation.
7. Khuzait Darkhan — heavy infantry for holding positions
Darkhans offer a heavy-infantry option for a Khuzait force that needs troops to hold ground while its mobile units maneuver. They are also among the infantry options identified as useful in sieges. Gamer Guides lists polearm proficiency as an additional potential tool against cavalry; formation and positioning still matter.
8. Battanian Veteran Falxman — high-damage flanker
Veteran Falxmen are better used to exploit a fight than to absorb its opening blows. Send them toward a flank or against enemies already tied down by shield infantry. Their damage potential comes with vulnerability to missiles when exposed, so avoid using them as the first troops across open ground.
Rank #3
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9. Imperial Elite Menavliaton — polearm specialist
Menavliatons bring a polearm-focused role to an Imperial army, making them a useful specialist when enemy cavalry or reach is a concern. They complement Legionaries rather than replace them: use the Legionaries to anchor the line and position the Menavliatons where their polearms can address the threat.
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Voulgiers are a shock-oriented polearm option with useful reach, especially when deployed in formation against cavalry. Gamer Guides specifically highlights their reach among shock-troop choices. Their role makes them less of a simple substitute for shielded infantry: protect them during approach and give them a clear target or lane.
11. Vlandian Pikeman — anti-cavalry reach with less armor
Pikemen offer reach and anti-cavalry utility, but Gamer Guides describes them as less armored and more maneuverable than heavy-infantry options. That trade-off makes them a specialist choice rather than a direct replacement for Sergeants in a line that must take sustained pressure.
Rank #4
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12. Aserai Mameluke Palace Guard — two-handed and throwing damage
Palace Guards are a damage-oriented option best used behind or beside a more durable frontline. Their two-handed weapons and throwing capability give them ways to contribute at different points in an engagement, but they should not be left to absorb missile fire or hold an exposed position alone.
13. Sturgian Heavy Axeman — armored one-handed siege fighter
Heavy Axemen provide a heavily armored, one-handed option with siege utility. They fit an army that wants another durable close-combat troop, rather than a dedicated spear wall or unshielded shock unit. Gamer Guides includes them among useful heavy infantry candidates.
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Fian Champions are included only in a broad list that allows hybrids. Gamer Guides describes them as excellent two-handed fighters, but they are primarily a ranged troop, so they should not be treated as a conventional frontline infantry replacement. That guide reports a two-handed skill of 220, compared with 150 for the next-highest troop in its comparison; those are guide-reported figures from a page last updated in 2022 and may not reflect current game data.
15. Sea Raider Chief — non-faction heavy hitter
Sea Raider Chiefs offer a non-faction option with two-handed damage. Their armor is described as lower than that of faction heavy infantry in Gamer Guides, so they are a less straightforward choice for a force that needs a durable frontline. Include them when the broader roster allows non-faction troops; a strict faction-only list would omit this entry.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Build the infantry formation around the threat
For a frontline that must hold
Make shielded troops the core: Imperial Legionaries, Vlandian Sergeants, Sturgian Heavy Spearmen, Aserai Veteran Infantry, Battanian Oathsworn or Khuzait Darkhans. The strongest choice among these depends on faction availability and whether you need a general line, siege utility or additional cavalry defense.
For cavalry defense
Use Sturgian Heavy Spearmen as the clearest defensive specialist. Polearm-capable alternatives named by Gamer Guides include Darkhans, Legionaries, Vlandian Sergeants, Imperial Elite Menavliatons, Oathsworn, Aserai Veteran Infantry, Veteran Falxmen, Vlandian Pikemen and Voulgiers. Do not assume a troop’s polearm proficiency alone guarantees a stop: formation and positioning determine whether it can meet a charge effectively.
For shock damage
Keep Heroic Line Breakers, Veteran Falxmen, Palace Guards and Voulgiers protected until they can engage on favorable terms. Shielded infantry should absorb the approach; then direct shock troops at an enemy formation already committed to melee or send them around a flank. Missile exposure is the key risk for unshielded damage dealers.
For sieges
Heavily armored troops are a sensible core for close-quarters assault and defense. The reviewed guides specifically point to Legionaries, Darkhans, Sturgian Heavy Spearmen, Sturgian Heavy Axemen and Aserai Veteran Infantry as suitable siege choices. No controlled siege comparison establishes a universal winner or win rate.
What the rankings do—and do not—establish
Stone’s August 2026 ranking evaluates survivability, melee performance, equipment, battlefield role, recruitment practicality, and usefulness in sieges and field battles. Gamer Guides adds role-based options across factions, but its infantry page was last updated in 2022, so its recommendations may predate later balance changes. A separate Game Rack comparison discusses troop data for version 1.4.8, but the figures have not been verified against official patch notes here. None of these sources is a controlled tournament or official developer assessment, so use the ordering as a tactical guide rather than a guarantee that one unit will win every matchup.
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