In a game that’s full of decisions that can change the course of your character for years, choosing a faction is the first and biggest decision you’ll make. It defines your race, where you’ll begin, and how you’ll be perceived by the world.
Each faction has inherent strengths and weaknesses that will aid or deter specific playstyles. This guide is a countdown of the best faction in Bannerlord from least to best. Remember that this is our take on the best way to play Bannerlord, which varies from player to player and has no absolutely correct answer.
Table of Contents
8 – Sturgia
In Bannerlord, Sturgians are the ‘Viking’ faction that pushes into the mainland from the frozen north. The Sturgians’ strengths lie in their shield walls that boast heavily-armored infantry units and the Heroic Line Breaker attacking as the game’s best-flanking shock troops. They also benefit from a starting location farther north than any other faction, meaning the only threats to their realm can come from the south, and they can raid and retreat more effectively.
However, the Sturgians are lowest on the list for three reasons: 1) the 20% speed bonus in the snow is very useful in their homeland and in the northern winter, but not so much everywhere else; 2) the faction lacks a horse archer unit, crippling them against the likes of the Khuzait; and 3) according to many players, Raganvand is an incompetent leader who routinely engages in winless battles, to the point where his ineptitude has become a running joke.
7 – Northern Empire
The Empire states–Northern, Western, and Southern–each have the same 20% construction bonus on town upgrades, wall repairs, and siege engines. That means they’re good at building, defending, and attacking cities. They also have the same highly versatile and effective troop trees, which means they’re only separated by geography and leadership.
While many would argue that Lucon is the best candidate to replace the fallen Emporer in a patriarchal society, his position is relatively weak compared to the other two claimants, Garios and Rhagea. For one, he’s 62 years old at the start of Bannerlord, which means his death of natural causes is a possibility from the onset, and his successor may or may not be up to the task of settling the realm. And while the Northern Empire is well-positioned in the mountains to fend off encroachment from surrounding factions, these same mountains make moving around in their homeland a chore and limit their own escape routes in times of crisis.
6 – Western Empire
The Western Empire is in a better geographical position than the Northern Empire, with abundant lowlands that are ideal for horsemen throughout and a large body of water keeping the Aserai at bay. As with the other Empire factions, the West comes with one of the most well-rounded troop trees in the game, one that can hold its own against any faction’s troops. They also have a strong leader in Garios, though his claim to the Empire is the weakest among the three vying for the throne. The downside of the Western Empire is its compromising position.
A landbridge to the north gives them a chokepoint against Aseria incursion, but it also allows the Aserai to access their lands and retreat to the desert. Unlike the Aserai, though, the Western Empire also faces opposition from the Vlandians to the north, as well as the bordering Northern and Southern Empires on the other fronts, as well as the Battanians, who are a short trip from the Highlands away.
5 – Khuzait
The Khuzait are this high on the list because of their cavalry, which makes all of their parties faster than their adversaries and makes them a tough out in an open-field battle. Beyond that, they are in an ideal position to strike at four nearby factions (Sturgia, Northern Empire, Southern Empire, Aserai), and they are near impossible to catch once they retreat back to the plains with their 10% bonus on cavalry units that are already exceptionally fast. These strengths compensate for a weakness as sieging offense and defense since they can simply wear armies down in the field and take keeps from lesser units.
4 – Battania
The Battanian troop tree leaves something to be desired with their less-than-stellar cavalry and infantry units. Their saving grace is their Tier-6 archery units, the Battanian Fian Champions, which replace standard archery in their troop tree with the only elite archery units in the game. These are the best troops in both siege offense and defense and the open field. Their placement in the woods between Vlandia and Sturgia might seem precarious until considering their 10% speed bonus in forests.
Their easy access to extremely cheap wood contributes to the most economically viable placement on the map. As a result, you’ll often see cities like Marunath and their ruler, Caladog, among the richest in the game.
3 – Vlandia
The Vlandians are the ancestors of the Swadians of the first Mount & Blade title, Warband. They have even more powerful horsemen called Banner Knights and crossbowmen called Sharpshooters, making them a formidable opponent in both sieges and the field.
Their position in the northwest corner of the map is highly defensible, and they have good routes to attack their adversaries with no one at their back. The biggest bonus to playing with the Vlandians is their 10% experience bonus for troops from all battles, which means that even if they have less balance among them, they’ll reach their potential faster than any other faction.
2 – Aserai
When facing a computer opponent, the Aserai is annoyingly tough to beat in the desert. Fortunately, you can use this to your advantage when playing as this faction. T
heir troop tree is perhaps the most balanced in the game, with good archers, strong infantry, versatile horse archers, and tier-6 Aserai Vanguard Faris serving as their knights. Like the Sturgians, they have a 10% movement bonus in their home terrain, except the desert is the same all year round as opposed to the snow, which retreats north a bit in the summer.
Add the fact that caravans cost 30% or less, and they have a 10% smaller trade penalty, and it becomes clear this faction is equipped for both trade and war.
1 – Southern Empire
The Southern Empire is the strongest among the Empire factions because of its leadership, which includes Rhagea and her heir apparent daughter Ira. They have the most substantial claim to the throne–or “right to rule” for our Warband players–and they can win just as easily through diplomacy as conquest (unlike the other two Empire factions, which are the extremes of both).
While their flanks are exposed on both sides, their most important cities are centralized and defensible, and this location can be an asset during times of expansion.
The Khuzait lands are easily accessible to the northeast, and the Aserai lands are right next door in the southwest. This faction begins the game with eight cities and eight castles, granting them more assets than other kingdoms.
There is a risk-reward scenario of being surrounded by four different factions. Still, the placement of their bordering keeps gave the Southern Empire great opportunities to set up forward bases for attack and retreat tactics.
These reasons make the Southern Empire the best faction in Bannerlord.
