TROOP TREE.

Here are my thoughts about the top tier troops each faction can field in each of 6 classes - foot archers, horse archers, heavy cavalry, light cavalry, offensive infantry, and defensive infantry.

These are merely my personal observations and analyses; I do not pretend to have all the answers. Therefore, please feel free to chime in! You can tell me that I'm wrong. I'll survive. I think. 

Notes on damage types

(B)lunt weapons (i) penetrate armour well, (ii) may crush through a block, and (iii) may cause a knockdown on a downswing.

(C)utting weapons do extra damage to lightly armoured targets.

(P)iercing damage penetrates armour well.

The following numerical analyses mostly ignore damage types as it would be pretty much impossible to determine a good weighting system to standardise the types against one another. This is because effects based on chance or player skill are fluid in effectiveness, because things change depending on the armour loadout of the enemy, and because it's just blasted hard to get universal agreement regarding the relative value of damage versus status effects.

Do look up the attached tables to see what damage types are available to each unit to help you get a more complete picture of how combat-effective it really is.

Part I: Foot archers

The primary purposes of the foot archer are to inflict heavy casualties before the enemy can even get close and to restrict the movement of enemy infantry. Most archers are poorly armoured and weak in close combat and consequently should be kept out of the fray either using an infantry (or, less commonly, mounted) screen or their own two legs.

In sieges, good archers can pick off the defenders on the battlements from range and kill with impunity once they are up on the walls firing into the courtyard. They are invaluable in siege defence, doing the majority of the damage until the attackers manage to take the walls (if they manage to do so).

Rankings are based first on ranged effectiveness and only second on melee survivability and other characteristics. Therefore, depending on terrain, army composition, and tactical needs, these rankings may not always be correct.

Swadian A7 Retinue Longbowman

3rd best bow, 2nd best bow skills; compared to the Vaegir A7, has significantly lower damage output. However, still a very strong archer and a little better in melee than the Vaegir (on paper). Fairly fast runner and shooter: on the field, may employ skirmishing tactics if infantry support is lacking. Important as Swadians lack good defensive infantry. This mobility advantage is negated in sieges, however.

Vaegir A7 Sokolinty Glaz

Strongest (but arguably only 2nd best) bow, best bow skills; far and away the best (bow) archer of all. Not very good in melee, however, though B 1H may cause occasional knockdowns; also, only average running speed. Best used as fixed artillery; station in fortifications or behind infantry screen and rain death on the enemy from afar. Brilliant when storming or defending castles.

Khergit A6 Kharvaach

Has probably the best bow (39 damage to Vaegir's 40, but speed of 97 instead of Vaegir's 79), but only decent bow skills. Mediocre swordsman, above-average armour. Slightly better than Swadian A7 (because of superior bow). Less effective in melee than the Swadian because of power (though armour is slightly better) and not as effective as a skirmisher because of running speed, but a really good unit especially considering this is an A6. That said, Khergit lack of infantry support troublesome. Shines in siege warfare.

Nord (i) A6 Ealdorman

High damage with throwing axes but ammo and range limited. Mediocre in melee. Fast runners perhaps best used as skirmishers: harass enemy forces with ranged attacks and finish off the badly wounded in melee. Also may take on role of chasing down routers since Nords lack light horse. Absolutely rubbish in sieges.

Nord (ii) A4 Bogsveigir

Bow is fast but weak. Low grade archer and swordsman. Poorly armoured. This is the best true ranged unit the Nords have, but it ranks far below the other factions' archers. Probably best used in garrison to shower arrows on besiegers. Poor accuracy so quite useless in castle assault.

Rhodok A7 Condottiero d'Assedio

Powerful but slow crossbow. Great armour and shield; good sword. Tough, fast runner, strong offensive and defensive melee combatant. Good against all foot soldiers and archers. Good as self-sufficient artillery in the field; can also serve as heavy infantry with a terrific ranged punch. Outstanding for both offensive and defensive sieges.

Sarranid A6 Silahtar

Decent bow but ranged skills mediocre. High damage (but slow and short) melee weapon, decent melee skills. Heavy armour; not a bad melee figher. Can serve as an average but hard-to-kill archer unit or as a decent offensive infantry unit with good ranged capabilities. Okay in siege offence but can present interesting option in siege defence: populate the walls only with these archers and allow them to switch to melee when necessary.

Sword Sisters A5 Virago

Weak bow, mediocre ranged ability. Short, fast, weak sword meant for close quarter fighting; poor melee skills. Armour also not great. However, has a pavise shield; may be useful in field defence against other archers but must be protected from infantry and cavalry by other troops. Perhaps second best (next to Rhodok A7) as ranged support in siege offence - relatively safe from return fire by defenders.

Mercenaries (i) A4 Armbrust Komtur

Crossbow slow but damaging; mediocre ranged skill. Fairly good shield, average armour; defensive 1H; good against other archers, can survive in melee for short while but needs protection for long haul. Okay in siege assault: good ranged defence and big damage, but let down by ranged ability. Also okay in castle defence.

Mercenaries (ii) A3 Armbrust Miliz

2nd best crossbow, surprisingly better than Merc A4's; slightly poorer ranged skill. Shield, armour of low quality; fragile and only self-sufficient against ranged foes. About same as Merc A4 in sieges. Cheaper than Merc A4 though and may be better choice therefore.

Rankings

#1 - Vaegir does high damage accurately. Not great in melee.

#2 - Khergit better than Swadian in ranged but weak in melee.

#3 - Swadian fast and damaging. Fair runner, able to skirmish.

#4 - Rhodok does huge damage very slowly. Excellent melee combatant; truly self-sufficient archer. Probably rank 1 in siege offence and defence.

#5 - Sarranid only average but also good in melee.

#6 - Sword Sister poor archer, but has pavise shield and may be #2 for castle assaults.

#7 - Mercenaries damaging but only moderately accurate.

#8 - Nords have 2 ranged options, neither of which is very strong.

Part II: Mounted archers

Mounted archers, like foot archers, are generally used either for offence or harassment. A third responsibility is chasing down escapees (though the light horseman is typically better suited for that). The advantages of the horse archer over his poorer cousin are the ability to reposition rapidly on the battlefield and the option of shooting on the move. The carrying capacity of the horse also allows many in this group to wear heavier armour.

They are however bigger targets for enemy marksmen when not moving; they therefore are not so well-served by an infantry cordon. Mounted archers do also tend to cost more, making it harder to field a large platoon of these. Since they lose their four-legged advantage in sieges, they tend to be only approximately as useful as foot archers there.

Rankings are based first on ranged effectiveness and mobility and only second on melee survivability and other characteristics. Therefore, depending on terrain, army composition, and tactical needs, these rankings may not always be correct.

Swadian C5 Hobilar

Good damage but short range, little ammo; poor ranged skills. Poor rider; horse fast but not agile. Does not do well at ranged harassment. Decent sword and melee skills; good armour for an archer; all weapons are one-handed, allowing shield to be deployed at all times. Actually light cavalry with ranged option. Perhaps best as anti-horse archer: pepper with darts while attempting to close to melee. Complete rubbish in sieges.

Vaegir H6 Voevoda

Good ranged skill, fairly good bow; slow but powerful shots. Decent melee skills slightly offset average sword. Armour mediocre, shield poor. Horse heavily armoured but not manoeuvrable; also, bow shots not that accurate when on the move. Good as mobile artillery platform and to chase down routers but does not do as well as skirmisher. Quite good in sieges because of high damage and because shooting speed matters less in that arena.

Khergit H7 Mandugai

Good fast bow, best archery skills; high damage with impressive rate of fire, hands down best mounted archer. Good sword and okay shield, great armour, quick but light strikes; good in melee against lightly armoured opponents but will have difficulty hurting tough foes. Slow armoured horse not meant for skirmishing but for large-group ride bys or direct combat; however, excellent riding skill ameliorates this weakness. Superb archery and good armour, surprisingly good in sieges. Toughness allows these to stand next to tanks in castle defence, replacing melee off-tanks (tough units that back up main tanks) with ranged ones.

Nords

Nord faction completely lacks horses.

Rhodok H5 Balestrieri

Crossbow does damage comparable to other factions' horsebows but is slow; archery skills unimpressive. Very poor armour and shield; horse fast but weak and not agile; axes powerful but slow; not good in either harassment or protracted melee. Two uses: (1) As alpha strike - ride fast to meet enemy first, unload a round of bolts, then ride back behind friendly lines. (2) As clean-up crew - chase down routers or injured single foes and hit them with crossbow bolt or slow-but-strong axe. Okay in defensive sieges, but poor armour makes this unit vulnerable in attack.

Sarranid H7 Iqta'dar

About as good as Vaegir H6 when stationary, much better when in motion; 2nd best horse archer. Much better in melee than Khergit H7: excellent weapon, armour, shield. Like Khergit, horse tough but slow, but high riding skill helpful. Also like Khergit, good at ride-by archery and direct combat; nowhere near as good as Khergit in mobile archery but has easier time against heavily armoured foes in melee. Good in sieges; lower accuracy and better armour compared to Khergit H7 make this unit more suited for defence than offence. Better off-tank than Khergit.

Sword Sisters H6 Black Widow

Fast, weak bow; okay ranged skills. Melee gear and skills nothing to write home about. Shield and shield skill best against projectiles. Horse weak and slow but highly agile. Best as ranged harasser: ride circles around everyone while lobbing shots. However, beware: horse not well-protected and can get downed by ranged attacks. Also, avoid getting forced into melee combat. Okay in sieges but as defender should try to stay out of melee.

Black Khergit Horseman

Same bow as Sword Sister H6; much better ranged skill. Defensive 1H supplement best armour and hardy shield; tough and accurate but not powerful; melee stats and equipment clearly for survival rather than damage, but highly resilient. Horse fast but neither tough nor agile; made for chases and ride-bys, not skirmishing. In sieges, excellent in either archer role and does very well as off-tank or second-group attacker. Even good as main tank - more than a match for most heavy infantry and comparable to heavy horse.

Rankings

#1 - Khergit clear winner. Low melee damage though.

#2 - Sarranid good archers even in motion. Also strong in melee.

#3 - Vaegir decent all around. Powerful but slow shots. Not so accurate when moving.

#4 - Black Khergit ridiculously hard to kill. However, ranged damage a bit lacking.

#5 - Sword Sister pretty much only good at harassment.

#6 - Rhodok limited to alpha strikes and clean-up.

#7 - Swadian more light cav with ranged option than actual mounted archer.

Unrepresented - Nords.

Part III: Heavy cavalry

These units are typically among the most heavily armoured troops on the battlefield. They can act as shock troops, crushing the enemy with powerful charges, or as melee powerhouses, absorbing and dishing out damage in close quarters. Though extreme speed and agility are not necessary attributes of the heavy horseman, most of these units are not exactly slow.

Heavy horsemen are often so heavily armed and armoured that they are deadly even when unhorsed. They therefore make good frontline attackers as well as defenders in castle battles.

Rankings are based first on alpha strike and CQC ability (damage, toughness, etc.) and only second on manoeuvrability and other characteristics. Therefore, depending on terrain, army composition, and tactical needs, these rankings may not always be correct.

Swadian C7 Baron Mineures

Polearm has good damage and fantastic reach; speed unimportant for charging; melee skills are unmatched. 1H also has damage and length, lacks speed; but shield fast, shield skill very high; among strongest in melee as well. When given room to charge, Swadian C7 is unparalleled offensive cavalry unit. Also excellent in both offensive and defensive melee.

Vaegir C7 Bogatyr

Polearm very fast, very damaging, can be swung, but somewhat short; decent for charging, but also good on foot. Melee skills with polearm excellent, so consider using spear as primary weapon for dismounted offence, anti-cavalry work, or siege defence. Sabre of high quality though, and is very good alternative especially for personal defence. Armour only slightly worse than Swadian C7's. Shield is somewhat better than Swadian's against projectiles, but somewhat less good (slower) against melee strikes. Good unit all around; plays second fiddle to Swadian and Sarranid but may be slightly superior in castle defence because of shorter lance.

Khergit C7 Cherbi

Worst polearm of all heavy cav; despite decent combat skills, may have more difficulty than other heavy cav in pulling off one-hit kills against tougher opponents. Horse and 1H truly excellent, however, and 1H and riding skill very high; regardless of opponent, best suited to charging and then switching immediately to melee. Shield and armour decent. Quite good as main tank or off-tank in castle defence, and as first or second wave in fortress assault.

Nords

Nord faction completely lacks horses.

Rhodok C5 Lanza Spezzata

Rhodok C5 polearm strong, long, quick, and capable of sweeping attacks; good for both charging and normal attack. However, this being a C5 unit, all skills are letdowns. Lousy armour, shield, and sword; will not fare well against other factions' heavy cav. Horse also slightly less well-armoured. Not all that good in sieges either. Really a light cav unit forced to fill the heavy cav hole.

Sarranid C7 Hasham

One of top 2 heavy cav units. Polearm essentially identical to Swadian C7's. Offensive and defensive abilities between Swadian and Vaegir. Best rider (9!) so able to return for a second charge more quickly and have easier time chasing down other horses. Number 1 in melee, with best 1H weapon and skill; also very good in sieges.

Sword Sisters (i) C6 Walkure

1H only, but secondary weapon Blunt, therefore anti-armour and useful for prisoner-taking. Primary weapon more powerful than other heavy cavs' melee weapons and also fast, but short, not suitable for ride-by attacks. Really meant for close quarter combat. However, armour, shield, and horse not good compared to other heavy cavs; poor Power Strike and Ironflesh too. Best used against foot soldiers and lighter cavalry. Against heavy cav, best to double-team and attack from two sides at once; B secondary very helpful here. Would have been good in fortress defence if a bit more resilient, but not a very good main tank as is and lacks the long weapon to be a good off-tank. Likewise, too squishy for first wave castle attack but may be okay as second or third wave attacker. Considering this is a C6 unit, it's pretty good.

Sword Sisters (ii) C6 Kenau

Almost identical to Walkure but swaps secondary mace for a quick but weak sword best used against light troops. Also has slightly faster and more agile horse.

Mercenaries C6 Hochmeister

Polearm relatively quick but neither long nor powerful; 1H fast but weak; skills-wise, built for accuracy and defence but has only average power. Top-notch armour though shield rather poor; Shield skill also low. Does not deliver a strong alpha strike or hit particularly hard close up but tough enough to take a beating. In sieges, okay as main tank though shield a little flimsy. Competent as off-tank but lacks decisive damage. May also act as second-line attacker.

Slaver Chief

Unusual unit mounted on elephant. Polearm not particularly long or poweful, but quick and Blunt, good against other heavy cav; however, nonexistent polearm skill (40 - mistake?) means it can only really be used for charging. 2H very powerful, short, slow; average skill; in melee, forget finesse, just use downward strikes to crush guard and knock down. Decent armour and shield; ridiculously tough but slow mount; meant for short charge and then close combat; will have hard time against skirmishing lighter horsemen. Probably absolutely fantastic against infantry and foot archers though. In sieges excellent as first attacker due to high damage against armour and as main tank due to toughness and damage. Not so good in other roles.

Rankings

#1 - Swadian, Sarranid; Swadian better in large open spaces, Sarranid better up close.

#2 - N.A.

#3 - Vaegir good all around.

#4 Mercenary has somewhat better armour than Khergit C7; slightly better at range and slightly less capable in melee; overall about the same as Khergit but only a C6 so cheaper. (Or do mercs cost more? Merc/Khergit ranking here pretty much down to price.)

#5 - Khergit almost as good as Sarranid up close, but has weak charge. 

#6 - Slaver Chief has some big advantages but also very limited in some ways.

#7 - Sword Sister units meant for close combat only. Equipment and stats not that good.

#8 - Rhodok really light cav. Far outclassed by other factions' units.

Unplaced - Nords have no cav.

Note: Black Khergit Horsemen, though equipped with a bow, would do fairly well in some heavy cav roles. Lack of a big alpha strike or close-in damage though, so on the whole not a great choice for heavy cav.

Part IV: Light cavalry

Light cavalry is composed of fast and agile but lightly armoured mounted units meant mainly for reconnaissance, skirmishing (harassment), chasing down or occupying skirmishers (particularly horse bowmen), and taking the fight to ranged opponents. They are also often used for screening (i.e., absorbing enemy alpha strike to allow own heavier units to get into position), for finishing off injured foes and pursuing routers, and as offensive cavalry against lower-tier units. Note that some light cav units pack a pretty big punch and should not be underestimated.

Because they lack the heavy armour of top tier infantry and heavy horsemen, light horse soldiers