How NERFED was the Legionary? Bannerlord Infantry Troop Units Guide

This is a 1.8. Bannerlord in Depth Analysis of the Infantry troop knows as Legionary.
This video is part of a Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord Playlist where we analyze each unit not only based on their equipment but also on statistics taken after intensive testings.
The Data will be trimmed down and showcased both throughout the video and at the end to allow the viewer to know as much as possible about the unit in question.
A score will also be provided at the end based on Lyon’s opinion, this score shouldn’t be taken as hard evidence, as different playstyles may impact the way viewers evaluate units.
In this here video we are going to talk about the Imperial Legionary.
A unit that for a long time has been at the very top of infantry performance but that has been heavily touched in 1.8.
This video will analyze what and how much the unit has changed.
Units Guide Playlist: • How BAD is The Wildlin...
And remember, criticism and constructive feedback are always appreciated.

[@blazezz1101]

Despite the nerfs, they are still the best in terms of how easy it is to mass an army of Legionary from Looters with the right combination of perks.

[@LyonExodus]

good point, i forgot to list the fact that they can very easily be converted from looters. kinda funny since in my way older analysis i make it a very important point.

[@The_Custos]

wow, what perks?

[@LyonExodus]

leadership 250 Veteran respect

[@RocketHarry865]

In other words they are the best mass infantry. Any infantry that are better in quality is harder to get in numbers

[@randominternetguyoffical]

Glad to see your channel growing these reviews are great

[@ryderwellbrock]

Facing legionnaires in tournaments feels like an actual player at times. I love it.

[@seanowens3153]

Until....left swing, left swing, left swing comes to play.

[@pendantblade6361]

Look how they sightly damaged my boy. Fantastic video as always mate.

[@Polynikes24]

Best comment

[@xgreedogreed4236]

i would really like to see videos for the mercenary tree. Especially Hired crossbows

[@LyonExodus]

noted

[@Jasta85]

@@LyonExodus Bandits also, my preferred archer is actually the forest bandits because they have 150 archery + the same bow Fian champions use while only being tier 4 (much less expensive wages).

[@The_Custos]

@@Jasta85 forest bandits are great

[@The_Custos]

They've beaten my character down with those little maces during prison breaks, and I've also picked those maces up and found them to be excellent. The paramerion, with its very long reach, is actually good against light cav or light riders as they ride past. Yes, the legion with the sword are poor against infantry, but better against cav. A bit like the archer mercs with massive falchions.

[@christophesiewecke9208]

Infantry tier list video when?😀 Thanks for another great video!

[@LyonExodus]

noted. For timing it's definitely going to be after we have covered all of the infantry units, right now only the Menavliaton and the Darkhan remain

[@agungsuryapangestu2446]

thats why mixing unit seems a great idea instead rellying on single type,but the still best as pounching bag anyways

[@SethanderWald]

Pilum has become my weapon of choice lately. :) The fact that it also does extra damage to shields is just the cherry on top

[@ELI1Kenobi]

Thanks LyonX! Keep up the good work! In your opinion wich one u consider the best infantry?

[@LyonExodus]

Can't say for sure. haven't played in a while. But Legionaries are always a safe bet. Then probably Aserai and Sturgians. Vlandians have been buffed lately if i remember well, they are decent but the lower tiers might still not be worth the grind. Anyhow, if i am able, this summer i plan on bringing updates for all the units.

[@cold-wolf]

throwing pilum is better if you have 2 or 3 in stack. In my personal imperial army rework I added them second pilum and made it so they throw it, works pretty well but not as good as javelin troops, don't need to micro them though since they only have 2 throws.

[@redhongkong]

large bag of throwing pilum can have 4 in stacks. i craft 1 bag for each of my melee copanion

[@Discalle112]

Great video! When is the khazuit units coming? :)

[@LyonExodus]

after the Imperial units are done, so in the following weeks. I am sorry but the people have voted between the two on a poll and the empire won.

[@Discalle112]

@@LyonExodus no worry, everything you cover is great

[@likeablekiwi6265]

Maybe make it so that they throw pilums when low hp?

[@vaderciya]

If I'm still playing in 1.7.2, are legionaries still the best? I know some of the 1.8 features were forced into all previous versions, but were troop adjustments included in that?

[@LyonExodus]

i can't say for sure how 1.8. impacted 1.7.2. but when i tested them for that patch the Legionary where N1 in all categories, followed by the Darkhan and the Axeman. For shock troops the Palace guards lead over the Linebreakers with the Voulgiers ranking 3rd. and shock troops were really good on 1.7.2.

[@vaderciya]

@@LyonExodus Thank you kindly! Do you know if there's a way to get troops to switch weapons? Of course mounted archers will switch if they run out of ammo or are told to hold fire, but how do I purposefully get my infantry to equip spears and brace for infantry? It seems like it should be a command

[@LyonExodus]

i think spear brace only works with line and square formation. Has to how you can get infantry to prioritize using spears unfortunately that's done by the AI when they detect an horse nearby. You can help them by telling them to stay put in a line and they should brace when cavalry gets very close. Bracing doesn't seem to work in shield wall as that will prioritize unit protection over anything else

[@vaderciya]

@@LyonExodus Thats all very good to know, thanks for the help! (And excellent videos as always!)

[@IllustriousBagel]

legionary calradic mace or sturgian heavy axeman veteran warrior axe for ai troops? Im currently playing with the my little warband mod that lets you customize your own troops and I'm trying to create the absolute most broken T5 infantry in the game

[@LyonExodus]

Good question. I think it depends also on the 1H skill. if you can go for something like 200 than the Cataphract mace, the big one, should do very well. if not it depends on how good your enemies will be. If they bring a lot of high tiers the Calradic should be the option and be sure they have very good head armor. If your enemies are mid to low tiers then either the Spiked axe (Vlandian Sergeant) or the Veteran axe should do well. I'd love to test that stuff out myself and create the most broken of infantry units. But as far as i remember you can't bring your created troops in custom battles or maybe i had no idea how to do it.

[@IllustriousBagel]

@@LyonExodus yeah kinda sucks that we can't take custom troops to custom battles. I maxed out 1H to 200 and then made a 50% chance for them to have cataphract mace, 25% calradic mace, and 25% veteran warrior axe. I'm fighting enemies all over the place in terms of tier so I went with that balance.

[@marcos14223]

i dont know why, im still noob to this game i bought it 2 weeks ago, but i felt in love with sturgian´s heavy spearman, and i add some heavy axemen to the mix, my npc is kuzait and add to the sturgian inf a mix of kuzait cav and sturgian and imperial cav( champions and cathafracts) + 50 top kuzait horse archers. my only problem is when the enemy has a lot of imperial cathafracts and top tier infantry

[@renanboti]

Top tier infantry is always a problem, especially in Imperial armies. I recommend taking it slow, take out their cav first, have your infrantry engage theirs in a shieldwall and get your horse archers + cav on the flanks. Top tier infantry is pretty beefy so avoid a long engagement as much as possible.

[@marcos14223]

@@renanboti thx, i started a new game. Souther empire was to big, they took 3 citys from Us (kuzhait) and now they have their cav and infantry (imo both are very good) + our cav horses, and every army i fight its all top tier LOL. I started a new game as a Vlandian Valandian?? the Reds. So far their crossbows are good, added some Battanian archers to the mix any adveice with this? what should i add to the mix. Is red cav good should i get cav from other civs?? or should i stay with crossbows and infantry to protect them

[@xtobrax9855]

So which infantry is then now the best?

[@LyonExodus]

I made videos on all the shielded infantry troops exception made for the Darkhan, so it's either them or one of the others. But the best infantrymen really depends on what you mean when saying best. the best for me might not be the best for you. That's where the concept of the videos gets really good, it breaks down the unit so you can judge depending on your playstyle.

[@varpix5026]

Solid unit

[@LyonExodus]

Still very solid indeed

[@Chapdadddy]

Fian’s champions next, please

[@LyonExodus]

already done, more than a month ago

[@user-cr4cj1fl8z]

Why whould you give a foot unit ment to be a walking tank fighting in CQC a 116 lengnt sword is just TW logic. TW has been steadily nerfing the empire troops over many patches to point they will become the common punching bag to farm your exp and renown on.

[@valipunctro]

I have a suggestion,post the other units that you rank the tested units against so we can have some context.

[@LyonExodus]

ok, but i can't quite get what you are trying to say. Is it a comparison with the previous tested units (for that i can make a recap video comparing all troops of the same class later to clear things up) Or is the troops i tested them against what you are asking for? If so the very first video of the playlist explains how the test are run, also the first video of the archers and cavalry explains how the tests differ from infantry. If you want the short answer to the 2nd option it's always the empire line as it is the most common to fight regardless of where you start on the map. And also to save time as testing units against literally every single troops takes an absurd amount of hours. I'd love to be able to do it but with the constant development of the game i don't feel like investing that much time into something that will very likely change in a few months. So the Empire line seems the best fit for both reliable results and time.

[@valipunctro]

@@LyonExodus I would like to see the rankings in each category. Ex: now you say it ranks 5th or 6th but who are the other troops at nr 1,2, or 3.

[@valipunctro]

@@LyonExodus don't worry about changing the test,they seem relevant enough. it's just that the results are not very clear at first glance. it's possible that my brain doesn't visualise KD ratios that well.

[@LyonExodus]

i understand what you mean. But at the same time that's kinda what the last part of the video (the spreadsheet) and the other videos are for. Right now all Battanian, Aserai Sturgian and Vlandian troops have been covered, a part from the Pikeman that i think is a self explanatory unit. With the Empire currently being covered and the Khuzait next up. But i'll try to keep it in mind (altough my memory is awful) and create a comparison table for the Khuzait videos, for the time being the Empire ones are going to stay the same as i prefer keeping the same format once i start a faction

[@johng6950]

@@LyonExodus I think what he's getting at is that if we haven't seen those other videos then viewers don't have a relative scale for comparing these units against the 4th place and 3rd place units and so on. You can list numbers but it's easier to show that a Legionary is 5th against (unit name and picture). Makes for a more compelling and understandable comparison if you tell me that the Legionary is ranked after (unit name) than to simply numerically rank it as 5th.

[@marwojnicz88]

So what's the best infantry now?

[@LyonExodus]

i'd say it's between the Sturgian Axeman and the Aserai Vet. with the Veteran having a higher potential with a good infantry captain build

[@lukeiron4368]

I would say the Sturgian spear man. Or the Vlandian sargent.

[@bandolando3265]

@@LyonExodus can confirm after fighting the aserai with sturgian infantry, probably the best two in game right there forsure in 1.8

[@Harrier_DuBois]

So the Arabs get the best infantry instead of the best cavalry, that makes sense...

[@marcos14223]

@@lukeiron4368 im noob but, from the looks and armor i really liked heavy spearman + kuzait horse archers and a mix of melee cav

[@flochthedestroyer1907]

Which infantry troops are the best ones rn in your opinion?

[@LyonExodus]

Have a look at both the Aserai Vets and the Axeman they both have a strong claim to that spot. But as pure melee goes the Banner Knights are also up there in the conversation

[@thehashslingingslasher6443]

ive noticed vlandian sergeants are cheap and really good.

[@weebslayer3411]

Yeah I dunno what's up with that, they perform far better than they should

[@MilitaryBuff]

I would say the Vlandian sergeants are ok for their tier to be honest. They can win against lower tier infantry units but not against those of the same tier generally speaking. That's ok considering in the campaign you are unlikely to find an army full of tier 5 units. Lyon Exodus was right when he said they were crap against Calvary though they lost to Imperial heavy horseman. They won against Imperial Equite though. Don't expect these guys to win against any decent Calvary even in square formation. I would recommend teaming them up with Voulgiers who could deal with tier 5 units and enemy cav while the sergeants take out lower tier infantry and protect the infantry against archers.

[@lupus_croatiae]

which infantry unit is number 1?

[@LyonExodus]

my favorites are the Aserai Vets. tanky, have javs and completely annihilate anything that is not T5

[@lupus_croatiae]

​@@LyonExodus For my legionaries - never throw pillum :) Yes, they are really good if they have mace and in shield wall formation, short but fast weapon is a way to go.

[@MilitaryBuff]

Was disappointed in testing by Pilum. While using it the legionaries got beaten by tier 4 Vlandian knights. Legionnaires seem weak to cav but my testing is superficial listen to Lyon Exodus over me.

[@LyonExodus]

to be honest. i am unsure if this video is still up to date. From my latest experience using Sergneants i don't think much changed but i need some testing to confirm

[@MilitaryBuff]

Ok I did another test they won against Imperial heavy horseman. All the other infantry I tested did which was the darkhan and Sturgia heavy spearman all static in a square formation. Nothing conventional works against a similar amount of elite cataphracts without micro but that is expected.

[@shimonbarkokhba3433]

cover the khans guard

[@LyonExodus]

we will, eventually

[@codycampbell3562]

They updated the game and I can't play it anymore. I have no mods. Never thought this shit would happen to me.

[@LyonExodus]

Did you already tried to verify the files from steam? It can happen that at times that's all it takes

[@kintanIchlasul7767]

Updated for hotfixx ??

[@catalinbostan3542]

R.I.P Legionary Studdness Shoulders (16 Body 4/2 Arm) Sacrificed because developers are stubborn fools. Now you can't have drip and practicality.

[@colhammer1]

For the Empresses!?

[@LyonExodus]

I am unfortunately a Garios sympathizer

[@dand7763]

@Chaos Lord in open field ,yes ....it's like hunting rabbits season (100 khan's guards vs 300 or 400 imperial infantry = easy victory for khuzaits)

[@JoJoRogain]

​@@LyonExodus Im a new butterlord, I wiped out northern empire, but sympathized w garios enough to leave him 2 cities. Might soon be one since he's been making trouble

[@Flesson19]

Nerfed, I would call it balanced, was that meant as clickbait?

[@LyonExodus]

Well, let's say both. The Legionary itself wasn't really nerfed, their best weapon was. so 66% of them were And maces overall are no longer the single best type of weapon in the game, fast swinging axes are very competitive too. In the end the reduction to blunt damage resulted in the Legionary losing the uncontested N1 spot Vs Lower tiers and Higher tiers as well. with their only best performance being T5. Now i know for you something that is nerfed means that is kinda terrible and that's not the case of the Legionary but in all the communities i have been any, even small, loss in performance is considered a nerf. And that seems to resonate with a lot of people. Also i keep seeing out there claims that the Legionary is still the uncontested best so a title that goes against most, while also providing evidence to the claim, ends up in informing way more people than it would have otherwise. This is among my most successful videos and i don't mind creating titles that people are more inclined to clicking. i know i provide information based on data, instead of my biased opinion like many others. I also made a post a few weeks ago asking how the viewers felt about the titles and the responses seem to have been overwhelmingly positive. With only 8% of people claiming it's bait. Only thing i know is that i still haven't received a penny from YT, and if it want to make it stable i have to start somewhere. i know it's mostly down to the short form videos but those titles, other than get more people viewing are really not abusing the viewer as far as i see it. And might also end up informing them in a way they wouldn't have expected.

[@thehashslingingslasher6443]

at least its not as bad as Sturgian Heavy Axeman...... that unit is useless now.

[@LyonExodus]

wanna check the video about the Axeman and tell me what you think?

[@thehashslingingslasher6443]

@@LyonExodus the heavy axemen used to be the best by far legionary #2. now they took their throwables and changed their armor. I didnt even notice the change until I already had 30 recruited. horrible change for no reason