Best Troops and Units in Manor Lords

Manor Lords has no traditional weapon loadouts for a single hero -- your army is built from 3 unit categories: Militia (raised from villagers during emergencies), Retinue (permanent professional soldiers), and hired Mercenaries.

Militia weapons and armor come entirely from your own settlement's production: Fletcher's Workshop makes warbows, Blacksmith's Workshop makes spears and sidearms, Joiner's Workshop makes shields, and Armorer's Workshop makes mail/plate armor once unlocked. A militia unit's full 36-man complement only forms if you have enough of the relevant equipment.

Spear Militia with large shields is the strongest early-game pick -- excellent damage deflection plus spear reach to keep weaker enemies at range, especially tanky once Level 3 Burgage Plots grant Mail Armor.

Retinue is the best troop type overall once you can afford to maintain it -- 24 upgraded Retinue can beat a 36-man high-end mercenary unit, and they're individually customizable in both color and armor. Their main weakness is chasing down Archers, since they're too slow and easily fatigued for that job -- leave that to Footmen or Polearms instead.

Polearm units are the best flankers thanks to armor-piercing weapons effective against enemy Retinue, but their lack of shields makes them a liability if used as your only unit type -- pair them with Spearmen or Footmen holding the front line.

A common effective composition mixes Spear Militia or Footmen on the front line with Retinue engaging the enemy's own Retinue, freeing Polearms to flank and strike from behind.

See the full data: Manor Lords Weapons