The garrison is one of the most important parts of the bannerlord’s arsenal. The right troops at a castle or town can be the difference between losing it to enemies and keeping it safe. And the garrison will always be ready to defend, even if your entire traveling army has fallen.

As a bannerlord, it’s your responsibility to have the best troops available. And we’re here to tell you what those are.

Essentially, you want to defend your castle with a good mix of ranged and melee combatants. Only the best will do—but that doesn’t mean you need to bust the bank. Avoid mercenaries at all costs, and train your troops quickly to get the best available.

10. Battanian Veteran Falxman

Wait, is that guy even aiming in the right direction?!

The Falxman is an intimidating troop with a brutal throwing axe. We’ve placed him this high because polearms aren’t the best for defending a castle, but he’s got the stats to make the cut.

What Makes Battanian Veteran Falxman Great for Garrison:

• Although they only get a handful of Highland Throwing Axes, they have good damage and high accuracy
• Their Rhomphalia polearm can keep invaders at bay
• Decent armor provides an adequate chance of survival

Battanian Trained Falxman Details:

• Wage: 12 denars/day
• One Handed: 70
• Two Handed: 100
• Polearm: 130
• Bow:60
• Crossbow: 20
• Throwing: 120
• Athletics: 130
• Armor (typical): 127, weight 22.6

9. Sturgian Heavy Axeman

Uh oh, you've been knocked out! At least your castle's still filled with defenders.

The name “Heavy Axeman” may suggest a simple dude with a big axe, but there’s a lot more to them than that. They also carry a good stack of powerful javelins and their armor makes them a wall against oncoming forces.

What Makes Sturgian Heavy Axeman Great for Garrison:

• Great one-handed attackers to fight off anyone breaching a wall
• A hail of their powerful javelins can take down even the hardiest troops
• Their armor is nigh impenetrable, so they’re true survivors

Sturgian Heavy Axeman Details:

• Wage: 26 denars
• One Handed: 130
• Two Handed: 80
• Polearm: 80
• Bow: 60
• Crossbow: 20
• Throwing: 130
• Athletics: 130
• Armor (typical): 196, weight 37.4

8. Vlandian Voulgier

Crowding the walls to prevent attackers from getting on top of them is always a good idea.

A master of all trades lacking only in Bow skill, the Voulgier has several weapon options. They can go one handed, two handed, polearm, or sword. And as a bonus, they also carry throwing axes for strong and accurate ranged attacks.

What Makes Vlandian Voulgier Great for Garrison:

• They cover all the bases with their variety of weapons
• Good Athletics score and relatively light armor to stay quick on their feet
• One of the cheapest troops available on this list, second only to Triarii

Vlandian Voulgier Details:

• Wages: 10 denars/day
• One Handed: 80
• Two Handed: 130
• Polearm: 130
• Bow: 20
• Crossbow: 60
• Throwing: 80
• Athletics: 130
• Armor (typical): 141, weight 16.9

7. Aserai Mameluke Palace Guard

Whoever's defending this castle clearly didn't pay attention to this list.

Although a bit on the expensive side, Aserai Mameluke Palace Guards make up for it in excellent skill across the board. Except Crossbow, but they don’t have one of those, so who cares?

Their two-handed Executioners Axe is a heavy hitter. It’s slow, but it can bash armor and heads in only a few hits. Plus, the Guards are heavily armored and ready to take damage themselves.

What Makes Aserai Mameluke Palace Guard Great for Garrison:

• Executioners Axe is one of the heaviest-hitting swing weapons available
• Solid armor without excessive weight
• Throwing axes in case their enemy is too far to smash with their main weapon

Aserai Mameluke Palace Guard Details:

• Wage: 26 denars/day
• One Handed: 80
• Two Handed: 130
• Polearm: 80
• Bow: 60
• Crossbow: 20
• Throwing: 130
• Athletics: 140
• Armor (typical): 172, weight 21.8

6. Imperial Elite Menavliaton

The front gate may be no match for a battering ram, but a crowd of well-armored defenders can stop anything!

Menavlia-what now? Yeah, the name is a huge mouthful, but these guys will keep your home safe. Their armor is so good, they’re basically walls with feet.

Unfortunately,  they’re mid-tier for this list on the attacking end. But if no one can kill them or get past them, that’s a moot point.

What Makes Imperial Elite Menavliaton for Garrison:

• Strongest armor in the game, on average
• Decent at both one-handed and polearm combat
• The armor is really so good it’s worth mentioning twice

Imperial Elite Menavliaton Details:

• Wages: 13 denars/day
• One Handed: 130
• Two Handed: 80
• Polearm: 130
• Bow: 60
• Crossbow: 40
• Throwing: 80
• Athletics: 130
• Armor (typical): 197, weight 33.7

5. Imperial Legionary

If your garrison is good enough, you can just hide from a good vantage point and watch them defend the castle for you.

Legionaries have beefy armor almost matching their Menavliaton allies. Although their swords are not as powerful, it’s only a slight disadvantage. What makes them a better choice is the Large Kite Shield and its additional defense.

What Makes Imperial Legionary Great for Garrison:

• Excellent armor at a much lighter weight than Menavliaton
• Kite shield provides another layer of protection
• Reasonable combat skills and wages

Imperial Legionary Details:

• Wages: 12 denars/day
• One Handed: 130
• Two Handed: 80
• Polearm: 130
• Bow: 60
• Crossbow: 60
• Throwing: 80
• Athletics: 130
• Armor (typical): 195, weight 21.9

4. Sturgian Heroic Line Breaker

A solid garrison can make you feel a lot better with all those siege craft bearing down on the wall.

As per the name, these guys break through lines like they’re made of paper. On castle walls, they can hold a line just as well. Their Drilled Two Handed Axe is brutal in close quarters combat, and they even have a sword to back it up. 

What Makes Sturgian Heroic Line Breaker Great for Garrison:

• Throwing axes which, at the risk of repetition, are a great ranged option
• A two-handed axe to crush skulls and break shields
• Wages on the lower side
• Armor on the higher side

Sturgian Heroic Line Breaker Details:

• Wages: 12 denars/day
• One Handed: 80
• Two Handed: 150
• Polearm: 80
• Bow: 60
• Crossbow: 20
• Throwing: 130
• Athletics: 150
• Armor: 146, weight 14.6

3. Triarii

Whatever you do, don't end up like this guy defending the wall alone. That'll never work.

Triarii are more difficult to recruit than most units, but make an excellent garrison troop. They’re powerful and cheap—just what you need.

Pick a fight with the Legion of the Betrayed and capture some of their soldiers. If you’re lucky, you’ll get some of these. Recruit them to your party, take them to your castle, and profit!

What Makes Triarii Great for Garrison:

• Cheapest troop on this list at only 8 denars per day
• Their One-Handed score is fantastic
• Good armor and a nice shield round them out as an excellent garrison troop

Triarii Details:

• Imperial Infantry (One-Handed)
• Wages: 8 denars/day
• One Handed: 200
• Two Handed: 60
• Polearm: 160
• Bow: 20
• Crossbow: 30
• Throwing: 160
• Athletics: 100
• Total Armor: 156

2. Sturgian Veteran Bowman

Isn't it cute how they've color coordinated their shields? But more importantly, how they're falling off ladders like flies?

What could possibly be better than a super cheap troop? Probably one that shoots both bows and crossbows as if they’ve got laser sights. That’s where the Sturgian Veteran Bowman comes in.

They’re the best ranged troop in the game, bar none. They will shoot down an invading army before they can even let out a battle cry.

What Makes Veteran Guardian Great for Garrison:

• Amazing ranged skills across the board plus solid Athletics
• Decently low wages, saving you much-needed denars
• Really good armor for a ranged troop

Sturgian Veteran Bowman Details:

• Wages: 13 denars/day
• One Handed: 70
• Two Handed: 70
• Polearm: 50
• Bow: 180
• Crossbow: 180
• Throwing: 150
• Athletics: 120
• Armor: 136, weight 14.4

1. Battanian Fian Champion

Another benefit to a good defensive garrison is if you fall off the walls you can still trust the castle to be safe!

Although they cost some pretty serious cash, Battanian Fian Champions are worth every denar. They have amazing stats for both Bow and Two-Handed Weapon. And even more, they’re super fast on the field with decent armor. Absolutely the best choice! 

What Makes Battanian Fian Champion Great for Garrison:

• Masterclass bowmen with the highest skill available.
• Two-Handed skill is also the best of all on this list
• High Athletics skill means they can run at maximum pace.

  Battanian Fian Champion Details:

• Wages: 20 denars/day
• One Handed: 90
• Two Handed: 220
• Polearm: 50
• Bow: 260
• Crossbow: 25
• Throwing: 40
• Athletics: 170
• Armor: 160, weight 24.1

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