Chronicles Medieval army progression: Tier Paths & Tips

Chronicles Medieval army progression is built around permanent units rather than disposable individual soldiers. Each unit appears as one entry in the army overview, yet its members fight as separate troops on the battlefield. This structure makes every recruitment and promotion decision meaningful: you are developing a named formation with a role, category, troop count, equipment profile, and progression path.

The three main unit categories are Levy, Household, and Mercenary. Each category has its own progression tree, and the trees are shaped by faction identity. English forces emphasize skilled bowmen, French forces are associated with powerful cavalry, and Holy Roman Empire forces favor durable melee infantry.

The system is designed around the military conditions of the Late Middle Ages. Armies are assembled through regional obligations, noble household forces, and paid soldiers rather than through a single standardized standing army. As a result, recruitment locations, alliances, finances, and local culture all influence the force available to a commander.

For a deeper official overview, read Dev Diary #4: At Your Command, which explains the army management systems and progression structure.

Recruitment begins with quartermasters located throughout the Exploration Map. Settlements and castles are the most important places to check because they provide access to different unit categories, troop pools, and replenishment options.

Levy units typically appear at settlements. Settlement size can affect which tiers become available, allowing larger settlements to offer more advanced recruits. Household units are recruited at castles, where functional buildings such as barracks, stables, and blacksmiths influence which roles and tiers may appear.

Culture is another major factor. Levy and Household recruits generally match the culture of the region where they are offered. Mercenaries work differently: they appear abroad, allowing a commander to recruit soldiers from outside the local culture. This creates a practical way to add foreign archers, cavalry, or infantry to an otherwise specialized army.

Recruitment and replenishment are separate decisions. Adding a new unit expands your army’s composition and may increase its maximum strength. Replenishing an existing unit restores troop numbers after losses. Newly acquired units are usually below their maximum troop count, so a recruitment trip may need to include a second visit for reinforcement.

Replenishment resources are category-specific. Levy resources restore Levy units, Household resources restore Household units, and Mercenary resources restore Mercenary units. These resources are type-agnostic within their category, meaning they can support units regardless of culture, role, or tier. However, the cost per troop changes according to the unit receiving the soldiers.

Every node in a unit’s progression tree represents a troop type. Tiers range from 1, the least powerful level, to 10, the highest power tier. Tier is determined by several elements working together: unit category, battlefield role, equipment, and combat statistics.

A fully upgraded Levy unit can still challenge a low-tier Household unit because tier is not the only factor in a battle. Cohesion, troop count, armor, weapons, and formation behavior all influence battlefield performance. This makes a well-maintained lower-tier formation useful while your economy and commander development are still growing.

Units gain experience primarily by participating in battles. Performance affects the amount earned. Units that remain passive receive less experience, while formations that inflict losses and endure casualties gain more opportunities to progress. Once a unit reaches its experience requirement, it becomes eligible for promotion.

Promotion costs depend on category, current tier, destination role, and the number of troops in the unit. Melee and ranged infantry use different amounts of arms and armor. Cavalry also requires horses. Household promotions cost more than comparable Levy or Mercenary upgrades, while advanced units generally create higher upkeep demands.

At progression forks, you may preserve a unit’s existing role, specialize its weapons, or change its battlefield function. An infantry unit can potentially develop toward cavalry, while a melee formation may move toward a ranged role where the tree allows it. These choices are more than statistical upgrades because they change how the formation contributes to the army.

The English Household Foot Serjeant provides a clear example of role specialization. At tier 6, it can become a Sword Serjeant, maintaining a similar purpose with improved equipment and statistics, or a Bill Serjeant, which uses heavier armor and a bill polearm to improve its ability to deal with cavalry.

Individual unit progression is only one part of army development. Commander skill can unlock up to 10 unit slots, increasing the number of formations you can field. Units can also grow to larger maximum troop counts, reaching approximately double their starting size. The long-term goal is an army with varied categories and roles, potentially placing about 100 troops in each unit.

Army size must remain connected to logistics. A larger force requires more money and food, and advanced troops create greater upkeep pressure. An army that looks powerful on the campaign map may become a liability if its commander cannot maintain full payments and supplies.

Cohesion represents training, organization, and leadership. Units with higher cohesion can maintain tighter formations, respond to commands more quickly, and hold their ground more effectively against cavalry charges and infantry pressure. This makes cohesion an important distinction between raw Levy formations and better-trained Household troops.

Morale operates both on and off the battlefield. It carries into combat, changes as the battle develops, and remains relevant after the fight. Troops can move through morale brackets from Confident to Concerned, Wavering, and Broken. Desertion does not occur in the Confident bracket, but it becomes a growing risk as morale declines.

Morale is especially important for Mercenaries because their morale is more easily affected than that of the Household line. This does not make Mercenaries a poor choice; it means they require more consistent financial and logistical support.

A strong progression routine balances three goals: maintaining current combat power, unlocking better troop types, and preserving enough resources to keep the army together. Use battles to generate experience, but do not let promotion costs prevent replenishment or food and pay.

The following checklist works well as a general campaign routine:

When planning a new army, start with battlefield coverage rather than chasing the highest visible tier. A formation of melee infantry can anchor the line, ranged troops can apply pressure from behind, and cavalry can provide mobility or a response to exposed flanks. The best combination depends on the faction tree, the local recruitment pool, and the resources available to you.

Use the steps below after every major battle:

A useful rule is to maintain a core line of reliable units while using one or two flexible slots for experimentation. Mercenary archers can strengthen a French army’s ranged capability, while French Mercenary cavalry can give a Holy Roman Empire army a stronger mounted vanguard. These combinations allow faction identity to remain important without making it restrictive.