- Chronicles Medieval unit roster uses Levy, Household, and Mercenary categories.
- Levy units are accessible and affordable, while Household troops offer stronger equipment.
- Mercenaries cover faction weaknesses but cost more and suffer morale problems more easily.
- Unit tiers range from 1 to 10 and reflect equipment, role, category, and combat statistics.
- Recruitment and upkeep depend on settlements, castles, resources, food, gold, and renown.
Chronicles Medieval Unit Roster Overview
The Chronicles Medieval unit roster is built around three distinct categories: Levy, Household, and Mercenary. Each category has its own progression tree, recruitment conditions, tier range, costs, and battlefield identity. This structure makes army building a strategic choice rather than a simple search for the highest number on a unit card.
Every unit represents a permanent body of similarly equipped soldiers under one banner. In the army overview, it appears as a single entry with a current troop count. On the battlefield, those soldiers appear as individual troops who can form lines, blocks, loose formations, shield walls, spear walls, squares, skeins, or wedges.
Video Highlights:
- The three unit categories and their different recruitment purposes
- Faction strengths for England, France, and the Holy Roman Empire
- Unit-card statistics such as armor, penetration, morale, and cohesion
- Recruitment pools, weekly resets, promotion branches, and upkeep pressures
The three categories serve different stages and needs:
| Category | Main Identity | Typical Tier Range | Primary Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Levy | Local rural and urban troops | 1–5 | Affordable early army foundation |
| Household | Noble professional troops | 4–8 or 9 | High-quality core and elite formations |
| Mercenary | Paid foreign specialists | 3–7 | Faction-gap coverage and flexible support |
The category of a unit is locked. A Levy unit cannot become a Household unit through promotion, and a Mercenary cannot be converted into a faction Household troop. This limitation gives each progression tree a clear identity and prevents every recruit from following the same path.
Build around the category you can sustain, not only the category with the strongest battlefield statistics. Food, gold, recruitment costs, and promotion resources determine how long an army remains effective.
Faction Strengths, Roles, and Unit Tiers
Chronicles: Medieval gives each major faction a recognizable military character. England is associated with highly skilled archers, France with powerful cavalry, and the Holy Roman Empire with durable melee infantry. These strengths affect the faction’s dedicated Levy and Household lines, while Mercenaries let commanders borrow capabilities from other cultures.
The roster includes melee and ranged units, infantry and cavalry, with equipment and statistics changing as units progress. A faction’s strength does not remove the need for combined arms. English ranged troops still need protection, French cavalry still needs support against prepared spear formations, and Imperial infantry benefits from ranged pressure or mounted forces that can exploit openings.
England
- Improved archers
- Strong ranged identity
- Protect fragile troops with infantry and terrain
France
- Improved cavalry
- Strong vanguard potential
- Use infantry to pin enemies before charges
Holy Roman Empire
- Improved infantry
- Dense melee formations
- Add cavalry or ranged troops for flexibility
Power tiers run from 1, the least powerful level, to 10, the highest general tier. Tier is not determined by a single statistic. It reflects the unit’s category, battlefield role, weapons, armor, ammunition, and overall combat profile.
| Unit Feature | What It Represents | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Levy, Household, or Mercenary | Establishes recruitment and progression limits |
| Role | Melee/ranged, infantry/cavalry | Defines battlefield function |
| Equipment | Weapons, armor, ammunition, horses | Shapes damage, protection, and tactical options |
| Tier | General power level | Gives a fast quality reference |
| Cohesion | Training, organization, leadership | Affects formation control and response |
Levy units usually begin at tier 1 and can advance to tier 5. Household units begin around tier 4 and may reach tier 8 or 9 depending on their progression tree. Mercenaries generally occupy the middle range, beginning at tier 3 and reaching tier 7.
A high-tier unit is not automatically the correct answer for every engagement. Formation costs, movement limits, weapon matchups, morale, and the surrounding army all matter. A specialized anti-cavalry unit may perform poorly in a prolonged infantry fight, while a ranged unit can lose much of its value if caught in close combat.
Use tier as a quick comparison tool, then inspect the unit’s role, equipment, penetration, cohesion, and upkeep before committing resources.
Recruitment Locations and Weekly Availability
Recruitment is tied to the exploration map. Quartermasters at settlements and castles allow commanders to inspect available units and replenishment resources. The culture of a location influences which faction troops can appear, while the location type affects which categories are accessible.
Levy units are generally recruited at settlements. Settlement size can influence the tiers that appear. Household units are recruited at castles, where functional buildings such as barracks, stables, and blacksmiths affect the roles and tiers that become available.
Mercenaries work differently. They are foreign options that appear away from their home culture, allowing a commander to strengthen a faction’s weaker areas. For example, English Mercenary archers can improve the ranged capacity of a French army, while French Mercenary cavalry can give a Holy Roman Empire force a stronger mounted arm.
| Location | Likely Recruitment | Key Influences |
|---|---|---|
| Settlement | Levy units | Settlement size, local culture, prosperity |
| Castle | Household units | Barracks, stables, blacksmiths, local culture |
| Foreign region | Mercenaries | Available foreign cultures and recruitment pool |
| Any recruitment site | Replenishment resources | Category, location type, resource availability |
Recruitment pools are limited. Other commanders can visit the same locations and reduce what remains available. Offers return through a global weekly reset, but the exact quality and selection can change based on location prosperity, buildings, renown, initial unit size, and troop tiers.
This makes route planning important after a costly battle. If a preferred unit is unavailable, you may need to wait, visit another location, or temporarily recruit a different category. The system is designed to keep some options available, but the best role or tier may not appear when you need it.
Identify the Army Gap
Check whether your force lacks ranged pressure, anti-cavalry weapons, durable infantry, or mobile troops. Select a recruitment target before traveling.
Choose the Correct Location
Visit settlements for Levy options, castles for Household troops, or foreign regions for Mercenary support. Check culture and available buildings.
Inspect the Recruitment Pool
Compare category, role, tier, troop count, equipment, and upkeep. Do not spend resources on a unit that duplicates an existing weakness.
Recruit or Replenish
Add a new unit when expanding your army, or purchase category-matching manpower to reinforce an existing unit.
Recheck After the Weekly Reset
Return to useful locations after the global reset. Recruitment offers can change, and other commanders may have already taken valuable options.
Recruitment pools are shared and limited. After heavy losses, avoid assuming that one settlement will immediately restore your preferred army composition.
For additional official development information, review the Chronicles: Medieval Steam Community army management diary. The systems described by the developers remain subject to adjustment and rebalancing.
Unit Statistics, Upgrades, and Promotion Paths
Unit cards provide the information needed to compare troops before battle. The most visible values include troop count, hit points, melee and ranged damage, armor, upkeep, penetration, attack chance, block chance, morale, and cohesion.
| Stat | Function | Practical Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Troops | Current and maximum soldiers | Measures immediate strength and replacement needs |
| Hit Points | Damage each soldier can absorb | Melee troops are generally more durable |
| Melee/Ranged Damage | Base weapon damage | Shows the unit’s primary attack profile |
| Armor | Incoming damage reduction | Strong armor needs sufficient penetration to counter |
| Penetration | Chance to bypass armor modifiers | Important against heavily protected targets |
| Attack Chance | Probability of an offensive action | Supports sustained damage output |
| Block Chance | Probability of a defensive block | Helps units survive close combat |
| Cohesion | Organization and formation integrity | Improves response and resistance to disruption |
| Upkeep | Weekly cost | Determines whether the unit is economically sustainable |
Units gain experience primarily through battle. Performance affects progression, so units that participate actively can advance differently from units that remain passive. Once a unit qualifies for promotion, the next upgrade requires resources based on its category, role, tier, troop count, and equipment needs.
Promotion paths can be linear or branching. A linear promotion usually improves the same role with stronger equipment and statistics. A branching promotion creates a meaningful choice. Infantry might remain a general-purpose sword unit or specialize in anti-cavalry polearms. Other branches may change the unit’s role, such as moving from melee to ranged combat or from infantry to cavalry.
| Upgrade Direction | Likely Benefit | Main Trade-Off |
|---|---|---|
| Linear improvement | Better equipment and higher statistics | Fewer changes to battlefield role |
| Anti-cavalry specialization | Stronger against mounted charges | Less effective in some infantry engagements |
| Weapon specialization | Focused damage or defense profile | Reduced general-purpose flexibility |
| Role change | New tactical function | Requires a different army plan |
| Cavalry promotion | Mobility and shock potential | Adds horse resource costs |
Promotion costs use arms, armor, and, for cavalry, horses. The precise ways these resources are earned or acquired may develop over time, so commanders should avoid upgrading every unit immediately. More powerful troops also require higher upkeep, making timing as important as the final tier.
Promote units when the new role solves a real battlefield problem. A specialized upgrade is most valuable when your army can protect and support it.
Army Composition, Morale, and Maintenance Checklist
Army size begins small and expands as a commander develops. Progression can unlock up to 10 unit slots and increase the maximum troop count of individual units to roughly double their initial size. A late-game army may eventually field around 1,000 soldiers, but size alone does not guarantee battlefield success.
Every additional unit creates new food, gold, reinforcement, and morale demands. A Household-only army is possible, but it is expected to be expensive. A balanced force using Levy troops for numbers, Household troops for quality, and Mercenaries for specific gaps can provide a more manageable progression curve.
Levy Core
- Low recruitment pressure
- Useful early coverage
- Lower maximum tier
Household Anchor
- Strong equipment
- High cohesion potential
- Expensive to maintain
Mercenary Support
- Fills faction weaknesses
- Flexible foreign roles
- Higher cost and weaker morale
Resource Reserve
- Food and gold
- Arms and armor
- Horses for cavalry
Morale exists both on the campaign map and during battles. It carries between engagements, meaning poor treatment outside combat can directly weaken the next fight. Paying troops and providing food supports morale, while neglect can lead to desertion. Mercenaries are especially vulnerable to morale loss and may leave more readily.
The battlefield morale states are Inspired, Confident, Concerned, Wavering, and Broken. Broken units rout and are counted as lost, even if some soldiers survive. Casualties, flank charges, nearby friendly routs, and the commander’s defeat can reduce morale. A commander who fights directly can also inspire troops through visible battlefield actions.
Unit Roster Management Checklist:
- Maintain enough food and gold for the planned army size
- Keep at least one reliable answer to enemy cavalry
- Use ranged units with infantry protection and clear firing lanes
- Reserve arms, armor, and horses for high-value promotions
- Check morale after every battle before starting another engagement
| Army Priority | Recommended Roster Shape | Main Concern |
|---|---|---|
| Early expansion | Mostly Levy with limited specialist support | Low tiers and fragile morale after losses |
| Balanced campaign | Levy core, Household anchor, selected Mercenaries | Requires careful upkeep planning |
| Faction specialization | Emphasize the faction’s strongest role | Vulnerable to counters without support |
| Elite force | Household-heavy roster with a few specialists | High food, gold, and promotion costs |
| Emergency recovery | Available Levy and category-matching manpower | Preferred units may be unavailable |
Use the faction’s natural strength as a foundation, then recruit units that protect its weakness. Army composition should answer likely threats rather than chase a single dominant role.
Q: What categories are included in the Chronicles Medieval unit roster?
The roster is divided into Levy, Household, and Mercenary units. Each category has its own progression tree, recruitment conditions, tier range, costs, and morale profile.
Q: Where are Levy and Household units recruited?
Levy units are generally recruited at settlements, while Household units are recruited at castles. Settlement size, culture, prosperity, and functional buildings can affect available roles and tiers.
Q: Can a Levy unit become a Household unit?
No. Unit categories are locked. A Levy unit can progress within its own Levy tree, but it cannot be promoted into a Household or Mercenary unit type.
Q: Why use Mercenaries instead of faction units?
Mercenaries can cover weaknesses in a faction’s dedicated roster, such as adding ranged troops to a cavalry-focused army. Their disadvantages include higher costs and morale that is affected more easily.