Hello everyone,
after having already worked my way through the tier lists for City States, Dweghom, Nords, Spire, and Sorcerer Kings, it is time to take a look at a faction that has been among the most popular armies in Conquest since its beginning and has significantly shaped this blog: the Hundred Kingdoms.
As with my previous tier lists, this is also my personal assessment. It is based on my own gameplay experience, observations at tournaments, conversations with other players, and of course a good portion of intuition. The list is not intended to represent an objective truth, but rather to serve as a basis for discussion.
Enough of the preface. Let us take a look at the knights, peasants, mercenaries, fanatics, and all the other brave (or at least sufficiently well-paid) warriors of the Hundred Kingdoms.
Tier-Ranking
Evaluating units in Conquest is often complex and heavily influenced by one’s own playgroup. Many units only reach their full potential in combination with others and are difficult to assess in isolation. For this analysis, I assume that each unit unfolds its full potential within the army. The goal is not to find the most mathematically cost-efficient unit, but rather to evaluate each choice in terms of its role and impact. Accordingly, this is a subjective assessment.
S-Tier: Units considered overpowered due to their rules or efficiency. Mandatory picks that almost always improve any list.
A-Tier: Excellent units that excel in their roles and often form the core of tournament lists.
B-Tier: Solid and balanced units with clear strengths and weaknesses. They perform their role well. Most regiments and characters fall into this category.
C-Tier: Units that are played less frequently and fall somewhat behind alternatives. They are playable, but less efficient.
D-Tier: Units that are hardly playable or are in urgent need of a rework. For new factions, this can sometimes be due to them waiting for synergies with future options.
Faction Mechanics
Memories of the Red Years
The simplest faction rule of the Hundred Kingdoms is also the one that creates the biggest restriction in list building: Theists and Orders cannot be played together in the same army. From a lore perspective, this makes complete sense, as the religious forces of the Church and the various knightly orders have not exactly been known for their harmonious cooperation since the Red Years. You can find the interesting story behind this for free on the official Conquest lore page.
For list building, this mainly means that you have to decide quite early which direction you want to go. Those who focus on priests, fanatics, and religious synergies give up access to the strong tools of the Orders. Those who instead want to use knightly orders and their characters must leave the Church at home.
Relentless Drills
For my preferred focus on infantry, this is one of the strongest faction rules in the entire army. Infantry regiments with the Veteran keyword automatically gain Inspired once they reach a size of five stands or more. That alone already ensures that large blocks often still have an action available after a clash action, which allows them to move flexibly into zones.
The second part of the rule is often overlooked, but in the right missions it can be absolutely decisive: the command stand of a medium or heavy infantry regiment counts as additional stands when capturing and holding zones, corresponding to the resolve bonus the regiment receives based on its size. Once you commit to larger infantry blocks, especially in Imperial or Theist armies, this added value quickly becomes noticeable. When mission objectives matter more than pure destruction, these extra stand values often make the difference between victory and defeat. Most importantly, the opponent very rarely thinks about this.
Dynastic Alliances
Dynastic Alliances is probably one of the strongest and at the same time most flexible faction mechanics in the entire game. In addition to the Warlord, you may choose one additional character as a Dynastic Ally. This character must belong to a different subfaction than the Warlord, but in return it gains access to its own Supremacy as well as its respective subfaction rule, as if it were the leader itself. This allows the Hundred Kingdoms to combine different playstyles without having to commit fully to a single subfaction.
Imperial: The classic infantry buff. This bonus allows up to two Imperial infantry regiments or one other infantry regiment to be granted Vanguard (5). This lets key regiments enter the battlefield earlier and apply pressure on mission objectives more quickly. Since the Imperial keyword has excellent access to Flank, this enables an incredibly early and wide presence across the battlefield.
Theist: Veteran Theist regiments gain Divine Purpose. This grants them +2 March or Charge during their first action, provided they were the target of a spell from a friendly Theist priest that round (or if an Archangel is within 12 inches). In addition, they benefit from Indomitable (+1) as long as they are near a Theist character.
The Orders: Veteran Command Stands of the Orders, as well as their characters, gain Flurry. Where human impact cavalry previously struggled with getting stuck after a move-charge, they now have the right amount of extra hits to simply break free in mele
Feudal: All Feudal regiments in the Warlord’s warband gain the Veteran keyword for free. In addition, all Feudal regiments and characters adopt the Battlefield Role of Dynastic Ally. This second part in particular opens up a wide range of interesting combinations, as Feudal units act as a perfect bridge between subfactions.
Characters
Chapter Mage, A-Tier
The Chapter Mage is a cheap, highly functional support character. Her biggest advantage is Fire Dart from the Fire discipline, which provides consistent, reliable damage and helps establish early pressure. Especially in combination with Crossbowmen, this creates a strong double activation of spell and volley that can heavily punish many enemy regiments.
Water is also highly relevant, particularly in infantry-heavy lists. Its healing can bring back crucial models over the course of longer fights and significantly increases the durability of large blocks. Combined with the Mastery Talented, the mage can even use two disciplines at once, which makes her extremely flexible, although it rarely justifies the points cost. Earth and Wind exist on paper as options, but in practice are usually irrelevant.
A popular option is Art of War, one of the strongest masteries in the game. The ability to deliberately skip an activation can generate a clear tempo advantage when paired with the faction’s many cheap regiments. The only drawback is her warband, which only includes Men-at-Arms and Crossbowmen, somewhat limiting tactical application. Additionally, she can neither be chosen as Warlord nor as a Dynastic Ally.
Crusading Noble Lord, B-Tier
At a lean 90 points, the Crusading Noble Lord is a cheap, flexible beatstick for the faithful. He comes with solid base stats and is dangerous enough in melee, thanks to 5 attacks, Cleave 2, and Flurry, to handle small to medium threats on his own. His real strength lies in Path of Righteousness, which grants his warband regiments the Theist keyword and Indomitable 1 (or even Indomitable 2 with the right synergies). This significantly weakens the impact of enemy resolve-based effects.
The Crusading Bulls define his overall role. “To Restore the Faith” is usually redundant due to the Dynastic Alliances access Theists already provide. “To Banish the Darkness” makes his regiment extremely resilient against resolve damage and is the solid defensive default choice. Combined with Indomitable 2, this creates a very durable block that can simply outlast many matchups.
The most aggressive option is “To Cast Out the Daemon,” where Terrifying (1) significantly increases melee pressure. In this setup, the Elysian Fragment is often worthwhile, as the special rule ensures he is always in a Theist regiment, allowing a one-time Cleave 3 strike that hits extremely hard. Large and very cheap Men-at-Arms blocks in particular benefit from this setup.
More often than as a Warlord, he is seen as a cheap buffing node in Imperial or Feudal lists to heavily enhance a single regiment. It is important to note that if he is chosen as Warlord, you must always include a Theist priest alongside him.
Errant of the Order of the Shield, C-Tier, und B-Tier als Warlord
The Errant of the Order of the Shield has a solid profile on paper but sees very little table time in practice. With Flurry (via the Dynastic Ally), he is at least a decent minor combatant, but his real value lies in Up In Arms! (an additional Mainstay + Veteran for infantry) and Drive for Justice (Fearless).
Both of these effects are fundamentally strong, but lose relevance because infantry is simply not the core game plan in most Orders lists, and he does not provide access to strong elite infantry options. The rule Like Gods Among Men is the second major drawback: strong in theory, but in practice very situational and difficult to plan around, as it relies on perfectly timed cavalry charge chains.
Overall, he ends up as at best a C-tier pick in standard setups, bringing too little direct impact for a faction that is otherwise extremely synergy-driven.
Imperial Officer, C-Tier, and A-Tier asWarlord
The Imperial Officer is seen almost exclusively as a Warlord or Dynastic Ally, as he truly shines in those roles. His greatest strength is his extreme efficiency as an infantry enabler, combined with a fantastic warband. He provides access to the faction’s elite infantry, has Flank himself, and as a Warlord creates an extremely mobile setup. This makes the Imperial keyword one of the best and fastest scoring tools in the entire faction.
That alone would almost be enough, but his real core lies in Battlefield Drills. Each round, he can flexibly buff up to two friendly infantry regiments. At first glance, these often look like minor bonuses, but it is precisely this frequently criticized accumulation of small special rules that makes Hundred Kingdoms infantry so dangerous in the first place.
The absolute highlight here is that these bonuses are chosen only after rolling to determine who takes the first turn that round.
Brace for Impact: Reliably stabilizes front-line blocks through Hardened (1).
On Your Feet: Instantly and safely brings important units back from the Broken status.
Point Secure: Grants Iron Discipline. This means that when the enemy attacks from the flank or rear, we do not lose support attacks and do not suffer morale penalties. This is almost exclusively relevant for Household Guard, but there it can be a true game changer.
Aim for the Head: Turns shooting units into real pressure tools through Murderous Volley. The important limitation here is that the “Aim” action must be used and the enemy must be within 12 inches, which usually makes this Drill relevant only in later rounds.
His Supremacy Combat Maneuvers is the main reason for his uncontested A-tier status as a Warlord: Veteran infantry regiments gain Fluid Formation and Opportunist once, massively increasing their flexibility and board presence. This turns classic, slow infantry into a highly dynamic army that plays scenarios with absolute reliability.
The restriction that Fluid Formation only works while being no more than three stands wide is a minor downside, but thanks to the army-wide support, you still get into position very quickly. And it should not be forgotten that these units already start far up the board due to the faction’s Vanguard (5). Combined with Flank, multiple regiments reach the midfield early enough to immediately contest objectives.
In short, the Officer does not just make slow infantry playable, he makes them competitively viable. And when combined with the Church, the resulting threat ranges become so absurd that even the knights are left close to tears.
Compared to the foot version of the Lord, he pays 35 points more for an additional attack, one extra wound, three impacts, and the cavalry keyword. For all lovers of the mounted arm of the faction, he is extremely interesting, especially, or really only, in combination with a Feudal Warlord. Why? Because this allows Household Knights to benefit massively from Orders or Theist buffs.
On top of that comes excellent access to Mounted Squires as Mainstay. Since Squires have evolved into a genuinely strong unit, his warband gains significant value, especially in Theist-Feudal lists. Together with Household Knights as a second Mainstay, he gains access to very flexible cavalry and enables far more aggressive list concepts than his foot counterpart, albeit at a considerably higher price.
The choice of Weapon Arts is largely a matter of preference, but mathematically it usually comes down to Weapon Master (Cleave 1) versus Tourney Champion (Impact +2). The coveted Flurry rule is usually better obtained through the Orders instead.
His Supremacy Professional Troops grants all Feudal characters an 8-inch aura in which Feudal regiments may reroll rolls of 6 for both Clash and Defense. This may sound underwhelming at first, but it scales extremely well across multiple regiments and improves both durability and damage output. In lists with several Feudal regiments, this creates a constant efficiency gain without additional effort. Importantly, every Feudal character projects this aura, not just the Warlord.
Combined with Household Knights already sitting at Defense 4, or Defense 3 infantry pushed up by Hardened (1), the army suddenly becomes significantly more resilient.
But the true hidden strength of Feudal characters lies in the fact that they also inherit the keywords of their Dynastic Ally. The resulting combinations are pure gold: Movement 9 Household Knights and Movement 11 Squires with Blessed via the Church? Or rather Flurry (for Command Stands), an extra attack, and Hardened through the Orders? In theory, this can also be combined very well with Imperial, since Men-at-Arms love stacking buffs, but in practice this tends to be a more specialized concept.
If you do not run the Mounted Noble Lord as Warlord, that is also a perfectly valid option. In fact, it is often the only way to field Household Knights effectively at all, since they can only be upgraded to Veterans via the Personal Entourage upgrade to gain the necessary access
Noble Lord, B-Tier, and A-Tier if a Feudal character is the Warlord / Ally
There is no cheaper character in the entire game who brings such usable melee performance onto the table for so few points. For just 70 points, you get a character who reaches a solid 6 attacks with Cleave 1 thanks to Graceful Combatant and Weapon Master. While there are other options for Weapon Arts, as is often the case, there is a clearly optimal choice here.
Beyond his absurdly low cost, he is of course an excellent carrier of synergies. He shares the Supremacy Professional Troops rule with his mounted counterpart and allows Feudal regiments within 8 inches of a Feudal character to reroll all 6s on Clash and Defense rolls. Precisely because the Noble Lord on foot is so cheap, it is very easy to include two of them in a list and spread these auras across the entire battlefield.
Things become particularly interesting in combination with the Orders keyword via Dynastic Alliance. In that case, both the Noble Lord and the Feudal Command Stand gain access to Flurry and the Orders’ one-time damage spike. Suddenly, even small, unassuming Men-at-Arms units become surprisingly dangerous in melee. Theist also offers strong value through Indomitable, Blessed, and movement buffs, while Imperial provides maneuvering advantages. In these cases, however, the Lord is usually embedded in a larger unit.
As an escort, the Household Guard is the obvious choice, as it makes excellent use of his combat stats. Personally, though, I see him more often and more successfully in classic Men-at-Arms units. Both benefit greatly from the reroll-6 aura, but Men-at-Arms tend to extract more value from his synergies for the points invested.
One rule that is often overlooked is Personal Bodyguard. The rule explicitly states Infantry Regiment rather than Feudal Infantry Regiment. This means you can, for example, upgrade a regiment of Mercenary Crossbowmen to Veterans. This may seem minor, but on the table it regularly makes the difference between a merely decent and a genuinely dangerous shooting unit.
In general, the Noble Lord should be kept as cheap as possible, as that is exactly where his efficiency comes from. However, if desired, he can be upgraded into a surprisingly heavy hitter. With Caledburn and the Eccentric Fighting Style, he reaches a brutal 8 attacks, rerolls all hit rolls, and forces the opponent to reroll successful defense rolls as well. Even in this luxury setup, he remains remarkably cost-efficient for what he delivers, often still leaving room for an additional defensive heirloom.
Priory Commander A-Tier
The Priory Commander appears in the Army Builder as two separate entries, but in the rules PDF it is a single selection that simply chooses which order it follows. This is important for tournaments: since each character may be taken at most twice, the Sealed Temple Commander and the Crimson Tower Commander count as the same selection. You can think of this in much the same way as the Weapon Arts of the Noble Lord.
His stat line is excellent. With Clash 4, 6 attacks, 4 impacts with Brutal Impact (2), Defense 4, Resolve 4, and 6 wounds, you get one of the strongest combat characters in the faction for 120 points. The only thing really missing to make the profile perfect is Cleave.
The choice of order then defines the focus. The Crimson Tower Commander gains Terrifying (1), which makes both his impacts and his regular attacks significantly more dangerous. The Sealed Temple Commander instead focuses on raw output, bringing 7 attacks and 5 impacts without Brutal Impact, but striking first in duels. Both versions are strong, though the Crimson Tower Commander is more commonly chosen in practice.
The biggest drawback remains the warband. Each commander only has his respective order as Mainstay. This means that if you take a Crimson Tower Commander, you can only field Crimson Tower units as Mainstay, while the other orders are restricted. This limits list building far more than with most other characters in the faction.
Like the Order of the Shield, he has access to The First Blessing. Once per game, all Orders Veterans gain +1 attack and Hardened (1). This may sound underwhelming, but it regularly decides games. Especially since Command Stands of the Orders and many of their characters already have permanent access to Flurry, this single activation can completely swing a melee or be the difference between dead and surviving knights.
The most famous variant, however, is the infamous “Sir Kill-a-lot.” This build combines the Crimson Tower Commander with Caledburn and the Eccentric Fighting Style. The result is 8 attacks on Clash 4, full hit rerolls, and forced rerolls of successful enemy defense rolls. Before those attacks even land, 4 impacts with Brutal Impact (2) are resolved, also rerolled, while the opponent is forced to reroll successful armor saves. This is followed by a morale test against a target already weakened by Terrifying. The Sealed Temple variant offers more attacks, but gives up exactly this combination of Terrifying and Brutal Impact, which is often the decisive factor.
I have seen more than one monster lost in a single activation to this character at tournaments. Letting a Priory Commander roam freely across the battlefield is rarely a good idea.
The Priest is rather unremarkable in close combat himself and rarely the reason you take him. His true value lies in his exceptionally strong support abilities and his excellent warband. In addition to the classic Militia, he can also lead Crusaders and Sicarii, and he is furthermore the only character in the faction with access to the powerful Archangel.
On the battlefield, he usually joins a larger block of five to six Crusaders or a unit of Sicarii. Which escort is the better choice ultimately depends on personal playstyle and the rest of the army composition.
Unfortunately, his spell list suffers somewhat from scaling issues on buffs, which means many spells do not go off reliably despite Devout. As a result, Holy Fire is the most commonly used spell, dealing two hits per success at 12 inches range. Another core spell is Heavenly Blessing, which now has the Self restriction but grants the unit the extremely powerful Blessed rule. The remaining spells also have their place and can be very valuable in the right situations, but in practice most turns revolve around Holy Fire and Heavenly Blessing.
His Supremacy, The Spirit Shines, is one of the strongest single effects in the entire faction. When activated and a Theist character successfully casts a spell on a friendly Theist regiment, all other Theist regiments on the battlefield benefit from the same effect. For example, if a Priest casts Heavenly Blessing on his own unit, all Theist regiments suddenly gain Blessed for that round. The same applies to Saint's Favor, allowing all Theist regiments to simultaneously gain +1 Evasion.
Additionally, when activating the Supremacy, the Priest may immediately perform a free spell action outside the normal sequence, which automatically succeeds. This allows, within a single activation, first empowering the entire army with Heavenly Blessing and then distributing a second buff.
This is rounded out by the subfaction rule March of the Faithful. It grants all Theist Veterans Divine Purpose, giving them a strong +2 bonus to March or Charge after casting a spell. At the same time, all Theist regiments within 12 inches of a Theist character benefit from Indomitable (+1), significantly strengthening the army’s morale and making it remarkably resilient even under heavy pressure. Overall, the Priest is less of a fighter and more the undisputed strategic heart of any successful Theist army.
Regiments
Archangel, A-Tier
Only available with the Priest, but a mandatory pick for Theist lists. With 18 wounds, Defense 3, Resolve 2, Fearless, and 12 attacks with Cleave 2, the Heavy Monster provides an excellent baseline profile.
Through its aura The Spirit Glimmers, it grants all Theist regiments within 12 inches with Divine Purpose a strong +2 inches of Movement or Charge on their first action. However, due to timing on the first action, this does not apply in the turn when units arrive from reinforcements.
Choosing between the two variants is a matter of preference and list concept. The more defensive Redeemer uses its shield at the front and grants all Theist infantry regiments within 10 inches Regeneration (4) once it inflicts wounds itself. The aggressive Avenger instead unleashes Flames of Vengeance, generating 8 automatic Smite hits at 16 inches or allowing it to destroy an objective marker. Combined with Terrifying and its impacts, it can break most small regiments on its own and often dictates the entire opponent’s positioning through pure psychological pressure.
Crusader, B-Tier
Many players consider them to be overpriced Men-at-Arms without access to a second keyword, but in the right list they form a reliable block. As Medium Infantry, they bring Defense 2, Shield, Hardened (1), and a strong Resolve 3 for the faction, making them noticeably more durable.
Through the Theist keyword, they gain access to Divine Purpose, which significantly improves their mobility through the additional movement burst and enables early pressure on mission objectives.
They perform best as a block of five or six models with a Theist Priest. This setup secures Blessed and allows the Fragment to be used for a one-time Cleave 3 spike, which can absolutely destroy enemy MSU-style lists on the charge and often forces opponents to simply avoid the Crusaders. While they will not dismantle elite enemy units on their own, Hardened (1) makes them extremely resilient against the volume of medium-strength attacks common in the current meta.
Their true strength emerges through faction-wide synergies: an Archangel or a Water Mage can easily recover losses, while the buffs provided by a Priest maximize their efficiency. Without this support they would be underwhelming, but with the right characters and spells they form a very solid backbone of a Theist list.
Many players consider them to be overpriced Men-at-Arms without access to a second keyword, but in the right list they form a reliable block. As Medium Infantry, they bring Defense 2, Shield, Hardened (1), and a strong Resolve 3 for the faction, making them noticeably more durable.
Through the Theist keyword, they gain access to Divine Purpose, which significantly improves their mobility through the additional movement burst and enables early pressure on mission objectives.
They perform best as a block of five or six models with a Theist Priest. This setup secures Blessed and allows the Fragment to be used for a one-time Cleave 3 spike, which can absolutely destroy enemy MSU-style lists on the charge and often forces opponents to simply avoid the Crusaders. While they will not dismantle elite enemy units on their own, Hardened (1) makes them extremely resilient against the volume of medium-strength attacks common in the current meta.
Their true strength emerges through faction-wide synergies: an Archangel or a Water Mage can easily recover losses, while the buffs provided by a Priest maximize their efficiency. Without this support they would be underwhelming, but with the right characters and spells they form a very solid backbone of a Theist list.
Gilded Legion, A-Tier
As a restricted choice of the Imperial Officer, heavy infantry with Movement 5 feels almost unplayable in the current meta, but the faction compensates for this through Vanguard and the Officer’s buffs. The profile stands out with Resolve 4 at fair points cost. Its role is not to deal maximum damage, but to secure key positions under the principle of “the hedgehog lives here now.”
Clash 3 and Cleave 1 provide a solid counterpunch, while Pike Formation shuts down enemy frontal charges at the source, as the opponent neither benefits from Inspire nor Shock and also loses Impact hits. Thanks to Iron Discipline, flank and rear charges also lose much of their threat, although Pike Formation itself does not function in those situations.
Its main weakness is Defense 3, since Bastion (1) only takes effect after the first activation on the battlefield. This makes it a popular target for high-quality ranged attacks if it is not activated early, which is not always tactically desirable given its role. In these cases, an Imperial Officer with Armour of Dominion or a Hardened (1) order is usually far more effective. A block like this, with Defense 4 and Resolve 4 and the removal of its own Cleave weakness, is something most regiments struggle to deal with.
The Legion is almost exclusively played with the Officer as Warlord in large blocks of five to ideally seven stands. Combined with a Drillmaster for additional attacks, it can even outgrind the toughest enemies and often forces the opponent to play entirely on its terms.
As a restricted choice of the Imperial Officer, heavy infantry with Movement 5 feels almost unplayable in the current meta, but the faction compensates for this through Vanguard and the Officer’s buffs. The profile stands out with Resolve 4 at fair points cost. Its role is not to deal maximum damage, but to secure key positions under the principle of “the hedgehog lives here now.”
Clash 3 and Cleave 1 provide a solid counterpunch, while Pike Formation shuts down enemy frontal charges at the source, as the opponent neither benefits from Inspire nor Shock and also loses Impact hits. Thanks to Iron Discipline, flank and rear charges also lose much of their threat, although Pike Formation itself does not function in those situations.
Its main weakness is Defense 3, since Bastion (1) only takes effect after the first activation on the battlefield. This makes it a popular target for high-quality ranged attacks if it is not activated early, which is not always tactically desirable given its role. In these cases, an Imperial Officer with Armour of Dominion or a Hardened (1) order is usually far more effective. A block like this, with Defense 4 and Resolve 4 and the removal of its own Cleave weakness, is something most regiments struggle to deal with.
The Legion is almost exclusively played with the Officer as Warlord in large blocks of five to ideally seven stands. Combined with a Drillmaster for additional attacks, it can even outgrind the toughest enemies and often forces the opponent to play entirely on its terms.
Household Guard, B-Tier
Household Knights, A-Tier with Theist / B-Tier with Order and Imperial
As Mainstay of the mounted Noble Lord and a restricted choice for both the Lord without a horse and the Crusader Lord, the knights, with Clash 2 and high points costs, appear somewhat overcosted when viewed in isolation. Without a Feudal Warlord or the mounted Noble, they also cannot be upgraded to Veterans, which would grant them +1 Clash. However, in the Hundred Kingdoms, profiles should never be evaluated in isolation: in practice, the knights almost never operate without the faction-wide reroll of 6s on Clash and Defense, which massively increases their reliability.
With the Theist keyword, the unit escalates completely and earns its A-tier status. Through Divine Purpose they generate additional movement or an improved Charge on their first action, while Blessed and the Fragment unlock absurd potential. In Order or Imperial lists, this massive synergy layer is missing. There, the knights feel much more fairly costed, as many of their strongest effects are effectively already priced into their base cost.
While they overwhelm enemy lines in a Theist setup, they remain a solid but by no means outstanding B-tier cavalry unit in other builds.
As Mainstay of the mounted Noble Lord and a restricted choice for both the Lord without a horse and the Crusader Lord, the knights, with Clash 2 and high points costs, appear somewhat overcosted when viewed in isolation. Without a Feudal Warlord or the mounted Noble, they also cannot be upgraded to Veterans, which would grant them +1 Clash. However, in the Hundred Kingdoms, profiles should never be evaluated in isolation: in practice, the knights almost never operate without the faction-wide reroll of 6s on Clash and Defense, which massively increases their reliability.
With the Theist keyword, the unit escalates completely and earns its A-tier status. Through Divine Purpose they generate additional movement or an improved Charge on their first action, while Blessed and the Fragment unlock absurd potential. In Order or Imperial lists, this massive synergy layer is missing. There, the knights feel much more fairly costed, as many of their strongest effects are effectively already priced into their base cost.
While they overwhelm enemy lines in a Theist setup, they remain a solid but by no means outstanding B-tier cavalry unit in other builds.
Hunter Cadre, A-Tier
Elite infantry available only through the Imperial Officer follows the typical profile of elite human infantry. Offensively, they do not achieve much with their 4 attacks and 3 shots, and their raw damage output is extremely limited for their points cost. Against tough brutes with 7 wounds, such as Yoroi, they simply do too little on their own, even with Fiend Hunter.
The real reason for their A-tier placement is therefore not combat performance, but their outstanding mobility, the Flank special rule, and their scenario strength through Vanguard when taken with an Imperial Warlord. As Medium Infantry, they can threaten almost any zone on the table from turn 2 onwards via flanking or reinforcements. They secure card advantage, occupy key positions far ahead of the enemy, and force extremely early reactions from the opponent. You do not buy them for kills, but for control of the battlefield.
Longbowman, B-Tier
Man at Arms, B-Tier
As the classic Mainstay infantry of the Hundred Kingdoms, they are the prototype of a cheap, disposable anvil unit. Defensively, they are actually fairly decent thanks to Defense 2 and Shield, while offensively they are simply poor. However, because they are extremely inexpensive and reliably score objectives, that alone already justifies running small MSU units for exactly this purpose, especially since they can march directly into key zones via Vanguard from the Imperial Officer.
The crucial keyword here is cost: they are so cheap that you can easily afford a large block of seven stands. In this size, the unit brings enough durability and buff potential to turn the regiment at the front into a wall that can comfortably perform the job of units costing well over 150 points more. But even as MSU, simply acting as a cheap transport option for a hero, they fulfill their role perfectly. In this function, they benefit from the special rules of the attached character, which increases their value far beyond their actual points cost and makes them a true backbone of humanity. It is just a shame that the models come with swords instead of sticks, although that can fortunately be converted.
Mercenary Crossbowmen, B-Tier
In my view, this is the second strongest shooting regiment in the entire game, which is primarily due to their absurdly low points cost. At just 110 points, they deliver consistently above-average value that makes many more expensive options look inefficient. Combined with Vanguard from the Imperial Officer, they easily fulfill three roles at once: cheap chaff, reliable finisher for weakened units, and early board control. As long as the opponent does not bring extreme anti-infantry tools, they more than double their points value over the course of a game.
A favourite tournament tactic is using them as a strategic speed bump in front of your own cavalry. You position them in such a way that the opponent is forced to charge them, blocking the knights positioned behind. At the decisive moment, you use the fallback rules: the crossbowmen clear the path, and your own knights can launch an unhindered countercharge. Even if the crossbowmen are sacrificed in the process, the trade is almost always excellent due to their low cost. Combined with the constant AP1 pressure that wears down enemy regiments over multiple rounds, this makes them one of the most efficient and most annoying units in the game.
Militia, D-Tier
Here comes the first real crash landing of the faction, because in the current edition I simply see no meaningful use for the Militia. In isolation, as Light Infantry with Clash 2 and four attacks, they are not even that bad for their low points cost. The fundamental problem, however, is the overwhelming competition within their own roster. A unit that cannot score on the table and, at the same time, has absolutely no edge in direct comparison immediately loses its purpose in list building. If you are looking for a cheap option, you almost always go for the cheaper Militia Bowmen instead, who at least provide a real function through ranged attacks.
The only theoretical angle comes through their Feudal and Theist keywords. In a very specific Order of the Shield build, and fully loaded with Fragments for Cleave 3, they can briefly catch an opponent off guard. In the end, however, this remains pure theory that can never justify the investment into an otherwise completely useless regiment.
Militia Bowmen, B-Tier
As the by far cheapest unit in the entire game, they at least bring a minimal ranged function to the table with Volley 2 and their bows. The modest 14-inch range does noticeably limit their flexibility, but as an extremely cheap utility and filler option, they fulfill their role reliably. Since they are available in almost all warbands as an uncomplicated Mainstay choice, they integrate very easily and unlock access to the army’s real elite units at very low cost. Their biggest argument remains their unbeatable price-to-value ratio.
The only reason they are still rarely seen in tournaments is the Mercenary Crossbowmen. For only a handful of points more, you get the same role but with greater range and valuable Armor Piercing (1). That does not mean the Bowmen are bad, however.
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Mounted Squiere, B-Tier with Theist / C-Tier with Order and Imperial
The Mounted Squires are one of those units that, depending on the list, are either among the most solid in the faction or simply function as a very fast filler unit. This dependence on setup is exactly what defines their rating.
With a Theist Warlord, they become the fastest unit in the entire game. Through Church buffs, especially Blessed and Indomitable, they also gain exactly the kind of stability and output that their base profile lacks.
Without that, they are essentially non-scoring Man-at-Arms with a pitiful Resolve of 2. Still, their core value remains: they are fast and therefore significantly extend the reinforcement line forward in a useful way for the rest of the army.
In combination with Order support, they are also not without merit, as Flurry on the Command Stand and the one-time damage boost give them just enough of a push to turn their speed into real offensive output.
Order of the Ashen Dawn, B-Tier
Order of the Crimson Tower, S-Tier
The Crimson Tower are exactly the kind of unit that delivers absurd amounts of damage at the perfect moment on a charge clash, but they also heavily depend on actually getting that moment. The base profile is typical Hundred Kingdoms Order: Defense 3 with shield, Resolve 4, Fearless, and a surprisingly solid 5 wounds per stand, plus 4 impacts with Brutal Impact (2) as a reliable baseline.
Their entire game plan is clearly centered on the charge. Once Wedge and Fury come into play, the output escalates significantly and a normal cavalry block turns into a unit that deletes any MSU on the initial contact. The problem remains constant: without the charge, that spike disappears and they immediately feel much less impressive for their points.
With Movement 7, they are not particularly forgiving, which means the opponent can often actively attempt to pin them with move-charge interactions. In practice, this often leads to using cheap units to force the initial contact and then bringing the Crimson Tower in as a second wave. Even on a move-charge, they remain dangerous due to +1 impacts and Linebreaker, but without the full “killer cavalry” moment.
All in all, they are an expensive and now very popular unit that can single-handedly swing games in the right situation. There is a reason why most Order lists run two or more regiments of them.
Order of the Sealed Tempel, A-Tier
The Sealed Temple initially look like a rather expensive cavalry unit on paper, especially because four attacks per stand do not seem particularly impressive and their damage output is not immediately striking. This first impression often leads to their actual value being underestimated.
The base profile is typical Order cavalry with D3 and shield, R4, and Fearless, making them significantly more durable than many other mobile units in the game. On top of that come Movement 8 and Fluid Formation, which form the real core of the unit. They reliably reach their charges while remaining extremely flexible in positioning. This mobility frequently creates flank or rear charges that can completely overwhelm individual regiments. Combined with a properly built character such as “Sir Kill a lot,” they can even clear enemy units on their own, despite their seemingly modest base profile.
At the same time, this is exactly what makes many enemy move-charge plans unreliable, as they can simply rotate, reposition, or shift to turn an expected frontal engagement into a flank attack on the opponent.
Sicarii, B-Tier
The Sicarii are primarily a morally stable Theist core unit that performs significantly more reliably on the table than their raw defensive profile would suggest. Evasion 2 is admittedly swingy, but in practice this is often offset by an attached Theist Priest, who provides either Blessed or additional defensive buffs. In many builds, they also benefit from Indomitable (1) and other small bonuses that noticeably increase their staying power.
Their lack of Unstoppable is partially compensated by their movement. With Movement 6, they are already among the faster human infantry units, and through Divine Purpose they can effectively reach Movement 8 at the decisive moment. Combined with an Imperial Officer as Warlord, this creates very long and highly flexible charge ranges that can control a surprising amount of the battlefield in the right setup.
In melee themselves, they provide solid pressure with 5 attacks, Clash 3, and Cleave 1, scaling primarily through synergies.
Steel Legion, C-Tier
Movement 5 heavy infantry is already something of a warning sign in the current game, and even the option for Vanguard (5) only mitigates that to a limited extent. The reason the Steel Legion are still seen at all comes down to two simple factors: they are relatively cheap and they are Mainstay for the Imperial Officer.
Their real value clearly lies in the offense. With 5 attacks per stand, Clash 3, and as the only unit in the army with Cleave 2, they bring a very high damage output once they get the right engagement. With a Drillmaster for additional attacks or other buffs, they can escalate further, but they always depend on being able to take fights on their own terms. This is exactly where the Imperial Officer’s Supremacy helps, giving them the necessary flexibility to reliably reach relevant combats.
Their biggest drawback, however, remains their classification as heavy infantry. This constantly puts them in competition with significantly stronger alternatives in the same slot, such as the Gilded Legion or, depending on the list, units like the Archangel or Crimson Tower. In many cases, this means that despite their clear damage profile, they ultimately do not make it into the list.
Trebuchet, B-Tier
The Trebuchet is one of those units that strongly divides the community. Many consider it too passive, while others see exactly that as its main strength. The key point is that, due to its stationary nature, it is always in optimal range and can therefore reliably fire two shots per round.
In a game where movement normally determines everything, this initially seems like a disadvantage. In practice, however, it becomes a constant pressure point that forces the opponent to deal with it. In our local playgroup, this has led to the saying “play two or no Trebuchet,” often paired with three cheap screening units for protection. This quickly turns into a very expensive “gun castle” that can reach around 700 points, but generates extremely consistent damage and strong zone control.
The real core of the unit lies in its three ammunition types, which significantly change its firing profile. Tar Barrels are usually a trap. Boulder combined with a few crossbows reliably kills monsters, while Incendiary Pot is the area-effect option that massively increases the Barrage value and puts heavy pressure on large regiments.
Especially in combination with Order lists, this can create tournament-viable concepts, as the Trebuchet provides a very reliable centre for ranged pressure and board control. Importantly, it does not only work in classic Imperial builds, but can also be easily integrated into the warband of an Order of the Crimson Tower Commander, opening up additional list-building options.
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