Chronicles Medieval units: Factions, Tiers, Recruitment, and Army Guide

Learn how Chronicles Medieval units work: Levy, Household, and Mercenary categories, faction strengths, recruitment, upgrades, morale, and formations.

Chronicles Medieval units are the foundation of every campaign: a carefully shaped roster can make a smaller force dangerous, while an unaffordable army can collapse before its equipment matters. Understanding Chronicles Medieval units matters because recruitment, regional culture, progression, morale, and upkeep all affect what you can field—not just the size of your treasury. Based on the latest developer material available on September 1, 2026, this guide breaks down the three categories, known faction identities, and the choices that turn recruits into a dependable medieval army.

The systems remain in active development, so tier ranges, costs, and balance may change. The Steam-hosted army-management developer diary identifies the unit systems as work in progress, while the Raw Power Games game page currently lists Early Access for early 2027.

The Three Categories Behind Chronicles Medieval units

At the center of the army system are three distinct categories: Levy, Household, and Mercenary. Each category has its own tier range, recruitment conditions, progression trees, and economic profile.

Every main faction is planned to have dedicated lines for all three categories. Those lines cover melee and ranged troops as well as infantry and cavalry, but the exact emphasis changes from one faction to another.

Category	Current tier range	Where and why it appears	Main consideration
Levy	1–5	Recruited from settlements and drawn from local populations	Affordable and accessible, but generally less trained
Household	4–8 or 9	Recruited at castles as professional noble troops	More capable and cohesive, but expensive to recruit and maintain
Mercenary	3–7	Hired in foreign regions for a fee	Useful for covering roster gaps, but costly and morale-sensitive

The categories are locked. A Levy unit can be promoted through its own tree, but it cannot become a Household unit. That makes the initial choice important: a cheap Levy line may be the right answer early in a campaign, even if you eventually want a professional army.

The tier bands also overlap. A fully promoted tier 5 Levy unit can reportedly challenge a low-tier Household unit, so tier should be treated as a quick indicator rather than an automatic prediction of victory.

Faction identity changes the army mix

Faction design is one of the most important parts of Chronicles Medieval units. The available material highlights three major identities:

Faction	Emphasis shown in developer material	Battlefield identity	Useful complement
England	Skilled archers, especially English Longbowmen	Ranged pressure and strong flank support	Mercenary troops can provide missing melee or mounted roles
France	Fearsome cavalry	Aggressive mounted forces and powerful vanguard attacks	English Mercenary archers can improve ranged damage
Holy Roman Empire	Tough melee infantry	Dense, durable formations that excel in the center	French Mercenary cavalry can add a mounted vanguard

These descriptions represent faction strengths, not complete rosters. Each faction still has access to multiple roles through its Levy, Household, and Mercenary lines.

Community reports: Gameplay coverage has shown examples including pikemen, shielded spearmen, halberd-equipped infantry, French cavalry, French peasants, and English Mercenary longbowmen. The community unit-roster overview and community battle gameplay coverage are useful for seeing how these troops look in demonstrations, but they should not be treated as a final roster or final balance guide.

Reading Chronicles Medieval units: tiers, roles, and stats

The tier system runs from 1 to 10, with tier 1 representing the lowest general power level and tier 10 the highest. However, tiers are calculated in context. Category, role, equipment, and statistics all contribute to a unit’s tier.

The most useful way to evaluate Chronicles Medieval units is to compare their purpose with the situation you expect to face.

Metric	What it tells you	How to use it
Troops	Current active soldiers versus maximum capacity	Low numbers reduce a unit’s battlefield impact even if its tier is high
Hit Points	Damage each soldier can absorb	Melee troops are generally more durable than ranged troops
Melee/Ranged Damage	Base weapon damage in each attack type	Check whether the unit can fight effectively after enemies reach it
Armor	Damage reduction against incoming attacks	Strong armor is most valuable when the enemy lacks penetration
Melee/Ranged Penetration	Ability to bypass enemy armor	Match penetration to heavily armored targets
Attack and Block Chance	Probability of an offensive or defensive next action	Helps explain how equipment and combat behavior affect exchanges
Cohesion	Training, organization, and leadership quality	Higher cohesion supports tighter formations and quicker responses
Morale	The unit’s current willingness to fight	Losses, poor upkeep, and battlefield shocks can push a unit toward a rout
Upkeep	Recurring cost of maintaining the unit	Factor weekly gold and food costs into every promotion decision

A unit without a primary melee weapon can use a sidearm in close combat, but that does not make it a front-line specialist. Archers should be protected from cavalry, while spear and polearm troops are designed to resist mounted attacks.

Cohesion is especially important when formations are under pressure. A well-organized Household unit can maintain a tighter line, respond to orders faster, and hold its ground more effectively than a less cohesive unit in the same formation.

Recruiting and sustaining Chronicles Medieval units

Where Chronicles Medieval units are recruited matters almost as much as which faction you choose. Quartermasters at settlements and castles provide access to new units and replenishment resources, but the available pool changes by location and time.

Need	Primary source	Availability factors	Practical use
New Levy unit	Settlement quartermaster	Local culture, settlement size, prosperity, and weekly pool	Build an affordable early army
New Household unit	Castle quartermaster	Regional culture, renown, and buildings such as barracks or stables	Add trained troops when the economy can support them
Mercenary unit	Quartermaster in a foreign region	Foreign culture, local pool, renown, and available funds	Fill a missing role or strengthen a faction weakness
Replenishment	Locations offering the matching category resource	Levy, Household, or Mercenary manpower availability	Restore losses without passively replacing troops

Levy and Household recruits generally match the culture of the region. Mercenaries work differently: foreign troops may offer their services in another culture’s territory. For example, French or Holy Roman Empire Mercenaries may appear in English regions, while English Mercenaries are expected to be found abroad.

Recruitment pools reset globally each in-game week. Other commanders can draw from the same supply before you arrive, potentially changing the quality, tiers, and roles on offer. After a major defeat, you may need to wait for the reset or travel to another location rather than instantly rebuilding.

A practical recruitment loop

Inspect before committing: Check a quartermaster’s available units before launching a campaign that depends on a specific role.
Use local culture intelligently: If you need native Levy or Household troops, recruit in the appropriate region instead of assuming every settlement shares one roster.
Reserve upgrade resources: Promotions and replenishment can require arms, armor, and horses, so avoid spending everything on new units.
Use Mercenaries selectively: Hire them to solve a clear problem, such as adding ranged support to a French army or cavalry to an infantry-focused force.

The hidden cost is morale. Morale carries from the campaign map into battles and can change because of casualties, fatigue, battlefield events, and the outcome of previous fights. The known states are Inspired, Confident, Concerned, Wavering, and Broken.

Confident units do not suffer desertion, while lower morale states can cause soldiers to leave over time. Food and complete payment improve morale, while neglect has the opposite effect. Mercenaries are more easily affected by morale problems, making them powerful reinforcements but unreliable foundations for an overstretched army.

Progressing Chronicles Medieval units on the battlefield

Units gain experience primarily through battle, and performance affects how quickly they qualify for promotion. A unit that remains passive receives less experience than one that actively participates, inflicts losses, and survives meaningful combat.

Promotion is not always a simple “upgrade to a stronger version.” Progression trees can present linear improvements, specialist branches, or complete role changes.

Progression choice	Known example	Result	Watch-out
Earn experience	Active participation in battle	Qualifies the unit for future promotion	Passive units advance more slowly
Stay in the same role	Foot Serjeant to Sword Serjeant	Better equipment and statistics for a similar job	Still requires promotion resources
Choose anti-cavalry specialization	Foot Serjeant to Bill Serjeant	Heavier armor and a bill polearm suited to mounted threats	More specialized battlefield purpose
Change battlefield role	Infantry to cavalry or melee to ranged	Opens a different tactical function	Can require different equipment and horses
Respect category boundaries	Levy, Household, and Mercenary lines	Keeps the unit within its original category	A Levy cannot become a Household unit

Promotion costs depend on the unit’s category, current tier, role, and troop count. Melee and ranged infantry have different arms and armor needs, while cavalry also consumes horse resources. Household promotions are more expensive than comparable Levy or Mercenary upgrades, and stronger units demand more upkeep afterward.

Formations and standing orders

Formations determine how a unit behaves physically on the field:

Line is a broad, mobile shape suited to general movement.
Block is deeper and more compact, trading frontage for staying power.
Loose spreads ranged troops out and reduces the number of soldiers exposed to incoming attacks.
Shield Wall helps infantry hold ground.
Spear Wall is designed to stop charging cavalry but moves slowly.
Square protects against attacks from multiple directions but is difficult to maneuver.
Skein concentrates shock cavalry for a powerful charge before reforming.
Wedge is designed to punch through an enemy line.

The system rewards timing. Base formations are useful for moving and positioning, while advanced formations should generally be activated when contact is close. Reformation takes time, so changing shape repeatedly can leave a unit vulnerable.

Standing Orders add another layer. Aggressive units seek enemies, Defensive units hold their position, and Versatile units use more independent judgment. Initial Orders guide a unit at the start of battle; once that instruction is complete, the unit returns to its Standing Order.

A practical army plan for Chronicles Medieval units

A sustainable force should grow in stages rather than jumping immediately toward the highest available tier.

Open with Levy breadth. Early armies have few unit slots, and Levy troops provide an economical way to cover basic infantry, ranged, and anti-cavalry needs. Developer examples show an opening force with two Levy units of roughly 50 troops each, although values may change.
Promote around likely threats. If enemy cavalry is common, consider spear or bill-focused upgrades. If you need reliable damage in a prolonged infantry clash, a more conventional melee branch may offer greater flexibility.
Add Mercenaries to solve gaps. Do not treat Mercenaries as a replacement for an entire faction roster. Their higher costs and weaker morale stability make them most useful when they provide something your local units lack.
Expand only when supplies support it. Character progression can unlock up to 10 unit slots and increase unit capacity to roughly twice the initial size. The current design example points toward units of about 100 troops and armies approaching 1,000 soldiers, but food, gold, and morale must keep pace.
Replenish before morale collapses. A damaged unit is not only weaker; it may also carry battlefield stress into the next engagement. Visit quartermasters, restore category-matching manpower, and avoid taking another fight with a force that is already Wavering.

The strongest army is not necessarily the one with the highest average tier. It is the force whose roles, formations, recruitment access, and upkeep requirements fit the campaign you are actually playing.

FAQ about Chronicles Medieval units

What are the main Chronicles Medieval units categories?

The game divides troops into Levy, Household, and Mercenary categories. Levy units are generally cheaper and recruited from settlements, Household units are professional troops associated with castles, and Mercenaries are hired to fill gaps for a higher financial and morale cost.

Which factions have distinctive Chronicles Medieval units?

The currently highlighted factions are England, France, and the Holy Roman Empire. England emphasizes skilled archers, France is known for cavalry, and the Holy Roman Empire focuses on tough melee infantry. These are faction strengths rather than complete roster lists.

Can a Levy unit be upgraded into a Household unit?

No. Unit categories are locked. A Levy unit can advance through its own progression tree, but it cannot cross over into the Household or Mercenary category.

How do I prevent Chronicles Medieval units from deserting?

Keep units fully supplied with food and pay, win battles when possible, and monitor morale after heavy losses. Desertion begins to become a concern below the Confident state, and Mercenaries are more vulnerable to morale problems than Household troops.