Battanian Fian Champion

Battanian Fian Champions are tier-six noble archers of Battania.

Tactics[]

Battanian Fian Champions are Bannerlord's premier foot archers: while rare, if a patient player can prepare even a small force of them to support their army, they will single-handedly win battles. Their bows are powerful, accurate, and out-range most - if not all - archers in the game. Their armor is on par with most heavy infantry. Their two-handed swords are some of the best in the game. They are especially effective against the Empire, as most imperial armies will consist of largely lightly-armored and poorly-shielded footmen.

Use Battanian Fian Champions as you would any other archer: place them on high ground, or in front of your own troops, so that they can fire unimpeded on approaching units. They will most likely out-range your foes, forcing them to advance on your position or else take massive casualties from range. If they are threatened by enemy infantry or cavalry, give them support from the rest of your army. Unlike most archers, Battanian Fian Champions can hold their own in melee - they have an exceptionally high Two Handed skill - but, due to their rare and expensive nature, it is still best to keep them out of melee if at all possible. They will be more effective firing from a distance, regardless.

All archer-focused armies require a critical mass of units in order to become properly effective. The Battanian Fian Champion and its predecessor, the regular Fian, take this concept a step further. They are expensive to train, difficult to amass, and even more difficult to replace when fighting abroad but, even still, if you can maintain a sufficient number of them, they will dominate. It is not uncommon for a group of Battanian Fian Champions in your army to kill two, three, or four times their number, if given sufficient time to shoot. They are best firing at mass infantry and archers but they can also give charging heavy cavalry a bloody nose if they see them coming.

This isn't to say they don't have weaknesses. Battanian Fian Champions lack shields of their own and, while they have good armor, they tend to struggle against horse archers. Use your infantry or cavalry to support them in these cases.

The player can also treat them as a nuclear option in sieges. They'll ravage the defenders on the ramparts before your men get close enough to engage them. This can get expensive, however, and your precious Battanian Fian Champions will likely some take painful, irreplaceable casualties in the process. If you pick a Leadership perk called Veteran's Respect, you can upgrade Forest Bandits to regular Battanian Fian. A strategy to acquire them while outside Battania is to pick a Roguery perk called Scarface which, provided your party is faster and stronger, causes bandits to join you when confronted.

If, for whatever reason, you find yourself opposing significant numbers of Battanian Fian Champions, you must do everything in your power to stop them from shooting as soon as possible, otherwise you will risk serious casualties.

Skills[]

(v1.5.7 beta)

One Handed	90
Two Handed	220
Polearm	50
Bow	260
Crossbow	25
Throwing	40
Riding	60
Athletics	170

Equipment[]

Troops may spawn with these items in battle. (v1.5.7 beta)

Weapons	Highland Fine Two Handed Sword Woodland Longbow Stacked Bodkin Arrows
Shield	N/A
Head Armor	Highland Crowned Helmet
Shoulder Armor	Large Fur Cloak With Round Plate
Body Armor	Highborn Mail Armor
Hand Armor	Fur Rimmed Leather Gloves
Foot Armor	Fur Boots
Mount	N/A
Mount Harness	N/A

Armor Ratings[]

Note: These items are taken from the in-game encyclopedia. Troops may spawn with visibly different equipment that may affect their in-game ratings. (v1.5.7 beta)

Armor	Head	Body	Arm	Leg	Weight
Highland Crowned Helmet	50	-	-	-	3.4
Large Fur Cloak With Round Plate	-	14	7	-	8.3
Highborn Mail Armor	-	48	12	22	23
Fur Rimmed Leather Gloves	-	-	8	-	1.8
Fur Boots	-	-	-	6	1.5
Total	50	62	27	28	38

Weapon Ratings[]

Note: These items are taken from the in-game encyclopedia. Troops may spawn with visibly different equipment that may affect their in-game ratings. (v1.5.7 beta)

Melee
Name	Highland Fine Two Handed Sword
Type	2H Weapon
Class	2H Sword
Swing Speed	87
Swing Damage	71
Thrust Speed	90
Thrust Damage	50
Length	107
Handling	87
Weight	1.63

Ranged
Name	Woodland Longbow
Type	Bow
Speed	88
Damage	76 (pierce)
Accuracy	94
Missile Speed	82
Weight	0.1

Missile
Name	Stacked Bodkin Arrows
Type	Arrow
Accuracy	100
Damage	3 (pierce)
Stack Amount	32
Weight	0.048

Trivia[]

The Battanian Fian Champion was previously called "Fiuthail Fiann".

Gallery[]

Template:BattaniaTroop