Armor & Mounts

In Bannerlord, your mount is an extension of your armor. The right combination of horse breed and barding (horse armor) can define your playstyle, whether you are a nimble horse archer or a steel-clad battering ram.

Mount Categories

Not all four-legged beasts are created equal.

• Pack Animals (Mules, Sumpter Horses): Used for carrying inventory. Riding them into battle is a death sentence due to low speed and health.

• Riding Horses: Standard mounts. Decent speed, low charge damage.

• Warhorses: Required for upgrading elite cavalry. They have higher HP and charge stats.

• Noble Mounts: Rare breeds like the Wadar Hotblood or Asaligat. They possess superior stats in every category but are expensive and hard to find.

Barding: The Weight of Protection

Barding adds armor to your horse but comes with a weight penalty.

Light Barding (Cloth/Leather)

• Armor: 10-30

• Use Case: Best for Khuzait horse archers or scouts.

• Benefit: Minimal impact on speed and maneuverability, allowing you to outrun heavier opponents.

Heavy Barding (Scale/Lamellar)

• Armor: 50-70+

• Use Case: Essential for Vlandian Banner Knights and Imperial Cataphracts.

• Benefit: Makes your horse a tank. You can soak up arrow fire and survive pike thrusts.

• Drawback: Slower acceleration. Once you are stopped in a melee, it is harder to escape.

Camels vs Horses

The Aserai often use camels.

• Pros: Taller hitbox (harder for infantry to hit you, easier for you to strike down), bonus speed in desert terrain.

• Cons: Slower turn rate, cannot wear standard horse armor (needs camel barding), larger target for archers.

See the Aserai Sultanate Guide for more on desert warfare.

Physics of Cavalry: Charge Damage

Damage from a collision is calculated by Mass x Speed.

• Heavy Barding increases Mass, making your impact hit harder.

• Light Barding increases Speed, also contributing to impact but favoring hit-and-run.

For a pure shock cavalry build, go heavy. You want to crush through the infantry line, not dance around it.

Encumbrance and Party Speed

Your personal armor weight does not significantly slow your horse, but your horse's armor does. Furthermore, the type of horses in your inventory affects your campaign map speed. Too many pack animals cause a "Herd Penalty."

Detailed mechanics can be found in Party Speed Explained.

Summary

Choose your mount and armor based on your role. If you are a commander who needs to stay alive to give orders, armor up your horse. If you are a skirmisher, strip it down and trust in your speed.