Horse Archer Builds: The Steppe Meta

In Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, few things are as terrifying as a horde of horse archers. They are fast, deadly, and incredibly hard to counter. If you want to conquer Calradia with speed and arrows, this guide is for you.

Dominate the battlefield with superior mobility.

Why Play a Horse Archer?

It is widely considered the strongest build in the game for both the player and the AI armies.

• Mobility: You choose when to fight. If you are losing, you run.

• Damage: Bows have high DPS.

• Safety: You are rarely in melee range, keeping you alive longer.

The Build: Attributes and Skills

To build a powerful horse archer character, focus on Control and Endurance.

1. Bow (Control)

This is your damage dealer.

• Key Perks:

  • Mounted Archer (Level 100): Reduces accuracy penalty by 30%. Mandatory. Without this, you can't hit anything while moving.

  • Bullseye: More XP for ranged.

2. Riding (Endurance)

This is your survival tool.

• Key Perks:

  • Squire: Start with a better bow/horse.

  • Nomadic Traditions: Mounted troops +20% XP. (Great for leading Khuzait armies).

  • Mounted Warrior: +5% damage with ranged weapons on horseback.

Best Horse Archer Troops

The Khuzait Khan's Guard is widely feared for a reason.

1. Khuzait Khan's Guard: The absolute king. They carry a Noble Long Bow (highest damage) and a Glaive (best melee weapon). They kill at range and destroy in melee.

2. Aserai Mameluke Heavy Cavalry: Good armor and decent bow, but lacks the melee punch of the Khan's Guard.

3. Imperial Bucellarii: Heavily armored but slow. Good for sieges, bad for kiting.

Battlefield Tactics

You shouldn't just charge (F1, F3) your horse archers. Use their speed.

Formations matter. Don't just charge blindly.

The Cantabrian Circle

The AI loves this, but players can simply use Follow Me or Move Here.

• Ride in a circle around the enemy infantry.

• This forces them to turn their shields constantly, exposing their backs to your arrows.

The Feigned Retreat (Kiting)

1. Order troops to follow you.

2. Ride close to enemy to bait them.

3. Ride away while shooting backwards (Parting Shot perk helps here).

4. Repeat until they are dead.

For more on how to command these troops, see Combat Mechanics Guide and Khuzait Khanate Guide.