Creative Assembly shipped Medieval II in November 2006 and folded the Kingdoms expansion plus every later patch into the free Definitive Edition on 20 November 2018. The Grand Campaign covers 1080 to 1530 across 112 regions and roughly 225 turns, with 21 factions of which only England, France, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire and Venice are playable on turn one. Kingdoms bolts on four more campaigns: Britannia, Teutonic, Crusades and Americas.
Your choice of equipment defines your damage output and playstyle. This guide ranks every major option, explains what makes each one strong, and tells you which builds they pair best with.
Equipment Rankings
| Equipment | Tier | Best For | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Longbowmen | S | England holding a ridge against knight-heavy armies | English bows outrange every competitor and can hammer stakes into the ground that stop a cavalry charge dead. |
| Feudal Knights | A | Flank charges into archers and units already wavering | Mid tier heavy cavalry available to most Catholic factions once a castle has stables. |
| Pavise Crossbow Militia | A | Milan, Venice and Sicily defending walls and streets | Italian city militia that carries a large shield it plants in front of itself, so it wins missile duels against ordinary crossbowmen and survives counter fire. |
| Trebuchet | B | Cracking cities in the first 100 turns | The workhorse siege engine before gunpowder, capable of dropping gates and towers and of lobbing diseased cattle over the wall to start a plague inside the settlement. |
| Janissary Musketeers | B | Turkish armies breaking massed Crusader infantry | Turkish gunpowder infantry with punishing damage and a morale shock on impact, gated behind Ottoman gunpowder buildings and slow to reload. |
S-Tier: Longbowmen
English bows outrange every competitor and can hammer stakes into the ground that stop a cavalry charge dead. Two units of stakes turn a slope into a killing field.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | S |
| Best For | England holding a ridge against knight-heavy armies |
| Key Mechanic | Castle and city settlement split |
| Recommended Build | England |
How to get it: Available from mid-game onward. See our walkthrough for the exact progression point.
Best builds using Longbowmen: Pairs naturally with England thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
A-Tier: Feudal Knights
Mid tier heavy cavalry available to most Catholic factions once a castle has stables. Devastating on the charge, mediocre once the charge bonus expires and the melee grinds.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | A |
| Best For | Flank charges into archers and units already wavering |
| Key Mechanic | Papal favour and excommunication |
| Recommended Build | France |
How to get it: Accessible in the early-to-mid game. Check our maps guide for the location.
Best builds using Feudal Knights: Pairs naturally with France thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
A-Tier: Pavise Crossbow Militia
Italian city militia that carries a large shield it plants in front of itself, so it wins missile duels against ordinary crossbowmen and survives counter fire.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | A |
| Best For | Milan, Venice and Sicily defending walls and streets |
| Key Mechanic | Chivalry and dread general traits |
| Recommended Build | Holy Roman Empire |
How to get it: Accessible in the early-to-mid game. Check our maps guide for the location.
Best builds using Pavise Crossbow Militia: Pairs naturally with Holy Roman Empire thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
B-Tier: Trebuchet
The workhorse siege engine before gunpowder, capable of dropping gates and towers and of lobbing diseased cattle over the wall to start a plague inside the settlement.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | B |
| Best For | Cracking cities in the first 100 turns |
| Key Mechanic | Crusades and Jihads |
| Recommended Build | Spain |
How to get it: Found in later areas. Our walkthrough covers when you can access this.
Best builds using Trebuchet: Pairs naturally with Spain thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
B-Tier: Janissary Musketeers
Turkish gunpowder infantry with punishing damage and a morale shock on impact, gated behind Ottoman gunpowder buildings and slow to reload.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | B |
| Best For | Turkish armies breaking massed Crusader infantry |
| Key Mechanic | Gunpowder arriving mid campaign |
| Recommended Build | Venice |
How to get it: Found in later areas. Our walkthrough covers when you can access this.
Best builds using Janissary Musketeers: Pairs naturally with Venice thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
Equipment Progression Path
The order you should acquire equipment as you progress:
- Starting gear → Enough to clear British Isles
- Feudal Knights → Your first real upgrade, available early
- Pavise Crossbow Militia → Mid-game upgrade with good scaling
- Longbowmen → Best-in-slot, aim for this by late game
- Upgrade to max → The power spike from max upgrades is enormous
Equipment Tips
- Always upgrade your primary equipment before diversifying. One strong option beats three mediocre ones.
- Match your equipment to your build's stat priorities for maximum scaling.
- Decide your castle to city ratio before turn 30. Castles are the only settlements that train real professional units, cities pay for them. Two cities per castle keeps a 20 unit stack funded without going into deficit around turn 60.
- Check our tier list for how equipment rankings affect overall build effectiveness.
More Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition Guides
- Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition Overview
- Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition Best Builds
- Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition Tier List
- Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition Walkthrough
- Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition Beginner's Guide
- Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition Tips & Tricks
- Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition Combat Guide
- Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition Boss Guide
- Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition Maps & Locations
- Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition Crafting Guide
- Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition Classes & Characters
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