With a variety of choices awaiting you in Chivalry II, it can be hard to find your favourite subclass in each of the four main classes. Every class has three subclasses, two of which need to be unlocked, but is it worth the grind to unlock these playable units?
The stats of the Knights won’t change between subclasses, but their arsenal, special items, and equipment will. They have the largest health pool of all of the classes, boasting a massive 175 health, while their speed and stamina drop to 80 each, making the Knight the tank of the game.
In this article, we’ll be breaking down, offering pros and cons, and ranking the Knight subclasses to see what they truly bring to the battlefield.
3. Officer
A seasoned veteran in the art of warfare, the Officer comes in third place largely due to the unit’s more balanced playstyle. While this can work well, it does lose the ferocity showcased by the other Knight subclasses.
Think of the Officer as a support version of the Crusader: their weaponry is similar but not as powerful, and their special item is the Trumpet, which boosts the health regen of nearby allies.
They do, however, introduce players to the Knight class very effectively by easing you into the bloodthirsty playstyle best suited to this class, without you having to commit to such an offence-heavy mindset fully.
As the Officer isn’t as offensively focused as the other two units, the way that they charge their special item isn’t as effective as the other subclasses either.
The Unbreakable trait requires you to take damage to charge your special item, encouraging you to maraud your way to the front lines, soaking up damage and dishing it out in the process.
As such, the Officer feels like precisely what it is: an introductory unit to the class. It’s not a unit that’s using the strengths of the class to its full advantage in battle, and so, it ranks as the worst Knight subclass to use.
2. Guardian
The race for first is very debatable when it comes to the best Knight subclasses in Chivalry II. Ultimately, the decision will come down to your play style, but just missing out here is the Guardian – the second of the Knight units that you unlock.
The Guardian is, without a doubt, the biggest damage sponge in Chivalry II. The Knight’s high health stat paired with a huge tower shield and armour make this unit perfect for holding the line in the heat of battle.
Possessing good single-handed weapons to give as good as they get, the Guardian can inflict a lot of damage while they sustain even more.
They can also deploy the Banner special item to heal nearby teammates over time, and due to their specialist tank role, the Unbreakable trait is much more useful than with the Officer subclass.
Where the Officer is a jack-of-all-trades, the Guardian has a specialist role within the army and can be more beginner-friendly thanks to their tower shield. It’s for these reasons that the Guardian has the edge in our rankings to land as the second-best Knight subclass.
1. Crusader
The crowning glory of the Knight class and the last one that you unlock is the Crusader. This unit is extremely offensive, and everything about their inventory is purpose-fit for slaughtering your foes.
Armed with the deadliest two-handed weapons, backed up by excellent one-handed secondaries, and a selection of throwing axes, the Crusader’s load-out is the most offence-heavy class in the game.
Their special weapon further adds to the destructive power of the Crusader, coming equipped with the incendiary Oil Pot, which bursts into flames on impact to deal a considerable amount of fire damage to everybody nearby.
Placing Oil Pots tactically around the battlefield to funnel enemies into a chokepoint is an extremely effective way of thinning out their numbers. Better still, you don’t have to be conservative with these items, as the Unbreakable trait will give you a steady supply of Oil Pots.
When you play as this unit, your job will be to drive the army forward and inflict heavy casualties on enemy lines. Players who have gotten to grips with the combat system will excel as the Crusader and will have the greatest impact on the battlefield.
Having a formidable group of Crusaders in battle will immensely boost your chances of victory – more so than the other two subclasses of Knights – which is why they eclipse the Officer and narrowly beat the Guardian to rank as the best Knight Subclass.
That’s it for our list of the best Knight subclasses in Chivalry II; now get yourself out there and dominate the enemy!