Beginner’s Guide to Infantry Units in Conqueror’s Blade (PvP Focus)

onqueror’s Blade features a wide array of infantry units, each with distinct weapons and roles on the battlefield.
For new warlords, understanding these roles is crucial to deploying your units effectively in PvP battles.
This guide provides an overview of beginner-friendly infantry units, categorized by their weapon types (shield, pike, sword, halberd, etc.), and offers advice on positioning, formations, tactical deployment, unit synergy, counters, and tips for both new and experienced players.

Notes:
– There are points which only focus on teamplay as a group
– I did not mention every Unit, I have links linked so you can get quick information while reading
– There can be errors in my writing, I use chatgpt to correct my “average” english into correct wording | DM me 🙂

Overview of Infantry for Beginners

Infantry form the backbone of your army in PvP, especially in siege battles. They hold ground, push objectives, and protect more fragile troops. For beginners, infantry units tend to be more forgiving and straightforward to use than cavalry or artillery. Here are some key points about infantry in Conqueror’s Blade:

  • Categories & Roles:
    Infantry units are generally categorized by their weapon and equipment – for example, heavy shield units, pike units, sword-wielding units, and halberd units. Each category has a specific role (defensive frontline, anti-cavalry, shock assault, etc.), so mixing these in your warband gives you flexibility on the battlefield.
  • Beginner-Friendly Units:
    Early on, you’ll unlock basic units like Spear Militia (shield unit) and Pike Militia. As you progress, aim to obtain reliable mid-tier units such as Prefecture Guards (sword/shield infantry) or Halberdiers (pike unit). These units are effective without requiring complex tactics. Eventually, unlocking units like Imperial Spear Guards (heavy shield) or Men-at-Arms will greatly strengthen your lineup, and they are attainable via the unit tree or seasonal challenges.
  • PvP Focus: In PvP battles (field battles and sieges), human opponents will look to exploit your unit’s weaknesses. Good positioning and unit synergy can mitigate this. Always consider what you’re up against – for instance, if the enemy has lots of cavalry, you’ll want more spears/pikes; if they have many archers, bring shields or fast shock troops to charge them.

Helpful Links:
– Doctrine Guide: Buckler Infantry
– Doctrine Guide: Polearm
– Doctrine Guide: Shield Units
– Seasonal Roadmap Guide
– Non Seasonal Roadmap Guide (Vanilla Game)

Shield Infantry (Shield Units)

Shield infantry carry shields ranging from large tower shields to smaller bucklers, paired mostly with spears or swords. They form the frontline, blocking attacks with shield walls, excel at defending allies and positions, but have limited offensive strength.

Role & Strengths:
Shield infantry are nearly invulnerable from the front against most ranged attacks due to their shields and high block stats. A well-formed shield wall absorbs arrows and musket fire, protecting fragile units behind them. Ideal for holding choke points and absorbing initial combat impact. Notable example: Imperial Spear Guards (4★ unit), famed as an “unbreachable wall”. Shields should always be at the frontline to absorb enemy blows.

Vulnerabilities:
Shield units have limited mobility and damage output. Vulnerable to cavalry charges due to lack of long spears, making them susceptible if unsupported. Reliant on teammates for damage; shield walls alone have low killing power. Susceptible to flanking attacks—exposed from sides and rear.

Counters:
Strong against ranged units (e.g., Imperial Spear Guards are nearly arrow-proof). Effective for holding ground against enemy infantry, buying time for damage-dealers. Weak against cavalry charges, heroes with strong crowd-control (e.g., Maul or Short Sword heroes), and flanking maneuvers. Always watch for enemy flanks and keep pike units nearby as protection against cavalry.

Synergy with Heroes:
Optimal with supportive or tanky heroes. Ideal pairing: Longsword & Shield hero, providing healing and buffs—making units like Imperial Spear Guards extremely durable and difficult to kill. Also effective with Shortsword (Shield) class heroes, contributing crowd-control and additional shields.
Good support for ranged heroes (bow or musket)—shield units provide frontline protection while hero outputs damage from behind or roams alone.

Synergy with Other Units:
Excellent partnership with pike units and ranged units. Pikemen positioned behind shield walls safely counter cavalry and melee attacks, while shields absorb damage. Ranged units (archers, crossbowmen) behind shields can safely deal damage while protected. Particularly strong in sieges—shield units push siege towers/gates, safeguarding ranged attackers.

Beginner Tips (Shield Units)

  • Maintain Formation: Keep your shield infantry in tight formations (e.g., a shield wall or block formation). Most shield units have a formation that maximizes frontal defense—use it when under ranged attack or bracing for a charge. For instance, Men-at-Arms (4★ sword-and-shield) have a dense “Shield” formation that counters frontal attacks and boosts defense—move slower, but take far less damage.
  • Lead the Charge (Safely): Use your shield unit to advance on objectives first. In a siege, have them push up ladders, ramps, or into gatehouses to draw enemy fire. Don’t send them alone—they absorb damage while your damage units (like sword or halberd infantry) follow up. A common mistake is leaving a shield unit unsupported; always follow up once they’ve fixed the enemy.
  • Use Unit Abilities: Learn and issue orders like “Testudo” or “Shield Bash.” Some imperial shields can form Testudo (turtle formation) to nullify ranged attacks, then charge to knock down foes. Abilities like “Cover Commander” (available to Imperial Spear Guards and Men-at-Arms) let shields rally or reposition—use them to save a unit caught out or to protect you from assassins.

Advanced Tips (Shield Units)

  • Countering Cavalry: If enemy cavalry is common, mix pikemen into your shield wall. Advanced players hide pikes inside or behind shields—when cavalry charges, pikes brace and surprise while shields absorb impact. Also, angle your shield wall or position against terrain (walls or map edges) to protect flanks.
  • Rotating and Layering: In prolonged fights, rotate injured shields out and fresh units in. Pull back depleted units to heal, and replace them to keep your frontline intact. Coordinate with teammates—signal when your unit is low and needs a swap.
  • Breaking Formations: Use shields as bait to provoke enemy ultimates or shock troops. When they commit—for example, sending a Maul hero to shatter your wall—have your hero or a second unit ready to counter-charge and stun. Turning your shield wall into a durable lure can create openings to eliminate elite units or heroes.

Pike Infantry (Pikes & Spear Phalanx Units)

In Conqueror’s Blade, pike infantry shine as your go-to defense against cavalry and for holding key ground. When braced, a pike formation becomes a solid wall of steel points: charging horsemen crash headlong into that bristling barrier and suffer devastating losses.

Thanks to their exceptional reach, pikemen can wound enemy infantry before those soldiers can even close the distance, making them ideal for guarding narrow passes or chokepoints where a single phalanx can deny an entire route.

Certain elite units—such as the Imperial Pike Guards—can even advance in braced formation, steadily pushing forward and knocking aside slow or stationary foes while dealing bonus damage, which makes them excellent for breaking into heavily defended positions.

That said, pikes have notable weaknesses. Lacking shields, they are highly susceptible to ranged fire: archers or musketeers can soften up your pike line from afar before it ever braces.

Their effectiveness is also strictly front-facing; light infantry or heroes who loop around can catch the pikes on their unprotected flanks or rear, where the long spears offer no defense.
Because pikes are relatively slow to move and require time to brace, fast units can slip past if the formation fails to react quickly.
Finally, facing a determined shield wall, pikes often struggle to break the defense, since heavy shields absorb thrusts without stagger and leave the pikemen stuck in a prolonged stalemate.

Pikes do best when supported by complementary forces or heroes.
Healer-type heroes wielding longswords can stand just behind the formation, patching up arrow wounds so the pikes stay at full strength under fire.

Heroes with crowd-control abilities—like Poleaxe or Maul—are superb at knocking down or slowing any flanking threats before they reach the vulnerable sides of the phalanx.

Finally, combining pikes with shield units and ranged troops recreates a classic “pike and shot” setup: shields up front block incoming fire and enemy charges, pikes deliver the killing reach, and archers or arquebusiers behind them rain missiles into any foe bold enough to assault the spear wall.

Beginner Tips
Always brace against incoming charges by issuing your brace command (usually the V key or via unit orders) just before enemy cavalry or melee troops make contact. Bracing lowers your pikes into the ground, digging them in to deliver impact damage that scales with the attacker’s movement speed—a full-speed cavalry charge will impale itself and often be wiped out before reaching your line. Failing to brace in time leaves your formation vulnerable to being overrun.

Protecting your flanks is equally vital. Don’t stare only at what’s directly ahead: use terrain to cover one side (walls, cliffs, or narrow alleys) and assign a shield unit or hero to guard the other. If you field two pike units, angle them in an L-shape or V-shape so each formation covers the other’s exposed side, creating a makeshift spear fortification. Always assume enemies will attempt to circle your braced pikes.

Resist the urge to chase retreating light units or heroes. Pike infantry are slow and most effective when holding formation—breaking ranks to pursue will leave your men glaringly exposed. Instead, hold your ground or advance deliberately in formation, forcing your foes to commit if they want to engage. By simply standing braced at a key location—such as a flag point or a bottleneck—you exert zone control and dictate the terms of battle.

Advanced Tips
Master the Advance ability available to elite pike units like the Imperial Pike Guards. A powerful combo is to brace, absorb the enemy’s charge, then immediately Advance to shove the now-staggered troops, dealing bonus damage to slowed targets. Timing is crucial: don’t advance too early (which forfeits the bracing bonus), but strike right after impact to maximize disruption and rout entire enemy formations.

Experiment with mixed formations by inserting a few spear-and-shield sergeants in front of your pure pike line for extra protection against ranged fire or shield walls. You can also employ feint retreats: brace, back up a short distance when the enemy flanks, then re-brace to catch impatient pursuers off guard. Terrain plays a role, too—bracing on a downhill slope extends your reach and makes uphill pushes even harder for foes, whereas bracing at the bottom of a hill invites devastating downhill charges against you. | Units like Phalanx can do this, without breaking brace modus, because of their Skill-Kit.

Finally, synergize with artillery by placing your pike units as a frontline bulwark and positioning grapeshots etc. directly behind them. The pikes deny cavalry and heroes any quick access to the guns, turning the field into a deadly kill zone where ranged and siege fire can wreak havoc uninterrupted. Coordinate with your team so multiple pike formations lock down a wide front, giving your artillery and archers free rein to dominate the battlefield, of course in combination with shields range and cavalary players in the back/flank.

Sword Infantry (Sword Units & Shock Troops)

In Conqueror’s Blade, sword infantry encompasses both one-handed units with buckler shields (like Prefecture Guards and Squires) and elite two-handed shock troops (such as the mighty Zweihanders). These troops excel at mobility and burst damage, charging into enemy lines to disrupt formations and create openings for your army. One-handed swordsmen combine decent defense with a swift buckler charge to close the gap and knock foes down, while two-handed greatswords deliver massive, cleaving attacks that can shatter an enemy’s cohesion in seconds.

However, sword units trade off staying power and reach for their offensive prowess. Even those with bucklers remain vulnerable to ranged fire—especially massed arrows or gunshots—and lack any brace ability to withstand cavalry charges. Their smaller unit sizes mean each casualty hurts more, and without a sustained frontline, a botched charge can leave them caught mid-assault and whittled down by crowd-control effects like pike walls or hero stuns.

To counter sword infantry, enemy commanders often deploy heavy shield walls or well-timed hero abilities (for example, a Maul’s earthquake slam or a Shortsword’s bash) to stop their momentum. Cavalry can crash headlong into an unbraced sword unit and send it reeling, while sustained engagements favor resilient units—once the initial shock wears off, two-handed swordsmen struggle against high-defense infantry like Imperial Spear Guards or Iron Reapers.

Sword troops shine when paired with heroes and other units that set up their charges or follow through on their impact. A Shortsword or Maul hero can open a gap with crowd-control, a Musket hero can soften a target with grenades (while charging units in), and a Longsword can keep the unit healed during the melee.

In combined arms, sword infantry often bridge front-line shields and rear pikes: a Men-at-Arms might pin enemies in place, then Palace Guards surge forward under their “Guard the Throne” buff to finish the fight. Likewise, timed cavalry flanks can force enemies into a tight formation, only for your shock troops to crash in and cleave through the clustered ranks.

Beginner & Advanced Tips:

When you’re just starting out with sword infantry, timing is everything.

Never charge a fresh, braced enemy head-on; instead, wait until your foes are distracted—perhaps locked in combat with your allies’ shields—and then send your swordsmen into the flank or rear.

Use terrain and cover (walls, streets, siege towers) to approach safely, and trigger your unit’s charge ability (such as Prefecture Guards’ buckler charge) to close the distance in an instant.
Equally important is knowing when to withdraw: once your shock troops have made their impact—especially if new enemies or pikes are arriving—pull them back while they’re still largely intact.
A hit-and-run strike with survivors left is far better than a Pyrrhic “victory” that costs you the entire unit.

Even beginners can benefit from simple formation tricks and target priority.

Some units, like Zweihanders, have a column formation that reduces incoming ranged damage as you advance—raise your shields whenever possible to mitigate arrows or musketballs.
Always aim at high-value or vulnerable targets: archers on a wall, isolated artillery crews, or a half-broken shield unit. Avoid wasting your one-time charge on low-value mobs or fully braced pikes; scout with your hero’s ping or camera before committing to the strike.

At advanced levels, you’ll weave together unit skills and hero abilities for devastating combos.

Picture this: you activate Palace Guards’ “Guard the Throne” mode to boost their defenses and then, the instant your hero’s crowd-control ability lands, unleash their charge so they crash into stunned enemies with lethal force.


Mastering micro techniques will set you apart.
Animation-cancel a charge by issuing a quick stop-and-attack to chain high-damage moves faster, or use spread-out movement to dodge artillery before tightening into mass right at impact.
Coordinate multiple angles—one sword unit from the front, another from the side—to overwhelm an enemy’s formation and prevent them from bracing in two directions at once.

Halberd Infantry (Halberdiers and Poleaxe Units)

In Conqueror’s Blade, halberd infantry wields the versatile halberd, a polearm that fuses spear points with axe blades to deliver both piercing and slashing damage.
Acting as heavy assault troops, halberdiers occupy a unique niche between pikes and swords: they can sometimes brace like a pike formation to repel cavalry, yet when they attack they cleave through armor with shock-troop ferocity.

Units such as the veteran Halberdier Sergeants boast high armor penetration and the resilience to stand firm in a melee, while seasonal elites like the Modao Battalion exemplify this dual role by locking a line against chargers before sweeping aside infantry with deadly halberd arcs.

Despite their prowess, halberdiers carry no shields and remain vulnerable to ranged fire—arrows, crossbows, and grenades can whittle down their tightly packed ranks before they close.
Their moderate mobility and formation cohesion make them prime targets for area-of-effect explosives, and a well-executed flanking maneuver can catch braced halberds on their unprotected sides or rear.
In a head-to-head against a true pike phalanx, their shorter reach forces them to take hits before landing their own, and prolonged exchanges with other heavy infantry can grind them down through attrition if they fail to break the enemy swiftly.

Halberd units thrive under the guidance of complementary heroes.
A Poleaxe or Maul hero can initiate the fight with their own crowd-control, creating stunned targets that halberdiers then rush down.
Longsword heroes keep the line alive with heals and buffs, while Musket heroes soften enemy formations with fire bombs or grenades—immobilizing foes for the halberds’ brutal follow-up.
Dual Blades players can use halberd support as a distraction, slipping in behind the chaos to pick off key targets themselves.


In combined arms, halberdiers function as the knockout punch after an initial engagement.
A shield unit holds the enemy in place, allowing halberds to swing into the side of a pinned formation.
Even cavalry can play a supporting role: a mounted charge draws attention, then the halberd line moves in to finish the job.
Some advanced tactics involve grouping shields and halberds together for a self-sustaining formation that both absorbs and delivers heavy blows, merging staying power and killing power in a single blade-and-polearm ensemble.

Beginner and Advanced Tips:

For new commanders fielding halberd infantry, the simplest—and deadliest—combo is Charge then Brace.
If your unit (like the Modao Battalion) has both abilities, use charge to smash into foes, then immediately brace to anchor against any counter-attack or cavalry dive.
If brace isn’t manual, finish your charge facing the direction of the next threat so your men automatically adopt a defensive stance.

Always aim for high-value targets: halberds shine as armor-breakers, so focus on elite infantry (“Iron Reapers,” shielded sergeants) or lone heroes rather than wasting momentum on fodder.

Finally, pay close attention to formation. A wedge (V-shape) often boosts charge damage, while a tight line concentrates your slashes and a looser rank helps you cross kill-zones under fire.
In sieges, use any shield-block formation your halberdiers provide to shield them through dangerous chokepoints, then switch to an offensive formation the moment contact is made.

Once you’ve mastered the basics, dive into micro and unit optimization.
Animation-cancel powerful halberd strikes by quickly halting and reissuing attack commands, squeezing extra burst damage out of each swing.

Use pull abilities (where available) to hook enemy heroes into your formation and eliminate them before they can react.

Experiment with layered defense: position one halberd unit braced up front and another ready to charge through it, creating a leapfrogging punch that catches enemies off-guard—especially effective in narrow corridors.

Finally, refine your doctrines and veterancy paths to maximize bracing damage, charge impact, or armor penetration. A fully-buffed, high-mastery halberd unit under a skilled commander can outperform even higher-tier foes, so keep up with patch notes and community builds to stay on top of the meta.

Finally, treat every engagement as a learning opportunity.

After each battle, review your kill/death notifications and identify which units excelled or faltered.

If an enemy formation overran yours, ask yourself why—was it a counter matchup, superior positioning, or a more effective tactic?

Dive into the unit menu or consult the Conqueror’s Blade Unit Guide to study each unit’s traits and stats, so you understand what makes them tick.

Over time, you’ll develop an instinct for which infantry best matches your playstyle and how to leverage their strengths.
With consistent practice and by staying current with patch notes and community discussions, your once-modest Imperial Pike will evolve into an indomitable force, ready to seize victory across the battlefields of Conqueror’s Blade.

Good luck, Warlord!