Manor Lords: How to recruit and increase Retinue

Trying to figure out how Retinues work in Manor Lords? There are a few different types of fighting units in Manor Lords, and when you’re in need of professional soldiers to defend your town, you need a Retinue. These fighting fellows boast better stats than the peasants who enlist in your Militia, and they’re a constant presence as opposed to Mercenaries, who cost a fair bit of coin and leave your settlement when disbanded. You can even customise the appearance of your Retinue to a degree far greater than any other units in the game.

In this guide to how to recruit and increase Retinue in Manor Lords, we’ll break down what you need to know to bring these soldiers into your settlement and boost their numbers.

How to recruit and increase Retinue in Manor Lords

You can only recruit a Retinue after you’ve built a Manor. You’ll gain 5 soldiers by default, and they’ll boast stronger attack, armor, and shield capabilities when compared to the run-of-the mill soldiers who make up your Militia, or even the Mercenaries you can recruit to fill your ranks. If you need to win a tense battle against Raiders or quickly take out a Bandit Camp, it certainly helps to have these lads on the frontline of your army.

To increase your Retinue and see other specific details related to your troops, select the Army button on the bottom of your screen. Choose your Retinue out of the available units that appear, and then select the paintbrush icon, which represents Retinue Customization. This opens up a menu screen that allows you to view your individual units, customise their colours and weapons, and partake in the following options:

• Recruit Men-At Arms: Add another man to your Retinue. The Treasury cost is 50.
• Recruit Ministerialis: Promote a regular townsman into your Retinue. Currently, this feature is locked in Early Access.
• Upgrade Armor – Import: Upgrades the Retinue member’s armour for a full Treasury cost of 34.
• Upgrade Armor – Buy Locally: Pay half price for an armour upgrade by buying from local armourers (if you have them in your settlement). Treasury cost is 17.

Up to 12 soldiers can be added to your Retinue simply by purchasing them from this Retinue Customisation menu. If you want more fighters, then you’ll need to open the Castle Planner and build a Garrison Tower. Each Garrison Tower you have at your disposal increases the maximum Retinue size by another 12, but you can only have one Garrison Tower per region under your control. So if you want to continuously expand your Retinue, you’ll need to conquer surrounding territories.

And there you have it – the full rundown on getting your men-of-war fit as fiddles. For more advice on all the ins and outs of Manor Lords, try going through our beginner’s guide, which contains everything you need to know to survive your first year. Our guides to farming and trade will also be necessities as you continue to grow your town. Last but not least, if you’re wondering how to increase your Settlement Level, we’ve got you covered there, as well!