Javelin

Bannerlord v1.4.8 · checked 2026-11-11 · updated 2026-11-12

This page answers two questions for the javelin: which piece drives which stat, and which recipe gives the best result for each goal once you have unlocked pieces up to a given tier. The formulas were read out of the game's own code: they were recovered from v1.4.6 and compared method by method against v1.4.8, where none of the compared methods changed (some could only be compared by their headers; Value and price has the details). Rows labelled "NavalDLC" give the best result with NavalDLC active, which adds pieces and changes which pieces each weapon type can use; they are listed only where they beat the base game. How smithing works in general is in the Crafting guide; the usages, grips and blade ranges in full are in Weapon templates.

Usages and damage

The javelin has four slots, pommel, handle, guard and blade. One crafted item has two usages, with the same blades: 14 in the base game, 22 with NavalDLC.

• Javelin: thrown, one-handed grip. It is the first usage, so the item's stack size is the blade's, from 1 to 5.
• One-handed polearm (javelin alternative): the same item used in melee, one-handed wide grip.

Pieces from the bottom up: Pommel, Handle, Guard, Blade.

Damage factor and stack size ranges cover every blade, NavalDLC ones included.

Example recipe:

The blades have no swing, so the javelin only thrusts and throws.

Thrown damage = 9 × thrust strength × the blade's thrust damage factor

• Thrust strength: grows with the weight times the square of the thrust speed. Thrown weapons leave out the fixed extra mass that melee thrusts add.
• Thrust damage factor: a number on the blade, from 1.53 to 2.9.

Missile speed = 3.6 × thrust speed, rounded down

The melee usage has the wide grip's swing drag of 3.9 per unit of reach. For the tier score, the javelin usage counts 0.6 and the melee usage 1. Blunt damage counts 1.45 times as much as cut for the tier score; the example recipe's blunt blade deals 70 blunt thrown damage and 27 blunt thrust damage.

Which piece drives which stat

• Blade: sets the thrust damage factor, the damage type and the stack size. It also counts most for difficulty.
• Handle and guard: add weight and length. The pieces stack from the handle up, and the handle, guard and blade all add to the length.
• Pommel: adds weight but no length. The game counts it as if it sat past the blade tip when it works out handling, so a heavy pommel costs far more handling than its real position would. Its appearance sets the value multiplier.
• Weight: all pieces added up. Thrown damage grows with the weight, but a heavier javelin usually thrusts slower, which costs missile speed.

Best results from tier 1 to tier 5

With only tier-1 pieces there is no javelin recipe at all. From tier 2:

• Thrown damage: 112 at tier 2, 117 at tiers 3 and 4, 132 at tier 5.
• Missile speed: 30 at every tier.
• Length: 96 at tiers 2 and 3 (98 with NavalDLC), 105 at tier 4, 123 at tier 5.
• Weight (lightest): 0.8 kg, then 0.67 kg from tier 4.
• Value: 2,524 at tier 2, 3,196 at tier 3, 11,055 at tier 4 (11,913 with NavalDLC), 60,561 at tier 5.

For the melee usage of the same item:

• Thrust damage: 36 at tiers 2 and 3, 37 at tier 4, 42 at tier 5; with NavalDLC 38 and 43.
• Thrust speed: 98, then 100 from tier 4.
• Handling: 95, then 96 from tier 4.

Best recipes by highest piece tier

Each row is the best recipe for one goal using only pieces at or below that tier. The highest piece tier is the highest tier among the pieces you have unlocked for the javelin.

Javelin usage

All pieces at scale 100. Weight in kg. No recipe when the highest piece tier is 1.

One-handed polearm (javelin alternative) usage

All pieces at scale 100. Weight in kg. No recipe when the highest piece tier is 1.

Every recipe here has every piece at scale 100, the piece's default size. The scale slider changes weight and length, and with them the other stats; how it works is in Scaling a piece. What the solver research found about scale is in Getting the best weapon from your pieces.

Worked example. With tier-2 pieces your best thrown damage is 112, with blade spear_blade_10, guard default_polearm_guard, handle spear_handle_12 and pommel default_polearm_pommel. The same four pieces also give the best tier-2 melee thrust damage, 36.

Practical tips

• Tier 5 is the big step for damage. spear_blade_27 lifts thrown damage from 117 to 132; tier 4 adds nothing over tier 3.
• Missile speed does not improve with tier. The best is 30 at every tier, from spear_blade_15 on spear_handle_9.
• Damage and missile speed want different pieces. No best thrown-damage recipe is also a best missile-speed recipe.
• NavalDLC adds little here. It never beats the base game for thrown damage or missile speed.