Dunno if it'd be reasonable to ask for multiplayer-related things in this thread, but I may as well post my personal wishlist:
Class Limits
The most optimal way to play TaleWorlds' melee combat game is with the extensive use of ranged weaponry while utilizing the environment to avoid getting shot at yourself. I've seen people argue that the inclusion of class limits would hurt the casual experience of "play what you want", though Chivalry 2's success while Bannerlord's servers peak at the high single digits to mid 10s suggests the exact opposite. I think with games set in a medieval world, there's the expectation that players should be able to hit things with a stick and that said hitting things with stick would also be a viable tactic. At the very least, I think Siege, TDM, and Battle should share a 16% archer limit to match Chiv2's strictness towards ranged weaponry. Cavalry would likely also need to be restricted, though given that they have counters other than "click heads better", I imagine they can afford to be more lenient in Battle and Siege, given that the environment can be used to an infantryman's advantage
Captain can afford to not have class limits, since archers and cav are balanced out by their model counts, and Skirmish being designed around 6v6 would likely make class stacking more detrimental since it's often better to combine the use of ranged and melee weaponry, rather than to use either exclusively.
All Skirmishers
From my experience in Captain mode, any class that has access to the Throwing Spear will always throw the Throwing Spear first before switching to javelins. For the Brigand and Wildling especially, this is problematic as these units will no longer be able to defend themselves from cavalry charges. Because of this, I think they should prioritize throwing Javelins before switching to the Throwing Spear. Granted, they will still likely throw a couple of spears, though this change in weapon priority should give players enough time to issue the Hold Fire command, so as to at least have some amount of spears to use for stabbing
Aserai Guard
The only real source of blunt damage that Aserai has is their starting unit, and the overreliance on Tribal Warriors leaves them vulnerable to two-handed weaponry. Even a Vlandian Sergeant can counter a mace wielding tribal by picking the Two-Handed Sword perk. If a non-Tribal class is to gain a blunt weapon, I think the best fit would be the Guard
New weapon: Quarterstaff
Lightweight armored rod that can be swung with both hands, or be used as a dedicated thrusting weapon when combined with a shield
Improved Armor replaced with Quarterstaff
There's no reason to ever use the Tabar when Sturdy does basically the same thing. If the player wants to increase their armor rating, they can simply pick Sturdy, which frees up the Slot 1 perk selection for either the bardiche or two-handed sword
Sturdy replaced with Improved Armor
See above text. Replacing Sturdy with Improved Armor would mainly be to make the player appear more visibly armored.
Sturgia
This faction has arguably even worse anti-armor capabilities than Aserai, since their only source of blunt damage is tied to the second most fragile shock troop in the game, and they can easily be denied the ability to even play the game through the existence of throwing weapons and bows. With TaleWorlds insisting that the Varyag should specialize in axes though, I think the only classes that can receive a mace would be the Hunter and Brigand.
Brigand
New weapon: Vlandian Throwing Axe
Considering that Early Access is forever ago, I think they still only have a base damage of like 60-something cut damage vs the current throwing axe's high 90s
Woodsplitter Axe replaced with Spiked Club
Weapon pulled from the singleplayer mode
I know this would be a buff to Improved Armor, though at 35 blunt damage, this should also mean that you have a longer TTK against light infantry and shock troops, but should have a shorter TTK against armored opponents compared to the Raider Axe or Sturgian Sword.
Sturgian Throwing Axe Count increased to 5
With Sturgia lacking an equivalent perk to Rapid Throws, I think it'd be fair to bump up the number of throwing axes, especially when they are less accurate than the basic javelin. I am aware of the Throwing Axe's utility as a melee weapon, though even with that in consideration, I think Sturgian Throwing Axe (5) would still be inferior to Javelin (6)
Ash Throwing Spear
No longer replaces Javelin (3) in non-Captain Modes
Javelin (3) replaced with Vlandian Throwing Axe (3) (non-Captain modes)
I'll admit that the Ash Throwing Spear is the best throwing spear in the game, though denying the Brigand of his thrown weapon damage seems way too harsh of a downside, especially when the Warrior's Sturgian Short Spear is insuffient for anti-cavalry. I do agree that his ranged capabilities should be hampered by picking this perk, hence why I think it'd be worth it to re-introduce the admittedly flaccid throwing axes from the Early Access days of Bannerlord. Even as weak as they are, they should still suffice against light infantry and shock troops in a pinch.
Hunter
Sword and Shield replaced with Mace and Shield
Sturgian Sword has always felt like a downgrade from the Raider Axe, and losing the Longbows doesn't really seem like it's worth having the shield. I think being able to defend against Sergeants would help make the shield perk seem much more like a sidegrade.
Empire
Everyone's favourite punching bag. Another reason why people don't want to stick around to play the game's multiplayer is because being stuck with a unit who's main role in the gameplay loop is to feed kills to the enemy team is extremely off-putting. Like, "peak player count of 6" off-putting. If Empire is ever voted in and I HAVE to play as them, that is the moment where I alt+f4 and play Chiv2 instead. The multiplayer crowd hates the idea of this faction being good, but I'm still gonna suggest that Empire should actually be worth playing.
Recruit
The only perks you'll ever use are Spatha, which is the equivalent to what other light infantry gets when they choose Improved Armor while you only have 10 armor, and Specialist or Pila, since your extremely short lifespan makes the larger javelin quiver useless.
New weapon: One-handed pitchfork
Child of: Vlandian Spear
Thrust damage of 20
Spear head replaced with two-pronged fork head
Shield Wall replaced with Lumberjack
Upgrades Gladius to Woodsplitter Axe (currently on Brigand)
+10% damage to shields with melee weapons
Realistically speaking, the Recruit will never live long enough to see his shield take more than 80 damage, which leaves you with a wimpy butter knife to defend yourself with. I think it'd be worth it to instead give the Recruit an anti-shield perk to act as a sidegrade to the shortsword
Footwork renamed to Survival Training
Grants +5 armor on top of the movement bonuses
If i'm perfectly honest, this perk makes the 130 HP shield look good in comparison, and I already mentioned how useless it is. I think the only way to really salvage this perk is to tie it to an armor bonus similar to Berserker Skin and Extra Chainmail, where the armor bonuses are worse than Improved Armor, but grant a secondary bonus to compensate. This will also buff Rapid Throws, since you can at least eat JUST enough hits to make use of the larger quiver.
Pila replaced with Farmer (non-captain modes)
No longer replaces Javelin (3)
Grants one-handed pitchfork
Pila is still used in Captain Modes
The main reason you'd use the Pila is NOT to kill horses, but rather to deal enough damage to guarantee an assist because of how quickly you die as a recruit. Even with a starting unit, I dunno if dying should be part of a player's plan. At the same time, 180 reach seems to be the absolute bare minimum required to adequately stab horses, and for a unit that can throw javelins, I think a 20 damage 180 reach spear should be more than enough to deal with horses.
Menavlion Infantry
The reach can be a huge advantage in group fights, though the slow swinging speed of them makes them a rather poor fit in shock troop vs shock troop matchups. They need only one change, and I think it can make a huge difference on how the Menavlion Infantry is played
Armor Padding replaced with Spatha
With an armor rating of 8 (17 with Improved Armor), taking less damage from maces seems incredibly useless compared to bonus shield damage or bonus cavalry damage. I think it'd be better to have a perk that gives the Menavlion a sidearm so as to better defend himself in close range. Even if he can't come out on top, simply having the short sword should allow him to stall fights long enough for help to arrive.
One other idea that I have regarding archery and Empire is reinstating the possibility of a crossbow on Archer Militia. I wonder if it'd be possible to have something like a Cavalry Crossbow that's slightly weaker than the Arbelist's Light Crossbow, but can at least be shot from horseback.
