All commanders (i.e. generals, admirals, commanders-in-chiefs) will receive level bar identical in operation to the tax rate and goverment wages level bars on the character information screen. The character information screen has been enlarged slightly to fit the level bar.

The level bar contains five buttons. Selecting most will apply a modifier that adds a command limit multiplier of a multiple of 25% to the commander, adjusting their command limit to a smaller or larger value. From left to right, the buttons are:
• Limited Forces: -75% units
• Diminished Forces: -50% units
• Reduced Forces: -25% units
• Normal Forces: no modifier
• Expanded Forces: +25% units

Only one level can be selected at a time per commander. One commander's selection does not affect the selections of others.

The buttons are disabled when the commander enters a battle. This only applies if that commander is leading the battle. It does not apply if any of their battalions or flotillas are being borrowed for combat led by another commander.

All levels except for Normal Forces will apply a modifier to the commander with the appropriate command limit. The command limit will be updated in the next tick after a level bar button is selected. When unpaused, this change will feel instantaneous. On slower computers or whilst paused, the new limit will not go into effect unless if the game is unpaused (at which point the new limit will be applied because the game progresses a tick) or the game speed is changed.

The level bar buttons can be pressed without consequences when the game is paused. For example, if you go from Expanded Forces to Limited Forces whilst the game is paused without unpausing, the command limit will not decrease, and thus, the commander's units are not sent back to the garrison.

Commanders set to Expanded Forces are considered overburdened if they are leading more units than they would be limited to normally. At 125% units compared to the normal command limit, the commander will receive a modifier of -10% attack and -10% defense upon entering a battle. This modifier scales with the degree to which the commander is overburdened linearly.

For example, a commander with 112% of the units they would normally lead would only receive a roughly -5% attack and defense debuff. A commander with 101% of the units they would normally lead would receive a -0.4% attack and defense debuff.

For generals, the unit limit is both regular and conscript battalions combined. Because the limit for regular battalions is only a third of the total battalion limit, a general can be set to Expanded Forces and never receive the overburdened modifier if no or not enough conscripts are mobilized under their command.