Just looking at the Saxon armies there seems to be a big difference in lethality between the two army lists.

The weakest enemy on the KAP has weapon skill of 5 doing 3d6 damage (they seem basically fodder). The first Heorthgeneat is only 13 doing 5d6, and the best 19 doing 6d6.

Compare that to "Beginning" Saxon list the BoB2 they aren't ranked in order but the weakest is weapon skill 10 doing 5d6, but most seem to have 17+ and several 20+ doing 6d6.

Seems a really large disparity what have people found more suitable a challenge for starting knights?

Just looking at the Saxon armies there seems to be a big difference in lethality between the two army lists.

Oh yes.

I have been vocal about the fact that I find BoB2 army lists (and by extension, BoA army lists) quite overpowered in terms of what skill levels enemies have. Then again, I think KAP 5.x army lists are too weak: you wouldn't have people with Skill 5 (essentially untrained) with 3d6 (weak as a woman, or an old Saxon woman). I mean, yes, I can come up with a scenario where this would happen (they are not actually warriors, but servants/slaves intended to just take care of the baggage, etc, and you got around the flank, or they are civilians defending their homes with desperation). But for example in the heorthgeneats, these are supposed to be the professional, veteran warriors of the Saxon lord's personal retinue. Minimum skill 16 in my opinion, and damage 6d6*, with 5d6 if they have the skill to compensate.

Personally, I tend to have enemies with skills from 10 to 15 as the bulk of the army, and then 16+ is the veteran knights or knight-equivalents, ramping up to 20 for the elites. I don't have any UNITS with skills over 20, since these guys should be individual. Granted, Loyalty/Hate passions can add to that, especially in extended melee, so there is that.

* Since the average knight has 5d6, and in KAP 5.x, the +3 to SIZ and STR that Saxon get gives them an extra +1d6 in Damage, so the average for Heorthgeneats should be around 6d6, IMHO.