A variety of new gear was added for several factions, particularly the Sturgians and Battanians.
If you are looking to share information about this version or are searching for it, Build Overview: Version v1.8.0 File: Mount.and.Blade.II.Bannerlord.v1.8.0.3214...
Significant changes to how troops broke and fled during combat. A variety of new gear was added for
Saves from v1.8.0 are generally "forward-compatible" (you can open them in newer versions), but you cannot take a save from a newer version (like v1.2.9) and play it on this older build. File: Mount.and.Blade.II.Bannerlord.v1.8.0.3214...
This was the "big" feature of 1.8.0, which ensured that the terrain you fought on in the battle map accurately reflected your location on the world map.