Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord - Tips & Tricks For Beginners (2024)

Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord gives players full freedom to play the game, however they want right off the bat. While the tutorial teaches you the basics of movement and combat, there is so much else going on in the world to know about and engage with.

The sandbox style of the game lets players turn a playthrough around at any time, but there are a few things that can be done early on to set yourself up for success. Here are some tips for those just getting started.

Fight In Tournaments

• Armor carries over into tournaments, helping give you an upper hand.
• Place wagers on yourself to also earn money while fighting.

At the start of the game, your clan will be level 1 and you'll have a small party. Before making any big moves and joining a kingdom, travel around the world to every major city and compete in tournaments. Tournaments not only give you a safe place to practice your combat but also a great place for early-game Renown.

Renown determines the level of your clan, along with the number of companions you can have and your party size. Should you win in tournaments, you'll also get very high-tier weapons and armor to quickly outfit yourself and your companions with some of the best gear in the game. As long as you're not affiliated with a kingdom, you can travel freely and even compete in multiple tournaments in a single day.

Focus On Mounted Troops At First

• Mounted troops excel in combat in open spaces.
• Move faster than all other parties in combat.

Mounted Troops heavily determine the speed of your party. Early on you can only have a small party, and making sure they are mostly mounted troops will allow you to quickly travel the overworld and make the most out of your limited resources.

Many of your battles will be with various bandit groups who will get destroyed by mounted units, and perfect for running to various cities to get to the next tournament. When you do first join a kingdom and get dragged into a war, your quick speed will help keep you out of danger and far away from the massive armies marching around.

Diversify Your Food

• Purchase an equal amount of each food option.
• Buy more horses to increase inventory space and carry more food.

The morale of your party will also affect their marching speed along with their overall effectiveness in battle, while dangerously low morale can even lead to party members deserting you. One simple way to keep your soldiers happy is by having various food options for them.

The various food options don't range much in price, making it easy for players to have many different options without having to break the bank for them. Food may also take up a good bit of your inventory space, but the increased morale makes it more than worthwhile.

Join A Kingdom & Become A Vassal

• First, join as a mercenary and win a few battles with your kingdom.
• Vassals have the power to vote, own fiefs, and command armies.

Joining an existing kingdom is a great way to grow your clan and companions before deciding to stick with that kingdom or go off and make your own. Leading a kingdom correctly in such a populated world requires a very high-level clan, and being a part of wars is the best mid and late-game way to earn renown.

Joining a kingdom will help keep a lot of the attention directly off you and your party, as most lords have existing relationships and targets during war. Right away you won't have any fiefs and nothing to lose, which is the ideal situation for leading armies into enemy territory to fight in the biggest battles and earn the most rewards.

Maximize Your Clan

• Caravans offer huge returns on gold after being started.
• Companion-led parties can be called into your army for free.

Your clan level determines how many companions, caravans, and parties you can have. During times of peace, have companions lead caravans to make your main party tons of money without having to lift a finger.

During times of war, have your companions lead parties that can go off and still earn influence for your clan. Having companions lead other parties is a great way to maximize your rewards but minimize what you have to do, letting you focus on just the most fun aspects of leading your section of a kingdom.

Grow Your Relationships

• Always vote alongside your chosen friends.
• Help them out in battle whenever you see them fighting.

If you plan on staying in a kingdom for a long time, be sure to grow your relationship with as many lords as possible within the kingdom. Growing your relationship with a lord is easiest by voting alongside them in elections and policy votes.

It's impossible to please everyone, so pick a few lords who usually seem to vote together and join them in all votes, with the best option being the leader of the kingdom. Having a high relationship with a few powerful lords will help you get elected for new fiefs or they will back you up when you propose war, peace, or new policies.

Call & Lead Armies

• Other lords can be called later.
• Influence can be spent to increase army cohesion and let you lead longer.

Once you become a vassal in a kingdom, you'll be able to call other vassals under your banner for influence and lead their parties as if they were your own. This is the easiest way to lead massive 1000+ armies into war.

While all the soldiers won't be your own, to influence and r enown they earn will be, while the deaths from battle won't fully be. Calling other lords to lead them will lead to the most fun battles but also the most rewarding battles.

Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord

Systems

Platform(s)

PC , PS4 , PS5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S

Released

October 25, 2022

Developer(s)

TaleWorlds Entertainment

Publisher(s)

TaleWorlds Entertainment