Introduction

Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord is a game that almost necessitates watching epic films like Gladiator, Robin Hood, and Braveheart beforehand. Assume the roles of Maximus Decimus Meridius, Robin of Loxley, or William Wallace, and command vast armies. Afterward fighting alongside your troops while besieging a city, the choice of a spouse here is almost more crucial than in real life.

Strategy/Action RPG. A vast medieval sandbox game featuring character creation, diplomacy, crafting, trade, and conquests. Raise armies, command them using a complex yet intuitive skill-based combat system, and engage in massive real-time battles. Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord, released by TaleWorlds Entertainment on March 30, 2020 (Early Access), and October 25, 2022 (Full Release).

Gameplay Overview

Starting a new campaign, you’re confronted with a choice of cultures. I chose Battanians for their cool name but overlooked the buffs and debuffs of each culture. Character customization is decent, from facial features to war paint, including body stature adjustments using sliders. Don’t forget the voice pitch; nobody wants a hero with a squeaky voice, as I learned. Multiple-choice questions determine your background story and skills. My character was named “William Wallace.” A tutorial at a training ground introduces various weapons and horseback fighting. Then, once completed or skipped, your journey in Calradia begins.

Movement

Movement on the map, using mouse clicks, is reminiscent of classic strategy games. Entering a village or city switches to a first-person perspective. Initially, your troop is non-existent, but you can recruit mercenaries in the first village. They demand food as payment; in William Wallace’s case, hunger was omnipresent, and payment was the blood of enemies.

Fight

When attacking bandits, consider their troop size, indicated next to their banner. Engage in combat yourself, or simulate it. I chose to fight every battle, as that’s where the real fun of Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord lies. After a short loading screen, you’re on the battlefield alongside your troops, with various command options like formation, attack, etc. The combat system is simple, involving attacking and blocking from different directions, whether mounted or on foot. Depending on your orders, your troops will either maintain formation or charge headlong and slay everything in front of them. After defeating enemies, you can recruit survivors, but watch out for the food they’ll require. Loot from battles can be used or sold.

The World of Calradia

At first glance, Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord seems all about battles of varying sizes, but there’s more. Calradia is a dynamic world where every action has consequences. Diplomacy is key, and not just through the sword. Navigating the complex political landscape becomes meaningful. You might fall in love or marry for strategy, securing a better position in the kingdom. Childbearing is in the game but not as interesting as in real life.

Those less inclined towards fighting and diplomacy can opt for a trader’s role, gaining fame and wealth as a trader. Quests in Calradia are optional, often with meager rewards and usually done for fun. Tournaments are more gladiator-like than knightly jousts, William Wallace never won a tournament. Creating both enemies and allies, and navigating betrayals and honesty. That’s the world you’re navigating.

Siege

Approach sieges thoughtfully. First, choose an enemy and a fortress to besiege. Siege equipment like battering rams, siege towers, and catapults are essential, along with a large troop and food supply. Consider tactics like where to breach and distractions. Once all aspects are considered, you’ll find yourself on the battlefield, coordinating troops to breach either through the front door or over the siege tower. Once the walls are breached, the fight moves to the streets and buildings. Upon defeating all defenders, you gain control of the fortress.

City Management

Whether you acquire a city through diplomacy or combat, management is key. Balance the economy between supply and demand. Maintain a defense and an active garrison to protect your conquest. Politics can’t be ignored; relationships with city nobles must be nurtured, considering the consequences. Investments in defense and citizens’ well-being are crucial. William Wallace won hearts but mismanaged the economy, leaving him with two million coins in debt.

Player & Toop Management

Your unit gains experience through battles, with each unit having a development tree offering various specializations and improvements. Units range from simple infantry to heavily armored knights and archers, both mounted and on foot. Your character also gains experience, leveling up skills while performing them, like archery in combat. “Focus Points” are awarded at each level-up to improve skills. Every third level-up grants “Attribute Points” for enhancing attributes like strength, intelligence, etc.

Graphics and Audio

Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord boasts detailed graphics in lifelike landscapes. Character models lean towards realism. Mass battles and sieges show great attention to detail and realistic visual effects, enhancing immersion.

Music is set to mute—not as personally appealing as the sound effects and battle ambiance, which are well-done and well-placed. The dialogue and voice acting during battles also contribute to the immersive experience.

User Experience

The controls are intuitive, similar to other games. Combat control is dynamic, allowing directional attack/defense maneuvering with the mouse, akin to games like Chivalry or Mordhau. The UI is satisfactory, though it seems unnecessary cluttered and sometimes misses crucial information, such as current wars. It’s not ideal but sufficient, especially during constant battles, you forget about it.

Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord difficulty escalates as you manage more cities, larger troops, handle neighboring disputes, and balance siege defenses with personal life like making babies. The game becomes challenging but not overwhelmingly hard.

Modding Community

Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord has a large, dedicated modding community, infusing their medieval passion into the game. Popular mods include:

• Open Source Armory: Adds over 1,600 new armors, shields, and weapons.
• DismembermentPlus: Enables full dismemberment/decapitation.
• Detailed Character Creation: Allows for more detailed character customization.
• Serve as Soldier: Reimplements the freelancer concept, letting players serve as soldiers in various armies.
• Realm of Thrones: Transforms Calradia into the world of “Game of Thrones.”
• Developer Console: Enables the developer console via a keyboard shortcut.
• Better Time: Updates UI code for more customization.
• Xorberax’s Legacy:A collection of mods compiled into a single module for in-game settings adjustments.

All Modnames are linked to NexusMods.

Personal Experience and Opinion

I’m a fan of Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord. The large-scale battles, sieges, and strategic/diplomatic aspects offer endless replayability. It has its imperfections, like task rewards and UI design, but these are overshadowed by the fantastic core gameplay. I highly recommend Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord!

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