Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord: Campaign Guide
How to survive your first hours in Calradia, make money, build an army that wins, and grow a clan into a kingdom, with notes on the War Sails naval expansion.
Researched September 2026 — current as of live patch BL v1.4.8 / War Sails v1.2.8 (August 2026), with BL v1.5.0 / WS v1.3.0 on the beta branch. Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.
Quick Start
- Skip the tutorial at your own pace, but read the main quest. "Neretzes' Folly" sends you after your siblings and the pieces of the Dragon Banner. It can be ignored for a long time, and it is a useful guide to meeting important characters.
- Money first. Your early goal is a steady income: tournaments, trade, smithing, workshops, and later caravans and fiefs.
- Recruit from villages near your home region. Build relation with notables (village elders, headmen) to unlock more recruit slots, including noble troops.
- Keep your party fed and paid. Low food causes starvation; unpaid wages crash morale. Buy grain or fish in bulk from towns.
- Hire companions from taverns. Each companion fills a party role (Scout, Quartermaster, Surgeon, Engineer). The skills they use in those roles are theirs, not yours.
- Pick fights you can win. Early game, bandits and looters are free XP; lords with large armies are not. Use the party strength indicator before attacking.
- Join a kingdom as a mercenary first. It pays per influence gained and lets you learn how wars work before taking a vassal oath.
- Skills level by doing. Use a skill to raise it; focus points and attributes set the learning cap. Plan your character around what you actually do.
Character Building
Attributes and skills
Bannerlord has six attributes, each governing three skills:
| Attribute |
Skills |
| Vigor |
One Handed, Two Handed, Polearm |
| Control |
Bow, Crossbow, Throwing |
| Endurance |
Riding, Athletics, Smithing |
| Cunning |
Scouting, Tactics, Roguery |
| Social |
Charm, Leadership, Trade |
| Intelligence |
Steward, Medicine, Engineering |
- Focus points (earned as you level) raise the learning rate and cap of a single skill.
- Attribute points (earned periodically) raise the cap for all three skills under that attribute.
- Perks unlock every 25 skill levels; you choose one of two at each tier. Pick perks that affect your party and clan, not only your personal fighting.
Recommended starts
| Build |
Focus |
Why |
| Horse archer |
Riding, Bow, Leadership |
Very strong in field battles; Khuzait or Aserai culture fits. |
| Mounted lancer |
Riding, Polearm, One Handed |
Couch lance and cavalry charges; Vlandia is the classic fit. |
| Commander |
Leadership, Tactics, Steward |
Bigger party, stronger simulations; lets you lead large armies. |
| Trader |
Trade, Charm, Steward |
Fast money, caravans, workshops; pairs well with any fighting style. |
| Smith |
Smithing, Endurance |
Crafted weapons for sale and for your party; strong income once you unlock parts. |
Steward is the underrated one: it increases party size and matters a lot once you rule fiefs.
Making Money
| Method |
When |
Notes |
| Tournaments |
Early |
Bet on yourself for big payouts; prizes are often valuable gear to sell. |
| Looter/bandit hunting |
Early |
Sell their loot and prisoners (ransom brokers in taverns). |
| Trade |
Early-mid |
Buy where goods are cheap (trade rumors help), sell where expensive. |
| Smithing |
Early-mid |
Smelt weapons to unlock parts, craft high-value two-handed weapons or polearms to sell. Stamina-limited. |
| Workshops |
Mid |
Passive income in towns; match the workshop to local raw materials. Wars can disrupt them. |
| Caravans |
Mid |
Passive, but can be captured; assign a good companion leader. |
| Fiefs |
Late |
Towns and castles generate taxes; villages supply goods. |
Tip: do not keep all your wealth idle; convert it into troops and income sources, but always keep enough to pay wages for several days of war.
Recruitment and Army Composition
- Village notables offer recruits based on your relation with them. Higher relation opens more slots.
- Noble troops come from specific notables (often in castle-owned villages) and upgrade into elite cavalry lines. Examples by culture:
| Culture |
Known strengths |
Elite troop examples |
| Empire |
Heavy cavalry, disciplined infantry |
Elite Cataphract, Legionary |
| Vlandia |
Heavy cavalry, crossbowmen |
Banner Knight, Sharpshooter |
| Sturgia |
Tough infantry |
Heroic Line Breaker, Ulfhednar |
| Battania |
Archers, skirmishers |
Fian Champion, Oathsworn |
| Khuzait |
Horse archers |
Khan's Guard, Heavy Horse Archer |
| Aserai |
Mixed cavalry |
Vanguard Faris, Mameluke Heavy Cavalry |
| Nords (War Sails) |
Seafaring, suited to naval battles |
Check the in-game encyclopedia for the Nordic troop tree |
Army rule of thumb: a mix of infantry (shields), archers and cavalry is forgiving. Pure horse archer or cavalry armies are strong in open field but struggle in sieges.
Battle Basics
- Select formations with number keys, then give orders from the F-key menus. The classic combo: F1 then F3 (Charge). F1 then F1 moves a formation to where you are pointing; F1 then F2 makes them follow you.
- Shield wall and loose formation: use shield wall against archers; loose formation reduces losses to arrow fire.
- Hold archers behind infantry on high ground, let the enemy come to you, then charge with cavalry into their flanks or rear.
- Direct your own fighting: directional blocking and attacks matter. Mounted charges deal much more damage at speed; couched lance attacks are devastating.
- Siege battles: build siege engines (rams, towers, trebuchets) during the preparation phase. Attacking with poor engineering and few troops is expensive in lives.
- Retreat is fine. Losing a battle usually means losing troops and gear, and possibly capture. Retreating early saves a campaign.
Clan, Kingdom and Politics
Clan tiers
Renown raises your clan tier, which unlocks more companions, more parties, and political options. Joining a kingdom as a mercenary or vassal becomes available as your clan grows.
Mercenary vs vassal
| Option |
Pros |
Cons |
| Mercenary |
Paid per influence, easy to leave |
No fiefs, no votes |
| Vassal |
Can receive fiefs, vote on policies and wars |
Obligations, relation hits if you break oaths |
Creating your own kingdom
You need a sufficiently high clan tier and a settlement you control; the main quest's Dragon Banner route gives you an extra push and a decision about supporting or opposing the Empire. Expect every neighbor to test you, so build a strong army and keep a loyal governor in each fief.
Diplomacy notes
Diplomacy has been reworked across the 1.3 and 1.4 patch cycles, and the v1.5.0 beta (August 2026) pushes further: it makes diplomacy more responsive and encourages AI lords to pursue meaningful wars, form larger armies, go to sea, harass convoys and raid villages. Wars behave differently than in older versions, so read the patch notes when you update and plan your economy for long conflicts.
War Sails (Naval DLC)
Released 26 November 2025 on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S ($24.99 at launch), War Sails adds:
- Naval combat with 18 ships, each with its own handling shaped by wind and waves; boarding, ramming, and targeted damage (shattering oars, tearing sails, sinking hulls).
- The Nords, a northern seafaring faction in a land of peaks and fjords where you can trade, recruit, or fight.
- An expanded map: a northern sea, islands, rivers and open waters.
- Custom Naval Battles mode for instant fleet engagements.
- Seaborne Village Raids (introduced in the WS v1.2.1 / BL v1.4.1 beta in April 2026): launch and defend raids on coastal villages from the sea and rivers.
- New companions, weapons, armor, and Nordic banners, hairstyles and tattoos.
Tips: do not sail an underpowered fleet into enemy waters; convoys and coastal raids are profitable targets but lords respond. Upgrading your flagship is as important as upgrading troops.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Recruiting too fast. A huge, underfed, underpaid army collapses. Grow with your income.
- Ignoring companions' party roles. A skilled Surgeon and Quartermaster save many lives and denars.
- Declaring your own kingdom too early. Without fiefs, allies and a strong army you will be overrun.
- Neglecting food variety and morale. Different food types boost morale; hunger kills it.
- Charging everything with cavalry in sieges. Siege walls neutralize horses.
- Holding too many fiefs with too little army. Every fief is a target; garrisons and governors cost upkeep.
- Not saving before big battles or quests. Keep manual saves; ironman is optional.
Advanced Tips
- Tournaments + betting are a strong early loop for skilled fighters.
- Smithing income: smelt looted weapons to unlock parts, then craft two-handed swords or polearms with high-tier materials for large sales. Stamina recovers over time in towns.
- Train troops cheaply: fight looters and bandits with your army to level troops without risking many losses; the Leadership and Tactics perks help.
- Governors: assign companions with Steward/Engineering/Leadership skills to fiefs they suit.
- Use the encyclopedia: it shows every lord's relations, troop trees and settlement owners; plan marriages and alliances there.
- Mods: the official modding kit continues to receive updates. Check mod compatibility after each patch; the War Sails Modding Kit launched with v1.4.8 / WS v1.2.8 on 10 August 2026, and an official modding competition runs until 22 November 2026.
FAQ
What is the latest Bannerlord patch?
As of late September 2026, the live branch is BL v1.4.8 / War Sails v1.2.8 (10 August 2026), with a BL v1.5.0 / WS v1.3.0 beta (from 19 August 2026) testing sandbox simulation improvements.
Is War Sails worth it?
If you want naval battles, the Nords and a larger map with sea travel, yes. The base game still works fully without it.
How do I get noble troops?
Raise your relation with notables in villages that belong to castles or noble-held settlements; they offer the upgradeable noble recruits.
How do I start my own kingdom?
Grow your clan tier, secure a settlement, and use the kingdom creation option (the Dragon Banner quest line guides you there). Expect war immediately.
Best way to make money early?
Tournaments and bandit hunting, then trade and smithing, then workshops and caravans.
How do I stop losing my army in battle?
Use formations and terrain: shield wall infantry, archers on high ground behind them, cavalry for flanks. Retreat when the numbers are clearly bad.
Sources