Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord – Everything You Need To Know

Don your armor, rally your followers, and saddle up to conquer the lands of Calradia were Kings are made and slain. You will experience a dynamic world brimming with hundreds of characters. Set approximately 200 years before the events of the original Mount & Blade, Bannerlord highlights a time when claimants and hopefuls are rampant and eager to claim a right to rule the land. The Caldaric Empire, once the predominate force of the land, is facing a civil war on three fronts leaving room for many other factions to step forward. You will encounter the feudal Vlandians, the wild Sturgians, the tribal Aserai, the nomadic Khuzait, and the heavily inspired Battanians.

Create your very own character and take to the fields, building up your might, your forces, and your renown. In Mount & Blade you mold your own tale whether you are a daughter of an impoverished noble or a son of a thieving bastard, you will have the chance to carve your name in history and look those of station in the face as you plant your banner and rise to meet them.

Your adventure is your own

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord’s Release Date

Fans are getting anxious for this game and while the developers are certainly taking their time they are ensuring that they are taking the measures necessary to create and release the best game possible for their community. They have reported on everything from animation to level design and the tease of siege equipment for epic and exhilarating siege combat.

Over the past few months we have seen several updates from them, many of which you can find on their Twitter page. We get tales from key components to their team from artists like Olcay Mancilikcilar who himself comments on the brevity of Bannerlord and its ambitious, sandbox-driven nature and how they are tackling the monster that is immersion and a world that feels like it lives and breathes.

When, you ask? TaleWorlds had held this as a rather close guarded secret and have pulled back on some of their projections. In late 2016 they stated that a closed beta would become available but a snag in their process led to that announcement being canceled.

So, buckle in, toddies, and find something to kill the time. Better yet, find ways to support them, because they are crafting this game to perfection for us. My hopes are high and despite wait and delay, I trust that TaleWorlds Entertainment is trying to create the game that they themselves want to play for hours on end.

Lead as any great leader does, on the front lines, with your allies and your friends

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord’s Gameplay

TaleWorlds has always projected themselves and their brainchild as an open world RPG, immersive and responsive and a world to adventure regardless of your goals in mind. They welcome the farmers, the traders, the wayfarers, and the stake-claimers. Everyone has a place in the Mount & Blade universe.

The developers have displayed and commented on many additions to the game. They have shown us the implementation of siege equipment to assault castles with destructible fortifications; a vastly improved combat AI that responds to orders to alter stances such as shield walls or wedge formations; they highlighted enemy AI that is responsive to the environment and the flow of combat choosing to form up in strategic points or lead their troops in ambushes and flanks. TaleWorlds wanted to bring focus to combat that evolves and fights that feel unique.

What makes Bannerlord unique among sandbox-RPGs is this and much, much more. Technical combat, gripping animations, an evolving ecosystem that responds to your choices; we’re not just looking at a war-simulator, we are thrust into a dynamic world with living people that will love, hate, revere, and plot against you. Tear into your enemies as a vicious conquer or a ruthless bandit or use your silver-tongue to suade all who may disagree to your side. It is up to you to decide how the hero of the new age shall carry them self.

Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord campaign

TaleWorlds’ development blog has teased that the team is currently working on overhauling the world/campaign map. They have fine-tuned a scenario editor that they are using to reshape and remap AI pathing and behaviors. This is said to make a drastic change to the activities of AI, in the way that they travel, the landmarks they will stop near, and the battles they will pick.

Traversing the land of Calradia is done from a strategic overview map where you will see towns, forts, and castles all owned by a Lord from one of the eight possible factions. These civilizations are living, breathing ecosystems that can be entered where you will interact with NPCs to trade, gather information, or accept quests. Alternatively, you can attack them to gain supplies or hinder the preparation of an enemy’s war effort. Also, from the map, you have the chance to interact with your party, training them and maintaining their equipment and moral as well as interacting with other parties such as caravans or bandits or Lords roaming the world with their own goals and efforts in mind.

Each corner of Calradia is a unique environment from the perilous mountain ranges split between the Sturgians and the Khuzaits or the expansive desert ruled by the Azerai. Regions are vast and varied, from the people that live there to the animals, supplies, and equipment you can find.

Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord factions

Each faction in the game has a unique design and troop trees that give each of the armies’ weaknesses and strengths such as the heavy cavalry-centric Vlandians or the archery-based Battanians. Everything from equipment such as armor and weapons as well as the structures that they have raised, and control will be characterized by the faction and their lore.

Beyond that, we hear that factions will have interpersonal struggles as well as war against one another freely without the need for player interaction. This is an important point for the developers to push an immersive world that feels alive for the players to adventure in.

Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord coop

We have heard very little in regard to a fully functioning co-op allowing multiple people to play through the same campaign that a single player game will provide. While they have not displayed anything on that scale they have teased competitive modes that will pit players against one another in sieges or field battles.

This time around, they have stated that they will be focusing more on the game’s multiplayer experience and making the game more accessible to new players. They have teased a multiplayer mode known as Captain Mode which is a 5v5 match where players control their own unique character, the Captain, and shout orders at a small war party.

Varied combat from mounted to archery

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord Trailers

TaleWorld decidedly skipped out on E3 this year and many fans are not pleased. The developers stated that they were more interested in working on their game and focusing to bring us the best product they could instead of flaunting and peacocking at E3. They have stated, however, that they will appear at Gamescom with some impressive updates but have yet to speak on what those may be. 

The last official teaser we have is from late 2017:

The original Mount & Blade and the extension Warband were mechanical marvels providing death and control that created a tried true community. Bannerlord looks to rival this and expand on it taking the scale of the previous games and ramping up everything to create an endless and truly unique experience.

Cut down the weak and stake your claim

Development of Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord

Customization is an important part of the Mount & Blade experience and the developers have shown great improvement in this field from the appearance of your character to being able to craft your own weapons where you will be able to change weapon types, blade lengths, hilt styles and sizes, and other options that will alter weapon speed, weight, various stats to create the combat style that fits you.

TaleWorlds has promised that the game is being made with modders in mind and will support mods 100%. Keep in mind that they devs has stated that the community will not be able to get their hands on the source code of the game, but dev tools will be provided.

It is plain to see the improved graphical nature of the game, for the original had about all the graces of a bearded women, but more importantly we see changes in customization, UI, AI, and the things that make you feel like a king. From mounts to banners to variety of weapons, the devs are dedicated to giving us what we have been waiting for, so give them time and know they will not disappoint. And trust that they hear you. The grievances are coming from literally everywhere now-a-days.

Camels. For immersion. It’s simple quality of life things that will make this game feel amazing.

You may also be interested in:

• Mount and Blade 2 Aims for Realism

• Mount and Blade II Multiplayer: How it Works

• Will Mount and Blade 2 Be Better Than its Predecessor?