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The horns sound, the ravens gather. An empire is torn by civil war. Beyond its borders, new kingdoms rise. Gird on your sword, don your armour, summon your followers and ride forth to win glory on the battlefields of Calradia. Establish your hegemony and create a new world out of the ashes of the old.

It’s finally here! Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord has left early access and is now available on GOG in its full glory. To celebrate that you can get Bannerlord with a 20% discount. But it doesn’t end here - we can’t speak of Bannerlord without remembering the series' previous titles that have started it all. Original Mount & Blade, Mount & Blade: With Fire & Sword and Mount & Blade: Warband with its Napoleonic Wars DLC and Viking Conquest Reforged Edition are all available on GOG with 75% discount each! These promotions last until November 8th, 8 AM UTC and you can find them all in one place HERE.

While there are good games with strong following, you also have exceptional games with fanatic following. The latter is without a doubt applicable to Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord. This eagerly awaited sequel to the acclaimed medieval combat simulator and role-playing game, is set 200 years before, and it expands both the detailed fighting system and the world of Calradia.

It really was hard to not hear about Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, but to sum it up, it’s an open world RPG combining strategy and action allowing us to bombard mountain fastnesses with siege engines, establish secret criminal empires in the back alleys of cities, or charge into the thick of chaotic battles in your quest for power.



Players can explore, raid and conquer their way across the vast continent of Calradia, making friends and enemies along the way. Raising their own army and leading it into battle, commanding and fighting alongside loyal troops in the thick of the action.

What drew all of us to Mount & Blade was its dynamic sandbox adventure making sure that no two playthroughs are the same. We can create and develop our own character to match our unique playstyle and progress skills by performing actions as we gain access to a selection of perks that represent our mastery of a talent.



It’s set in a realistic medieval world where we take part in a simulated feudal economy, where the price of everything from incense to warhorses fluctuates with supply and demand. But that’s of course not the only realistic part of the game. Until Mount & Blade there were little to no titles where we could vanquish our foes using a deep and intuitive combat system that is easy to learn but difficult to master in breathtaking, incredible battles with hundreds of on-screen units, each with their own detailed AI. And it is that part that we want to focus on today.

The game is full of different factions and units that can be upgraded and promoted to a different tier. During our conquest we can also hire mercenary units and bandits which results in tons of different unit types and army compositions. This variety allows to create unstoppable armies specialized in all kinds of combat. Appropriate maintenance of their strengths, weaknesses and enemy units’ counters can bring us to become the ultimate bannerlord feared by everyone in the realm.



Units come in 4 forms: infantry, archery, cavalry, or mounted archery units. Each faction has their own. We’ll take a look at the 5 most powerful ones in our opinion. Keep in mind that you may have a different take on that and we are more than happy to hear about your picks in the comments! But for now, let’s dive into it.

5. Imperial Legionary



As fifth-tier infantry troops of the Caladric Empire the Imperial Legionary are one of the most versatile infantry units in the game. These heavily-armored soldiers of the Empire boast some of the best armor-to-weight ratio stats of any other heavy unit in the game and completely dominate the infantry scene. From stopping cavalry charges, through breaking every infantry-type shield wall, to easily getting through archers when conquering settlements - they can do it all, and they are exceptional at it.

4. Battanian Fian Champion



Sixth-tier noble troops of Battania are the premier foot archers of Bannerlord. While rare, if a patient player can prepare even a small force of these to support their army, they will single-handedly win battles. They possess powerful bows with good accuracy and can out-range pretty much everyone. They are especially effective against the Empire, but when placed on high ground, or in front of your own troops so that they can fire on approaching units unimpeded it’s over for your enemy.

3. Aserai Mameluke Heavy Cavalry



One of the best non-noble options is represented by the fifth-tier heavy-cavalry of the Aserai. They are well-armored with possibly the best bow in the game, have really fast horses and are capable units of melee fighting both on and off the horse. Try to gather an army of these guys and your military problems will disappear immediately.

2. Khuzait Khan's Guard



Tier 6 cavalry special unit for Khuzait. Whole faction prides themselves in archery skills but Khan’s Guard are just something else. They ride into battle with recurve bows and glaives, but the latter won’t be needed much if they are controlled properly. Their ability to dish out damage without taking any in the process and shred unaware infantry units is absolutely fantastic and it is recommended to try to recruit as many of them as possible.

1. Vlandian Sharpshooter



And of course the Sharpshooters from Vladia - their fifth-tier troops. Not much to say about them besides that they have the strongest crossbows in the game, great range and accuracy, carry decent swords and shields so they can defend themselves and be used as infantry in a pinch and are relatively easy to recruit. Getting a large number of these units in your army can make most battles over before the melee combat starts.

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord offers an incredible variety of units so while we just selected a handful, we highly recommend discovering the rest by yourself and finding out which ones do you like the best during your future battles! And if you already played Bannerlord and have your types, let us know in the comments as we’re pretty sure your opinion may differ - different lords, different playstyles!

But enough talking, time to draw our swords and conquer the land!
Finally!!!! Skyrim arrives to GOG, then Mount & Blade II is out ot early access!!! Amazing! What a month!!!!
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Gylfe: There is a minimal story of loss and redemption, but these games are meant to be a sandbox, so its not holding your hand and just provides goals to progress. You can completely disregard the story, or stick to it if you wish.

I wish more games had that much freedom.
Indeed. You make your own story. You decide who to side with, how you will behave to other lords, all is up to you. You can RP a bit, then the game becomes even more awesome.
Post edited October 25, 2022 by Carradice
Wow. This seems to have been pretty quick (in terms of development time) by TaleWorlds standards. :P
Post edited October 26, 2022 by HunchBluntley
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TheCleaner517: Mine in myy library still says "In Development" and doesn't show as "In Library" on store page. Is there a fix???
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jepsen1977: I also have this issue.
In mine it seems to appear OK.
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GOG.com: The horns sound, the ravens gather. An empire is torn by civil war. Beyond its borders, new kingdoms rise. Gird on your sword, don your armour, summon your followers and ride forth to win glory on the battlefields of Calradia. Establish your hegemony and create a new world out of the ashes of the old.

It’s finally here! Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord has left early access and is now available on GOG in its full glory. To celebrate that you can get Bannerlord with a 20% discount. But it doesn’t end here - we can’t speak of Bannerlord without remembering the series' previous titles that have started it all. Original Mount & Blade, Mount & Blade: With Fire & Sword and Mount & Blade: Warband with its Napoleonic Wars DLC and Viking Conquest Reforged Edition are all available on GOG with 75% discount each! These promotions last until November 8th, 8 AM UTC and you can find them all in one place HERE.

While there are good games with strong following, you also have exceptional games with fanatic following. The latter is without a doubt applicable to Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord. This eagerly awaited sequel to the acclaimed medieval combat simulator and role-playing game, is set 200 years before, and it expands both the detailed fighting system and the world of Calradia.

It really was hard to not hear about Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, but to sum it up, it’s an open world RPG combining strategy and action allowing us to bombard mountain fastnesses with siege engines, establish secret criminal empires in the back alleys of cities, or charge into the thick of chaotic battles in your quest for power.

Players can explore, raid and conquer their way across the vast continent of Calradia, making friends and enemies along the way. Raising their own army and leading it into battle, commanding and fighting alongside loyal troops in the thick of the action.

What drew all of us to Mount & Blade was its dynamic sandbox adventure making sure that no two playthroughs are the same. We can create and develop our own character to match our unique playstyle and progress skills by performing actions as we gain access to a selection of perks that represent our mastery of a talent.

It’s set in a realistic medieval world where we take part in a simulated feudal economy, where the price of everything from incense to warhorses fluctuates with supply and demand. But that’s of course not the only realistic part of the game. Until Mount & Blade there were little to no titles where we could vanquish our foes using a deep and intuitive combat system that is easy to learn but difficult to master in breathtaking, incredible battles with hundreds of on-screen units, each with their own detailed AI. And it is that part that we want to focus on today.

The game is full of different factions and units that can be upgraded and promoted to a different tier. During our conquest we can also hire mercenary units and bandits which results in tons of different unit types and army compositions. This variety allows to create unstoppable armies specialized in all kinds of combat. Appropriate maintenance of their strengths, weaknesses and enemy units’ counters can bring us to become the ultimate bannerlord feared by everyone in the realm.

Units come in 4 forms: infantry, archery, cavalry, or mounted archery units. Each faction has their own. We’ll take a look at the 5 most powerful ones in our opinion. Keep in mind that you may have a different take on that and we are more than happy to hear about your picks in the comments! But for now, let’s dive into it.

5. Imperial Legionary

As fifth-tier infantry troops of the Caladric Empire the Imperial Legionary are one of the most versatile infantry units in the game. These heavily-armored soldiers of the Empire boast some of the best armor-to-weight ratio stats of any other heavy unit in the game and completely dominate the infantry scene. From stopping cavalry charges, through breaking every infantry-type shield wall, to easily getting through archers when conquering settlements - they can do it all, and they are exceptional at it.

4. Battanian Fian Champion

Sixth-tier noble troops of Battania are the premier foot archers of Bannerlord. While rare, if a patient player can prepare even a small force of these to support their army, they will single-handedly win battles. They possess powerful bows with good accuracy and can out-range pretty much everyone. They are especially effective against the Empire, but when placed on high ground, or in front of your own troops so that they can fire on approaching units unimpeded it’s over for your enemy.

3. Aserai Mameluke Heavy Cavalry

One of the best non-noble options is represented by the fifth-tier heavy-cavalry of the Aserai. They are well-armored with possibly the best bow in the game, have really fast horses and are capable units of melee fighting both on and off the horse. Try to gather an army of these guys and your military problems will disappear immediately.

2. Khuzait Khan's Guard

Tier 6 cavalry special unit for Khuzait. Whole faction prides themselves in archery skills but Khan’s Guard are just something else. They ride into battle with recurve bows and glaives, but the latter won’t be needed much if they are controlled properly. Their ability to dish out damage without taking any in the process and shred unaware infantry units is absolutely fantastic and it is recommended to try to recruit as many of them as possible.

1. Vlandian Sharpshooter

And of course the Sharpshooters from Vladia - their fifth-tier troops. Not much to say about them besides that they have the strongest crossbows in the game, great range and accuracy, carry decent swords and shields so they can defend themselves and be used as infantry in a pinch and are relatively easy to recruit. Getting a large number of these units in your army can make most battles over before the melee combat starts.

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord offers an incredible variety of units so while we just selected a handful, we highly recommend discovering the rest by yourself and finding out which ones do you like the best during your future battles! And if you already played Bannerlord and have your types, let us know in the comments as we’re pretty sure your opinion may differ - different lords, different playstyles!

But enough talking, time to draw our swords and conquer the land!
I was so excited to play it today, after 2 years of waiting since I bought it in early access.
Unfortunately, the game doesn't launch on my high end laptop (asus rog strix g15 with rtx3070), I tried everything on the support page but nothing works and the bot tells me it can't open a ticket.
Please fix this problem!
Do they have proper key rebinding in this one. Years ago, GOG gave away the original one for free, and I fired it up one night and got sucked in for hours, so I bought M&B Warband and all of the expansions, except that MP only one. I've played it off and on, but although it let me rebind the keys, there were some keys hard-coded to do certain things which caused some conflicts and made it kind of a pain to work around.
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Mean.Jim: Do they have proper key rebinding in this one. Years ago, GOG gave away the original one for free, and I fired it up one night and got sucked in for hours, so I bought M&B Warband and all of the expansions, except that MP only one. I've played it off and on, but although it let me rebind the keys, there were some keys hard-coded to do certain things which caused some conflicts and made it kind of a pain to work around.
Same. I also have all the series but that of Napoleonic Wars. If they bothered to add SP to it... Even if it was only for battles...
In Galaxy Bannerlord appears OK, not in development. But in the website it sports the "in development" label.
War Sails - Announcement

https://www.taleworlds.com/en/News/572

"Greetings warriors of Calradia!

We’re thrilled to announce a major expansion to Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord. War Sails will be arriving on PC on the 17th of June, 2025!

...

Sail the high seas, lead mighty fleets, and forge your legacy in War Sails, the epic single-player expansion for Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord. Bringing naval warfare to Bannerlord for the first time, War Sails lets players command powerful ships, engage in thrilling sea battles, and master maritime conquest.

Embark on daring naval adventures with new mechanics, territories, and challenges. Customize your fleet, conquer settlements, and carve your legend on the high seas!

MEET THE NORDS, A NEW VIKING-INSPIRED FACTION

Chart your course to the Northern Kingdom, home of the fearless Nords—legendary seafarers and masters of close-quarters combat. Explore a land of jagged peaks, vast taigas and freezing fjords, where scattered settlements rise like ships from the sea. A bold adventurer may trade their goods, recruit their warriors, join their ranks or challenge their rule. Will you join the North or seize its riches?

MASTER NAVAL WARFARE

War Sails introduces a unique and immersive naval warfare system that has been inspired by accounts of actual medieval sea battles. Featuring realistic wind and water physics, ship-to-ship combat lets you board enemies from multiple points, ram them, or attack from afar.

Captains can seize opportunities by boarding already engaged ships, prepare for an incoming attack by creating a floating fortress or take a risk to tie down several enemies at once - giving their allies an edge elsewhere. They may ram an enemy ship to sink it - or at least throw men off board, shatter oars and compromise buoyancy. Well-placed arrows and ballista fire can also tear through sails, further crippling mobility.

EXPLORE AN EXPANDED WORLD

Calradia has been reimagined with a northern region, a settled island, coastal waters and open seas. The dynamic weather system was also refined to include storms and trade winds. Ships move faster when riding the gales, but beware—attrition can unravel even the best-laid plans.

The naval systems and Nord faction integrate into Bannerlord’s world, reshaping trade, warfare, and diplomacy. Ship production and new trade goods add regional variety. Coastal towns may grow rich from this — if they can fend off pirates and naval invasions.

Sieges have also been adapted to naval warfare. Armies will have to bring along a fleet and set up a blockade, if they want to stop supplies and reinforcements arriving over sea.

BUILD YOUR FLEET

Players can choose from 18 ship types modelled after historical vessels, each with unique handling, shaped by realistic wind and wave physics. They can be customized with siege engines, cargo holds, sails, rams, and more. Shipyards build and stock vessels based on their town’s culture and development. Players can also capture ships and figureheads in battle.

EXPAND YOUR ARSENAL

The character system has been extended with Nord hairstyles, beards, and tattoos. Three nautical skills were added that enhance navigation, tactics, and stewardship. There are also many new items including spears, swords, axes, shields, and armor.

Troop trees now include mariner troops that are more effective at sea. Players can also recruit new companions with maritime backgrounds.

LEARN THE ROPES

A new questline introduces players to the seas of Calradia through cinematics, scripted missions, and classic Mount & Blade gameplay. Learn how to command your ship, then take it into battle against a pirate confederacy. Lead a growing fleet of newfound allies as you face a range of nautical challenges.

ENHANCED AUDIO

The sounds of the sea come to life with new Mediterranean and Nordic-inspired musical tracks. Experience rich soundscapes with piercing winds, crashing waves and creaking ships. Feel the heat of battle as steel clashes and sailors cry out."
Post edited March 20, 2025 by Swedrami
Eh, as far as I know, I think the main game could use a lot of polish and improvements before they even start thinking about expansions
https://www.taleworlds.com/en/News/572

"Base Game Plans

We also want to give you a general update on Bannerlord - what we’ve been doing and what is yet to come.

After the full release in October of 2022, we published a number of updates that not only addressed important issues across the various platforms but also introduced additional features such as weather and weather effects, fog of war, sally out ambush, formation targeting, warehouses, alleys, and many more. Much like during our early access period, we’ve continued to expand and refine the game with your feedback and support. We’re truly grateful to have such a dedicated community, who’s been with us every step of the way.

As we mentioned in our post-release plans, we were open to exploring DLC as one way of introducing additional content. And while that remained true, we realize that our communication has not met the level you had grown to expect from us. The naval battle system being introduced with the newly announced War Sails expansion proved to be a technical and gameplay challenge. We had also been working on another project that was planned as a more story-driven DLC. While this was an interesting new approach, it ultimately didn't meet the quality we aim for. Rather than talking about and releasing something we weren’t happy with, we made the tough decision to cancel its launch. These hurdles caused a delay in our communication and we sincerely appreciate your patience during this time. The good news is that instead of shelving the work, we will be repurposing the new gameplay mechanics from this canceled project as content for the base game.

This involves the introduction of a robust stealth system that will allow you to infiltrate dungeons and hideouts, rescue prisoners, and dispatch enemies without ever raising alarms. The enemy AI will now detect sound and motion, becoming alerted by your actions through progressive levels of cautiousness. To succeed, you will need to not only carefully consider your position and movement, but also your environment - utilizing the elevation, darkness of the night, and natural cover to achieve your goals covertly. While these may be enough in some cases, you’ll find other stealth tactics like distractions and concealing corpses just as useful. Honing your effectiveness will further be possible through gear and the roguery skill. We’ll be sharing more stealth details in a future deep dive so stay tuned!

We are also working on several features that we're planning to bring to the base game alongside the War Sails expansion. For one, we want to improve our trait system so that players will be able to better develop their characters. To this end, we are working on a feature that will prompt you with random events during your journeys. Ideally, this will not just offer a new avenue of character development but add further life to the world of Calradia.

Town and castle projects will also undergo changes. These adjustments will improve the balance between projects with impactful effects and those with limited or situational effects and add new types. This should allow for better control over the management of your fief.

Another point of interest is the passage of time and the cycle of life in the game. While we think that Bannerlord manages to achieve a happy medium between this progression and not rushing players… we also feel that additional choice in this regard would make for a rather fun alternative to the vanilla experience.

We’re also making it easier to communicate with nearby enemies by introducing the Parley feature, allowing you to enter into a conversation without getting your head cut off!

The community-requested Character Import & Export feature is in the works, allowing you to adjust various aspects like equipment, perks, skills, attributes, name, culture, gold,... by editing the character file in the Game Saves folder and importing it via the console window cheats.

Alongside these, we continue to work on the combat experience, which includes the addition of new weapon types like slings. Spear bracing is being refined with better targeting, smoother animations, and spearmen using their spears by default - making them more effective against cavalry charges.

A variety of AI enhancements are also being added such as more accurate usage of melee weapons, improved pathfinding and reduced zig-zag movements for mounted AI, improved ranged AI accuracy against moving targets, and increased firing rate through better avoidance of friendly troops. Beyond that, we’re addressing various siege AI issues, preventing archers with a targeted order from getting too close to the enemy, and more.

We’re likewise working on a number of adjustments to support our modders better. This includes allowing attack while crouched (looking at you - mods with guns), further opening up the AI agent attack and weapon selection decision-making processes, making the interpolated mission atmosphere moddable, providing audio modding support for FMOD Banks and Events, as well as opening up campaign time to customization. To make modding even more accessible, we’re creating an XML Editor, removing the need to manually edit XML files to add, remove, or modify items, heroes, factions, settlements, and more. Those that will prefer to continue doing it manually, will also see that process simplified, where using the XSLT system will no longer be necessary.

And that brings us to the end of today’s announcement. On behalf of everyone at TaleWorlds, we want to express our heartfelt thanks for your incredible support and dedication over the years. We can’t wait to share even more in the coming weeks. Until then, stay tuned and take care – we'll see you soon!"
https://www.dbltap.com/news/mount-and-blade-2-bannerlord-shohuko-mod-reveal

"Shokuhō is one of the most ambitious mods of the year and it finally has a release window: The total conversion mod for Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord will launch in June 2025 for PC.

A successor to Mount & Blade: Warband’s Gekojujo mod, Shokuho turns the game’s map into a representation of feudal Japan during the Sengoku Jidai — the Warring States Period. Whether they merely seek immortal glory in battle, have ambitions to become the most powerful warlord in the land, or desire to loot and plunder as a lord-less ronin, Shokuhō provides a totally different experience to the base game, which is modeled after European Late Antiquity.

The modding team has put together an impressive-looking world full of colorful battlefields, imposing bastions, and banners fluttering in the wind. Even ship-to-ship combat seems to be included, despite the feature only coming to Bannerlord via the War Sails expansion on June 17, 2025.

True to real history, the European arquebus complements the traditional Japanese arsenal of weapons, such as bows, spears, naginatas, and katanas. It’ll be another interesting decision players have to make: Stick to the old ways or equip your forces with the newest technology."

https://www.moddb.com/mods/shokuho/

Release Date Announcement

"In the chaos of the Sengoku Jidai, experience feudal Japan during one of its most tumultuous eras. From ambitious samurai climbing the ladders of power to ronin looting war-torn fields, enjoy the war-stricken world of Shokuhō!"
Post edited 3 days ago by Swedrami