Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlordis one of the most immersive and liberatingmedieval fantasy sandbox gamesout there. Even now, there’s still nothing quite like it. However, to get to the meat of the game and to actually be immersed, some beginners to the franchise might have to learn some hard lessons. With how steep the learning curve is forBannerlord, it’s easy to make mistakes.
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There’s also the fact that the game isn’t complete yet at the time of writing and is still hovering around in its early access phase. Thus, there are plenty of improvements to be made. New players will have to take note of others' mistakes so that they can have a less rough start. These mistakes are some of the most common and need to be avoided if players want to be successful feudal lords.
Updated June 17, 2025, by Sid Natividad:Mount&Blade 2: Bannerlord has come a long way from its early access more than two years ago. Now that the game has been officially out for a few months in its full release, it ought to be a more welcoming experience, right? Well, perhaps a bit. It’s still quite anunforgiving medieval simwith a steep learning curve.
That’s why someBannerlord tipsare still very much warranted in 2022 and beyond. There are too many mistakes to commit, and new players are bound to commit a lot of them. Heck, even veteran players are still not infallible to such mistakes. So here’s what to avoid, consider them asBannerlord tipsas well.
13Rushing To A Kingdom
The initial moments and the early game inMount & Blade 2: Bannerlordmight feel slow and uneventful with repetitive quests, but that’s part of the grind. Players might just frustrate themselves orburn themselves out trying to rush to a kingdom or at least try to snag a castle too early.
A full army does take a lot of food and depending on the difficulty, a poorly commanded battle might result in the deaths of veteran troops. It’s best to build up a reputation first in order to curry favor from more powerful lords. Allying with nobles is the key to securing land and territory. Taking it slow is also a good way to familiarize oneself with the other systems.
12Warmongering
Speaking of trying to gain a kingdom too early, it’s usually a violent path and endeavor. That might even require unprovoked battles instigated by the players themselves. While starting random wars and resorting to banditry might alleviate boredom or provide a quick path to power, it’s not recommended for newcomers.
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Too often,enemy AI will swarm the playersand attempt to chase their paltry warband withlittle to no help from the ally or home faction. Players should refrain from making too many enemies in the game until they have secured their own powerful allies. That is unless they want a life of banditry, which isn’t a relaxing gameplay path at all.
11Fighting Melee In Field Battles
The biggest waste of time inMount & Blade 2: Bannerlordis waiting for one’s lord character to heal back up to fighting shape in the event that they’re defeated in battle. For that matter, conserving the health of the player character is paramount to keeping a smooth gameplay flow.
It just so happens that fighting in melee during field battles is counterproductive to this flow. Because like in the campaign map, theenemy AI will swarm players in the digital mosh pitand gang upon the commanders. Sure, it might be tempting to jump into the fray upon seeing this cinematic clash for the first time, but it’s a lot safer and smarter tojust use the bow while mounted. The troops won’t mind having a practical coward as a commander.
10Trying To Win Every Battle
While on the topic of battles, trying to win every battle might not be that feasible, especially on normal or higher difficulties. Some bandit or enemy faction ambushes are simply too crafty. Some battles are also not meant to be won, especially if players are on the losing side right at the start.
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For that matter, players canminimize their army’s casualties by retreating(through the scoreboard). Because if players are defeated in battle, they’ll have to nurse their characters back to health and their entire army will be decimated.Another option is to surrenderbefore the fight; this way, players get to keep some of their gold and items and even rescue their troops later.
9Not Utilizing The Campaign Brother
A lot of players tend to forget that they’re given a rather important management resource right away in the Campaign. Players typically start off with a brother or two and these brothers can join the battle as usual. But players can alsodelegate them as companions.
These companions can also handle menial tasks and quests. Those tedious quests that require players to procure food or supplies can be given to companions while the players continue with something else. Beyond that, they can also lead troops into battle though there might be more casualties under their command.
8Ignoring The Shield
It might be tempting to go two-handed to add to the fear factor on the battlefield but those zweihander or lancer fantasies will have to take a backseat to safety. Because unless players are godly at melee combat, they’ll get swamped by AI units and inMount & Blade 2: Bannerlord,it’s not that incompetent.
That’s why taking a shield is always the best option here no matter how lame one thinks it is to have a shorter one-handed weapon. As it is,most of the combat the players will be doing is keeping their general or commander alive. They’re just as vulnerable as the common foot soldier in this game. So the shield is the best insurance they can have against untimely death.
7Upgrading All Troops & Units
Gaining momentum inMount & Blade 2: Bannerlordmeans also gaining income and territory. This allows for army upgrades, and beginners will certainly feel giddy – they might be tempted to upgrade all their units, but this can quickly stop their progress in its tracks.Upgrading units increase their upkeep or maintenance costand this can easily drain resources and supplies.
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It’s best to be conservative with the upgrades unless there is asteady income stream. If players are merely living off other lords' territories, then they will do better to hold off on some upgrades. When picking which units to prioritize in upgrading, then it’s best to always pick melee cavalry as they have the most impact in battles and can turn the tide.
6Wanting The Best Army Available
In addition to being conservative with the upgrades, players will want to balance out their army compositions. Armies can easily drain the bank or be inefficient for the cost that they demand. As a rule of thumb inMount & Blade 2: Bannerlord, players can’t have both quality and quantity. Hence,an army consisting of the most powerful units in high numbers is ill-advised.
Armies should always have fodder units such as those that will make up the bulk of the army and trade blows with the foot soldiers of the enemy army while the elite troops circle around to flank (usually cavalry units). Moreover, an army only full of elite units will be too expensive to maintain and upgrade and can still lose to an inferior army with better tactical management.
5Agreeing To All Side Quests
Side quests are a huge part of theMount & Blade 2: Bannerlordprogression as players can commit to them while they still haven’t secured a kingdom or big territory of their own. They’re a good way to gain reputation and money. However, not all side quests are advantageous to typical rags-to-riches gameplay inBannerlord.
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There are actually side quests that favor banditry or unlawful play styles.Some quests will straight up ask the players to break a kingdom’s lawsand the game might not even tell them the consequences of their actions. Hence, players will have to carefully consider some shady side quests and use their moral compass – unless they’re roleplaying as bandits or mercenaries.
4Getting Careless With Quests
Players might think they’re safe after picking up the morally upright quests for theirnoble playthrough, but that doesn’t mean they can slack off. Because it turns out, failing some quests – particularly from nobles or other important NPCs can hurt the player’s Charm or the game’s metric for reputation. This can hurt player progress as well as alliances.
It might be easy to brush off quest failure as inconsequential because of the lack of UI prompts that explain such mechanics (at the moment), but that only meansplayers will have to be careful in how they approach quests or even in accepting quests that don’t match their army’s competence. This is where saves come in handy, especially in handling quests that are too difficult. Being able to reload to an earlier point at the start of the battle is almost necessary.
