Finding specific crafting recipes in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. Unlike some RPGs with neat recipe books, Bannerlord 2 requires a more active and often frustrating, approach. This article solves this problem by providing concrete, actionable ways to acquire the crafting recipes you need to forge the best weapons and armor in Calradia. We will cover how trading, prisoner taking, and smithing can reveal new recipes to you.
One of the most reliable methods for expanding your crafting repertoire is simply buying recipes from town merchants. This requires a bit of luck and persistence, but it’s often quicker than other methods.
How to Find the Right Merchants
- Focus on Wealthy Towns: Visit towns with thriving economies. Indicated by the prosperity stat displayed when you enter the town menu, prosperous towns are more likely to have merchants with diverse inventories, including valuable crafting recipes.
- Check Multiple Times: Merchant inventories change regularly. Make it a habit to visit towns frequently and browse their wares. You might not find what you need immediately, but persistence pays off.
- Look for Specialized Merchants: Look for merchants who specialize in crafted goods such as blacksmiths. They’re more likely to stock the type of recipes you’re searching for. They might not outright sell a recipe in book form, but their inventories often reflect the type of weapons and armor they know how to make, giving you a clue as to the area the town specialized.
My Experiences With Merchant Trading
In my experience, the Empire and Battania regions tend to have a wider variety of crafting recipes available for purchase. It could be due to the frequency of trade caravans passing through or the presence of unique cultural influences in those areas. I spent hours combing through merchant inventories, but one time I found an exceptionally rare recipe for a two-handed sword in a small Battanian village. The key is not to give up and consistently check back with different merchants.
A less conventional, but often effective, method involves taking prisoners and, eventually, recruiting them. Skilled smiths among enemy lords and companions can teach you new crafting recipes.
How to Capture and Recruit Skilled Smiths
- Identify Potential Candidates: Pay attention to enemy lords and companions, especially those known for their combat prowess and equipment. Their background may hint at smithing knowledge.
- Capture Them in Battle: Defeat their parties in battle and take them prisoner.
- Improve Relations: Keep them in your party for a period and treat them well to improve relations. Releasing them and recapturing them repeatedly could create the opposite outcome.
- Recruit Them (Eventually): Over time, you may have the option to recruit them into your party as companions. Once recruited, they can teach you new crafting recipes.
My Insights on Prisoner Recipe Acquisition
I’ve found that Vlandian and Sturgian lords and companions are often a good source of smithing knowledge, likely due to the importance of heavy armor and strong weaponry in their cultures. However, the process of capturing, befriending, and recruiting them can be time-consuming and requires high charm skills. It is better to recruit them with a small fee instead of imprisoning them after the battle.
One of the most fundamental ways to learn new crafting recipes is through the Smithing skill itself. As you level up this skill, you’ll automatically unlock new recipes. However, you can also discover new recipes through experimentation.
The Path to Smithing Mastery
- Smelt Looted Weapons and Armor: Smelting unwanted weapons and armor is a great way to acquire materials and gain experience.
- Craft Regularly: Crafting, even basic items, steadily increases your skill. Focus on crafting items that use readily available materials.
- Experiment with Different Materials: Try crafting the same item with different materials. This can sometimes unlock new recipes or variations of existing ones. Always save before attempting an experiment.
- Unlock Perks: Focus on unlocking perks that improve your smithing skills and grant you new crafting recipes.
My Personal Smithing Grind Strategy
I’ve found the most effective way to level up smithing is to focus on crafting daggers initially. They require minimal materials and can be crafted quickly, allowing you to rapidly increase your skill. Once you reach a certain level, you can transition to crafting more complex and valuable items. Don’t ignore the value of refining raw materials to level up your smithing skill as well!
| Method | Difficulty | Time Investment | Recipe Specificity | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trading | Medium | Medium | Low | Gold, Town Visits, Luck |
| Prisoner/Recruitment | High | High | Medium | Combat Skill, Charm, Patience |
| Smithing Skill | Low to Medium | Medium to High | High | Resources, Time, Focus |
Finding specific crafting recipes in Bannerlord 2 requires a multifaceted approach. Trading with merchants, capturing and recruiting skilled smiths, and actively leveling up your smithing skill are all viable methods. Each approach has its own advantages and disadvantages, so experiment to find what works best for you. The most important thing is to be persistent and patient. With enough effort, you’ll be able to craft the most powerful weapons and armor in Calradia.
Here are some frequently asked questions about finding crafting recipes in Bannerlord 2:
Where do you get crafting recipes Bannerlord 2?
You can obtain crafting recipes through trading with merchants in towns, capturing and recruiting skilled smiths from enemy factions, and by leveling up your smithing skill and experimenting with different materials.
How do you unlock crafting recipes in Bannerlord?
Crafting recipes are unlocked by increasing your smithing skill, trading with merchants, and recruiting smith companions. Additionally, experimenting with different materials while crafting can sometimes reveal new recipes.
How do you learn to smith in Bannerlord 2?
To learn smithing, you must first have a character with a focus on Intelligence. Focus on smelting loot, crafting basic items, and completing smithing-related tasks to improve your skill level. You can practice smithing at any town with a smithy.
What affects smithing Bannerlord 2?
Several factors affect smithing in Bannerlord 2, including your character’s skill level, available materials, and the quality of tools and smithies used. Additionally, perks unlocked through the smithing skill tree can provide bonuses and unlock new crafting options.