This article provides actionable solutions to common frustrations players face with crafting in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord. We’ll explore three exceptional mods that dramatically alter the crafting system, offering increased control, depth, and realism. Say goodbye to tedious grinding and hello to a more engaging smithing experience.
The vanilla crafting system in Bannerlord 2 can feel limited. Many players find the perk system restrictive, the learning curve steep, and the overall process repetitive. Earning enough experience to unlock desirable weapon parts can take considerable time, often involving crafting and melting down countless low-tier items. The lack of detailed control over weapon stats and the sometimes-unrealistic results can further detract from the experience. Many gamers are seeking mods that can customize these aspects of crafting and improve quality of the gameplay.
The Tedium of Vanilla Smithing: A Common Pain Point
Leveling smithing often involves a cycle of crafting the cheapest possible item, dismantling it, and repeating. This repetitive action is far from the engaging experience many players hope for. The game’s economy also exacerbates the issue, with crafted weapons often fetching low prices compared to the effort required. This can make smithing feel like an unproductive use of time.
Here are three mods that address these concerns, offering unique approaches to overhauling the crafting system in Bannerlord 2:
- Smithing Skill Matters: This mod rebalances the smithing skill tree and experience gain.
- Detailed Character Creation: This mod lets you fully customize your character’s skills, including smithing.
- Realistic Battle Mod: This mod affects the entire gameplay, not just smithing, to a more realistic setting.
Smithing Skill Matters: A Crafting Overhaul
Smithing Skill Matters (available on Nexus Mods, search “Smithing Skill Matters Bannerlord 2”) significantly changes the smithing experience by rebalancing the perk tree and how experience is gained. It moves away from the vanilla game’s focus on tedious grinding, instead making smithing a more intuitive and rewarding process.
Experience Rebalance and Perk Improvements
This mod changes how experience is earned. Crafting higher-tier items grants significantly more experience, making it worthwhile to focus on quality over quantity. The mod also reworks many smithing perks, making them more impactful and relevant to the crafting process.
Enhanced Material Impact on Crafting
Smithing Skill Matters makes material choice more significant. Different materials now have a greater impact on the final weapon stats, encouraging experimentation and strategic resource management. This adds a layer of depth to the crafting process that is absent in the base game.
Detailed Character Creation: Smithing Focus from the Start
Detailed Character Creation allows for extensive customization of your character’s starting skills and attributes. While it doesn’t directly alter the smithing system itself, it enables you to begin the game with a high smithing skill, bypassing the initial grind.
Skill Customization and Starting Perks
This mod (find it on Nexus Mods by searching “Detailed Character Creation Bannerlord 2”) lets you allocate skill points as you see fit, including the smithing skill. You can start the game with enough smithing skill to immediately unlock advanced perks and craft higher-tier weapons.
Role-Playing Flexibility and Early-Game Impact
Detailed Character Creation is perfect for role-playing characters who are skilled smiths from the start. It eliminates the need to spend hours grinding low-level items and allows you to focus on crafting the weapons you want from the beginning. This can significantly alter the early game experience, allowing you to become a powerful artisan and influencer early on.
Realistic Battle Mod: Immersive Combat and Item Value
The Realistic Battle Mod (Nexus Mods, search “Realistic Battle Mod Bannerlord 2”) takes a different approach. While it doesn’t directly change the crafting mechanics, it significantly alters the value and importance of crafted weapons within the game world.
Combat Realism and Equipment Significance
Realistic Battle Mod overhauls the combat system, making it more realistic and deadly. Armor and weapon stats become much more impactful, making high-quality crafted weapons highly valuable. This elevates the importance of smithing.
Economy Rebalancing and Crafting Profitability
The mod also rebalances the game’s economy, making crafted weapons more valuable to merchants and lords. This makes smithing a much more profitable enterprise, incentivizing players to invest time and resources into crafting. A high quality sword can make or break your gameplay depending on which features and materials you want.
From my own experience playing Bannerlord 2, the vanilla crafting system felt more like a chore than a fun and engaging part of the game. I often found myself spending hours mindlessly crafting and dismantling items just to level up my smithing skill. This felt detached from the rest of the game.
Smithing Skill Matters: My Top Choice for Balancing
Out of the three mods discussed, Smithing Skill Matters is my personal favorite. It directly addresses the core issues with the vanilla crafting system, making it more rewarding and less tedious. The rebalanced perk tree and the increased impact of materials makes crafting more engaging and strategic.
Experimenting with Detailed Character Creation and Realistic Battle Mod
Detailed Character Creation is great for players who want to role-play as skilled smiths from the start. It allowed me to skip the initial grind and immediately dive into crafting high-quality weapons. Realistic Battle Mod offers a more indirect approach, but it makes crafted weapons more valuable and important within the game world. Combining these mods can create a truly immersive and rewarding crafting experience.
When installing and using these mods, consider the following tips:
- Check Mod Compatibility: Ensure that the mods you install are compatible with your current version of Bannerlord 2.
- Read Mod Descriptions: Carefully read the mod descriptions on Nexus Mods to understand their features, requirements, and potential conflicts.
- Use a Mod Manager: Use a mod manager like Vortex to easily install, manage, and uninstall mods.
- Start a New Game: Some mods may require you to start a new game for their changes to take full effect.
- Experiment and Customize: Don’t be afraid to experiment with different mod combinations to find the crafting experience that suits you best.
| Mod | Core Feature | Impact on Crafting | Compatibility Considerations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smithing Skill Matters | Rebalances smithing experience and perks | Makes crafting more rewarding | Check compatibility with other mods that affect the smithing skill |
| Detailed Character Creation | Allows customization of starting skills | Bypasses early-game grind | May conflict with other character creation mods |
| Realistic Battle Mod | Overhauls combat and economy | Increases value of crafted weapons | May affect the overall game balance |
Reliable Sources:
- Nexus Mods: A popular website for downloading and installing mods for various games, including Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord. (https://www.nexusmods.com/mountandblade2bannerlord)
- Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord Wiki: A comprehensive resource for information about the game, including its crafting system. (https://mountandblade.fandom.com/wiki/Mount_%26_Blade_II:_Bannerlord)
By leveraging these Bannerlord 2 mods that change crafting, you can transform the smithing system from a tedious grind into a rewarding and engaging part of the game. Whether you choose to rebalance the experience with Smithing Skill Matters, customize your starting skills with Detailed Character Creation, or overhaul the combat and economy with Realistic Battle Mod, these mods offer unique ways to enhance your Bannerlord 2 experience. Experiment with these mods to find the perfect combination for your playstyle and enjoy a more immersive and rewarding crafting experience.
Here are some frequently asked questions about Bannerlord 2 mods that change crafting: