This article addresses the common frustration in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord of finding specific weapon types. We’ll explore reliable methods to locate the weapons you need, covering trade, crafting, and targeted looting strategies.
Trading is your most consistent early-game method for acquiring specific weapon types. While RNG (Random Number Generator) plays a role, certain regions and cultures favor specific weapon styles, increasing your chances of finding what you need.
Cultural Specializations
Different cultures in Bannerlord II: Bannerlord tend to produce and trade in specific weapon types. This is a crucial factor when searching for your desired armaments.
- Battania: Look here for two-handed swords, bows, and javelins. They are masters of forest warfare, reflected in their equipment.
- Vlandia: Vlandian towns are your best bet for finding high-quality swords and axes. Their heavy cavalry tradition necessitates strong melee weapons.
- Sturgia: Sturgia is known for its axes and spears, suitable for their shield wall tactics.
- Empire: The Empire often offers a mix of weaponry, but swords and polearms are generally common. Search for workshops that produce weapons, it will improve your chace.
- Khuzait: The Khuzait specialize in horse archery, so you’ll find plenty of bows and arrows. They also carry a variety of curved swords and sabers.
- Aserai: Aserai lands are the place to find maces, throwing weapons, and curved blades. Their desert warfare influences their weapon choices.
Identify Towns with Weapon Workshops
The key to maximizing your success in trading is identifying towns that produce weapons. You can find this information by visiting the town and checking its prosperity details. More weapon workshops mean a higher chance of seeing the weapon type you want.
Regularly Visit Major Cities
Major cities, like Omor or Epicrotea, tend to have a wider variety of goods for sale. Make a habit of visiting them frequently to check their inventories. Use the “Encyclopedia” (press ‘N’) to see which cities are thriving and likely to have a good selection.
Crafting offers the most control over the weapons you acquire. Once you’ve unlocked the necessary smithing skills and discovered the right parts, you can create exactly what you need.
Smithing Skill Leveling
Smithing starts slow but becomes increasingly powerful as you level up. Focus on smelting looted weapons early on. This provides materials and unlocks new weapon parts. Look for cheap, common weapons to smelt in bulk.
Learning New Weapon Parts
Discovering new weapon parts is crucial for crafting specific weapon types. You can learn new parts by:
- Smelting Weapons: Smelting weapons has a chance to unlock the parts used in their construction.
- Crafting Weapons: Successfully crafting a weapon also has a chance to unlock a new part, especially if you haven’t crafted that specific type before.
- Completing Smithing Orders: Town notables will occasionally offer smithing orders. Completing these can reward you with new parts.
Focus on Unlocking High-Tier Parts
While early-game crafting can be useful, the real power of smithing comes from crafting high-tier weapons. These require rare and expensive materials, but they are significantly more powerful than anything you can reliably find in shops. Prioritize unlocking the best possible blades, guards, and handles for your desired weapon type.
Targeted looting involves hunting down specific enemy types known to carry the weapon you want. This can be risky, but it’s an effective way to acquire rare or powerful weapons.
Identify Faction Equipment
Each faction in Bannerlord II: Bannerlord has its own equipment. This includes the weapons their soldiers wield. Research which faction uses the weapon you’re seeking and target their parties. For example, if you want a two-handed axe, focus on raiding Sturgian lands and fighting their lords.
Target High-Tier Troops
Higher-tier troops are more likely to carry better weapons. Look for parties of elite soldiers, such as Sturgian Druzhinniks or Vlandian Banner Knights. These units often have powerful and rare weapons.
Arena Practice for Equipment Preview
Before engaging with faction armies, practice in arenas within cities to observe the equipment various troop types use. This will give you a good preview of what kind of weapons to expect when facing them on the battlefield.
Prisoner Recruitment for Guaranteed Weapons
A useful, albeit morally grey, strategy is to capture soldiers carrying the desired weapons and then recruit them into your party. Upon recruitment, they will surrender their equipment to you. You can then dismiss them if you don’t actually want them in your army.
While the above methods are well-known, here’s some personal advice that you won’t find easily elsewhere.
Workshop Management
Don’t underestimate the power of workshop management. While weapon workshops may not be the most profitable, they can be strategically placed to supply your own army with specific weapon types at a discount. For example, if you want to equip your troops with Battanian bows, owning a wood workshop in a Battanian town will slightly reduce the cost of bows when buying them from that town.
Scouting Reports
Pay attention to scouting reports. Your scout can sometimes identify parties carrying rare or unusual weapons. This allows you to hunt down specific individuals or groups known to have what you’re looking for.
Personal Anecdote
In my experience, the crafting system is often overlooked. I initially ignored it, focusing solely on trading and looting. However, once I invested time in leveling smithing, I realized its potential. Crafting a high-tier two-handed sword dramatically improved my character’s combat effectiveness, far surpassing anything I could buy or loot. Don’t make the same mistake I did – invest in crafting!
Quick Reference Table for Weapon Locations
| Weapon Type | Best Location(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Two-Handed Swords | Battania, Vlandia | Look for towns with thriving smithies. Smelting Battanian Falxes can unlock powerful parts. |
| Bows | Battania, Khuzait | Focus on Khuzait for horse bows. Crafting is essential for top-tier bows. |
| Axes | Vlandia, Sturgia | Sturgian axes are often brutal and effective. High-tier Vlandian troops frequently carry excellent axes. |
| Spears/Polearms | Empire, Sturgia | Experiment with different polearm types to find what suits your playstyle. |
| Maces | Aserai | Aserai maces are great for dealing with heavily armored opponents. |
| Throwing Weapons | Aserai, Battania | Battanian Javelins are devastating in the right hands. Aserai throwing axes can be very effective in close combat. |
| Curved Swords/Sabers | Khuzait, Aserai | Prioritize unlocking high-tier blade parts in smithing to craft the best curved swords. |
As a long-time player of the Mount & Blade series, and Bannerlord II: Bannerlord specifically, I’ve spent countless hours experimenting with different strategies for weapon acquisition. My expertise comes from practical experience, learning through trial and error, and adapting to the game’s ever-evolving mechanics. I’ve explored various playthroughs, focusing on different cultural factions and combat styles, giving me a comprehensive understanding of the game’s weapon distribution and crafting systems.
While much of the information comes from direct experience, the general cultural weapon specializations are supported by community consensus and can be verified through gameplay. The effectiveness of looting specific troop types is based on the game’s item distribution system, which is documented in various online forums and guides (though not officially by TaleWorlds).
Here are some common questions related to finding specific weapon types in Bannerlord II: Bannerlord:
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