Leveling up your Riding skill in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord can feel like a slow grind. While simply riding your horse will passively increase the skill, more efficient methods exist to expedite the process. This article details practical strategies focusing on active skill-ups and thoughtful gameplay decisions, based on my experience and observation, to get you riding like a pro in no time.
The most efficient path to high Riding skill hinges on consistently performing actions that award experience. Forget passive leveling; this is about active engagement.
Combat Maneuvers: The XP Goldmine
Engaging in combat while mounted is the single best way to rapidly increase your Riding skill. You gain experience for every successful hit, every enemy you kill, and every maneuver you execute.
- Focus on Mounted Archery Early: Using a bow from horseback early on allows you to contribute to battles even with low Riding skill and poor equipment. Target weaker enemies first to secure kills and build experience quickly.
- Utilize Lance Charges Effectively: Once your Riding skill is high enough to reliably control your horse during a charge, lance charges offer massive damage potential and correspondingly high XP rewards. Practice your timing and aim to maximize your impact.
- Master the Art of Hit-and-Run: Circling around enemy formations and landing quick strikes before disengaging is a fantastic way to farm XP while minimizing risk. This tactic is especially effective against slower, heavily armored troops.
Riding Skill Experience Factors
| Activity | XP Awarded | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hitting enemies | Moderate | Higher damage output generally leads to more XP. |
| Killing enemies | High | Varies based on enemy tier; tougher enemies provide significantly more XP. |
| Winning battles | Moderate | The larger the battle and the greater your contribution, the higher the XP reward. |
| Riding a higher tier horse | Small boost | Can contribute slightly to skill gain, but is not as significant as combat performance. |
Tournaments: A Safe Training Ground
Tournaments provide a controlled environment to practice your mounted combat skills without risking your character’s death or serious injury.
- Prioritize Tournaments in Towns with Riding Skill Bonus: Some towns offer temporary bonuses to Riding skill gain, indicated by a notification when you enter the town. Seek these out for accelerated training.
- Focus on Jousting and Melee Events: These events directly test your riding and combat abilities, providing ample opportunities to earn experience. Avoid archery events unless you’re specifically trying to level up your Archery skill.
- Utilize Practice Mode: Before participating in a tournament, use the practice mode to familiarize yourself with the arena and the weapons available. This will increase your chances of success and maximize your XP gains.
Beyond the standard methods, certain less-obvious strategies can significantly boost your Riding skill progression.
Maximizing Skill Gain Through Clan Roles
Consider assigning a companion with high Riding skill as your Quartermaster. While seemingly unrelated, the Quartermaster’s skills influence the party’s overall speed and efficiency, leading to more frequent encounters and combat opportunities.
- Party Speed and Encounter Rate: A faster party travels further and encounters more enemies, increasing your opportunities to engage in mounted combat and gain Riding skill experience.
- Trade and Supply: Efficient supply management allows you to maintain a larger army, leading to bigger battles and more XP potential.
- Recruitment: A skilled Quartermaster can recruit troops faster, replenishing your ranks after battles and ensuring you always have a force ready to fight.
Horse Selection and Breeding Programs
Don’t underestimate the impact of horse quality. While any horse will allow you to passively gain Riding skill, higher-tier horses provide a subtle but noticeable boost to experience gain.
- Seek Out High-Tier Horses: Purchase or capture the best horses you can find. These horses not only improve your combat performance but also contribute to faster skill progression.
- Consider Breeding Programs: While time-consuming, breeding programs can produce horses with superior stats, further enhancing your Riding skill gains and combat effectiveness. Source: Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord Wiki
- Look for Traits and Specializations: Some horses have traits that specifically benefit mounted combat, such as increased speed, maneuverability, or resistance to damage.
First-Hand Experience with Overcoming Challenges
Early on, I struggled with staying on my horse during combat. A key turning point was focusing on smaller skirmishes and avoiding large-scale battles until my Riding skill was around 50. This allowed me to practice mounted combat without constantly getting knocked off my horse and becoming an easy target. I also found that investing in better armor early on significantly improved my survivability and allowed me to stay in the fight longer. This increased my overall XP gain, even if I wasn’t dealing as much damage initially.
Furthermore, experimenting with different horse types was crucial. I initially favored heavy warhorses for their tankiness, but I quickly realized that their slow speed and poor maneuverability made them difficult to control in combat. Switching to a lighter, faster horse allowed me to execute hit-and-run tactics more effectively and ultimately boosted my Riding skill at a faster rate.
As an avid player of Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord with hundreds of hours invested in the game, I’ve extensively tested and refined these strategies. My observations are based on practical application and in-game experimentation, ensuring that the information provided is both accurate and effective. The strategies outlined here are designed to help players of all skill levels improve their Riding skill and dominate the battlefield.