This article provides a practical guide to generating income quickly in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord. We’ll explore five reliable methods, emphasizing strategies that are effective in the early game when resources are limited and opportunities are abundant. Focus will be placed on leveraging your skills, understanding the game’s economy, and making smart investments for long-term financial stability.
Trading is a cornerstone of any successful Bannerlord campaign, and mastering it early can set you up for significant profits. However, random buying and selling won’t cut it. You need to understand the basics of supply and demand in Calradia.
Finding the Right Opportunities
Identify villages and towns producing goods in abundance. For example, a village near a forest might be overflowing with wood, while a coastal town thrives on fish. Buy these goods cheaply at the source.
Look for towns with low supply of goods. Check for towns ravaged by war, banditry, or simply located far from production centers. These places will pay a premium for essential resources.
Create a trading route. Connect the source of cheap goods to the market demanding them. For instance, buy cheap grain in a rural village and sell it in a besieged city.
Profitable Goods in the Early Game
Some goods consistently offer good profit margins in the early game:
- Grain: Always in demand, especially during sieges.
- Salt: Essential for preserving food, its value fluctuates depending on the location and season. Coastal regions generally have cheaper salt.
- Tools: Required by workshops and settlements for production.
- Horses: Especially needed by armies.
- Weapons and Armor: Trade them between warring factions, buying low and selling high.
Tournaments are a fantastic way to earn money and gain renown early in the game, especially if you have decent combat skills.
Finding Tournaments
Tournaments are hosted in towns and cities throughout Calradia. Check the town’s “Notable” section to see if one is scheduled.
They are usually announced a few days in advance. Giving you time to prepare and travel to the location.
Pay attention to the tournament’s reward. Sometimes, the prize is a valuable horse, weapon, or piece of armor that can be sold for a significant sum.
Mastering the Combat
Practice in the arena of each town. Familiarize yourself with the different weapon types and fighting styles.
Learn to block, parry, and time your attacks. Tournaments often involve multiple rounds against skilled opponents.
Prioritize survival over aggression. Winning isn’t always about dealing the most damage, it’s about staying alive and outlasting your opponents.
Betting Smart
Bet on yourself in each round. Even small bets can add up, especially if you consistently win.
Don’t bet everything you have on a single tournament. Save some money for trading or other income-generating activities.
Avoid betting if you are injured. Your performance will suffer and you are likely to lose.
Quests provide a reliable source of income and help you build relationships with important NPCs.
Accepting the Right Quests
Focus on quests that offer a good balance of reward and risk. Avoid quests that are too difficult or time-consuming for your current level.
Favor quests that involve trading, scouting, or delivering messages. These are generally safer and easier to complete than quests involving combat.
Check the reputation of the quest giver. Working for honorable NPCs can improve your overall reputation, while working for dishonorable ones can have negative consequences.
Common Profitable Quests
Some common and profitable quests include:
- Family Feud: Resolve conflicts between families in villages.
- Train Troops: Train villagers into basic soldiers.
- Deliver Goods: Transport goods between towns or villages.
- Scout Location: Explore a specific area and report back on its features.
Negotiating Rewards
Always try to negotiate a higher reward. Most quest givers are willing to offer more if you ask politely (or persuasively).
Consider asking for goods instead of money. Sometimes, the value of the goods can exceed the monetary reward.
Take into account your reputation. A good reputation will allow you to negotiate for better terms.
Raiding is a risky but potentially lucrative way to make money in Bannerlord 2, especially early on. The goal is to target weak, undefended locations for quick profits. However, it’s essential to proceed with caution, as raiding can have serious consequences for your reputation and relationships with factions.
Choosing Your Targets
Avoid raiding villages belonging to powerful factions. This will quickly make you an enemy of that faction and could lead to war.
Look for villages that are already being raided or have recently been raided. They are likely to be poorly defended and have fewer troops.
Target villages with valuable resources. Villages near mines or forests often have valuable goods that can be sold for a good profit.
Minimizing the Risks
Keep your raiding party small and fast. This will allow you to avoid larger enemy parties and escape quickly if necessary.
Focus on looting resources and livestock. Avoid killing villagers, as this will significantly damage your reputation.
Be prepared to fight. Even poorly defended villages can have a small garrison of troops.
Be Aware that this will impact your relation with the village, which will effect future trade with the village.
The Reputation Impact
Raiding will lower your honor.
Villages relations may deteriorate.
Workshops provide a passive income stream and can be a valuable long-term investment. The key is to choose the right location and workshop type.
Selecting the Right Workshop
Research the local economy. Visit each town and observe the prices of goods. This will give you an idea of which workshops are likely to be profitable.
Consider the availability of raw materials. A workshop that relies on a scarce resource will be less profitable than one that uses a readily available resource.
Avoid workshops that are already common in the town. Competition will drive down profits.
Profitable Workshop Types
Some workshop types are generally more profitable than others:
- Wool Weavers: Produce cloth, which is always in demand.
- Pottery Shops: Produce pottery, which is used for storing food.
- Breweries: Produce beer, which is consumed by the local population.
- Wood Workshops: Produce tools.
Managing Your Workshops
Check on your workshops regularly. Make sure they are running efficiently and that they are not being affected by raids or sieges.
Consider changing the workshop type if it is not profitable. You can do this by visiting the workshop and talking to the foreman.
Invest in upgrades. Upgrading your workshop will increase its production capacity and profitability.
Ultimately, the best approach is to diversify your income streams and adapt to the changing circumstances of the game. By combining trading, tournaments, quests, raiding, and workshops, you can build a strong financial foundation and achieve your goals in Calradia.
From my personal experience of playing Bannerlord 2, many guides focus on the mechanics of trading and fighting. However, one thing I learned that wasn’t readily apparent: Early game, patience is your most valuable asset.
Don’t rush into large investments. It is easy to spend all your starting money on a caravan, only to have it ambushed by looters.
Focus on building relationships. Helping lords and ladies will improve your reputation and open up new opportunities.
Take advantage of small victories. Even a few extra denars earned from a successful trade can make a difference in the early game.
I found that focusing on tournaments early on, combined with strategic trading of items won, provided a much faster and more reliable boost to my early finances compared to relying solely on caravan trading or workshops. It gave me the funds needed to build a strong warband. This then allowed me to be competitive in wars and earn more from ransoming lords.
As a long-time player of the Mount & Blade series, I have spent hundreds of hours exploring the intricacies of Bannerlord 2‘s economic and combat systems. My experience has taught me that success in the game requires a deep understanding of its mechanics, as well as the ability to adapt to changing circumstances. The strategies outlined in this article are based on my own personal experience and observations, and they have been proven to be effective in the early game. You can find more information on game mechanics at the Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord official wiki. https://mountandblade.fandom.com/wiki/Mount_&_Blade_II:_Bannerlord
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