This article tackles the challenge of forming a powerful army as a vassal in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord 2. We’ll explore five actionable strategies, going beyond the basics to provide insights into leveraging your position and resources effectively. These methods include understanding influence mechanics, optimizing party composition, and exploiting strategic opportunities.
As a vassal, you’re part of a larger kingdom. Your ability to form an army hinges heavily on your influence within that kingdom. Influence is essentially political capital that you use to enact policies, call armies, and affect decisions.
- Earning Influence: Participate actively in wars. Winning battles, especially against larger forces, grants a significant influence boost. Completing quests for lords and notables also contributes, albeit at a smaller scale. Policies within the kingdom can also affect influence gain, so pay attention to what’s being proposed and vote accordingly. For example, policies that favor clans with more fiefs tend to concentrate power and can hinder smaller clans’ ability to raise armies.
- Spending Influence Wisely: Once you’ve accumulated influence, you can spend it to create an army. The cost depends on the size of the army you wish to assemble and the tier of the lords you wish to recruit into it. You can call other lords to your army using influence. This is your primary way of creating a large force. Be mindful of who you invite; lords with high relation with you are more likely to join and remain in your army longer.
Your clan tier directly impacts the size of your party and, by extension, the potential strength of the army you can command. Renown is what determines your clan tier.
- Gaining Renown: Win tournaments, fight battles, and complete challenging quests to increase your renown. As your renown grows, your clan tier will increase, unlocking higher party sizes and access to better troops.
- Party Size Matters: A larger party allows you to lead a more formidable force independently, which in turn makes other lords more likely to join your army when you call them. It also allows you to take on tougher objectives, further boosting your renown and influence.
A well-managed garrison provides several advantages when forming an army.
- Training Ground: Garrisons serve as excellent training grounds for troops. Cycle your recruits through garrisons to level them up before adding them to your active party.
- Reserve Force: A strong garrison acts as a reserve force that can quickly bolster your army if needed. During sieges or major battles, you can draw troops from your garrison to reinforce your ranks.
- Deterrent: A well-defended fief deters enemies from attacking, allowing you to focus on offensive operations without constantly worrying about your lands being raided. Investing in garrison improvements and hiring a skilled governor are crucial for effective garrison management.
The composition of your party significantly affects the efficiency and effectiveness of your army. While you’ll be inviting other lords, your own party sets the tone and provides crucial support.
- Balanced Force: Aim for a balanced mix of infantry, archers, and cavalry. Infantry forms the front line, archers provide ranged support, and cavalry delivers flanking attacks and chases down routing enemies.
- Elite Troops: Focus on recruiting and training elite troops. While they may be more expensive to maintain, their superior combat skills will significantly improve your army’s performance. Consider investing in troops like Battanian Fians (excellent archers), Imperial Legionaries (strong infantry), or Khuzait Khanate Guards (powerful horse archers).
- Party Skills: Ensure your character and companions have skills that benefit the army. Leadership, tactics, medicine, and engineering are all crucial for leading a successful army. Leadership reduces troop wages and increases party size, while tactics improves your chances of winning battles.
Forming an army isn’t just about raw power; it’s also about exploiting strategic opportunities and using diplomacy to your advantage.
- Timing is Key: Call your army when the kingdom is preparing for a major offensive or when a strategic target is vulnerable. Attacking at the right time can significantly impact the war’s outcome and boost your reputation.
- Target Selection: Choose targets that align with your goals and resources. Attacking a weak castle or town is often more beneficial than trying to take on a heavily defended city. Success breeds success, and a string of victories will make other lords more likely to join your banner.
- Diplomacy: Maintain good relations with other lords in the kingdom. Lords who like you are more likely to join your army and support your proposals in kingdom council meetings. Regularly visit other lords, offer gifts, and help them with quests to improve your relationships. Don’t be afraid to use charm to smooth over disagreements and build alliances.
| Strategy | Key Element | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Influence Management | Participate in wars, complete quests, policies | Allows you to call armies, enact policies, and influence kingdom decisions. |
| Clan Tier & Renown | Win tournaments, fight battles, complete quests | Increases party size, unlocks better troops, and makes lords more likely to join your army. |
| Garrison Management | Training ground, reserve force, deterrent | Provides trained troops, reinforces your army during sieges, and protects your fiefs from attack. |
| Party Composition | Balanced force, elite troops, party skills | Improves army performance, ensures tactical flexibility, and provides essential support skills. |
| Opportunity & Diplomacy | Strategic timing, target selection, relationships | Maximizes impact on war, boosts reputation, encourages lords to join your army, and facilitates alliances. |
Beyond the conventional strategies, there are nuances I’ve learned through many hours playing Bannerlord 2.
- The Power of Early Game Focus: Don’t spread yourself too thin early on. Focus on building a strong core party before trying to amass influence or acquire fiefs. A well-equipped and trained party can punch above its weight and allow you to make a name for yourself quickly.
- Strategic Retreat: Don’t be afraid to retreat from a losing battle. Preserving your troops and lords allows you to fight another day. A pyrrhic victory can be just as damaging as a defeat in the long run.
- Understanding Troop Trees: Familiarize yourself with the troop trees of each faction. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of different troop types allows you to counter enemy armies effectively and optimize your own party composition.
- The Importance of Scouting: Before engaging an enemy army, send out scouts to assess their strength and composition. This information allows you to make informed decisions about whether to engage, retreat, or call for reinforcements.
As a long-time player of the Mount & Blade series, and with countless hours spent in Bannerlord 2, my advice is based on extensive gameplay and observation. The game mechanics related to influence, renown, and troop types are well-documented within the game itself. Additionally, reliable sources like the Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord wiki https://mountandblade.fandom.com/wiki/Mount_%26_Blade_II:_Bannerlord provide further details on specific game mechanics and units.
These strategies will significantly improve your ability to form and lead a powerful army as a vassal in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord 2. Remember, success in Bannerlord is a combination of strategic planning, tactical execution, and a bit of luck.