Smithing in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord can be a powerful way to earn money, equip your troops, and influence the game’s economy. However, the system comes with its fair share of frustrations. This article addresses five common Bannerlord 2 smithing pain points and provides practical solutions to overcome them, so you can start forging legendary weapons without tearing your hair out.
One of the biggest Bannerlord 2 smithing pain points is the sheer amount of time it takes to level up. The early levels are especially brutal, often requiring hours of repetitive smelting and crafting. You can find yourself stuck for extended periods.
Smelting for Skill and Parts
Focusing on smelting early on is a must. Smelting looted weapons, especially those from Battanian Fians or Sea Raiders, provides both valuable materials and skill experience. Prioritize higher-tier weapons for better returns. Don’t just smelt everything blindly, though.
- Target Specific Weapon Types: Certain weapon types yield more valuable materials than others. For example, two-handed swords often provide better steel and hardwood than simple daggers.
- Early Game Smelting Focus: Focus on smelting crude iron weapons, and wrought iron weapons. These are most commonly found after early-game battles, and are relatively easy to come by. They provide enough materials to get you started, and you’ll simultaneously increase your skill.
- Late Game Smelting Focus: In the late game, focus on smelting the highest tier weapons you can find. Looting battlefields and towns after raiding can provide large quantities of weapons to smelt, providing great skill increases and high-quality materials.
Crafting Strategically
Crafting is essential, but crafting low-value items just to level up is inefficient. Instead, focus on crafting weapons that are at least marginally profitable or, better yet, desperately needed by your party. When you unlock a higher tier item part, craft as many of it as you can to gain experience.
- Early-Game Focus: Initially, focus on crafting the highest-tier item you can make, even if its parts aren’t perfect. As you unlock new parts, swap them in to increase the weapon’s value and your skill gain.
- Unlock Parts with Finesse: Prioritize unlocking high-tier parts for weapons you intend to craft regularly. This can involve specific smithing orders or smelting specific weapons with the parts you are trying to unlock.
- Learn Weapon Designs: Seek out quests that reward you with weapon designs. These can give you a significant edge, allowing you to craft powerful and valuable weapons earlier in the game.
- Use workshops: Establish workshops in towns to refine ore into higher quality materials or produce charcoal.
Another significant Bannerlord 2 smithing pain point is the scarcity of certain materials, like fine steel and hardwood. You might find yourself stuck, unable to craft the weapons you want due to a lack of crucial resources.
Efficient Trading and Smelting
- Explore Different Regions: Different regions produce different resources. The Battanian territories are known for hardwood, while Imperial lands might offer more iron ore. Travel between regions to buy resources where they are cheapest.
- Smelting Specific Weapons: Certain high-tier weapons are more likely to yield fine steel when smelted. Experiment with smelting different weapons to discover which ones offer the best returns.
Workshops and Production
- Establish Charcoal Maker Workshops: Charcoal is vital for smelting. Setting up a charcoal maker workshop in a town near a forest can provide a steady supply of charcoal, freeing you from constantly buying it.
- Ore Refineries: An ore refinery workshop, coupled with plentiful ore, can provide the required materials to smelt weapons.
Smithing consumes stamina, and running out of it quickly can severely limit your progress. The constant need to rest is a major Bannerlord 2 smithing pain point.
Party Roles and Perks
- Designated Smith: If you don’t want to spend your character’s points on smithing, designate a companion as your smith. Train them solely in smithing skills and let them handle the crafting.
- Stamina-Related Perks: Invest in perks that reduce stamina consumption while smithing. These can significantly increase the amount of smithing you can do before needing to rest.
- Companions with High Endurance: Choose companions with high endurance stats, as this directly affects their stamina pool.
Timing and Location
- Smithing in Towns: Smithing in a town with a smithy provides a small bonus to stamina regeneration. Utilize town smithies whenever possible.
- Resting Strategically: Don’t wait until you’re completely exhausted to rest. Take short breaks to top up your stamina, allowing you to smith more efficiently over longer periods.
Unlocking new weapon designs is crucial for crafting better weapons. The design learning system, however, can feel slow and random, adding to the Bannerlord 2 smithing pain points.
Crafting and Smelting for Knowledge
- Focus on Variations: Crafting variations of the same weapon type increases your chance of learning new parts. Experiment with different combinations of parts to unlock new designs.
- Smelting with Purpose: Smelting weapons that use parts you want to learn significantly increases your chances of unlocking those parts.
Quests and Tournaments
- Accept Smithing Quests: Towns often offer smithing quests that reward you with weapon designs. Completing these quests is a reliable way to expand your crafting repertoire.
- Participate in Tournaments: While less reliable, tournaments occasionally offer weapon designs as prizes.
Crafting high-value weapons is pointless if you can’t sell them for a reasonable price. The fluctuating market prices and limited demand can make selling your crafted weapons a Bannerlord 2 smithing pain point.
Understanding Market Dynamics
- Check Town Inventories: Before crafting a large batch of weapons, check the inventories of nearby towns to see if they are already saturated with similar items.
- Caravans: Caravans buy weapons at a higher price than vendors in towns. Consider selling to Caravans to maximize profit.
Crafting for Specific Needs
- Smithing Orders: Take advantage of smithing orders offered by nobles and towns. These orders guarantee a sale at a fixed price, regardless of market conditions.
- Party Equipment: Craft weapons and armor for your own troops. Equipping your party with high-quality gear is more valuable than selling it for a small profit.
Having spent countless hours refining my smithing skills in Bannerlord 2, I’ve learned that patience is key. The initial grind can be discouraging, but the rewards are well worth the effort.
The Value of Experimentation
Don’t be afraid to experiment with different crafting techniques and weapon designs. Some of the most valuable and powerful weapons I’ve crafted came from unexpected combinations of parts. I was trying to find a way to make a sword as light as possible for my wife and found that one unusual combination produced a weapon with incredible balance and damage.
Early Focus: Two-Handed Swords
From my experience, focusing on two-handed swords early on is a great strategy. They tend to yield more valuable materials when smelted and can be sold for a decent profit, helping you build your wealth and unlock new designs.
A Smith’s Table for Efficiency
The following table offers a quick reference to common smithing pain points and actionable solutions:
| Pain Point | Solution |
|---|---|
| Slow Leveling | Focus on smelting high-tier weapons, craft the highest-tier items possible. |
| Material Shortages | Trade between regions, prioritize smelting specific weapon types, workshops. |
| Stamina Drain | Designate a smithing companion, invest in stamina-related perks, smith in towns. |
| Slow Design Unlocks | Craft variations of the same weapon type, smelt weapons with desired parts, complete quests. |
| Unreliable Selling | Check town inventories, sell to caravans, fulfill smithing orders. |
The True Reward
While the economic benefits of smithing are significant, the true reward lies in crafting legendary weapons that shape the course of your campaign. There’s nothing quite like leading your troops into battle, knowing they are armed with weapons you forged with your own hands.
In conclusion, overcoming Bannerlord 2 smithing pain points requires a strategic approach and a willingness to experiment. By focusing on efficient leveling, material management, stamina conservation, design unlocking, and economic awareness, you can transform smithing from a frustrating grind into a powerful tool for conquest and prosperity.