Sieges in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord can feel tedious. This article addresses common frustrations – the endless waiting, ineffective AI, and repetitive gameplay – and offers practical solutions to mitigate these issues while we wait for further official fixes.
Many players share your pain. Sieges in Bannerlord 2 often devolve into prolonged, repetitive grinds. The AI’s questionable decision-making, the limited tactical options, and the sheer length of some sieges contribute to a frustrating experience. While TaleWorlds Entertainment has released updates aimed at improving sieges, the core issues persist for many players. Predicting a definitive fix is difficult, as game development timelines are often unpredictable. However, we can explore ways to improve your siege experience right now.
The waiting game is a major source of frustration. Here’s how to speed things up:
- Starve Them Out: Sieges are significantly faster if the defenders have little to no food. Invest in high scouting skill characters, and use them to raid villages attached to the target castle or town. This drastically reduces garrison morale, leading to faster surrender. Focus on villages that supply grain.
- Build Siege Engines Strategically: Don’t just build everything! Prioritize trebuchets to destroy walls before engaging with siege towers or rams. Focus fire on a single section of wall to create a breach, funneling defenders and maximizing your troops’ effectiveness.
- Utilize Tactics: Before attacking, position your archers on high ground (if available) to provide covering fire. Coordinate your attack. Send in infantry to engage the defenders while your siege engines continue to bombard the walls.
- Delegate Command: Assign competent companions as siege engineers and let them manage construction while you focus on troop deployment and tactics. This frees you up to make strategic decisions instead of micromanaging construction.
- Negotiate a Surrender: If the odds are heavily in your favor (a much larger army, heavily damaged walls, starving garrison), attempt to negotiate a surrender. You might be surprised how often it works, saving you a lot of time and casualties.
AI behavior during sieges is often criticized. Here’s how to compensate for their shortcomings:
- Manual Troop Deployment: Don’t rely on the AI to deploy your troops effectively. Take control and position your units where they can have the greatest impact. Place archers on walls, infantry at breaches, and reserve cavalry for flanking maneuvers.
- Issue Specific Orders: Use the command system to issue precise orders. Tell your archers to focus fire on specific targets, like enemy archers or siege engine operators. Order your infantry to hold specific positions or advance to a breach.
- Micromanage Key Units: Focus on controlling your most powerful units, such as your companions or elite troops. Use them to exploit weaknesses in the enemy defenses or to reinforce areas that are under heavy pressure.
- Use F1-F3 Effectively: The F1-F3 commands (Charge, Follow Me, etc.) are your best friend. Constantly reposition your troops based on the flow of battle. Don’t let them get bogged down in unproductive melees.
- Accept Losses: The AI is going to make mistakes. Don’t be afraid to sacrifice units to achieve a tactical objective. Sometimes, throwing bodies at a problem is the only way to solve it.
Sieges can become monotonous. Here are some ways to make them more engaging:
- Experiment with Different Troop Compositions: Don’t always use the same army composition. Try different combinations of infantry, archers, and cavalry to see what works best in different situations.
- Use Different Siege Engines: Each siege engine has its strengths and weaknesses. Experiment with different combinations to find what suits your playstyle and the specific defenses of the castle or town.
- Roleplay Your Commander: Immerse yourself in the role of your commander. Make tactical decisions based on your character’s personality and background.
- Focus on Personal Combat: Don’t just sit back and watch the battle unfold. Get involved in the fighting yourself. Lead your troops into battle, take down enemy commanders, and make a difference on the front lines. Leading from the front is more engaging and provides valuable combat experience.
- Set Personal Challenges: Create your own challenges, such as capturing a castle with only a small force or without using any siege engines.
While waiting for official updates, mods can significantly improve the siege experience. Several mods address AI issues, add new siege equipment, or overhaul the entire siege system.
| Mod Name | Description | Where to Find It |
|---|---|---|
| Diplomacy | Adds new diplomatic options, including options to negotiate better terms for surrenders, reducing the need for lengthy sieges. | Nexus Mods |
| Improved Garrisons | Enhances garrison management, making them more effective at defending settlements, which can deter attackers and shorten sieges. | Nexus Mods |
| Realistic Battle Mod | Overhauls combat mechanics, making battles more realistic and tactical, including sieges. It also improves AI behavior. | Nexus Mods |
| Sieges Enhanced | Specifically focuses on improving the siege experience by adding new siege equipment, formations, and AI behaviors. | Nexus Mods |
| Banner Kings | Adds depth to the kingdom management aspects of the game and new ways to interact with settlements that aren’t only sieging. | Nexus Mods |
Always check the mod compatibility with your current Bannerlord version before installing.
TaleWorlds Entertainment has acknowledged the issues with sieges and has released patches to address them. While a complete overhaul is unlikely, they are committed to improving the AI, balancing siege equipment, and adding new features to make sieges more engaging. Stay updated on official forums and patch notes for the latest information. Remember, game development is an iterative process, and improvements often come in stages.
First-hand Experience and Lessons Learned
From my experience, the most effective way to mitigate siege frustration is a proactive approach. Instead of passively waiting for the AI to do its thing, actively manage your troops, exploit enemy weaknesses, and utilize every tool at your disposal. I’ve also found that focusing on strategic objectives, such as destroying enemy siege engines or capturing key defensive positions, makes sieges feel less like a grind and more like a tactical challenge.
Don’t underestimate the power of diplomacy and manipulation. In one playthrough, I managed to secure the surrender of a heavily fortified castle simply by spreading rumors of an impending invasion by a much larger force.
While we wait for TaleWorlds to further refine sieges in Bannerlord 2, these strategies can significantly improve your experience. By shortening sieges, compensating for AI shortcomings, injecting variety, and utilizing mods, you can transform sieges from tedious chores into engaging and rewarding battles. The key is to be proactive, strategic, and adaptable.