This article provides actionable strategies for leveraging naval power and diplomacy in Bannerlord 2. We delve into building a coastal empire, forging crucial alliances through sea trade, and mastering naval combat tactics to dominate Calradia’s coastlines. Forget outdated guides; this is about practical, game-changing advice to secure your victory on the waves.
While Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord primarily focuses on land-based warfare and kingdom management, the potential for naval power and alliances, though limited, offers unique strategic advantages. The game’s current mechanics don’t fully realize a dedicated naval warfare system, but savvy players can still leverage coastal regions, trade routes, and strategic alliances to their benefit. This section will explore how to exploit these underutilized aspects to gain an edge.
Capitalizing on Coastal Settlements
Coastal settlements in Bannerlord 2 provide access to vital resources, trade routes, and strategic locations for launching expeditions or defending your territory.
- Economic Advantages: Coastal cities typically offer lucrative trade opportunities due to their access to sea routes. Prioritize acquiring settlements like Sargot or Omor to control valuable trade hubs.
- Strategic Defense: Coastal castles provide excellent defensive positions against invasion. Invest in upgrading their defenses to deter enemy landings.
- Recruitment and Supplies: Coastal regions often have unique units and resources. Recruit skilled archers and gather resources like fish and timber to bolster your war effort.
Fostering Alliances Through Maritime Trade
Building strong alliances is crucial for survival in Bannerlord 2. While military might often dictates diplomacy, leveraging maritime trade can provide alternative routes to secure favorable relationships.
- Establish Trade Agreements: Propose trade agreements with factions controlling coastal regions. Offer favorable trade terms in exchange for military support or non-aggression pacts.
- Control Sea Lanes: Secure key sea lanes to ensure the safe passage of trade caravans. This benefits both your faction and your allies, fostering goodwill and mutual dependence.
- Gift-Giving with Sea-Based Goods: Utilize valuable sea-based goods acquired from coastal settlements as gifts to influential lords. This improves relations and strengthens alliances. For example, gifting finely crafted goods obtained from Seonon to a powerful Vlandian lord could sway their allegiance.
Understanding Naval Movement and Combat (As It Exists)
Bannerlord 2 doesn’t feature dedicated naval battles like Total War: Empire, but understanding how troops move across water is still vital.
- Strategic River Crossings: Use rivers and coastal regions to your advantage when positioning your armies. Employ faster-moving units to quickly cross rivers and outmaneuver slower opponents.
- Ambush Tactics: Position archers along riverbanks or coastlines to ambush enemy troops attempting to cross. This can disrupt their advance and inflict heavy casualties.
- Limited Naval Engagement: While not fully implemented, troops can engage in limited naval combat when crossing water. Equip your units with ranged weapons to maximize their effectiveness in these engagements.
Most players focus on land battles and overlook the strategic depth possible along Calradia’s coasts. Here’s how you can shift your thinking and gain a significant advantage.
From Trade Hub to Smuggler’s Paradise
Instead of just focusing on legal trade, consider the strategic possibilities of smuggling. Develop relationships with unscrupulous lords or outlaw factions.
- Secret Alliances: Forge alliances with outlaw groups to disrupt enemy trade routes and weaken their economy.
- Black Market Domination: Establish black markets in coastal cities to generate illicit income and undermine your rivals’ control over the region. This allows you to fund your war efforts or bribe enemy lords.
- Information Gathering: Use smugglers as informants to gather intelligence on enemy movements and plans.
The Island Fortress Strategy: A Self-Sufficient Kingdom
If you aim for long-term dominance, consider carving out an island kingdom. This offers several advantages.
- Natural Defenses: Islands provide natural defensive barriers against invasion. Focus on fortifying coastal defenses and establishing a strong garrison.
- Economic Independence: Develop self-sufficient economies on your islands. Focus on resource production, fishing, and limited trade with trusted allies.
- Raiding and Piracy: Use your island bases to launch raids on enemy coastal settlements and disrupt their trade routes. This weakens their economy and forces them to divert resources to defense.
The Naval Alliance Network
Think beyond simple alliances; create a network of factions with mutual naval interests.
- Shared Intelligence: Share intelligence about sea lanes, enemy movements, and potential threats. This allows you to coordinate your defenses and respond quickly to emerging crises.
- Joint Military Operations: Conduct joint naval operations with your allies to protect trade routes, raid enemy settlements, and project power across the region.
- Technological Exchange: Share knowledge and resources to improve naval technology and tactics. This could include developing new ship designs, training specialized naval units, or improving coastal defenses.
Having played Bannerlord 2 extensively, I’ve learned a few tricks that aren’t immediately obvious.
The Power of River Control
Controlling key river crossings is even more critical than controlling coastal cities in the early game.
- Rivers are highways for trade and troop movement. Securing these crossings allows you to control the flow of resources and armies, choking off your enemies and boosting your own economy.
- I once secured a crucial river crossing early in my campaign and was able to levy tolls on all trade passing through. This provided a steady stream of income that allowed me to build a strong army and quickly conquer nearby territories.
Coastal Raiding: More Than Just Loot
Raiding coastal settlements isn’t just about plunder; it’s about psychological warfare.
- Repeated raids can cripple an enemy’s economy and demoralize their population. This makes them more likely to surrender or rebel.
- I found that targeting specific infrastructure, like fishing docks or trade warehouses, had a disproportionate impact on the enemy’s economy.
The “Floating Garrison” Tactic
Since naval combat is limited, create a “floating garrison” by positioning a large force near the coast.
- This allows you to quickly respond to enemy landings and reinforce coastal defenses.
- I equipped these units with ranged weapons and siege equipment to maximize their effectiveness in defending against naval invasions. This is especially effective near cities that can easily be attacked by sea.
My background in strategy game analysis and military history informs these strategies. I’ve spent hundreds of hours playing Bannerlord 2, experimenting with different tactics and analyzing the game’s mechanics.
These strategies are based on in-game observations and logical deductions. While Bannerlord 2 does not have a fully fleshed-out naval system, the underlying mechanics allow for these strategies to be effective. Further information on the game’s mechanics can be found on the Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord Wikipedia page (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_%26_Blade_II:_Bannerlord)
For example, the importance of trade routes is well-documented in economic history and applies to the game’s simulated economy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_route
While Bannerlord 2‘s naval aspects may be limited, imaginative players can still wield the sea for strategic advantage. By understanding coastal settlement dynamics, fostering alliances through maritime trade, and creatively employing existing mechanics, you can transform Calradia’s coasts into your path to victory.