If you’re tired of the vanilla smithing grind in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, you’re not alone. This article dives into how mods can revolutionize your smithing experience, turning it from a tedious chore into a rewarding and profitable endeavor. Forget spending hours smelting and crafting endless javelins. We’ll cover mods that streamline the process, add depth to the crafting system, and let you forge truly legendary weapons. This article solves 3 core issues: speeding up the leveling process, improving the resource management, and expanding crafting options.
Bannerlord’s smithing system, while potentially lucrative, can feel like a slog. The base game requires excessive grinding to unlock new weapon parts and efficiently level up your smithing skill. This is where mods come in. They offer solutions to some of the most common complaints:
- Tedious Grinding: Many players find the constant smelting and crafting of low-tier items to be monotonous.
- Limited Customization: The number of available weapon parts in the vanilla game feels restrictive.
- Resource Scarcity: Obtaining the necessary materials for high-tier weapons can be time-consuming and frustrating.
Mods can significantly alleviate these issues, making smithing a more enjoyable and impactful part of your Bannerlord experience.
Several mods aim to address the core issues of the smithing system. Here are a few standouts:
- Smithing Skill Matters: This mod changes how skill gain is calculated, making it easier to level up with each successful creation rather than simply spamming low-tier items. It also balances the experience gain, so higher-tier crafts reward appropriately.
- Better Smithing: A comprehensive overhaul of the smithing system. It adds new weapon parts, improves the user interface, and rebalances resource costs.
- Crafting Matters: This mod is focuses on the raw materials and their impact on the final smithing products in your gameplay.
These mods help to alleviate the “grind” associated with Smithing skill progression and unlocks new weapon parts.
My Personal Experience with Smithing Skill Matters
I personally found “Smithing Skill Matters” to be a game-changer. Before installing it, I felt forced to endlessly craft cheap daggers just to inch my way up the smithing skill tree. It was a boring and unrewarding process. With this mod, I could focus on crafting weapons I actually wanted to use, knowing that each successful creation would meaningfully contribute to my skill level. This made the entire process feel far more engaging and worthwhile. I was able to unlock powerful weapon parts much faster and start crafting truly impressive weapons.
Why Better Smithing Stands Out
Better Smithing distinguishes itself by not just tweaking the existing system but adding significant content. The increased variety of weapon parts allows for greater customization and the creation of truly unique weapons. The improved UI also streamlines the smithing process, making it easier to find the parts you need and understand the stats of your creations.
Resource Management
Resource management is a critical aspect of smithing in Bannerlord. Mods can offer significant improvements here. While some mods simply increase the drop rate of rare resources, others take a more nuanced approach by introducing new ways to obtain them.
Beyond simply fixing the existing system, some mods introduce entirely new mechanics and possibilities to Bannerlord smithing.
- Detailed Character Creation: This mod allows you to alter starting skills, including smithing, to allow your campaign to start where you want.
- Realistic Smithing: This mod makes smithing much more like reality, adding realistic time constraints and new smithing tools required.
Realistic Smithing: A Deeper Dive
“Realistic Smithing” is a really immersive addition that changes the pace. It is a welcome addition for veteran smithers. The realism is not for everyone though, as it significantly increases the difficulty and time commitment required for smithing.
The Importance of Load Order
When using multiple mods, it’s crucial to pay attention to load order. Conflicts between mods can lead to crashes or unexpected behavior. A good practice is to use a mod manager like Vortex or Mod Organizer 2, which can help you manage your mods and resolve conflicts. Generally, mods that alter core game mechanics should be loaded earlier in the load order, while mods that add new content should be loaded later.
Here’s some practical advice based on my experience using smithing mods in Bannerlord:
- Start with a Single Mod: Don’t install a dozen smithing mods at once. Start with one that addresses your biggest pain point and see how it affects your gameplay. This will help you identify any conflicts and understand the specific changes each mod makes.
- Read the Mod Descriptions Carefully: Mod authors often provide detailed instructions and explanations of their mods. Pay attention to these descriptions to understand how the mod works and what conflicts it might have with other mods.
- Experiment and Find What Works for You: There’s no single “best” smithing mod. The ideal mod setup depends on your personal preferences and play style. Experiment with different mods and combinations to find what works best for you.
- Focus on unlocking new parts. Once you’re happy with how you gain experience, focusing on unlocking parts is the next priority.
- Find or Create a Steady Supply of Smelting Materials. Having a constant supply of materials is critical to both skill gain and part unlocking.
The active modding community is vital to the long-term success of Bannerlord 2. Mods like those mentioned above address shortcomings in the base game and add countless hours of replayability. As the game continues to evolve and receive updates, the modding community will undoubtedly continue to innovate and expand the possibilities of Bannerlord. The power of mods should never be underestimated.
Here’s a table summarizing the mods we’ve discussed and their primary benefits:
| Mod | Primary Benefit |
|---|---|
| Smithing Skill Matters | Streamlined leveling, balanced experience gain |
| Better Smithing | New weapon parts, improved UI, rebalanced resources |
| Crafting Matters | Focuses on the raw material impacts. |
| Detailed Character Creation | Allows you to alter starting skills. |
| Realistic Smithing | Adds Realistic constraints and tools required. |
Mods are a must-have for any Bannerlord 2 player looking to improve their smithing experience. By streamlining the leveling process, expanding customization options, and rebalancing resource costs, these mods can transform smithing from a tedious chore into a rewarding and enjoyable part of the game. Take the time to explore the available mods and find the perfect combination to suit your play style.
Here are some frequently asked questions about Bannerlord 2 smithing mods: