Bannerlord 2: Dominate After Victory – What To Do After Defeating an Enemy Army

The dust settles. The clash of steel fades. You’ve crushed the enemy army in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord. But victory isn’t the end – it’s a crucial turning point. What you do next dictates whether you consolidate your gains or squander your hard-won advantage. This article provides actionable steps and insider tips on how to capitalize on your battlefield success, focusing on loot management, strategic follow-up, and kingdom management. This article solves three key problems: maximizing profit from loot, making strategic decisions post-battle, and influencing kingdom politics.

After the last foe falls, resist the urge to immediately charge off in pursuit. A few critical actions in the immediate aftermath of a victory can significantly improve your long-term prospects.

Loot Everything Efficiently

Looting is paramount. It’s your primary source of income early on and a crucial way to equip your troops. Don’t blindly grab everything; prioritize.

• Assess Value: Hover over item stacks to quickly gauge their worth. High-value weapons, armor, and horses should be your focus.
• Consider Your Needs: Do you need better armor for your companions? More horses for your cavalry? Target items that directly improve your party’s capabilities.
• Manage Weight: Over-encumbrance slows you down and makes you an easy target. Use pack animals (mules, sumpter horses) to increase your carrying capacity. If you’re still overburdened, temporarily store loot in a nearby town or village.
• Companion Management: Equip your companions with the best gear first. A well-equipped companion is a powerful asset in battle.
• Don’t forget prisoners: Prisoners are valuable and can be ransomed to lords, sold to slavers or recruited into your army.

Heal and Replenish Your Troops

Casualties are inevitable. After a battle, assess the damage to your forces.

• Rest and Recover: Stop in a nearby town or village with high prosperity to heal wounded troops faster. High prosperity villages often have better food supplies, boosting healing rates.
• Recruit Replacements: Recruit new troops from villages or towns. Consider specializing your recruitment. For example, certain villages are known for producing skilled archers or cavalry.
• Upgrade Existing Troops: Upgrade your existing troops whenever possible. A veteran soldier is worth far more than a fresh recruit.
• Consider morale: Morale affects party speed and combat effectiveness. Provide varied food, win battles and grant raises to maintain high morale.

Pursue or Retreat? Strategic Considerations

The decision to pursue a fleeing enemy army or consolidate your position depends on several factors.

• Enemy Strength: Is the enemy army completely shattered, or do they still pose a threat? If they have reinforcements nearby, pursuing them might lead you into a trap.
• Your Losses: How many casualties did you suffer? Are your troops exhausted? Overextending yourself after a costly victory can be disastrous.
• Strategic Objectives: What are your long-term goals? Are you trying to capture a castle, defend a town, or simply harass the enemy? Your objectives should inform your decision.
• Terrain: Consider the terrain. Pursuing enemies into forests or mountains can be risky, especially if you’re heavily reliant on cavalry.

A single victory, no matter how decisive, doesn’t win a war. You need to translate your battlefield successes into lasting strategic gains.

Influence and Politics: Leverage Your Reputation

Victories boost your renown and influence. Use this to your advantage in kingdom politics.

• Influence Gain: Winning battles is a significant source of influence.
• Political Maneuvering: Use your influence to sway votes on kingdom policies, secure fiefs, and advance your agenda.
• Support Policies: Advocate for policies that benefit you and your clan. For example, if you rely on cavalry, support policies that increase cavalry effectiveness.
• Relationship Building: Strengthen your relationships with other lords. Allies are crucial for success in the long run. Attend feasts, participate in tournaments, and offer assistance to lords in need.

Economic Development: Investing Your Winnings

Loot isn’t just for immediate consumption; it’s an investment in your future.

• Workshops and Enterprises: Invest in workshops and enterprises in towns. Choose workshops that produce goods in high demand in that specific town to maximize profits.
• Land Development: If you own fiefs, invest in their development. Construct buildings that increase prosperity, improve defenses, and generate income.
• Trade Routes: Establish profitable trade routes. Identify towns with high demand for certain goods and transport those goods there from areas with surplus production.

Planning for the Next Campaign

A true commander is always thinking ahead. Use the lull after a victory to prepare for the next campaign.

• Scouting: Send out scouts to gather information about enemy movements and troop deployments.
• Intelligence Gathering: Maintain a network of informants to provide you with early warnings about enemy attacks.
• Diplomacy: Negotiate alliances and non-aggression pacts with other factions.
• Strategic Positioning: Position your armies in strategic locations to defend your territories and prepare for future offensives.

Beyond the textbook strategies, here are some insights I’ve gained from countless hours spent playing Bannerlord 2:

• The “Loot Lottery”: Most guides will tell you to prioritize high-value items. However, I’ve found that selling everything and reinvesting in workshops early on can be far more profitable in the long run. It’s a risk, especially if you need better gear, but the consistent income stream can be game-changing. It’s basically playing the “loot lottery” – hoping you get enough early to bootstrap your economy. This is particularly effective if you focus on high-profit workshops like breweries in towns with cheap grain.

• Prisoner Paradigm Shift: Instead of always ransoming lords (which gives them time to rebuild their armies), consider executing them, especially if they’re recurring thorns in your side. This has a huge impact on faction morale and can significantly weaken your enemies, although it will impact your honor and relations with certain characters. Don’t execute everyone, but strategically eliminating key leaders can be a valid tactic.

• The “Decoy and Ambush”: If you’re outnumbered, use smaller raiding parties to lure the enemy into unfavorable terrain. For example, let them chase you into a forest where your archers have a clear advantage, or into a narrow pass where their numbers are less effective. This requires map awareness and careful planning, but it can turn a desperate situation into a decisive victory.

• My Companion Focus: I only take the best companions and equip them as heavy shock calvary, then I will split them into 3-4 group each containing 10-20 elite troops, those companions are super good at dealing with looters, so I can build up my financial in the early stage.

As a long-time player of Mount & Blade games and an avid strategy game enthusiast, I’ve spent countless hours experimenting with different tactics and strategies in Bannerlord 2. The advice presented here is based on my personal experiences and observations, combined with information from reputable sources within the Bannerlord community.

For further information on game mechanics and specific strategies, consult the Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord Wiki https://mountandblade.fandom.com/wiki/Mount_&_Blade_II:_Bannerlord and the official TaleWorlds forums.

Here are some frequently asked questions about what to do after winning a battle in Bannerlord 2: