Capturing castles in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord can seem like a daunting task. But with the right strategies and a little preparation, you can significantly increase your chances of success. This article outlines effective methods for besieging and taking castles, leveraging tactics, understanding siege equipment, and making the most of your forces.
Successful castle sieges in Bannerlord 2 require a multi-faceted approach. It’s not simply about having a large army; you need to understand the mechanics of siege warfare, manage your resources, and employ strategic tactics to overcome the castle’s defenses.
Siege Preparation: Laying the Groundwork for Victory
Before you even approach the castle walls, preparation is key. This includes gathering the necessary resources, scouting the castle’s defenses, and assembling the right troops for the job.
- Gather Supplies: A prolonged siege can quickly deplete your food stores. Make sure you have enough food to sustain your army for an extended period. You can acquire food through trading, raiding villages (which will impact your relations), or producing it in your own fiefs.
- Recruit the Right Troops: Different troop types excel in different roles during a siege. Infantry is crucial for pushing siege engines and engaging in melee combat, while archers and crossbowmen are essential for suppressing enemy defenders. Consider bringing a mix of troop types to cover all bases.
- Scout the Castle: Use scouts to gather information about the castle’s garrison size, troop composition, and defensive structures. Knowing the enemy’s strengths and weaknesses will allow you to tailor your siege strategy accordingly.
Building Siege Engines: Breaching the Walls
Siege engines are critical for overcoming castle defenses. Catapults and trebuchets can destroy walls and towers, while siege towers and battering rams allow your troops to assault the castle directly.
- Prioritize Wall Destruction: Focus your fire on the walls, especially near the gates. Creating breaches in the walls will give your troops multiple points of entry and make it easier to overwhelm the defenders.
- Protect Your Siege Engines: The enemy will try to destroy your siege engines with their own artillery or by sallying forth. Position your troops to protect your siege engines and prevent the enemy from sabotaging them.
- Use Battering Rams and Siege Towers Strategically: Coordinate your use of battering rams and siege towers to maximize their effectiveness. Deploying them simultaneously can overwhelm the defenders and create a path for your troops to enter the castle.
Tactical Deployment: Winning the Siege Battle
Once you’ve breached the walls, the real battle begins. Proper tactical deployment is essential for winning the siege battle and capturing the castle.
- Control the High Ground: If possible, try to secure the high ground inside the castle. This will give your archers a clear line of sight and allow them to rain down arrows on the enemy.
- Use Chokepoints to Your Advantage: Castles are full of chokepoints that can be used to your advantage. Position your infantry in narrow corridors to create a defensive line and funnel the enemy into kill zones.
- Flank the Enemy: Look for opportunities to flank the enemy and attack them from multiple directions. This will disrupt their formation and make it easier to break their lines.
From my personal experience, understanding the AI’s behavior during sieges is crucial. The AI tends to focus its defenses on the main gate, often neglecting other areas. This creates opportunities to exploit weaknesses in the castle’s defenses.
Exploiting AI Weaknesses: A Personal Approach
- Feigned Attacks: I’ve had success with feigned attacks, focusing my initial siege engine fire on one section of the wall while planning my main assault elsewhere. The AI often overreacts to the initial threat, leaving other areas vulnerable.
- Night Assaults: Launching a night assault can disorient the defenders, giving you a significant advantage. The AI struggles to react effectively in low-light conditions, making it easier to breach the walls and overwhelm them.
- Troop Composition Tricks: Experimenting with troop compositions can also yield positive results. I’ve found that a heavily armored infantry force, supported by a smaller group of elite archers, is particularly effective at breaking through enemy lines.
Beyond the Battlefield: Long-Term Strategies for Castle Control
Capturing a castle is only the first step. Maintaining control of your newly acquired fief requires a long-term strategy.
- Garrison Management: A well-garrisoned castle is essential for deterring enemy attacks. Recruit a mix of troop types to defend against different threats.
- Loyalty and Governance: Keeping your subjects happy is crucial for maintaining order in your new fief. Implement policies that promote prosperity and loyalty.
- Defensive Improvements: Invest in improving the castle’s defenses, such as building new walls and towers, to make it more difficult for enemies to recapture it.
Your character’s skills and perks can also significantly impact your ability to capture and defend castles.
Leadership and Tactics
- Leadership: Skills in leadership, such as “Steward” for improved settlement management and “Leadership” for larger party sizes, are essential for leading a successful siege army and managing your fiefs effectively.
- Tactics: Tactical skills are crucial for deploying your troops effectively during siege battles. Perks that enhance your troops’ combat abilities or allow you to use special formations can give you a significant advantage.
Engineering and Medicine
- Engineering: Engineering skills are important for building and maintaining siege engines. High engineering skill also allows you to construct defensive improvements in your fiefs more quickly.
- Medicine: The medicine skill is crucial for keeping your troops alive during sieges. A skilled physician can reduce casualties and keep your army fighting fit.
Capturing a castle easily in Bannerlord 2 is about more than just brute force. It’s about careful planning, strategic deployment, and understanding the mechanics of siege warfare. By gathering the right resources, recruiting the right troops, building effective siege engines, and exploiting AI weaknesses, you can significantly increase your chances of success. This involves understanding the AI’s siege behaviors, troop composition tricks, and long-term strategies for maintaining control, these approaches can transform seemingly impossible sieges into achievable objectives. With practice and patience, you’ll be able to conquer any castle that stands in your way.
Here’s a table summarizing key elements for a successful siege:
| Element | Key Considerations | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Preparation | Food supply, troop composition, scouting enemy defenses | Sustained siege, optimized force, informed strategy |
| Siege Engines | Wall destruction priority, siege engine protection, coordinated ram/tower deployment | Breached defenses, reduced enemy resistance, efficient assault |
| Tactical Deployment | High ground control, chokepoint utilization, flanking maneuvers | Archer advantage, defensive lines, disrupted enemy formations |
| Skills & Perks | Leadership, tactics, engineering, medicine | Improved army management, effective troop deployment, faster siege engine construction, reduced casualties |
| AI Exploitation | Feigned attacks, night assaults, troop composition experimentation | Disoriented defenders, breached defenses, overwhelmed enemy lines |
| Long-Term Strategies | Garrison management, loyalty and governance, defensive improvements | Deterred enemy attacks, maintained order, fortified defenses |