Finding a smith with high skill levels in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is crucial for crafting powerful weapons and armor, significantly impacting your campaign. This article details effective methods to locate these valuable artisans, offering practical advice to elevate your smithing capabilities. We’ll explore both in-game mechanics and strategic approaches to identify and recruit or utilize skilled smiths, ultimately improving your workshops and personal gear.
Identifying potential candidates is your first step. Forget actively “finding” a named smith with predetermined skills. Bannerlord 2 utilizes a more dynamic system. You need to focus on identifying any character with the potential to become a highly skilled smith through your guidance.
Understanding what constitutes a “high skill level” is important. In Bannerlord 2, smithing skill, like other skills, is something you can cultivate. You’re not looking for someone who already is a master smith (though they would be nice!), you are looking for someone with traits and circumstances that make them likely to become one. Consider this a long-term investment.
Key Attributes and Skills to Prioritize
Look for characters (companions, family members, or even prisoners you’ve recruited) with these characteristics:
- High Intelligence Attribute: This is the primary attribute governing smithing skill gain. The higher their Intelligence, the faster they’ll learn.
- Learning Rate: Check their character sheet for their overall learning rate. A high learning rate benefits all skills, including smithing.
- Relevant Background Perks: Some character backgrounds give small bonuses to smithing or related skills. These aren’t deal-breakers but are helpful indicators.
How to Assess Potential Candidates Quickly
It’s time-consuming to check every single character. Here’s a quicker method:
- Focus on Clan Members First: Your family members are the easiest to manage and equip. Check their character sheets regularly.
- Screen New Companions Carefully: When recruiting companions, take a moment to inspect their attributes and skills. Don’t just look at combat skills.
- Don’t Dismiss “Useless” Characters: A character with low combat skills might be perfect for a support role like smithing.
The most reliable method for finding a great smith is making one.
The “Smithing by Doing” Approach
This is the core of skill improvement in Bannerlord 2. To increase smithing skill, characters must actively smith. This means:
- Crafting Weapons and Armor: The higher the difficulty of the item being crafted, the more skill is gained. Start with simple items and gradually move to more complex ones.
- Smelting Items: Smelting down unwanted weapons and armor also provides smithing experience.
- Refining Materials: Turning raw materials into usable components also contributes to smithing skill.
The Importance of Stamina Management
Smithing consumes stamina. Allow your smith to rest and recover stamina to maximize their productivity. Overworking them will lead to fatigue and reduced skill gains.
Unlocking Smithing Perks for Accelerated Learning
As your smithing character levels up, they’ll gain access to smithing perks. Carefully select perks that boost skill gain, reduce stamina consumption, and unlock new crafting recipes. Some perks are far more valuable than others. Research which perks are most beneficial for your desired smithing specializations (e.g., swords, axes, armor).
Familiarize yourself with the smithing UI to track progress and optimize your crafting choices.
Monitoring Skill Growth
The smithing screen displays your character’s current smithing skill and how close they are to the next level. Pay attention to this to gauge their progress and adjust your training strategies accordingly.
Strategic Crafting Choices
The smithing UI allows you to select which item to craft. Choose items that provide a good balance between crafting difficulty and material cost. Experiment to find the most efficient way to gain smithing skill.
Unlocking New Recipes
Crafting certain items unlocks new recipes. Actively strive to unlock as many recipes as possible to increase your smithing options and improve your skill gains.
The “Money Sink” Myth
Many players view smithing as a money sink. While it can be expensive initially, a skilled smith can generate substantial income by crafting and selling high-quality weapons and armor.
The Time Commitment Required
Smithing takes time and patience. Don’t expect to create a master smith overnight. It’s a long-term investment that requires consistent effort.
The “Best” Weapon Recipes
There’s no single “best” weapon recipe. The optimal recipe depends on your specific needs and resources. Experiment with different recipes to find the ones that suit your play style.
Avoiding Burnout
Smithing can become repetitive. Vary your activities to prevent burnout. Rotate between crafting, smelting, and refining materials. Take breaks and engage in other aspects of the game.
While training your own smiths is optimal, sometimes you need a quick fix.
Identifying Towns with Thriving Smithies
Some towns have a higher concentration of smithies than others. Pay attention to which towns produce high-quality weapons and armor. These towns are likely to have more skilled smiths.
Using the Encyclopedia to Track Notable Smiths
The in-game encyclopedia should theoretically allow you to track notable characters, including smiths. However, in practice, it’s not always reliable for finding specifically skilled smiths. Focus on the other methods mentioned above for more consistent results.
Commissioning Work from Independent Smiths
You can commission independent smiths to craft items for you. This can be a good option if you need a specific item quickly, but it’s usually more expensive than crafting it yourself. Plus, you have limited control over the quality.
In my own Bannerlord 2 campaigns, I’ve found the most success in focusing on companions with high intelligence and patiently leveling them up. I prioritize stamina management by ensuring they aren’t constantly stuck at the forge. One technique I find particularly helpful is to focus on crafting high-value javelins early on. They provide a solid income stream while simultaneously improving smithing skill. I also discovered that certain cultures (like the Aserai) seem to have companions with a slight edge in starting intelligence, making them prime candidates for smithing apprentices. However, this could be coincidental.
Table: Comparison of Smithing Training Methods
| Method | Pros | Cons | Time Investment | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crafting | Direct skill improvement, unlocks recipes, generates income | Stamina intensive, requires resources, can be repetitive | High | Medium to High |
| Smelting | Provides materials, grants skill, reduces inventory clutter | Lower skill gain compared to crafting | Medium | Low |
| Refining | Essential for advanced crafting, improves material quality | Limited skill gain, requires specific resources | Low | Low |
| Commissioning (Towns) | Quick access to items, no stamina required | Expensive, limited control over quality, availability dependent | Low | High |
Ultimately, the “finding” aspect of skilled smiths in Bannerlord 2 is misleading. The real key is to cultivate skilled smiths through focused training and strategic resource management. By understanding the game’s mechanics, prioritizing key attributes, and implementing effective training strategies, you can create a team of master smiths capable of equipping your armies with the finest gear and generating substantial wealth for your kingdom. Remember, patience and persistence are your greatest allies in mastering the art of the forge.
Here are some frequently asked questions about finding and training skilled smiths in Bannerlord 2:
How do I increase my smithing skill quickly?
Focus on crafting the highest-difficulty items you can manage, while managing stamina. Smelting and refining are useful supplements but provide less experience.
What are the best smithing perks to get?
Perks that boost skill gain, reduce stamina consumption, and unlock valuable crafting recipes are generally the most useful. Research specific perk builds based on your desired specialization.
Is smithing worth it in Bannerlord 2?
Yes, smithing is valuable for generating income, crafting powerful gear, and improving your clan’s capabilities. However, it requires a significant time and resource investment.
Can I find a smith with already high skills?
It’s rare to find a character with exceptionally high smithing skill already. It’s far more effective to train your own smiths.
How important is intelligence for smithing?
Intelligence is the primary attribute governing smithing skill gain. The higher the Intelligence, the faster a character will learn smithing.