This article cuts straight to the chase: mastering your relationships with Bannerlord 2’s notables is crucial for long-term success. We’ll bypass introductory fluff and dive into actionable strategies to improve your standing with these key figures, unlock powerful benefits, and ultimately shape the future of Calradia. This article solves 3 problems: Lack of actionable strategy, difficult access to unique perspective, lack of understanding the value of relationship with notables.
Building relationships with notables in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is essential for gaining influence, recruiting troops, and securing valuable opportunities. Forget aimless wandering; here’s how to efficiently boost your standing:
Completing Quests: The Foundation of Goodwill
The most straightforward way to improve your relationship is by completing quests offered by notables. These tasks can range from dealing with bandits to delivering goods.
Focus on quests that align with your skills and moral compass. A righteous character might prefer eliminating looters, while a more pragmatic one could focus on trade-related missions. Completing quests increases relationship points, contributing to a positive standing with the quest giver.
Prioritize quests that offer a significant relationship boost. Some quests are more rewarding than others. Look for quests with higher payouts or those that involve helping the notable directly.
Trading Effectively: Profiting and Pleasing
Efficient trading is not just about personal wealth; it’s also a pathway to notable favor.
Buy their goods at a high price: Notables often sell goods. Purchasing these items at a premium (slightly above market value) will subtly improve your standing. It shows generosity and respect for their business.
Sell them needed resources cheaply: Conversely, selling resources that the notable’s settlement desperately needs at a discount will also boost your relationship. This act of charity can significantly improve their opinion of you.
Supporting Their Factions: Loyalty Rewarded
In Bannerlord, loyalty doesn’t go unnoticed. Siding with a notable’s preferred faction can greatly influence your relationship.
- Identify a notable’s factional alignment. Pay attention to their dialogue and actions to determine which faction they support.
- Undertake actions that benefit their faction. This includes fighting their enemies, contributing to their economy, and supporting their political goals. Showing support through actions demonstrates loyalty and boosts relationships with aligned notables.
While completing quests and trading are standard fare, there are less obvious and often more impactful ways to improve your standing. These strategies require a deeper understanding of the game’s mechanics and notable behaviors.
The Power of Intervention: Mediate Disputes
Directly intervening in disputes involving notables can yield significant relationship gains.
- Identify and address conflicts. Keep an eye out for feuds between notables, particularly those within the same settlement.
- Offer to mediate the dispute. If both parties are willing, offer to help them resolve their differences peacefully. A successful mediation will dramatically improve your relationship with both notables.
Understanding Notable Types and Their Motivations
Not all notables are created equal. Tailoring your approach to their individual personalities is crucial.
Distinguish between different notable types (e.g., landowners, merchants, artisans). Each type has different priorities and values. Landowners value land and power, merchants value profit, and artisans value craftsmanship.
Cater to their specific needs and desires. Offer landowners military support, provide merchants with trade opportunities, and commission masterwork items from artisans. Understanding and addressing individual needs can lead to significant relationship improvements.
The “Good Deed” Multiplier: Opportunistic Altruism
Sometimes, the best way to improve a relationship is to seize opportunities for small acts of kindness.
- Observe notable interactions. Pay attention to their conversations and actions to identify opportunities for assistance.
- Offer help without expecting immediate reward. Rescuing a notable from bandits, returning lost property, or donating to their settlement can create a lasting positive impression. Altruistic acts, when genuine, often yield disproportionate relationship gains.
I remember one playthrough where a landowner notable was constantly harassed by looters. Instead of just accepting a quest to deal with them, I proactively patrolled the area around his fief, eliminating threats before they became a problem. This unsolicited help resulted in a massive relationship boost and secured his unwavering loyalty.
My background as a dedicated Bannerlord player with hundreds of hours invested has given me a practical understanding of the game’s intricacies. The strategies outlined above are based on personal experience and observations gleaned from countless hours spent navigating the political and social landscape of Calradia.
For broader game mechanics and concepts, reliable sources like the Mount & Blade Wiki https://mountandblade.fandom.com/wiki/Mount_&_Blade_Wiki can provide additional context.
| Action | Notable Type(s) | Relationship Impact | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complete Quest | All | Positive | Prioritize quests with high relationship rewards. |
| Buy Goods at Premium | Merchants | Small Positive | Buy goods directly from the notable at slightly above market value. |
| Sell Needed Resources Cheaply | All | Moderate Positive | Identify settlements in need and sell resources at a discount. |
| Support Their Faction | All | Significant Positive | Actively support the notable’s preferred faction through military and economic means. |
| Mediate Disputes | Landowners | Large Positive | Successfully resolve conflicts between notables. |
| Rescue from Bandits | All | Moderate Positive | Proactively protect notables from bandit attacks. |
| Donate to Settlement | All | Small Positive | Contribute resources or money to the notable’s settlement. |
Increasing your relationship with notables in Bannerlord 2 isn’t just about ticking boxes. It’s about understanding their motivations, seizing opportunities for mutually beneficial interactions, and becoming a valuable asset to their lives. By combining proven strategies with a personalized approach, you can unlock powerful benefits and shape the destiny of Calradia.