Tired of Endless Wars? Bannerlord 2 Mods for a Shorter Campaign

This article tackles the common frustration of long, drawn-out campaigns in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord. We’ll explore practical mods that accelerate gameplay and offer fresh perspectives on achieving victory faster. We’ll focus on mods that shorten campaign length by tweaking progression, economy, and war mechanics, along with unique ways to alter your approach for a more focused and satisfying experience.

Many players find Bannerlord’s default campaign length daunting. Reaching a point of meaningful dominance can take hundreds of hours, which can become repetitive. The core issue is often the slow progression of character skills, clan tier, and kingdom strength. Mods that accelerate these processes can dramatically shorten the overall campaign length.

Accelerated Skill Progression

One of the most effective ways to speed up a Bannerlord campaign is by increasing skill gain. Several mods directly address this, allowing you to level your character and companions faster, leading to more effective armies and quicker access to higher-tier troops.

• Character Perks Overhaul (CPO): This mod is popular because it not only speeds up leveling but also reworks the perk system, making skills more impactful and engaging. It offers a more dynamic and rewarding progression system that cuts down on grinding. You can find it on Nexus Mods (search for “Character Perks Overhaul Bannerlord”).
• Fast Skill Gain: A more straightforward option, this mod simply increases the experience gained for all skills. This is a simpler solution if you only want to speed up the leveling process without altering the perk system.
• Training Field Enhanced: This mod enhance Training Field which make it easier to level up your men.

My personal experience has shown that even a moderate increase in skill gain can significantly shorten the campaign. Spending less time grinding allows you to focus on strategic decision-making and engaging in meaningful battles. Experiment to find the right balance that suits your playstyle. I tend to set the skill multiplier to x2 or x3, finding that anything higher makes the game too easy.

Economic Tweaks for Faster Clan Growth

A thriving economy is essential for fielding powerful armies and influencing the political landscape. Vanilla Bannerlord can be slow in this regard, with trade routes taking time to establish and workshops often being unreliable sources of income. Mods that boost economic growth can give you the financial power to quickly expand your clan’s influence.

• Bannerlord Tweaks: While this is a broader mod with many features, its economic tweaks are particularly useful for shortening the campaign. It allows you to adjust things like workshop profit, trade income, and caravan speed, giving you more control over your economic development.
• Improved Garrisons: A costly garrison can cripple your progression. This mod reduces garrison costs significantly.
• Realistic Trade: Rebalancing trade can dramatically change the early to mid-game economic struggle.

In my opinion, tweaking the economy is crucial for a shorter, more dynamic campaign. Early game is often the slog. A faster economy allows you to build up your war chest more quickly, enabling you to hire better troops, influence nobles, and ultimately, wage war more effectively. Consider focusing on workshops in towns with high prosperity and adjusting trade rules to maximize profits.

War and Politics: Accelerating the Endgame

The endgame of Bannerlord often involves protracted wars and political maneuvering. Mods can help streamline this process, making it easier to conquer territory and establish your kingdom.

• Diplomacy Fixes: While not strictly a “shorter campaign” mod, Diplomacy fixes AI behavior, reduces wars declared by the AI for no reason, and reduces kingdom decision times. This can greatly improve the pace of the game and cut down on unnecessary skirmishes.
• Governors Handle Issues: Many players find the daily routine of governing settlements too tedious. This mod make it so governors automatically handle settlement issues.
• Less AI recruitment: Makes AI lords recruit smaller armies, decreasing late game bloat.

From my experience, the key to a faster endgame lies in strategic decision-making and efficient war management. Instead of trying to conquer the entire map, focus on securing key territories and establishing a strong power base. Use diplomacy to weaken your rivals and form alliances with powerful clans.

While mods are powerful tools, your approach to the game itself can also significantly impact campaign length.

Early Game Focus: Building a Strong Foundation

The early game is crucial for setting the stage for a shorter campaign. Focus on quickly building your character’s skills, gathering companions, and accumulating wealth. Participate in tournaments, complete quests, and engage in profitable trade runs. Don’t be afraid to take risks and challenge stronger parties to gain experience and loot.

• Prioritize combat skills: Focus on skills like riding, athletics, and weapon proficiencies to become a formidable warrior early on.
• Recruit companions with diverse skills: A well-rounded party will allow you to handle a variety of tasks, from scouting to medicine.
• Invest in workshops: Establish workshops in towns with high prosperity to generate a steady income stream.

Mid-Game Expansion: Strategic Conquest

Once you have a strong foundation, begin expanding your influence by joining a kingdom or forming your own. Focus on conquering strategically important territories that will provide you with valuable resources and defensible borders.

• Target weak factions: Identify kingdoms that are already at war or have internal conflicts and exploit their weaknesses.
• Prioritize wealthy cities: Capturing prosperous cities will significantly boost your income and allow you to field larger armies.
• Form alliances: Secure alliances with powerful clans to strengthen your position and gain support in wars.

Late-Game Consolidation: Diplomacy and Domination

In the late game, focus on consolidating your power and eliminating your rivals. Use diplomacy to weaken your enemies and secure alliances with remaining factions. Wage strategic wars to conquer key territories and establish your dominance over Calradia.

• Undermine enemy kingdoms: Use spies and sabotage to weaken enemy armies and disrupt their economies.
• Offer generous terms to defeated lords: Encourage lords to join your kingdom by offering them land and titles.
• Ruthlessly crush rebellions: Prevent rebellions from destabilizing your kingdom by responding swiftly and decisively.

When selecting mods to shorten your Bannerlord campaign, it’s important to find a balance between speed and challenge. Too many “easy mode” mods can make the game feel trivial and unrewarding. Experiment with different combinations to find the right level of difficulty for your playstyle.

Here’s a table summarizing some of the mods discussed and their primary function:

Remember to always back up your saves before installing new mods. This will allow you to revert to a previous state if you encounter any issues.

I’ve personally spent hundreds of hours playing Bannerlord, experimenting with various mods and strategies. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that a focused approach is key to a shorter, more enjoyable campaign. Instead of trying to do everything at once, concentrate on building a strong foundation and strategically expanding your influence.

I found that a combination of accelerated skill progression, economic tweaks, and strategic decision-making allowed me to achieve victory in a fraction of the time compared to vanilla Bannerlord. However, it’s important to avoid making the game too easy, as this can diminish the sense of accomplishment.

By using mods and adopting strategic approaches, you can significantly shorten the length of your Bannerlord campaign and enjoy a more focused and rewarding experience. Experiment with different combinations of mods and strategies to find what works best for you, and don’t be afraid to customize the game to suit your preferences. Now go forth and conquer Calradia!