Best Mods for Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord

The scale of events in Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord allows you to spend tens or even hundreds of hours in this game, exploring the world and becoming an increasingly influential figure. And the active player community develops the «sandbox in the suffering Middle Ages» on their own, adding new content and reworking some mechanics. We have gathered the most interesting and popular mods for you.

The selection includes both global modifications that rework entire layers of the game and small fixes that improve the gameplay. In addition, you can find here sets of armor and equipment, improvements to the diplomacy system, companions, and the workshop.

Over several years in early access, the game has acquired an extensive base of user modifications. You can check them out in the Steam Workshop and on the game's page on NexusMods.

However, you should be careful in your searches and pay attention to the date of the last update of the page — Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord left early access on October 25, and all modifications last updated before this date may cause errors and crashes. We have specifically selected mods that should already be updated to the current version of the game.

There are three main ways to install mods: using the Vortex program, the Steam Workshop, and manually. Each of them is convenient in its own way, and the manual installation method is sometimes the only possible one, so we will consider each of them.

Installing mods with Vortex

Vortex is a mod launcher that allows you to install modifications with one click, monitor for updates, disable and remove unnecessary mods. The mod manager also helps avoid errors by editing launch parameters and placing mods in the correct order. Registration on the site is required to download it. The actual process of installing mods looks like this:

Installing mods from the Steam Workshop

An alternative way to install mods. The number of modifications in the workshop is much smaller, but you don't need to install additional programs and configure them. Through the workshop, modifications are installed as simply as possible.

After downloading the game, just go to the page of the desired mod in the workshop and click the «Subscribe» button. Soon, the download and installation of the modification will begin, and you can monitor the process on the «Downloads» tab.

Installing mods manually

Finally, there are mods that can only be installed manually. In this case, an instruction with a detailed order of actions is usually attached to them, but generally, you just need to open the archive with the mod and drop its contents into the Modules folder, which is located in the root folder of the game. After that, activate the modifications in the Mods tab in the game launcher.

Another important point: when downloading mods from NexusMods, the site will warn you if any libraries are required to install a particular mod. Carefully read all messages and install what is necessary.

Usually, these are libraries like ButterLib, Harmony, Mod Configuration Menu, and UIExtenderEx. Without them, the game either won't start or will constantly crash.

We are done with all the technical details. Now it's time to talk about the most popular mods for Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord.

Xorberax's Legacy adds many different mechanics and game «details.» A banking system has been introduced into the game: you can make deposits with interest and take loans.

Teachers have appeared in cities who will raise your skills and the characteristics of companions for a certain fee. «Peaceful» jobs in the fields have been added for extra earnings in the early stages, and the possibility of training for money.

In addition, you can now finely tune the camera position, friendly fire, bleeding system, the ability to cleave through multiple enemies in one hit, critical attacks, and dismounting from a horse. All these options can be enabled and disabled. In general, many useful little things are combined into one big and stable mod.

Xorberax is a legendary figure for connoisseurs of the Mount & Blade series. This person has been developing modifications for Mount & Blade: Warband. Therefore, the quality of his work is always at the highest level.

Improved Garrisons reworks the management system of your castles and settlements, significantly improving the interface and expanding the capabilities of this mechanic.

Now you can fully control your territories and expand your army: automatically recruit volunteers from nearby settlements, train the castle garrison, create guard units that will patrol your territories, and monitor the development of settlements through various menus.

Moreover, the «Hire 100 soldiers» button is not the limit: you can customize the number and type of necessary volunteers, as well as create a training program for their further preparation. After completing the training, the units do not wander aimlessly across the lands but have their own AI, which decides whether to engage in battle with a potential enemy or retreat to heal old wounds. The mod also provides detailed statistics of settlements and subordinate units.

Unlike the previous modifications, Dismemberment (Plus) hardly affects the gameplay. The mod is designed to give battles more spectacle and brutality.

For this, a dismemberment system has been added to the game — now NPCs can lose limbs and heads. The chance of such an outcome can be adjusted, and some events can be disabled altogether. Players can also add slow-mo when a player cuts off a part of an enemy's body.

Fourberie (Cunning) expands the possibilities of playing as a criminal. Now the player can interact with gang leaders, wandering robbers, lords, and various hideouts. The functionality of cities has also been greatly expanded.

The criminal world becomes alive and affects both the life of the kingdom and the player, up to assassination attempts on your life. The modification allows you to create a full-fledged criminal network and run an underground business, organize uprisings, and diversions.

Fourberie (Cunning) is full of various mechanics, and they are all skillfully intertwined. For a new experience, it is necessary to support the bandits — most of the innovations are tied to criminal elements.

Scatter Around Expanded is created specifically for fans of tactical actions and for those who are tired of the «zerg rush» of allied units and the «head-on» tactics. Now you can place markers on the battlefield and command NPCs to take positions with a key combination.

Controlling the units is a bit unusual, but over time you will be able to set up ambushes, «own» the battlefield, and easily defeat superior enemy forces using the right tactics.

Of course, no historical game could do without a samurai mod. Tetsojin adds a new faction — the Tetsojin, who stylistically resemble Japanese warriors. They use two-handed swords and mounted bows.

The game has new cities and castles of this nation, armor and weapons, as well as interactions with the «vanilla» factions of the game. The author is actively working on the modification and promises to add new equipment and refine existing armor and weapons in the future.

Diplomacy fixes and significantly expands the mechanics of internal and external politics of the kingdoms. The player can now form alliances, non-aggression pacts, take vassals, bribe other lords, and use various political tools to defeat the opponent.

War fatigue mechanics have been introduced, the diplomacy interface has been significantly improved, and civil wars can now break out in various factions. The player can even renounce the current kingdom and establish their own.

The developer of the Realistic Battle Mod has done a tremendous job rebalancing the game's combat system, significantly expanding its capabilities and making battles truly challenging.

Units now attack faster, more often parry and block attacks. The damage of arrows and other projectiles depends on their kinetic energy, and ranged weapons are subject to gravity and the weight of the projectile. The AI of the fighters has also been significantly improved.

In general, the author tried to make «everything scientific». Weapons work «according to physics»: their damage depends on the attack speed, weapon type, weight, and player's movement speed. All armor has been rebalanced based on its material and how well it covers the body. The author used scientific literature and the results of various tests in his work. All parameters can be configured independently.

The small mod Party Screen Enhancements makes the gameplay more convenient. It adds buttons to the party panel such as «Upgrade All», «Sort All», «Recruit All Prisoners», and also allows customizing the sorting of party members.

The mod also allows you to disable unnecessary logs and show the ratio of troop types in the party. We recommend checking out the mod description — the author has detailed the sorting settings and the «Upgrade All» button. In general, this is a small but very necessary modification in the late stages of the game.

Companions (or followers) are a fairly important mechanic in Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord. They lead your troops and provide bonuses to settlements and castles. Distinguished Service gives the player the ability to promote particularly distinguished warriors from their party to full-fledged companions. The promoted companion will retain the equipment and skills they had at the time of their «promotion».

Arena Overhaul significantly expands the capabilities of the arena in the game. A new training mode has been introduced — longer and more challenging, but also rewarding the player for their efforts. You can now customize the arena itself, choose equipment for the training fight, and improve your skills.

The author also paid significant attention to tournaments. Now from the arena menu, you can view the list of current tournaments taking place in other cities. The competitions themselves have become more balanced in the late stages of the game — the author has adjusted the rewards for victory. By the way, now these rewards are also received by non-player characters, unlike in the vanilla game where they simply disappeared. A new team battle mode has also been introduced.

Useful companions make the player's companions more useful and stronger. Now NPCs can earn experience points while completing tasks and improve their skills (this feature is not available in the original game). In some situations, you can also use group skills.

Another mod changes the method of generating companions: their skills and attributes are distributed not so much randomly, but with an emphasis on usefulness and proper leveling.

The author of Bannerlord Overhaul has completely reworked the game's balance to make it more suitable for long and thoughtful playthroughs. All troop trees, as well as most weapons and armor, have been rebalanced.

The troop upgrade trees have been expanded with new weapons and armor that can be crafted and balanced for each faction. Crossbows have been balanced relative to bows, the ranged weapon branch has been expanded in general, and the survivability of low-level fighters has been increased. According to the author, this is just a small part of the changes he made.

Sorted Income is a small modification that changes the income window. Now, instead of a long list of controlled villages, the player is greeted with one line: «Income from villages (13 settlements): 2300». And so with all types of income and expenses. This is especially relevant in the later stages of the game when the list does not fit on the screen.

Cultured Start adds the option of an alternative game start. You can customize the character's backstory, initial skills, capital and property, choose a city to appear in, and belong to a certain faction. You can also skip the tutorial.

In Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord, you can interact with various characters: lords, bandits, village chiefs, and caravan leaders. However, quite quickly some players start avoiding these activities to not encounter loading screens at the beginning of each dialogue.

Fast Dialogue fixes this issue by removing loading screens when interacting with the mentioned characters. With this mod, you can communicate with everyone without endless loading screens disrupting your immersion in the game.

The Education mod adds a full-fledged and deeply developed education system. Now your character can read books and acquire various knowledge and abilities that will help in combat, diplomacy, and other areas.

Obtaining this knowledge is not easy — you need to first learn to read, then find book sellers and scholars, and also face the fact that learning will be difficult at first. But the higher your character's IQ, the faster they will master various skills. And yes, companions will also be able to use books.

The Rebuild Looted Villages mod will appeal to players tired of the smoldering ruins of villages scattered across the map. They spoil the landscape and reduce the value of property, as well as the prosperity level of the castle or city they are attached to.

The mod allows you to restore a village in a day (time is configurable). You will need 50 units of grain and 50 units of wood. The grain is given to the villagers, and the wood will be used to restore the buildings. For the reconstruction of the village, the player will receive 20 relationship points with each influential NPC in the settlement.

Note: if the repaired villages are smoking, save and immediately reload the game.

Bahamut's Armory, though not entirely lore-friendly, is a well-executed armor pack for your warriors. 40 new equipment items — from helmets and cloaks to full plate armor. The armor sets will appear in Vlandia some time after installation. This is rare equipment with excellent protective characteristics, so be prepared to pay a hefty sum for it.

Workshops Advanced is another modification that improves the user experience. It reworks workshops, adding small but pleasant innovations and simplifying the mechanics.

With the mod, you can upgrade enterprises, rent warehouses, create production control workshops, and establish cooperation between productions and caravans. You can change the amount of labor, flexibly adjust both existing parameters and new features.

The world of Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord is engulfed in war, but a few marching armies and bandits running back and forth poorly convey the spirit of the times. Calradia at War is one of the largest modifications, adding 21 factions, 70 new units, various dialogues, rewards, events, and changing AI behavior.

The economy is more complex, many lands are devastated: general chaos and random events add sharpness to the happening, and all factions constantly interact with each other, trying to grab a bigger piece of the pie. All this is done to truly immerse the game world in war, chaos, and catastrophe.

Another small but very useful modification. Bannerlord Tweaks allows you to customize the game «to your liking» within quite broad limits. You can change rewards for victories in battles and tournaments, increase the limit of companions, caravans, and clans, intervene in the construction, crafting, and settlement systems.

All parameters are changed within the game, and you can easily disable those you don't need. Overall, all these changes are aimed at reducing grind and increasing comfort from the game. If you don't like scraping by or spending ten hours gathering gold for soldiers' equipment, this mod is for you.

Calradia Expanded significantly expands the game world, not with new factions but with new territories. The map will feature 14 new cities, 8 castles, and 77 villages. Some vanilla cities have «moved» to fit the logic (it's silly to place a castle in the middle of nowhere instead of at an important crossing).

The developer plans to create a logically correct geography to then fill the world with new kingdoms, factions, and landmarks.

In contrast to modifications that enhance the storyline, Just Let Me Play cuts out almost all mainline quests, including the tutorial, leaving only two — for creating a clan and a kingdom. No plot twists, just pure gameplay and a whole world engulfed in war at your disposal.

If you've replayed the game multiple times, are tired of the story but enjoy the gameplay — just install this mod.

In the flow of events or the heat of battle, it's easy to miss important information. Sound The Alarm alerts the player if one of their holdings is under attack or if any faction signs a declaration of peace or war. Simple enough, but how many settlements could have been saved by noticing an attack in time...

* * *

Over time, Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord may become a worthy successor to Mount & Blade: Warband. The game already has many features and various mechanics, and fans will surely bring the project to a level close to ideal.

Have you tried the release version of the game? Share your impressions in the comments.