Piecing together the details will eventually lead you to two significant choices: joining an existing faction or starting your own, and trying to restore the old Calradian Empire or wiping its remnants from the map. There is an intricate political web to unravel between the leaders of the various factions, with each having a different story about what happened at a pivotal battle right before the start of the campaign that set the present events in motion. Once I got out and about and started meeting the various princes, lords, and knights, my interest in the world really picked up. You only get one small campaign bonus based on where you were born, like being able to build structures faster or reduced movement penalty in forest terrain. Anyone can recruit any kind of troops and join any faction they wish. As it stands, it’s mostly flavor that doesn’t impose restrictions that might make you significantly alter your playstyle. I wish your choice of national origin had a little bit more of an impact, though. Each of the six playable factions has its own rich personality, backstory, and style of fighting. Set about 200 years before Warband, we see the ancestors of some of the factions we know locked in a tense struggle centered on a collapsing, Roman-inspired empire that has broken into three parts. “The worldbuilding in general is pretty great. The character models and armor textures are pretty slick as well, even if they do still seem a few steps behind the current generation of blockbusters. The lighting, textures, and terrain are all impressive, and the level of detail really makes me feel like I’m in a living world. The stunning map allows you to scroll completely seamlessly from practically right over your character’s shoulder all the way up to a high-level strategic view, where you can decide whether to raid caravans, fight as a mercenary for a powerful lord, or even found your own kingdom.

But its exciting, tactical combat and gorgeous sandbox campaign map full of new lands to win and new characters to meet feed my deep, burning need for a nitty-gritty, intimate take on medieval-ish warfare.īannerlord’s graphics are the most immediately impactful improvement from its decade-old predecessor. Sure, it’s not the most polished of experiences, hence the early access launch. But when I get into one of Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlords’ pitched battles and charge through an enemy infantry formation while gleefully swinging my sword like a champion, it honestly feels like maybe what wasn’t broken didn’t need fixing.

Not as much has changed in the world of Mount & Blade since 2010’s Warband as I might have expected.

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