Feud and ferry come to Bannerlord

Turkish game studio TaleWorlds Entertainment has released a major update for Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord and its single-player expansion pack War Sails. Bannerlord v1.5 and War Sails v1.3 completely change how players start the campaign. But the most striking innovation is not on the battlefield, but on the gallows: Executing a member of another clan can now start a blood feud.

Updates are currently available to all PC players via Steam. For console versions, the term "recently" is used; An exact date was not given.

The player shapes the campaign in Bannerlord

New Advanced Startup Options consists of three headings. Campaign scenarios take Calradia in a different direction from the beginning of the game, with specially designed and partially randomly generated world events. Player starters allow experienced players to access later content sooner or start with a specific role. It also offers a goal for new players, as most of the roles must be unlocked in the regular game first.

With the third heading, settings, basic mechanics such as recruiting soldiers, number of bandits, possibility of rebellion and travel speed can be changed. These options can be combined. Thanks to shareable seeds, other players can recreate the same Calradia.

It is possible to sail earlier in War Sails

Building a full fleet on the War Sails side still requires progress. However, sandbox expeditions can now start with a small merchant ship. The new ferry system allows small troops without ships to travel between selected coastal villages. Smaller pirate units make initial naval engagements easier. Since ships can be anchored, captains can leave some ships behind and set out with those most suitable for trade, plunder or war.

New port points and naval blockades are also added to the coastal fortresses. A total of 39 new random sea events are coming to the game. By cutting the connection ropes during the battle, players can prevent the enemy's extraction attempt before the bridge is built.

Feuds, battlefields and personality traits

In the Blood Feud system, captured family members risk execution until relations are restored or the dispute is resolved through a Ransom Broker. Battlefields and debris now appear in places where wars took place. These areas can be searched for wounded, dinars, trade goods, valuables and clues to nearby bandit hideouts.

Self-interest, Generosity, Honour, Compassion and Valor traits now also create visible effects in the game. Each has advantages and disadvantages; Artificial intelligence-controlled lords also benefit from these features. Players can decide whether their clan party will pillage villages, donate soldiers, and join the army. War Sails owners can also determine whether their clan unions can own a fleet.

The update also adds four new battle terrains: two south of Ortysia, one southeast of Quyaz, and one south of Baltakhand.

What's new in multiplayer mode

Captain Mode brings targeted attack orders for infantry, ranged and cavalry units. Broadcaster Mode, on the other hand, gets new indicators, camera controls, and tracking improvements. In addition, the update includes a difficulty setting for the early navy story, improved world map visuals, faster development of Ship Captain and Bosphorus skills, increased land and sea travel speeds, reworked battle boosts, additional modding support and numerous fixes.

TaleWorlds also explained the changes in the development update video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPKBZ8LJi4c