TaleWorld’s updates for Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord are beginning to ramp up in frequency. I’ve been burned for years now as a release date for the highly-anticipated PC title continues to elude, but if the recent updates are of any sign, we may be seeing a release date announcement really soon.
The last developer update showcased the revamped order of battle, which determines which troops you command in any battle, if you should ever find yourself under the rule of a lord. This time, TaleWorlds is sharing the finer details of various criminal actions and their consequences, which, in my opinion, is one of the most fun ways to play Warband, and hopefully, the upcoming Bannerlord.
In general, engaging in hostile and criminal activities results in consequential penalties which aim to make your life very difficult. The same will ring true for Bannerlord, albeit with some new key features which should, in theory, make players think twice before committing questionable deeds.
Raiding
Mount & Blade veterans are familiar with raiding, of course. It’s the lifeblood of any start-up conquest which favors actions over words, and while it’s generally harder as you’re basically antagonizing other people, it’s much more fun and engaging to play in. According to the dev diary, raiding in Bannerlord is mostly the same, but with a few various additions and improvements.
You are free to raid any enemy and neutral village as you see fit and steal the assets of the villagers. Depending on the strength of the local militia, this may take some time. However, the raid carries on to the world map, with the entire village inventory making its way to your party over time. During the course of this, you can opt to abandon the raid at any time, and whatever resources you managed to loot you will end up keeping. Fully raiding villages will result in them taking some time to recover and become fully operational again.
Forceful Recruitment of Villagers
Bannerlord now has the ability to forcefully induct villagers into your burgeoning army. This act of coercion does take some time to perform, and will only present itself to you under certain conditions, but its success can lead to some manpower being added to your Warband. Of course, success conditions for these acts of coercion go up if you have followers with high roguery skills, or if you possess them yourself.
However, should you opt into coercing these villagers and they end up resisting, you are presented with two choices: you can escalate and kill them all for daring to oppose you, or just back down and leave them be. Backing down does have some benefits, as there are no penalties incurred, as opposed to straight up just murdering everyone.
Forceful Procurement of Supplies
Of course, you can also opt to stay in villages and force them to give you supplies. This is a bit different from raiding, as raids typically end in a bloodbath. Forceful procurement is more of a wordless acknowledgement of an invasion, with your party enjoying benefits by staying with the villagers. You do get less resources and loot this way, but you also create less negative reputation for yourself, which you might not regret in the long run. Unless the villagers themselves are confident enough in their numbers to put up a fight, you can spend some time there indefinitely, enjoying a steady flow of supply, until the good will runs out because you ended up overtaxing them or something else like that.
Caravan and Villager Party Raids
During the course of Bannerlord, you will make your way through a huge campaign map that’s teeming with life – among these are caravans or villager parties, which can also be raided. They can be attacked for their belongings, or be coerced to join your Warband. If you’re renowned enough, you might also find them just outright surrendering, which gives you full undivided access to their inventories.
Consequences
Doing any of the above is considered a hostile action, and will carry various consequences. The most obvious one is your criminal rating increasing, as hostile actions are considered criminal as well. Exceeding the criminal rating after a certain point will see certain kingdoms declaring war on you, which is very challenging if you don’t know what you’re doing; if all else fails, you can just pay compensation to make peace with that kingdom. Finally, expect your relations with owners of targeted villages and settlements to take a hit as well, in particular if some nobles reside there.
These are all very exciting developments to hear, and it just makes me long to play Bannerlord more.
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord will be released on the PC at a yet unknown date.
