Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord Beginner's Guide: First Army, Trade, Clan and Kingdom

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1. Pick culture and background with intent Your culture sets a starting bonus and where you begin; family and youth answers shape starting skills. If you want to fight on horseback, favour riding; if you plan to trade, favour trade and charm.
2. Finish the tutorial quest The game opens with a short introduction in which you search for your missing siblings. It teaches movement, combat and map travel before leading into the main questline.
3. Recruit from villages Enter villages and towns and talk to notables to recruit. A small party of 15-20 is enough to deal with bandit groups at first.
4. Don't forget food Your party eats daily; running out drops morale and troops start deserting. Carrying several food types also boosts morale.
5. Hunt bandits, upgrade troops Small bandit groups on the map give experience and loot. Upgrade experienced troops to the next tier from the Party screen.
6. Enter tournaments Town arenas sometimes host tournaments. You use the tournament's gear, not your own, and winning brings a prize and renown. Early on it is one of the safest ways to raise renown.
7. Find companions in taverns Wanderers in town taverns join your clan for a fee. Companions can later lead parties, govern or run caravans, so check their skills before hiring.
8. Raise your clan tier Renown increases your clan tier, which raises your party size limit and companion slots. At higher tiers, offers to join kingdoms start arriving.

• Read the price colours when tradingThe trade screen colours each price relative to the local average. Buying cheap and selling in another town is the cleanest early income, and higher trade skill gives more detail.
• Passive income from workshops and caravansOnce you have savings, buy a workshop in a town or have a companion run a caravan. They earn while you do other things, though caravans face risks on the road.
• Learn the order system earlyBefore a battle, open the order screen with Backspace. Select everyone with 0 or one formation with its number, then use the F keys for movement and formation orders. Archers on high ground with infantry in front is simple and very effective.
• Mind the block directionBlocking works by moving the mouse towards the direction the enemy strikes from. A shield removes most of that difficulty, so playing with one early makes learning easier.
• Use the mounted advantageSpeed on horseback adds power to your strikes. A well-angled couched lance charge can end a fight in one hit. Low riding skill locks you out of heavier horses and some gear.
• Invest in relationsGood relations with village notables unlock more and better recruits. Doing their quests and protecting their villages from bandits improves relations.
• Make use of prisonersDefeated bandits and soldiers can be taken prisoner. Ransom them in towns, or persuade some troop types to join your party.
• Big parties cost moneyTroops draw daily wages. If your party grows faster than your income, money drains quickly, especially with high-tier troops. Check the daily expense estimate.
• Sieges take preparationSieging a castle starts with building siege equipment, so your food and morale need to last. Attempting a siege without enough troops wears your party down.
• Use the encyclopediaPress N for details on every lord, town and troop type, including where a unit is recruited and what it upgrades into.

• Attacking a large army early on; starting with bandit groups in a small party builds both experience and money.
• Forgetting to buy food; hunger crushes morale and troops desert.
• Growing the party faster than income; daily wages can empty your purse within days.
• Never using orders; troops scatter on their own and archers take needless losses.
• Fighting without a shield before learning directional blocking; your character hits the ground often in the early hours.
• Becoming a vassal immediately; you get pulled into the kingdom's conflicts before your clan is strong enough.

This guide was written for version: This guide reflects the current Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord version and default PC keys as of September 2026.

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