Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord

War Sails update expanded Bannerlord’s campaign with coastal ferries, an advanced Sandbox start featuring a small trading ship, 39 Naval Random Events, and new naval quest rewards. Blood Feuds and Advanced Starting Options also added new consequences and more control over how a campaign began.

• War Sails campaign: Naval progression and exploration received the largest set of additions.
  • Coastal ferries: Paid ferry routes connected certain coastal villages.
  • Advanced Starting Options: Campaign scenarios, player starts, and modifiers shaped new Sandbox campaigns.
  • Naval Random Events: 39 events affected traits, skills, parties, items, and gold.
  • Battle Sites & Wreckages: Investigable sites appeared on the campaign map after battles.
• Blood Feuds: Executing a clan member could trigger a reciprocal feud, with ransom brokers and improved relations offering ways to settle it. Personality Traits gained distinct positive and negative effects that influenced character development and AI behavior.
• Clan Party Behavior Controls: Party stances were replaced with direct toggles for village raids, garrison donations, army participation, and—through War Sails—fleet ownership. Persuasion also required less progress for defections and marriages, while failed attempts gained cooldowns.
• Multiplayer: Streamer Mode added spectator displays and camera controls to Clan Matches and Custom Server modes; Watch Game let players spectate without occupying a slot; and Captain Mode gained targeted charge orders for infantry, ranged, and cavalry formations.
• Shipmaster XP and Settlement Security: Shipmaster progression was retuned across the early, mid, and late game, with bonuses for fleet command and travel. Settlement Security and loyalty thresholds were adjusted to make management choices more consequential, including later rebellion and militia-bonus thresholds; the release also fixed save corruption and several crashes tied to naval missions and village raids.

War Sails launched on November 26, 2025, introducing a naval expansion to Bannerlord. Subsequent updates expanded coastal raids, ships and campaign systems throughout the year.

• War Sails: The expansion introduced ships and naval gameplay, giving campaigns a new maritime dimension.
• Coastal raids: Seaborne village raids let players attack coastal settlements from the sea, with changes to looting when a militia does not resist.
• New ships: The Battanian Barlinnger and Nord Battle Knarr were added in May 2026.
• Naval battles: Updates improved naval battle mechanics and victory conditions.
• Campaign balance: Army creation and diplomacy were adjusted, including changes intended to produce fewer but stronger armies.

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord previewed the War Sails expansion during this year, including naval warfare, the Nords faction, and an expanded world map. The October 2, 2025 Dev Blog: Ships described planned ship classes and customization rather than launching the expansion. War Sails did not release within this window; its eventual November 26, 2025 release fell in the following year.

• Expansion previews: Developer updates described the Nords faction and new areas including Nordvyg, Beinland, and the Jumne River region. These were previews of expansion content, not additions already available to players during this year.
• Planned ships and fleet management: The ship blog outlined 20 unique vessels, faction-specific designs, and Light, Medium, and Heavy classes. It also described purchasing, selling, and upgrading ships at ports, with customization affecting performance and appearance.
• Planned naval risks: Development coverage described storms damaging ships, ship design and weather affecting travel speed, and survivors needing to reach shore on rafts after losing their fleet. These mechanics were discussed ahead of release.
• Base-game development: Updates also covered stealth during missions, siege blockades, an heir selection popup, and improvements to the town management interface.
• Multiplayer events: Community events included Calradian War #15, with large battles supporting up to 700 players and opportunities for triple loot and experience rewards.

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord continued receiving updates and multiplayer events during this year. Community Tales #9, published on May 3, 2024, looked back at features already added since launch, including Fog of War, Retirement, and Formation Targeting; it did not introduce those mechanics that day. Additionally, the Osric's Bay Siege Event launched on March 2, 2024, offering a large-scale multiplayer experience for up to 500 players.

• Existing Features Recap: The May 3 development recap highlighted mechanics already added since launch, including:
  • Fog of War
  • Retirement
  • Player-owned Alleys
  • World Map & Mission Weather
  • Formation Targeting
  • Warehouses
  • Multiplayer Taunts
• Multiplayer Events: A series of engaging events included:
  • Calradic War #9 on August 31, 2024, featuring large-scale battles with special rules.
  • Storming the Enemy was announced on May 3 for May 11, 2024, with planned weather effects and triple loot rewards.
  • Empire Invades on January 27, 2024, a Siege event with up to 500 players.
• Gameplay Enhancements:
  • The Triple Loot & Experience feature for participants of the Osric's Bay event on March 2, 2024.
• Balance Changes: Notable adjustments included:
  • Introduction of friendly and reflective damage in custom game modes on February 1, 2024.
  • Re-enabled punishments for dodging and leaving matchmaking games.
  • Settlement garrison balance improvements introduced on November 25, 2023.
• Modding Improvements: Enhanced moddability of the World Map was rolled out on November 25, 2023, allowing modders greater flexibility in content creation.

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord officially launched on October 25, 2022, marking a significant milestone for the game. Following this, the Digital Companion was released on December 16, providing players with a story journal, hand-drawn map, concept art, and music. Additionally, players saw the introduction of Custom Servers and Multiplayer Modding, enhancing the online experience.

• New Gameplay Features:

  • Formation Targeting: Introduced on June 28, 2023, allowing players to target enemy formations during battles.
  • Weather Effects: Also added on June 28, rain and snow now impact movement speed and siege preparation times.
  • Kingdom Destruction Mechanic: Kingdoms can now be destroyed when they lose all fiefs, making clans independent.

• Content Additions:

  • New Armor Pieces: Three new armor pieces—Ornate Scale Armor, Khan's Coat of Plates, and Khan's Plated Bracers—were added on June 28, 2023.
  • New Battle Terrains: Six new battle terrains were introduced, increasing the total to 76 unique battle scenes.
  • Voice-over Content: The main storyline and greeting dialogues received voice-over content at launch.

• Balance Changes:

  • Dismount Mechanic: Reintroduced in Beta v1.2.4 on October 20, 2023, for testing in multiplayer.
  • AI Combat Level Adjustments: Changes to AI combat calculations improved skill distribution among enemies.

• Modding Improvements:

  • World Map Modding: Enhancements to world map modding were made on October 20, 2023, along with reduced mod loading times.

• Quality of Life Updates:

  • The Digital Companion was gifted to all players who purchased the game on PC prior to December 16, 2022, enhancing player engagement with additional lore and resources.