After the events of Mount and Blade: Warband, the continent of Calradia has shattered into warring factions, each at the throats of the other and each believing they have a unique right to rule. As the player in Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord, it’s up to you to choose a side and help them achieve victory or strike out on your own and forge a new world.

With a host of factions to choose from, some new and some returning at least in part from previous games, you may need a rundown of who they are and what they can offer you. So sit back, relax, and let’s take a deeper look at the Kingdoms and factions of Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord.

Aserai

The south belongs to the horse troops of the Aserai and their ruler, Sultan Unqid. With few land borders with other factions the Aserai can build up strength and choose when to invade. They also gain bonuses to trade with their 10% smaller trade penalty and a 30% decrease in price of caravans.

Battania

This forest faction rules over a North-Western area of the map consisting of forested highlands. Their troops reflect this with a 10% smaller speed penalty to troops moving through forests. Ruled over by King Caladog they are surrounded at the start but can use the forest to their advantage.

The Empire

The Calradic Empire has fallen into chaos after the assassination of the emperor, with three nascent nations rising to lay claim to the seat of power. Whilst they share some attributes and crowd the centre of the game’s map, they do have distinct identities. All the Empire factions share the same trait, however, meaning they receive a 20% construction speed bonus.

Northern Empire

The Northern Empire is led by a wealthy Senator by the name of Lucon who wants the imperial senate to appoint a new emperor. With a large lake to the north, they are surrounded by enemies but have a natural barrier to protect them against foes.

Southern Empire

The Empress Dowager, Rhagaea rules over the Southern Empire in the name of the emperor’s daughter and potential heir, Ira. Bordered to the south by the sea, the Southern Empire is still hemmed in by the cavalry-led armies of the Khuzait and Aserai factions.

Western Empire

The militaristic wing of the Calradic Empire is personified by the Western Empire, ruled over by veteran military leader Garios. This central kingdom shares borders with five different factions so will usually be embroiled in a fight fairly quickly.

Khuzait Khanate

The Khuzait Khanate is a nation of horse troops that often act as raiders, sweeping down from the steppe. Their ruler is Monochug and their horse troops get a 10% increase in speed on the world map, making raids much more enticing. Their lands take up the entire Eastern side of the map making them defensible at the start of the game too.

Sturgia

Ruling the north, Sturgia is a mountainous, snowy region making it ideal to hold and defend against incursion. Their rule is Prince Raganvad and their troops ignore 20% of the snow movement penalty making defensive measures even more attractive.

Vlandia

Spanning the entirety of the west coast of the continent, the Vlandians are ruled over by King Derthert and have the geography of the map in their favour for defensive actions. Their troops gain a 20% increase in experience from battles, meaning they can upgrade their troops quickly after seeing action.

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