Here`s why you should not take out lords in Mount and Blade 2 Bannerlord | Subscribe for a free fief

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My Honest Thoughts After 1,000 Hours of Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord
After putting in over 1,000 hours into Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord, I feel like I’ve seen almost everything this game has to offer—and trust me, that’s a lot. Whether you’re into commanding huge armies, managing a kingdom, exploring a medieval sandbox, or all of the above, Bannerlord delivers in ways that few other games do. In this review, I’ll break down why you should consider picking it up, especially if you’re into immersive strategy games with tons of replay value.

If you decide to get Mount and Blade 2, I’ve linked a discount in the description below—you can grab it for 40% off through G2A. Alright, let’s jump into what makes this game worth your time (and possibly 1,000 hours of your life).

1. Massive Battles with 1,000+ Troops
Let’s start with what still blows my mind after so many hours: the battles. Imagine leading 1,000 soldiers onto the battlefield, all clashing at once. And yes, it feels as epic as it sounds. The scale of the battles is one of the game’s biggest selling points. You’re not just watching from the sidelines either—you’re right in the thick of it, giving commands, charging into the fray, or sniping enemies from afar. The control you have is impressive—you can set formations, issue orders, and adapt your strategy on the fly. Whether you prefer a disciplined shield wall, a flanking cavalry charge, or a swarm of archers raining down arrows, it’s all possible. No two battles feel the same, and mastering these massive skirmishes is extremely satisfying.

2. Huge Open-World Sandbox
One of the main reasons people keep coming back to Bannerlord is the freedom it gives you. The world is absolutely massive, and it’s entirely up to you what kind of story you want to tell. Do you want to be a ruthless warlord carving out your own kingdom? Maybe a peaceful trader building wealth through commerce? Or a mercenary for hire, selling your sword to the highest bidder? The choice is yours, and the possibilities are endless. Each playthrough feels fresh because you can always take a different path. One game you might focus on being a master tactician leading armies, while the next you might just wander the world as a lone adventurer looking for trouble (or avoiding it). The sheer freedom is one of the game’s biggest strengths.

3. Deep Character Customization and Build Variety
One of the most addictive parts of Bannerlord is developing your character. The game offers a detailed skill tree that lets you specialize in exactly what you want. Whether you aim to become an unstoppable warrior, a legendary archer, or a charismatic leader, you have full control over how your character evolves. But it’s not just about combat—you can also dive into trade, diplomacy, engineering, and more. For example, you could focus on being the best blacksmith in the land, forging legendary weapons and selling them for a fortune. Or maybe you’re more interested in mastering the art of speechcraft, negotiating alliances and swaying lords to join your cause. The level of customization is deep enough that you’ll always find new ways to build your character, keeping each playthrough fresh and exciting.

4. Dynamic Kingdom Building
This feature is an absolute game-changer. You can go from being a lowly mercenary to a full-fledged king or queen ruling your own kingdom. Once you’ve built enough power, you can start recruiting lords to join your cause, conquer castles, and expand your territory across Calradia. Kingdom management adds another layer of strategy—you’ll need to keep your vassals happy, manage resources, and defend your borders against rival factions. The political aspect of running a kingdom is engaging too—form alliances, negotiate peace, or betray those who get in your way. Conquering a castle, upgrading its defenses, and recruiting more soldiers to fill your ranks never gets old. The sense of progression as you rise from a small-time adventurer to a ruler of your own empire is extremely satisfying.

5. Rich Modding Community
Bannerlord’s modding community is absolutely thriving. If you ever get bored of the base game (which might take a while), there are tons of mods out there to breathe new life into the game. You can change everything from the units you recruit to the world map itself. Ever wanted to lead a Spartan army or fight in the Roman Empire? There’s a mod for that. How about taking part in a Game of Thrones-style campaign where you can fight for the Iron Throne?

[PixelJohnny]

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[lafamiliahernandez]

I agree. This makes total sense. The only thing I don't get is that the same thing happens if you execute generals from rebel settlements. Id like to be able to execute a rebel to send a message that it won't be tolerated lol

[elite]

they screwed the execution system anyway so unless you use mods theres no point doing it unless someone really deserves it cuz they killed a ton of your party

[Fcjr]

Too late valandia was starting to get on my nerves 😂

[drunecronos]

I did a play through were I executed every single lord I captured. Sure I was hated for a while but by the end I was running around with massive armies and all the other factions had lords that could only recruit 10 men and were wearing peasant clothes 😂

[jaydayounganwho]

MY KINGDOM SURROUNDED BY DEAD MEN, OFF WITH UR HEAD NO MERCY 😂

[Xanthippus_ix]

One time one of my favorite companions was killed in battle, my rage was unquenchable and my wrath unchecked. I killed dozens of enemy lords without remorse.

I was already one party against the world, I figured a few more enemies wasn't too much of an issue.

[MOJAHED-XAN]

My blade is clean because there was no any clan to fight at the end of my journey 😊

[tommynosocks]

Those things are all true but it’s WAY easier to actually commit to conquest without powerful lords randomly rising back up and retaking your cities.

[rockybalboa]

By donating lords you gain a lot XP. I buy captured lords and donate them. It's very powerful.

[spartstar]

Osven After capturing me 34 times, skating Imperial armies and winning the only tournament I Lost in that run IS NIT GOING TI KEEO HIS HEAD ON HIS SHOUKDERS

[Dani-zhlx]

Been while since i played but i executed the shit out of everyone won the game took most of the map and made lords from my companions and later when i wanted actual lords i made friends by bribing or doing some favors to lords that hate me less than others worked smooth

[BossMan-qinb]

im gonna be honest i conquered calradia by executing all captured enemy lords including faction leaders. eventually all their fiefs would get passed to another kingdom whenever all kingdom members are dead. so what i did is capture all the final lords of every faction, then execute them all at the same time, leading to all of calradia being handed to myself. it was tricky because i had to not only capture all of them but also do it before any other lords of their kingdom comes of age.

[jonstanford]

I prefer to max out the perks that prevent escape and just make them my permanent guest until the war is over & they get released automatically or I can recruit them

[ipkaa]

i’m so glad to see you getting consistent views and likes now, you deserve it a lot

[Krossiant]

offing every vlandian Baron early game can stop them from snowballing the western side of the map. They have a vast amount of nobles but outside of the barons theyre not particularly strong. When im playing solo clan campaigns, i employ this strategy often after conquering the Ostican/Rovalt penisula. Aserai/Battania/W. Emp will take advantage during their momentary decrease of power

[NordicJarl]

Yeah i always freed enemy lords. Mostly because there will be no one else to fight and im in it for the battle like Thorkell from vinland saga.

[Kaltavarth]

Yeah one of my playthrough I was just like duck it bro, I had like 40% of Calgaria covered until all the other clans would not stop wars with me and for sum reason my clan mates never agreed to settle for peace. So I just ended anyone who dared enter war with us. Ended up pushing all of them back and stop wars with me for like a good while just because they no longer had generals who can lead armies againts me 😈🤷🏽‍♂️

[JColdery]

This 100% makes sense. But captured Derthert? Execute.

[TyreseSummers]

When i built a kingdom off established clans i would release lords but now that im making my companions vassals i just ransom them