Top 10 Combat Tips for Bannerlord!

The best part of Mount and Blade 2 Bannerlord is the combat system, but it can be really frustrating trying to "git gud". In this guide, I'll show you my best combat tips I've learned along the way! From melee combat to baiting cavalry off a cliff, you'll have a leg up on the competition after watching.

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0:00 - Intro
0:15 - El Matador: Bait Cavalry Off A Cliff
0:57 - Pro Riding Tips
1:52 - Fighting Outnumbered On Foot
3:26 - Early Mounted Archery
4:00 - Couch Lance Best Practices
5:26 - Pike Brace Best Practices
6:36 - Ranged Weapon Mini-Stun, Why?!
7:04 - Mounted Combat Large Battles Best Practices
8:08 - How To Force Defensive Sieges
9:40 - How To Take A Castle By Yourself - Solo Conquest

[FalkenThunder]

Wow, i don't know why i underestimated this guide when i saw the title. I was expecting the usual "you can chamber by attacking at the right time" instead i got this fantastic guide with things i've never thought of. don't know why i expected something else of you.

[mattgchev]

The way you captured the castle was amazing. Just when I think I'm getting good at the game, you throw something else in and make me go back to the drawing board. Excellent stuff.

[bladfadsfblaadsfsadf]

10:35 just a quick note, to speed up killing the infantry and to maximize rout, try taking the stones out of the gatehouse to throw on their heads from the walls. Since it has AOE, you’ll kill upwards of 10 each time you throw one into the blob. Some castles, primarily imperial ones, have the nafta jugs, which can knock out even more.

This is NOT the case if you use the ammo for a catapult on the ramparts. For some reason those stones will only ever knock out one guy at a time regardless of the proximity of other troops.

[kanrakucheese]

Tricking animals into running off a cliff is a historical hunting method known as a Buffalo Jump. There's a cliff in Canada where this was done that's preserved as a world heritage site called "Head-Smashed-In".

[AurelianusRestitutorOrbis]

This guy has 400 comments and still reacts to every single one, what a legend.

I recently bought bannerlord and your video’s are SO HELPFUL, informative, straight to the point, funny, and you have a good voice.

Don’t stop making video’s man, you have a talent for this and you’re putting the work, Awesome!

[msj]

These tips are great! I guffawed at the opening cavalry plunge, and I'll definitely be solo-castling and enjoying a few flagons of ale over the weekend. Thanks for putting the video together, Strat!

[exile]

My favorite way to siege a Castle is to go in with 4 fire mangonels, no ram, no siege tower. put all melee units on hold at the start and let the range pick people off in the walls and man the mangonels to shell the enemy. By the time the mangonels are out of ammo a good half of the defenders are dead. The problem is some troops keep trying to put the ladders up which gets them killed, but it also draws the defenders to the ladders, giving the mangonels some juicy targets.

[Bishey]

These are some amazing tips. I'll definitely be incorporating some of them into my play. Although cavalry suicide and solo castle taking is too immersion breaking for my taste :)

[Jormmg]

Strat, I've been playing Mount and Blade for over a decade now and you've shown me things that have taken - even my multiplayer gameplay up a level. You're awesome dude.

[Nerazmus]

Side-strafing is actually really good for horse archery. Since you can aim at a mob of enemies while riding away from them

[oleksandr]

I would like to add extra tip, with two-handed axe you can swing not only threw infantry, but horse as well and none of cavalry able to block attack under their butt.

[rowbot]

Fighting archers and javelins on horseback (and to a lesser extent on foot) is easier if you weave in a very slight S pattern, they aim where you're going to be if you keep going the way you were, and by weaving you can throw their aim off almost all of the time.

[adoggred]

My man, this is the single most useful guide I have ever seen for this game, thank you!.

[takuoku]

a channel called spartan gaming also found something similar to el matador using a spicific sturgian castle map. the units will just fall to their death from a cliff. and the even funnier thing is that you don't even need to do anything special. you just sit with your shield up.

[fabf]

When you fight on foot against soldiers with shields. The easiest way to get them out of intablock mode is to hold W, as if you push it, it makes them try to land a hit.

Also, if he is using a thrown weapon, it will mini stun them leaving him vulnerable to a sword slash.

[soundgfx]

oh wow I went in with this video thinking I knew all about these tips, but I didn't think about trying to cheese sieges by soloing them, that's pretty neat.



I always make it a point to commit to a siege because they're a fun spectacle but sometimes it gets old and you just want to get it over with without losing troops.

[WiFye]

I never knew about the bumping mini stun when it came to throwing weapons. This happens a lot to me when using throwing knives in town and now I know why.

Great video as always and I'll be enjoying the cliff jumping calvary tomorrow.

[Maartwo]

Strat gaming is one of the few MB2 YouTubers that actually makes quality content and provides cool new info.

[FaithfulOfBrigantia]

You have no idea how grateful i am for learning about the mini-stun.

My character is focused on javelin throwing, and i use them for melee as well since the shorter the spear the more effective it is, however often enemies are able to close the distance and my character was consistently getting obliterated by even pesants because i literally could not do anything without "triping".
i never realised this only happened while i was still in ranged mode and always assumed it was annoying bug

[freddy]

This was a great video. I have done many of the "don't do" scenarios that you pointed out. So cool to learn ways to improve my skills in the game!