The land of Calradia is getting bigger. The massive single-player War Sails expansion for Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is now live. The expansion, true to its name, mainly focuses on introducing naval battles to the legendary sandbox RPG. This means adding 20 types of ships you can add to your fleet, expanding the game’s world to accommodate these vessels, adding new mechanics like naval blockades during sieges, and troops that feel at home on a ship’s deck.
Beyond all that, the expansion also brings with it a new seafaring faction of Nords and a new cinematic questline that introduces the sailing mechanics. The War Sails expansion is now available on Steam, as well as Xbox and PlayStation consoles, priced at $22.49 or your regional equivalent. This includes a 10% launch discount that will be live through December 10, 2025. During this time, you can get the base Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord at 50% off.
For a better taste of what the expansion has to offer, you may want to check out this naval battle showcase:
And if you’d like to learn more about the inspirations behind the new ships, you can head on over to this Rock Paper Shotgun interview with the developers.
Patch v1.3.4 Overview
Together with the expansion, the base version of Bannerlord has received a massive new update. This 1.3.4 Patch brings with it a heap of changes and improvements. Some of its notable features include improved diplomacy and trade, new sling weapon type, a new stealth and disguise system, new random events, better combat and overworld AI, and improved modding capabilities. On top of that, we’ll now have the option to take over our troops should our main character get knocked out during battle.
Here’s a detailed overview of the new patch features:
Alliances & Trade Agreements Common enemies bring kingdoms closer to forming alliances, which encourages them to stand together against each other’s foes, while trade agreements incentivize caravan traffic between partner kingdoms.
Reworked War, Peace & Tribute Decision Scoring Each conflict is now evaluated through a refined war progress score, resulting in more logical declarations and outcomes, while reducing the number of short wars.
Stealth & Disguise Stealth and Disguise mechanics now power prison breaks, new hideout scenes, and hostile town infiltrations. Guards react to light, sound, and movement while you sneak, create distractions, eliminate targets quietly, and hide bodies. Disguise lets you scout and operate in hostile towns, though suspicious actions will quickly raise an alarm.
Fast Mode Fast Mode is a new optional module that can be selected from the launcher on PC. It speeds up the passage of time: years are shorter, characters age faster, while skill progression and population turnover are tuned to match, making multi-generation dynasties and succession easier to experience in a single playthrough.
Deserters & Patrol Parties War now has additional consequences. After battles, fleeing survivors may regroup into tougher roaming bands, especially in war-torn regions. Towns can counter this by building Guard Houses, which produce patrol parties that protect villages, fight bandits, and assist nearby battles.
Random Events These short moments of decision break up long journeys with brief and immersive stories that affect your traits, skills, party, items, or gold.
Parley with Enemy This feature lets you start conversations with nobles inside enemy settlements from a safe distance, without immediately risking a full battle.
Movement Control over Caravans Through dialogue, you can change a caravan’s home town and instruct it to avoid specific kingdoms. Caravans were also adjusted to focus on maximizing trade amounts, value, and profits.
Reworked Army & Party AI Armies and parties now keep a closer eye on their strength, wounded troops, and food when choosing targets or deciding whether to press on, pull back, or disband, which cuts down on detrimental marches and makes their actions more calculated.
Reworked Settlement Projects We reworked settlement projects to balance impactful and situational projects, while introducing new options that give the player finer control over how they develop and manage their fief.
Recruiting Notables as Supporters You can now recruit notables as supporters via dialogue. With enough relation and a one-time payment, they’ll back your clan, generating daily influence and shifting loyalty in your favor, but if relations drop too low, they can withdraw that support.
New Weapon – Slings We also expanded the arsenal. Slings offer a fast ranged option with multiple ammo types, giving both you and certain troops a new way to pressure enemies at range.
Post-Knockout Troop Takeover You can now take direct control of another troop after getting knocked out in battles and sieges. Less spectating, more raiding!
Crouched Ranged Attacks & Reloading You can fire and reload while crouching with short bows, light crossbows, throwing knives, and throwing rocks, letting you stay low behind cover or move more naturally during both stealth missions and regular battles.
Overhauled Spear Bracing Spearmen will now fight with their spears more often, switching to swords when close combat makes it the better choice. Spear bracing has been reworked with smoother animations and improved aiming. AI also targets the riders more accurately while bracing, making properly timed spear walls far better at stopping cavalry that tries to push through.
Improved Melee, Ranged & Cavalry AI Melee, ranged, and cavalry AI troops received improvements to targeting and movement. Cavalry charges and tracks targets in a more refined way, horse archers move with less zig-zagging and stay with their formations more. Melee troops now aim better and don’t shy away from mounted enemies. Ranged units lead projectiles at moving targets more effectively, better avoid friendly fire, and hold position once they are in good range.
New Main Menu Videos, Armour Pieces, Weapons, Shields, Scabbards & Holsters New main menu videos were introduced for each culture, and several new armour pieces and equipment sets were added, including items that support stealth gameplay. Sturgia in particular received new shields and cultural bonuses, while newly added scabbards and holsters polish the overall look of troops.
Overhauled Mission Atmospheres We fine-tuned atmosphere visuals with updated lighting and improved skybox textures. Towns, castles, and other scenes now have a greater range of custom environments tailored to cover specific times of day, together with improved global illumination.
New Music & Sounds To further improve the immersion, we introduced new music and ambient sounds to support stealth missions, as well as broader audio additions.
Import/Export Hero Cheats If you like to tweak your campaigns, new Import and Export options let you edit hero equipment, skills, attributes, gold, and appearance through save files and bring those changes back into the game.
Expanded Modding Capabilities We expanded modding support with a wide range of new options. We added FMOD audio event support, made atmospheres and campaign time moddable, and introduced new ways to influence AI and mission behaviour through agent and weapon settings. We also added better support for custom world maps and a new XML Editor. Many of these improvements were inspired by feedback from our modding community.
Sail the high seas, lead mighty fleets, and forge your legacy in War Sails, the epic single-player expansion for Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord. Bringing naval warfare to Bannerlord for the first time, War Sails lets players command powerful ships, engage in thrilling sea battles, and master maritime conquest.
Embark on daring naval adventures with new mechanics, territories, and challenges. Customize your fleet, conquer settlements, and carve your legend on the high seas!
MEET THE NORDS, A NEW VIKING-INSPIRED FACTION
Chart your course to the Northern Kingdom, home of the fearless Nords—legendary seafarers and masters of close-quarters combat. Explore a land of jagged peaks, vast taigas and freezing fjords, where scattered settlements rise like ships from the sea. A bold adventurer may trade their goods, recruit their warriors, join their ranks or challenge their rule. Will you join the North or seize its riches?
MASTER NAVAL WARFARE
War Sails introduces a unique and immersive naval warfare system that has been inspired by accounts of actual medieval sea battles. Featuring realistic wind and water physics, ship-to-ship combat lets you board enemies from multiple points, ram them, or attack from afar.
Captains can seize opportunities by boarding already engaged ships, prepare for an incoming attack by creating a floating fortress or take a risk to tie down several enemies at once – giving their allies an edge elsewhere. They may ram an enemy ship to sink it – or at least throw men off board, shatter oars and compromise buoyancy. Well-placed arrows and ballista fire can also tear through sails, further crippling mobility.
EXPLORE AN EXPANDED WORLD
Calradia has been reimagined with a northern region, a settled island, coastal waters and open seas. The dynamic weather system was also refined to include storms and trade winds. Ships move faster when riding the gales, but beware—attrition can unravel even the best-laid plans.
The naval systems and Nord faction integrate into Bannerlord’s world, reshaping trade, warfare, and diplomacy. Ship production and new trade goods add regional variety. Coastal towns may grow rich from this — if they can fend off pirates and naval invasions.
Sieges have also been adapted to naval warfare. Armies will have to bring along a fleet and set up a blockade, if they want to stop supplies and reinforcements arriving over sea.
BUILD YOUR FLEET
Players can choose from 18 ship types modelled after historical vessels, each with unique handling, shaped by realistic wind and wave physics. They can be customized with siege engines, cargo holds, sails, rams, and more. Shipyards build and stock vessels based on their town’s culture and development. Players can also capture ships and figureheads in battle.
EXPAND YOUR ARSENAL
The character system has been extended with Nord hairstyles, beards, and tattoos. Three nautical skills were added that enhance navigation, tactics, and stewardship. There are also many new items including spears, swords, axes, shields, and armor.
Troop trees now include mariner troops that are more effective at sea. Players can also recruit new companions with maritime backgrounds.
LEARN THE ROPES
A new questline introduces players to the seas of Calradia through cinematics, scripted missions, and classic Mount & Blade gameplay. Learn how to command your ship, then take it into battle against a pirate confederacy. Lead a growing fleet of newfound allies as you face a range of nautical challenges.
ENHANCED AUDIO
The sounds of the sea come to life with new Mediterranean and Nordic-inspired musical tracks. Experience rich soundscapes with piercing winds, crashing waves and creaking ships. Feel the heat of battle as steel clashes and sailors cry out.
Resident role-playing RPG game expert. Knows where trolls and paladins come from. You must fight for your right to gather your party before venturing forth.
