The Battanian and Empire Cultures Reign Supreme in Bannerlord
After extensive analysis across all factors from unique bonuses, battle tactics and ideal startup builds, the Battanian and Empire cultures stand out as top-tier choices for new characters in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord.
Key Reasons Why Battanians and Empire Excel
Battanian Perks
- Wildheart Trait
- 60% forest movement speed increase
- 50% less winter speed penalties
- Archery-focused armies and troop tree
- Deadly ranged units like the Fian Champion
Empire Benefits
- Discipline Trait
- 20% party healing speed increase
- 3% reduced troop desertion
- Military diversity with strong cavalry, infantry and ranged
- Cavalry shock troops can dominate opponents
Essential Skills for Fast Progression
Focusing early skill point allocation on these areas will help new characters progress quickly:
| Skill | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Trade | Buy low & sell high goods between towns for profit |
| Steward | Increases maximum party size for larger armies |
| Charm | Better recruitment deals and relations |
| Smithing | Craft valuable weapons/armor for income |
| Medicine | Increases post-battle troop survival rate |
- Prioritizing these skills early on will provide financial gains to then fuel an expanding faction
Most Reliable Methods of Gaining Gold
Utilizing these key tactics will rapidly generate thousands of Gold to jumpstart expansion:
Completing village quests like delivering goods or eliminating threats
Hunting down looters across the map and selling their equipment
Betting on yourself to win tournament prizes consistently
Buying trade goods cheaply in villages, selling at high prices in towns
Becoming a mercenary for warring kingdoms and collecting payments
Combining these approaches generates reliable passive income and lump sums of cash
Cities That Provide Major Economic Benefits
Controlling these towns will provide rich tariffs, production and boundless prosperity growth:
| Town | Starting Prosperity | Key Benefits | Culture |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marunath | 5500 | Trade hub, nearby forests | Battania |
| Epicrotea | 5600 | Weapon/armor smithies | Empire |
| Ortysia | 5000 | Massive wine operation | Empire |
| Vostrum | 5000 | Linen and silverware guilds | Empire |
| Lageta | 5000 | Major wood/leather producer | Vlandia |
Building a Deadly Balanced Army
- Archers – Rained arrows shred enemies at range
- Infantry – Hold the line and protect archers
- Cavalry – Flank and shock charge opponents
This combo allows flexibility to counter any opponent. Battanian archers and Empire cataphracts are especially powerful and can each decimate enemies. Mixing in infantry to protect archers helps dominate battles with minimal losses!
Tactics to Counter Other Factions
Against Battanians:
- Charge in with heavy cavalry before archers setup
- Use horse archers to flank and barrage them from afar
- Shields closing gap to engage in melee combat
Facing the Empire:
- Use cavalry to flank artillery and ranged units
- Eliminate artillery early from a distance
- Close in under shield cover, then overrun frontline infantry
Learning key counters to other factions provides a major strategic advantage in battle after battle!
In Summary
The Battanians and Empire emerge as top cultures in Bannerlord due to their powerful benefits and great synergies throughout all stages of expansion.
- Battania‘s forest combat bonuses enable guerilla domination
- The Empire‘s diversity and healing strengths persist long campaigns
- Focus Trade, Steward and Charm early on
- Mercenary work, looters and tournaments quickly generate >100k+ gold
- Control prime cities for endless prosperity growth
- Tactically apply counters to different opponents for victory!
I hope this provides ample guidance on excelling with the superb Battanian and Empire cultures. Let me know if you have any other questions!
