In Medieval Sim Mount and Blade: Bannerlord the player has the chance to join one of the many factions that populate the region of Calradia. From the viking themed Sturgians to the forest-dwelling Battanians. The player has the opportunity to either join one of these kingdoms and serve the ruler, hoping to work their way up to becoming the rules, or start their own kingdom. Having your own army might be fine but eventually you will want to join a kingdom.
This guide will focus on how to join one of the existing kingdoms in Calradia. It will cover how to join a kingdom as a mercenary faction, who fights for gold. It will also cover how to join a kingdom officially as a vassal, who is able to hold lands in their own name and wed other eligible faction’s family members.
Differences Between Joining as Mercenary and Vassal
before we can start to talk about joining a faction, there are two main ways you can serve a kingdom; as a vassal or mercenary. There are a few key differences to take away from both of these service types. Some are positive and some can be negative.
- Fief Ownership: Mercenary clans cannot own any fiefs that are apart of a kingdom. Either towns, castles or villages. Vassals are eligible to own lands in their own name.
- Payment: Mercenaries are payed for their service to a kingdom. They will be given a wage based on how many troops they have and extra pay depending on their service.
- Relationships: When you join a kingdom as a vassal, you take on that kingdoms enemies. If you leave a kingdom as a mercenary, you will not suffer any relationship loss. When you swear allegiance as a vassal, a king may be upset when you leave their kingdom. This will reduce your clan’s relationship with their clan.
You won’t actually be able to serve any kingdom as a vassal unless you’ve managed to get your clan to clan level 2. This will require you to go out and collect renown. So until then, it’s just mercenary work or running errands!
How to Become a Mercenary for a Kingdom
To begin with, you will not be able to become a mercenary in Mount and Blade: Bannerlord. The minimum clan level you need to become a mercenary is level 1. Until you have reached this level you will not be able to join any kingdom at all. Try winning a few battles against bandits and fighting a few tournaments until you reach this level. It shouldn’t take too long. All you need is 5 renown to reach this level.
Once you have reached this, you can join any kingdom you wish as a mercenary. To do this you must earn 50 renown. you can check how high your clan’s renown level is by opening up the Clan menu with the L key and looking at the level in the top right.
If your clan is at least tier 1, you can join a kingdom as a mercenary. To do this, follow these steps:
- Decide which clan you wish to join and locate one of their vassals
- Speak to one of the Nobles of any Kingdom. It doesn’t have to be the leader
- Select the following dialogue options: There is something I’d like to discuss > I would like to enter the service of …. > My sword is yours. For the right sum. > All Right. I accept.
- Serve the kingdom as a mercenary
Once you become a mercenary, those kingdom’s enemies will also wish to attack you as well. You will see certain kingdom’s lords become hostile. Luckily at this stage you will not have any fiefs to protect. This can be a pretty rewarding way to play the game and if you do well as a mercenary there is a chance that the kingdom will ask you to become a vassal and offer you a fief as a reward.
If you’ve a high enough clan level however, you may just want to skip the mercenary work and become a vassal in the faction.
How to Become a Kingdom’s Vassal in Bannerlord
If mercenary work isn’t for you and you actually wish to serve a kingdom and make decisions, the next step is to become a vassal. A vassal is an equal part of the kingdom with other lords. As a vassal you will have a right to vote on who gets fiefs after they have been taken in battle, decide on the successor to the throne, should you leader fall in battle and have the ability to run your own towns and castles.
This is the route you want to take to become a real part of the kingdom. You may even be crowned king one day if you make good alliances. Because becoming a vassal is a greater pledge of allegiance than just being a mercenary, you will have to seek out the leader of the kingdom. To become a vassal in Bannerlord follow these steps:
- Locate the leader of the Kingdom you wish to join
- Speak with the leader and go down the following conversation route:
- There is something that I’d like to discuss
- I would like to enter your service
- My lord, I would pledge allegiance to you and be counted among your loyal followers
- I am ready, …
- Continue to cite the pledge. (all of the responses at the top)
Once you have become a vassal you will receive a small amount of elite level troops and also a unique weapon. Most importantly, you will become a part of that kingdom until you decide to leave.