Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord — How to own a settlement

At its core, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is all about conquest. From humble beginnings, you’ll soon lead armies that can topple the mightiest empires. Of course, you’ll also get to control some fiefdoms along the way. Here’s our Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord guide to help you own and capture settlements. There are a couple of ways to do this in-game.

Note: For more information, check out our Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord guides and features hub.

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord guide – How to own a settlement

Conquest via sieges

There are distinct methods that will help you own a settlement in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord. To clarify, though, what normally counts are towns (large settlements) and castles. The small villages that dot the map tend to be tied to the largest settlement in the area, only providing some wealth and prosperity.

Now, before you rush off and come knocking on a nearby fortress, make sure you’ve amassed a decent-sized army with ideal troops. Along the way, you can try raiding nearby villages, ruining your relations with a faction and causing them to declare war.

When you’re ready, begin preparations for a siege. Depending on your Engineering skill, it can take a few days for your siege weapons to be in place. You may then wait and watch as they whittle down enemy defenses, or strike quickly by leading an assault.

This switches to the siege battle map, whereupon your forces will clash with the garrison. You can cheese these battles somewhat by camping at the base of the walls. Snipe anyone with your bow if they pop their head out, or climb up ladders and swipe at the dumbstruck AI.

Once all defenders are dead/captured, you can decide what to do with the town/castle (i.e., devastate, pillage, or show mercy). The settlement is yours, but you did end up in a war with another nation, which means you’ll have to do everything you can to protect your new fiefdom.

Ownership by vote

Another way to own a settlement in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is by joining a kingdom. You can then become a mercenary or a vassal (the options become available once you reach Clan Rank 1 and Clan Rank 2 respectively).

Once you’re a vassal, you can join wars against other factions. Whenever a settlement has been captured by said kingdom, ownership will be put up for a vote. Certain factors play a role here, such as your influence and relations with your fellow vassals. If all goes well and you’ve got enough sway, the leader of that faction will reward you with new lands.

Note: If you decide to leave the service of your chosen kingdom, you’ll have the option to surrender control of your entire domain. This leads to a peaceful result, and you’re free to continue adventuring elsewhere. Conversely, rejecting this proposal will lead to war with your former liege/allies.

Trading settlements

The last option if you plan to own a settlement in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is the good ol’ barter system. You’re going to need a whopping 300 Trade skill to unlock the “Everything Has a Price” perk. Once you’ve acquired that, you can have fiefdoms by exchanging these lands for a ton of gold.

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is available now via Steam. For more information, check out our guides and features hub.