Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord With Full Release Date; Future Plans Revealed

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord still enjoys considerable popularity. Despite the fact that the release in early access took place over a year ago, on average more than 10 thousand gamers are playing the game at the same time every day. To a large extent, this is due to the developers, who regularly release new updates. No wonder that in the face of the decision not to appear at gamescom 2021 developers decided to share with fans plans for the future. Contrary to what was previously announced, the game will not be finished this year. The new date of the expected exit from early access is Q2 (April - June) 2022, although the date may change. We also know that the title will someday come to consoles, but we still have no details. It seems that TaleWorlds Entertainment still has a lot of work ahead of it.

Single-player

The game focuses on the single-player experience, so it's no wonder that this mode will see the biggest revolutions.

1. Battle Terrain System - this encompasses changes to the appearance of battlefields that have already been announced to the community. In the future, battlefields in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord will better reflect the landscapes we see on the world map. In addition, the location of troops at the start of the clash will affect the initial positioning of our forces.

New battle scenes promise to be interesting.

1. Granting of Peerage to Companions - the devs are working on the possibility to grant titles of nobility to deserving companions;
2. Banner Bearers - in the future, on the battlefields of Calradia, people will appear bearing banners. They won't be just a decoration, but will have a real influence on our soldiers;
3. Party Templates - at the moment the lords follow more or less the same rules when recruiting and promoting units, but this is about to change. Leaders will be more diverse in this respect and it will be influenced by their character and culture they come from;
4. Cut Scenes - short clips will appear in the game, announcing important events such as the death of a companion or the birth of a child (similar to the execution animation);
5. Sally Out Mission - when besieged, the defenders can launch an excursion and try to push back the enemy army from under the walls, which at the moment works the same as a regular battle. However, the developers plan for breaking through enemy forces to require completing missions on special maps, enabling the players more immersion.
6. Order of Battle - this is a preview of slightly more tactical skirmishes. Before the fight we'll be able to set our units in formations and deploy them (this applies to clashes in the field and sieges).

1. Claimant Quests - in the second installment of the series will also return a feature known from Mount & Blade: Warband, that is, opposing the prevailing order in Calradia and taking the side of a pretender to the throne;
2. Vocalisation - Calradia will get a voice over at some point, or at least those elements of it which we'll often hear, i.e. greetings and story quests;
3. Other - the developers of course point out that work still continues, even on elements that are already implemented. Tasks, music, landscapes, various systems - there's still a lot of work ahead of the developers.

Multiplayer

Changes will also affect the multiplayer mode; the future promises to be led by the banner of competition.

1. Ranked Matchmaking - developers plan to add a slightly changed system of choosing opponents, based on ranks and how we do in Skirmish and Captain modes;
2. Progression System and Skins - we'll get points for playing, which we'll be able to spend on cosmetic changes;
3. Voice Chat - while it already exists in Skirmish mode, developers want to improve it significantly;
4. Cheer and Shout Systems - the developers also plan to add various battle shouts, which will enable us to convey information to allies and enemies. In addition, various quick commands will be introduced, enabling you to inform your allies without having to fire up the voice chat;
5. MVP System - the best player of a given skirmish will receive an award which will be seen by other warriors. Eternal glory!
6. End of Match Screen - a new screen is being developed to show more information about the match and the people who have left their mark on it;
7. Flag Capture Improvements - changes will focus more on combat. Enemies will be slower to capture our flag, which will enable the players to have more relaxed skirmishes, without the need for defenders to constantly "huddle" to te banner;
8. Other - just like in the case of single-player, there is still work in progress on improving the already existing elements and mechanics. In addition, in the future there will be a mode with one life per player, and on the horizon (possibly only after the release of the full version of the game) there is a vision of setting up our own servers.

Both modes

Some common changes are also waiting for both modes. The sound system during battles will be improved and optimized. In addition, work is underway on various language versions. The developer also plans to continue the policy of supporting mods.

Some of the above changes were already known to the community, and the malicious users will say that others have already been implemented by mods. However, it is certainly fair to say that the above list brings a lot of clarity to the developers' plans and has been warmly welcomed by the community. Although there are numerous fan voices in the comments that note the lack of a co-op mode for the campaign in the list. However, this is nothing new, as the developers have long had few hopes themselves about the introduction of the option.

1. Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord First look at E3 – Sieges, realism and staying true to the original
2. Mount and Blade 2 Bannerlord - game guide
3. TaleWorlds - official homepage