Taking the medieval sandbox simulation of Mount & Blade from the sprawling continent of Calradia to the high seas wasn’t the sort of pivot we had anticipated, but that’s exactly what Bannerlord’s first major expansion, War Sails, brings to Mount & Blade 2. In tandem with a new Nordic-inspired playable faction – the imaginatively named Nords – comes a web of new systems and maritime mechanics that greatly expands Bannerlord’s naval gameplay.
This isn’t the first time developer TaleWorlds Entertainment has tried to implement sea battles in its flagship series though previous attempts have been surface level at best with the modding community also taking a punt here and there. War Sails offers far more, however, introducing a whole new dimension to what is already a dense simulation known to hook players for hours on end. With that said, just how well executed is Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord’s hotly-anticipated expansion, and how does it enhance the core game, if at all?
The first thing you’ll notice upon booting Bannerlord after installing the DLC is a new start-up screen allowing you to select either the base version of the game (complete with your existing save data) or War Sails. It makes sense to separate the two as War Sails features its own campaign, an updated map, and the removal of online multiplayer.
One of the biggest improvements between Mount & Blade: Warband and Bannerlord was the inclusion of narrative elements that helped enrich Calradia and its factions by introducing a more traditional RPG-like quest system instead of relying on players to stitch together moments of emergent storytelling. Although some series purists will prefer dropping straight into sandbox mode, the War Sails campaign offers a more immersive way to learn about Bannerlord’s naval warfare and ship management systems.
It begins in a similar fashion to the base game, casting players as a lone venturer, separated from their family. However, instead of heading inland to discover the fate of their loved ones, War Sails folds this key plotline into its own swashbuckling saga that has you taken under the wing of Nord sea captain in his hunt for the menacing Sea Hounds.
While we can certainly appreciate the effort that goes into writing a new story – complete with fully voiced dialogue – the exposition in War Sails tends to drag on. Bannerlord may be a much better looking game than its forebears, but investing in characters who are barely animated during conversations is a big ask, even if they do have some interesting tidbits of lore to share. After a few story missions I found myself skipping through most of the dialogue so I could get to the meat of the expansion: learning how to use ships.
As it turns out, there’s not a great deal to get your head around. Traversing the campaign map by sea is pretty simple – with one click you can go from point A to B, though you’ll need to be aware of enemy factions, as well as opportunistic corsairs, who will attempt to engage you in combat. Doing so will transport you to a self-contained battlefield where ships go head-to-head in simulated naval battles. However, where Mount & Blade has always set itself apart from other strategy games is giving players direct command of their armies while also fighting amongst the rank and file.
Naval battles should introduce an exciting new way to play Bannerlord but, in truth, they all tend to follow the same tedious pattern as crews slowly engage and exchange volleys of missile fire before preparing to board. Throwing hooks and reeling in their target vessel, troops will quickly assemble rope bridges, pathing the way for confusingly frantic flurries of melee combat that only end when one side has been wiped out entirely.
You’ll quickly learn how to pilot your own ship, the simple controls allowing you to easily position yourself while raising/lowering the sails to adjust your speed, as well as setting all, half, or none of your crew to man the oars. Having fewer rowers will greatly reduce your mobility though it will increase the number of troops pelting nearby enemies with missile fire. Inevitably – unless trying your absolute hardest to avoid boarding actions – naval battles end with ships being drawn together in an awkward cluster and a messy albeit decisive mass brawl. This frames Bannerlord’s combat in its least enjoyable form: swinging and thrust in tight spaces where it’s difficult to make friend from foe. Overall, naval warfare lacks any kind of pleasing tactical variety though ship upgrades such as ballistas and better rams will at least make those opening moments of each sea battle a little more exciting. Thankfully, there’s always the option to simulate these skirmishes without needing to see each one played out in real-time.
What else does War Sails offer? As touched on before, Bannerlord’s existing Calradia map has been modified to accommodate for the expansion’s naval focus. Rivers and coastlines have morphed to allow for more opportunities to travel via ship with many cities now outfitted with ports where players can lay anchor, trade goods, and manage their fleet. There’s also a new Nord-controlled island to the north that makes for an ideal starting point from which to launch an invasion upon the mainland. As for the Nords themselves, like any faction they have their own network of cities, towns, and settlements, daubed with a Viking-esque aesthetic.
War Sails also adds three new maritime skills to Bannerlord’s existing lineup. These include Mariner, Boatswain, and Shipmaster, which each influence aspects such as sea combat prowess, fleet management, logistics, navigation, and ship upgrades. The requirements for levelling up these skills can be ambiguous and time consuming, though they do reward players who want to pursue a sea-based playstyle as well as those looking to enhance their land armies with naval capabilities.