Hiring recruits, training them and adding them to your army is the essence of Bannerlords, but let me tell you that one person cannot do it all.
This is why there are unique characters or companions that you can hire to help you lead your army. In this guide, we'll introduce you to all of Bannerlord: Mount and Blade 2's best companions and gear.
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord best companions and gear
Companions in Mount and Blade 2 are critical in helping you manage your land and administration responsibilities, counter any weakness you might have, or win over any skills that might be missing.
Although these companions are expensive, having one group of experienced companions is worth several groups of ordinary soldiers.
How to find companions in Bannerlord
Press N to open the encyclopedia and select the Heroes panel. Scroll down to the Activities panel and select Wanderer.
Now see for yourself which satellites are available to you and where you can find them. Choose companions based on their history, their specialties.
If you have a satellite, this page will also show the timeline it was in. Use this to keep track of them.
Companions are often on the move, and if it takes a few days to reach the city, the companion may have moved by the time you get there. Once you get to the city that has your target companion.
Go to the tavern area, all recruited companions will be listed in the character bar at the top of the screen. Click on their portrait to talk to them directly.
Here you can get to know them better and their cost of hiring. You can make your offer to have them join you here.
The best companions
Traits and skills are randomly assigned to companions based on the current state of the game, so it doesn't matter who you choose.
The actual way to get the best companion is to consider what you go for instead.
Because each companion will have surnames attached to them that describe what abilities you can expect from them.
Use this information to your advantage and find a companion with exactly the skill set that your army needs, or that you require yourself, and don't want to invest in them, as any benefits they bring affect your entire party.
Some important surnames and their respective skills:
- the Healer-Medicine 60
- the Golden-Tactics 100
- the Prince-Roguery 140
- the Smith-Smithing 60
- Frostbeard-Scouting 80
- the Falcon-Tactics 100
- the Surgeon-Medicine 80
- the Engineer-Engineering 80
- the Swift-Steward 80
- the Swordsman-Excels in weapon-related skills.
- the Shieldmaiden-Excels in weapon-related skills.
- the Swift-Trade 80, Steward 80, Roguery 100
- the Spicevendor-Trade 100, Steward 80
- Steward-Tax Collector (Lvl 25), Assessor (Lvl 225), Agrarian (Lvl 250), Reconstruction (Lvl 275)
- Medicine-Pristine Streets (Lvl 150), Bush Doctor (Lvl 150), Physician of People (Lvl 200), Clean Infrastructure (Lvl 200)
- Engineering-Construction Expert (Lvl 25), Improved Masonry (Lvl 100), Builder (Lvl 250), Everyday Engineer (Lvl 275)
- Trade-Distributed Goods (Lvl 100), Toll Gates (Lvl 100), Villager Connections (Lvl 150), Content Trades (Lvl 150), Granary Accountant (Lvl 200), Tradeyard Foreman (Lvl 200)
- Leadership-Stiff Upper Lip (Lvl 75), Gratitude (Lvl 75), Drill Master (Lvl 150), Citizen Militia (Lvl 150), Public Talker (Lvl 200), Inspiring Warrior (Lvl 200)
Companion equipment
As with hiring the right companion, equipment should be provided based on the role you assign to your companion.
For example, for a companion with good archery skills, give them a bow and arrow, for those with good one-handed weapon skills, give them a one-handed weapon.
If they serve as combatants in your army, make sure to equip each companion with melee weapons, ranged weapons, and a shield. They can use it in difficult situations, but focus on their strengths.
You can do this by pressing "C" or "I" and you will open the character panel or inventory. This will show your main character, but next to his name at the top of the screen, you'll see arrows that you can use to switch between companions. Use this interface to level up gear items, etc.
