Companions Guide - Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord Guide - IGN (2024)

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord companions are a great way to fill out your party with stronger units. This Bannerlord guide explains how to recruit them, why they're important, and answers many common questions regarding companions.

Feel free to share in the comments below, the best Bannerlord companions that you come across.

How to Recruit Companions in Bannerlord

If you're not sure how to recruit companions, don't worry, it's not too difficult! Every major town in Bannerlord has a Tavern where you can play games, recruit soldiers, and find companions. Once entering a Tavern, if you hold "Alt" by default, it will make all special character names appear.

If there's a companion here, their name will be visible above them with something like, "Gavyn the Fish". Not every companion has a title, but for those that do, it plays a role in what skills they have.

Once you find a companion, you can talk to them and learn a little about their backstory before recruiting them. Then, you'll have to pay off their debt which can vary from a little below or above a thousand denars.

Using the Encyclopedia to Find Companions

The terminology in Bannerlord for companions is a little confusing since the encyclopedia lists them under the Heroes category. Also, you can filter Heroes by the "Wanderer" occupation, which shows exclusively companions.

Each encyclopedia page shows their skills and last known location at the top right corner. Unlike the previous Mount & Blade games, every characters' location is frequently updated here.

The first quest for Bannerlord's Steam Early Access campaign, "Rebuild Your Clan" requires recruiting one companion.

What Are Companion Roles?

Once you complete the "Rebuild Your Clan" quest, you'll have access to clan roles for both your character and companions. Before assigning any roles, your character will fulfill each one and gain experience in relevant skills passively. Upon assigning a role, you'll only gain experience for positions that aren't assigned and ones assigned to you.

Each clan role is listed below:

• Scout - Benefits the Scouting skill by improving track detection, max track difficulty that can be detected, spotting distance, and track information.
• Engineer - Benefits the Engineering skill by speeding up siege engine production and the max difficulty of siege engine that can be built.
• Quartermaster - Benefits the Steward skill by increasing party size.
• Surgeon - Benefits the Medicine skill by increasing casualty survival chance and healing rate.

If you're looking for what companion titles mean, our guide on the Best Companions and Companion Builds covers that.

How to Raise Your Companion Limit

The first clan tier starts with a limit of up to four companions. The only way to raise your limit is by upgrading your clan tier. Each upgrade comes with an extra companion slot, eventually reaching a maximum of eight companions.

If you need help leveling your clan, take a look at our guide on How to Get Renown Fast.

Another way to increase your companion limit is via the "Ruler" perk under the Steward skill at level 250. Once you unlock this perk, you'll gain an extra companion slot for every Town you own.

Also, there's a Bannerlord bug that lets you recruit one companion past your limit. The Family Feud quest requires you to recruit someone's family member and escort them to a nearby village. If the quest fails while you have the family member, they won't be removed.

The Bannerlord developer will likely patch this bug at some point. They're probably aware of it because it's almost impossible to level this character as they require over a hundred skill levels.

Benefits of Companions

Companions have a number of benefits as you progress further into Bannerlord. From the beginning of the game, they're a strong soldier that can't die unless death is enabled in the campaign options. Past being just another soldier, here are some of the ways they can be used:

• Leading a trade caravan for passive daily income.
• Completing quests for you.
• Increasing town and village relations passively.
• Leading their own parties that can earn passive daily income.
• Becoming a governor of a castle or town.

Companions are also a good substitute for vassals if you create your own kingdom. They wander around the realm fighting bandits and enemy lords as normal vassals do.

More Companion Guides

• How to Customize Your Companions
• Best Companions and Companion Builds

Otherwise, be sure to look at our other guides on Essential Tips and Tricks for Beginners and How to Make Money Fast.