Waiting for Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlords? Stop twiddling your thumbs and give some of these Warband mods a whirl.
Mount & Blade: Warband is the standalone expansion for Mount & Blade that released on Steam back in 2010 and made its console debut at the end of last year, and a huge modding community has built up around it.
The sequel, Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlords, still doesn’t have a confirmed release date but we do know that developer TaleWorlds will share its tools to keep the modding community alive.
There’s a tonne of mods for Mount & Blade: Warband, from total conversion to simpler fare that makes the game prettier, and that’s what we’re here for today.
Mount & Blade: Warband’s best mods and where to get them
In anticipation of the sequel hopefully hitting its potential 2017 release date, we’ve rounded up some of the best mods for you to try in Warband as the game is super cheap right now, and it’s a good a time as any to dip your toes into the water.
Let us know if your favourites made the list, and if you have any suggestions of your own.
A Song of Ice and Fire is music to our ears
If you’re yearning for some Game of Thrones action while waiting for the next book or the new series, A World of Ice and Fire is going to be right up your street.
We reviewed AWoIaF a few years ago, comparing it to another popular Game of Thrones mod, A Clash of Kings.
It was officially released in April this year and is still being updated – you can check out June’s patch notes here – and it lets you pick character names based on either the books or the TV series, which is a nice touch.
If you’re ready to slaughter and pillage your way to the Iron Throne, this is the mod for you.
Mount & Blade: 40K
Warsword Conquest has been around for a while, and while it’s still in beta, this Warhammer fantasy total conversion mod features factions like the Scaven, dwarves, orcs, elves, Lizardmen and more.
The latest update was in June, and while there’s still no release date in sight, it’s a solid fantasy mod for fans of Warhammer.
Any mod that enables drunken heroes to stagger across the world and ride into battle completely sozzled is okay in my book.
A galaxy far, far away
Star Wars – Bear Force 2 is a world away from Mount & Blade: Warband.
Set during the Clone Wars, this multiplayer mod has overhauled everything to recreate the Star Wars universe for Mount & Blade players who fancy changing things up and trading in their swords for lightsabers.
In June’s blog update the team behind the mod said that they were working towards “a grand release in July”. Hopefully they’ll get it out there before Bannerlord comes out.
Watch your enemies lose their heads
There’s nothing more satisfying in this world than lopping off someone’s arm or leg, so let’s throw a little love towards the Decapitate and Dismember mod.
It’s an oldie but a goodie, and all of the enemies can be beheaded in the majority of scenarios. Just like in real life, it might take you a few tries to hack off a limb or a head, but a little perseverance and elbow grease goes a long way.
It’s not Elder Scrolls 6, but it’ll do
It would be remiss not to include an Elder Scrolls mod on the list.
Tamriel: Bloodlines End is an ambitious mod that is currently in development for Warband. It’s set in the fourth era, just after the assassination of Emperor Titus Mede II and Vittoria Vicci.
Factions include Khajiit, Argonians, Aldmeri, and lots more. It’s certainly one to keep an eye on if it can deliver on its promise to let you “Travel to any corner of Tamriel.”
There’s no release date for a beta version, so let’s hope the project doesn’t become too overwhelming. We really want to see Tamriel come to Mount & Blade: Warband.
A Smorgasbord of mods
If you can’t be bothered to trawl through all of the Mount & Blade: Warband mods, the Floris Mod Pack is for you.
This is definitely an experience for players who have seen and done all there is to do in the vanilla version of the game, and it brings together a range of existing mods in the community.
You can choose between Basic, Gameplay, and Expanded versions depending on both the power of your PC and how much of a change you want.
Need a helping hand?
Wandering the land trying to amass an army can get lonely at times. If you want some company, the Full Invasion 2 mod is a popular choice for co-op.
Players are tasked with surviving waves of invaders and bosses for as long as possible, so it’s no walk in the park.
There is a newer version being worked on that will introduce new maps, systems, and features. If you’re having fun with Full Invasion 2, it’s worth keeping up with Wave 53 Studios’ progress on Full Invasion 3.
For honour and glory
Another mod that’s still in development, War of the Samurai overhauls Mount & Blade: Warband’s setting entirely.
YouNean is putting in a lot of effort to get its mod as historically accurate as possible, reading up on the era to get the names and artwork spot on.
The mod starts in 1560 after the Battle of Okehazama and one of the features will be the option of promoting members of your army to companions. There will be at least 50 clans and over 300 lords when the mod is finished.
It’s one to add to your watch list.
Swords and sorcery
Perisno is a fantasy mod for Warband and within it you’ll find elves, giants, dwarves, and even magic – although it’s worth noting that players can’t actually use magic.
The most recent update rolled out five new factions including two factions of giants, which are now a playable race.
Perisno has powerful weapons like the Flamebringer and Skyfall relics, and as well as invaders, players need to be on the lookout for the “Dreaded One,” adding another dimension to the gameplay with the potential for some interesting random events.
Chivalry is alive and well
Prophecy of Pendor is for those of you who don’t want to go too far off the reservation.
The setting is low-fantasy, and Knighthood Orders, voice acting encounters, and “Well thought out cultures, armies, and conflict” lend themselves to a greater sense of immersion.
The AI battle system is new and there are even more quests and events than the original expansion.
Definitely a must-have for lovers of the original.
Looks aren’t everything, but they help
It’s no surprise to anyone to say that Mount & Blade: Warband isn’t the best looking game out there, but the Mount & Blade: Retexture mod sets out to rectify that.
The texture pack is for the vanilla version of the game and makes it a hell of a lot more easy on the eye.
Expect an update for hair textures soon as well.
Bigger is better
If you think your PC can handle the challenge, you should look into Warband Battle Size Changer for some epic fights.
The mod increases the base limit of 150 soldiers to 1000.
But fair warning, “Don’t even expect to be able to have battles of size 1000 even if you have the latest and greatest hardware; that upper limit is that high to give plenty of leeway. If you experience crashes, you should lower the battle size.”
If your game starts to slow down or crashes, obviously you need to lower your expectations somewhat, along with the number of troops.
But this should serve nicely to spice up your battles.
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