Masterful medieval RPG Mount and Blade 2 is about to take to the sea, and I can't wait to smash up some ships

Tired of trudging your troops up hills and through muddy marshes? The new Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord - War Sails expansion could make one of the best RPGs and best medieval games around, well… better. War Sails turns your soldiers into sailors, requiring them to row your boats into battle when the wind decides to never blow in your favor before battling it out from behind ballistae and across boarded decks. The last I checked, its $25 asking price is a far cheaper endeavour than asking to loan a local's vessel to recreate these kinds of battles in your backyard.

In War Sails, you're in control of the flagship of your fleet, with the rest manned by your usual battalion of companions or the allied nobles who've stuck with you through thick and thin. You can send up to eight ships out onto the seas with full control over the formations, or, for people like me who can barely make a decision about which warm drink to make on a cold day, slap an auto-deploy button to literally throw caution to the wind. Got time for a 15-minute voyage? Check out the gameplay showcase below for the new Mount and Blade 2 expansion.

Developer TaleWorlds explains how the start of any naval battle is all about "feeling the wind." Though you're sure to realize that as soon as you drop your ship's massive sails only to get hoisted back to port. For those who struggle to make sense of air currents in the heat of the moment, a handy wind dial denotes the direction of the breeze with red and green rings. A friendly note to my colorblind kin that there doesn't appear to be an in-game colorblind accessibility feature here, so you might have an entirely different battle on your hands. Our list of the best Bannerlord mods might be able to help you there.

Once the wind sputters out, or you decide to roll up the fabric in a fit of red/green rage, whichever comes first, you can call on your oarsmen to row your way in or out of battle. You're apparently also free to pitch in with this strenuous task yourself, whether that's as a sign of mutual camaraderie or as a "fine, I'll do it myself" approach.

So what happens when you finally find your foe floating around in the big drink? With each ship acting as an individual unit, you issue typical formation commands to these as opposed to every single sailor. You can even take a load off and let your AI captains do their own thing, supporting allies, avoiding catastrophic collisions or, as any good griefer would want to do, ram a ship and board the deck. Like in siege battles, you're welcome to pelt your foes with bolts, stones, or even fire pots from the applicable ballista, while ranged troops can trade pointy objects with the foe from afar.

Get close with a big enough ship and you can smash into your enemy. This creates an opening for your footmen to gut the crew like the fish below them. Ramming takes speed, angles, ship weight, and impact point into account, with the final blow threatening to sink their craft in a single strike.

The Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord - War Sails release date is Wednesday November 26, and it'll be priced at $24.99. Find it here.

Ready to work on the crew you'll take out onto the seas? Check out the best Bannerlord companions to find the strongest men to captain your fleet. And if you've exhausted the base game's offerings but can't wait to jump back in later this month, try one of the best Viking games instead.

We already can't get enough of watching the dev team smash one ship into another, so please consider sharing your best bonks on the PCGamesN Discord on launch day.