Mount and Blade 2 tests more dynamic diplomacy and seaborne raids in new beta

Medieval strategy RPG Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord has just launched an extensive new beta built on player feedback. It's been four months since Taleworlds Entertainment launched its waterborne War Sails expansion, which has so far struggled to match up to the level of affection that the base game earned. In that time, the team has been studying "what's working and what isn't," and has delivered a wide range of changes in these new Mount and Blade 2 patch notes, which encompass both the base game and its DLC.

"Our immediate focus remains on the War Sails expansion," the Mount and Blade 2 developer explains. "While many important issues were addressed by the initial patches, we still want to close gaps in the experience so that you can better enjoy naval combat and the strategic and role-playing opportunities of seafaring." However, it's quick to note that "the base game is not standing still." Improvements to diplomacy, warfare, and the army creation and formation systems will all be implemented into the core of Bannerlord as well.

I'll start with those base-game changes, because they'll affect you whether or not you own War Sails. The new patch aims to make alliances and trade agreements responsive to more factors that you can influence, and integrate them more seamlessly with related mechanics. Taleworlds is "shifting alliances away from a default everyone opts into, and towards something that responds to actual threats." The rival ruler AI has been made smarter when considering decisions regarding both war and peace.

Prolonged inactive wars should occur less often, and kingdoms will "not only create sizable armies without overly depleting their pool of free parties, but also apply them effectively." You'll see "fewer but stronger armies on average" as a result. Stealth missions have been made more challenging, but with greater rewards for those who are able to see them through undetected. Clearing hideouts now considers related skills, and improved mission AI should result in more rewarding experiences across the board.

For War Sails, Taleworlds is focusing on "the availability and variety of encounters at sea." It notes that more common run-ins like pirates, convoys, and fishers are plentiful, but that it is "too difficult to consistently locate the fleets of nobles, who tend to offer larger, more challenging naval engagements." In the new update, you should see the AI taking longer nautical journeys, and in some cases lords will pursue some of their goals "entirely at sea," meaning more encounters on the water.

The other major addition is seaborne village raids, although these will roll out a little down the line. Taleworlds has built a range of new scenes to support these coastal assaults, where you'll approach from the water and then disembark to put direct pressure on the defenses. Because you'll be looking to reach land, you need to use shallow draft ships for these, meaning that "large ships with holds are not the answer to everything."

The Mount and Blade 2 Bannerlord beta 1.4 and War Sails beta 1.2 are live now. Check the complete patch notes courtesy of Taleworlds Entertainment. You can access both by selecting the 'Beta v1.4.0' build in the game's properties menu, reached by right-clicking on it in your Steam library. If you want to offer additional feedback and thoughts, Taleworlds recommends heading to the official forums to do so.

Moving forward, the developer still has more goals to achieve. It's planning ways for some random events to scale so they remain relevant for longer into a playthrough, explore more "meaningful and visible" trait effects, and improve the party clan management system. For War Sails, it's looking at broader topics such as better world map visuals and tighter faction balance, as well as making missions feel "more consistent" by resolving issues that can "unnecessarily prolong" engagements. It also wants to "enable naval gameplay earlier" in the campaign progression.

"Naturally, we are also pursuing a number of ideas for new base game features," the developer concludes, "but we want to spend a bit more time before teasing them to you. Having said that, we do want to respond to multiplayer inquiries and reaffirm our commitment to the previously discussed spectator mode and captain mode formation targeting, as well as general multiplayer balance. Thank you for your patience and continued support. Hope you enjoy the beta - we're looking forward to your feedback."