The latest update for Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord introduces Seaborne Village Raids. It allows for deeper naval strategy and increased lord activity at sea. To help players, this new update also sees the addition of two new ships that should give Northern factions more options when it come to ranged-focused naval gameplay.
The first is the Battanian Barlinnger, which was built to hold the line in larger naval engagements. It shares traits with the Birlinn, though it's slower and less responsive. Still, its broad deck and raised mid castle allows for archers and skirmishers to be specially deadly when it comes to ranged combat.
Meanwhile, the second ship is the Nord Battle Knarr. This oversized and reinforced knarr was built to carry ballistae along with a large crew. The Battle Knarr is a good option when it's not possible to have the longship.
Naval Party Roles
In addition to the battles, players should be happy to know that more options are now available for crew management. For example, two new naval party roles have been added. The first is the First Mate, which is tied to the Boatswain skill. Second is the Navigator, tied to the Shipmaster skill.
To support these roles, three new Nord wanderer types have been introduced. These are the Easterling, the Boatswain, and the Sea-Raider. This should bring the number of wanderers to 11.
Having new naval party roles should be more interesting with the improvements done for naval battles. That’s because players can now delegate command of their ship and let the crew take the helm while they move freely and fight.
New Armor
Helping the Northern factions even more are the two new body armors which are the Reinforced Mail Coat and the Nordic Long Heavy Mail. There are also new armor variants with seven available in War Sails and three in Bannerlord. Finally, nine new Nord helmets have also been added.
Check out how Seaborne Village Raids work here.
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is a strategy and action RPG that offers a vast medieval sandbox where players get to create a character and engage in diplomacy, craft, trade, and conquer new lands. For the PC, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is available on Steam.