Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlordis the latest in a series ofaction-adventure games with strategy elementsabout leading an army into battle and expanding one’s control of the territory. That said, the series is probably most known for its modding scene, and in particular for the total conversion mods that bring the games out of their faux-medieval setting and into a completely different genre.
Somefamous total conversion modsfor the oldMount & Blade: WarbandincludeWarsword Conquest, based onWarhammer Fantasy(which still receives the occasional update), andL’Aigle, a Napoleonic Wars most known for its massive online battles. WhileMount & Blade 2: Bannerlorddoesn’t have quite as many total conversion mods, it’s worth remembering that this is a relatively new game, and modders don’t like redoing much of their work every time the game receives an update.
7Eagle Rising - Dawn of an Empire
Ancient Roman Faction And Other Empires
Eagle Risingis a total conversion mod that brings factions from the classical era to Calradia, the fictional setting ofMount & Blade. Alternatively, though this can make the mod more finicky, players can use the popularMount & Blade 2: BannerlordmodLemmy’s Europe Mapfor amore grounded setting.
The new factions ofEagle Risinginclude the Roman Empire, the Dacians, The Scythian Kingdom, the Celts, Carthage, and a vague Germanic faction. That said, historical accuracy definitely takes a backseat to the fun factor inEagle Rising. But that’s not always bad: some of the most beloved video games with historical settings, like classic strategy seriesCivilizationandAge of Empires, have a similar approach.
6Realm Of Thrones
Game Of Thrones Characters, Factions, And Dragons
Realm of Thrones, as the name implies,is the mod that brings the world of Westeros intoMount & Blade 2: Bannerlord. Unlike similar mods,Realm of Thronesdoesn’t just add factions and recognizable characters but actually changes the world. This mod comes packaged with a massive map of Westeros and the nearby continent.
Perhaps the most impressive achievement ofRealm of Thronesis its functioning dragons. Granted, they don’t always look entirely functional. Flight, in particular, seems to be an issue as the beasts flap their wings at the speed of a hummingbird; they fly so low that their arms keep touching the ground. But a dragon is a dragon, nonetheless. Weird movements aside, it certainly adds a lot to the game.
5The Land Of Sika
Original Fantasy Setting With A New Campaign
Being the work of fans, total conversion mods tend to be about things those fans love, be it an existing book series, another video game, or a time period. That’s certainly the case forMount & Blade 2: Bannerlord, with its Roman Empire andStar Warstotal conversions.The Land of Sika, an original setting with unique factions, a new map, and a dedicated storyline, is one of the very few exceptions.
The Land of Sikais a fantasy hero story, and the focus of the game shifts to represent this change. The world is now populated with special sites the player must visit to learn more about the world. There are dungeons where only the player character is allowed. There is even a crafting system, clearly inspired by recent trends insingle-player action RPGs.
4Separatist Crisis
Star Wars Factions And Units
Separatist Crisisis an ambitious mod. As with every project of its size that is more or less forced to be developed under everyone’s watch, the initial phases can be a bit awkward. Unfortunately, that’s still the case for thisStar Wars total conversion mod, but hopefully, the project will start looking more at home once new maps are introduced.
For now,Separatist Crisiscan’t help but look and play like an unfinished mod. Sending a clone army to attack a group of droids in a field in pastoral Central Europe somehow doesn’t feel likeStar Wars. Meanwhile, setting siege to a castle while every unit is equipped with blasters doesn’t make sense at all.
3Realms Forgotten
Original Fantasy Setting World Map And Factions
Realms Forgottenis the second most popular total conversion mod forMount & Blade 2: Bannerlord, with an original setting and world. It currently features seven new factions, each equipped with a unique advantage in combat. And since it’s a fantasy setting with quite a bit of lore behind it, the mod comes with a new world.
Realms Forgottenalso comes with anexpanded character creation menu, customized to reflect the inhabitants of the new setting. And since this mod is set in a fantasy world, players can look forward to acquiring magical items, fighting special encounters against roaming monsters, and recruiting legendary heroes into their army.
2The Old Realms
Warhammer Fantasy World Map, Factions, And Magic
The Old Realmsis a total conversion mod that attempts to bring the world of Games Workshop’sWarhammer FantasytoMount & Blade 2: Bannerlord. While the developers of this mod describe their work as early access, the project is well on its way to becoming the most feature-filled total conversion mod for the game.
At the time of writing, the current build, Knights and Saints, includes a custom-made campaign map, many Empire factions, the Vampire Courts, magic that can be used in combat, and a partial implementation of artillery. The team plans to add more factions, expand the world map, and fill the mod withiconic characters fromWarhammer Fantasy.
1Napoleonic Warfare Open-Source
Muskets And Factions From The Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Warfare Open-Sourceisn’t quite as developed as other total conversion mods. However, it should still be mentioned because of the popularity of mods set during the Napoleonic Wars for olderMount & Bladegames, especiallyL’AigleforMount & Blade: Warband.
WhileNapoleonic Warfare Open-Sourceisn’t quite ready for a full campaign and doesn’t plan on adding a multiplayer mode, its open-source nature means that implementing those changes is in the hands of other modders. Meanwhile,Sword & Musketis a similar upcoming mod forMount & Blade 2: Bannerlordwith a focus on multiplayer, but playing it is quite a bit harder, as it is only available on specific servers during specific hours.
