An upcoming Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord update will focus on improving each of the game’s ranged weapon classes to help them feel more unique. This is one of the big changes highlighted in studio TaleWorlds Entertainment’s latest development update.
Released back in March, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is still in early access with new features and fixes being constantly rolled out for both its medieval sandbox campaign and online multiplayers modes. Last time, we talked about Bannerlord mods as well as new settlements and maps for players to explore.
This newest update hones in on several systems including the aforementioned ranged weapons as well as an education mechanic for training young NPCs, siege weapon projectiles, prisoner recruitment, and more realistic horses (they can now incur injuries and fall in later battles). On top of that we also have the radial command menu which will hopefully make selecting units and issuing orders much more fluid than the existing system.
For a more in-depth overview of what the new update includes, here’s a handy breakdown:
RANGED COMBAT UPDATE
A substantial change to ranged combat is in the works that aims to present you with a more meaningful choice when selecting a ranged weapon by making each of them more distinct from one another.
Currently, all ranged weapons share the same aiming system, with the initial crosshair and accuracy timings being the same across the board. With this update, each weapon will have its own unique aiming curve. For example, short bows will reach their maximum accuracy faster and be able to hold their aim for longer, while longbows will take more time to reach their maximum accuracy and have a shorter window for aiming, but will deal higher single-shot damage.
This change applies to all ranged weapons, including bows, crossbows and throwing weapons, giving each weapon a unique feeling in this subtle but impactful update to ranged gameplay.
EDUCATION
Education is a feature that will allow you to interact with and shape your offspring and other young clan members as they reach certain ages throughout their childhood. This will present you with a number of choices similar to your own character creation for each progression stage, giving you much more control over how your clan develops over time.
MANGONEL PROJECTILES
An update to mangonels is on its way that will bring them closer to their historical anti-infantry routes by giving you the option to fling multiple smaller projectiles towards the enemy instead of a single boulder.
LAME HORSES
A horse! A horse! my kingdom for a horse!
Horses that fall in combat can now be crippled or even killed outright, with lame horses that go on to fall in future battles being permanently downed. So be sure to look after your four-legged friend or be prepared to meet the same fate as King Richard III.
RADIAL ORDER MENU
A new radial order menu is being worked on to make the game more accessible for those of you who are playing with game controllers. This menu is still a work in progress and we are very much open to feedback on it so please make sure to let us know what you think!
PRISONER RECRUITMENT
A change to prisoner recruitment is on the horizon that aims to bring some balance to the feature and add a little depth by making recruitment slightly more difficult. With the change, recruiting prisoners will incur a morale penalty for your party. However, we do also plan to add perks that will make recruitment easier and that will reduce the morale penalty.
FOLLOW COMMAND
We recently added a new way to follow parties on the world map to make things a little less tedious when performing certain tasks. To do this, you simply need to hold down the Left Alt key and click on the party that you want to follow.
BATTANIAN CHAINMAIL
Finally, we have a new Battanian armour on its way. This armour features a decorative bronze disk and tartan shawl over a sturdy chainmail vest.
Source: Steam
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord Guides from TheSixthAxis
For more on Mount & Blade II, check in with our Bannerlord early access review.
