Info about Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord:

Official game description:
  
The horns sound, the ravens gather. An empire is torn by civil war. Beyond its borders, new kingdoms rise. Gird on your sword, don your armour, summon your followers and ride forth to win glory on the battlefields of Calradia. Establish your hegemony and create a new world out of the ashes of the old.  
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is the eagerly awaited sequel to the critically acclaimed medieval combat simulator and role-playing game, Mount & Blade: Warband.  
Create and develop a character that matches your play style as you explore, raid and conquer your way across a vast medieval sandbox where no two playthroughs are the same.  
Raise armies, engage in politics, trade, craft weapons, recruit companions and manage your fiefdom as you attempt to establish your clan among the nobility of Calradia.  
Command and fight alongside your troops in first- or third-person in huge real-time battles using Mount & Blade’s deep but intuitive skill-based directional combat system.  
Put your combat prowess to the test against players from all over the world in multi-player PvP, including ranked matchmaking and casual game modes, or host your own server with the Mount & Blade II: Dedicated Server files.  
Customise the game to experience an entirely different adventure using the Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord - Modding Kit and share your creations with others through Steam Workshop.

Release date: Oct 25, 2022

Categories: Strategy, Real-time Combat, Sandbox, Character Progression, Multiplayer, Mod Support, Open-World Exploration

Feature scans:
- MTX: score 75; verdict: Predatory Monetization; summary: The analysis of user reviews reveals significant dissatisfaction with the game's DLC practices. Key issues include the perceived low quality and high cost of DLCs, the cutting of content from the base game to sell as DLC, and the lack of support for community mods. Additionally, the pricing strategy for DLCs is seen as exploitative, and the integration of DLC content is poorly executed, requiring substantial time investment and often being buggy. These factors contribute to a negative perception of the game's monetization practices.
- Mods: score 45; verdict: Buggy but Playable; summary: The game heavily relies on community mods for stability, essential features, and overall playability. Many users report that the base game is unplayable without mods, and developers are seen to depend on the modding community for fixes and improvements. Specific mods are frequently mentioned as necessary for a stable and enhanced gaming experience.
- Wiki: score 10; verdict: Needs Improvement; summary: The primary issues highlighted by users revolve around the inaccuracy of spatial data in the in-game encyclopedia, the lack of comprehensive instructional data, and the need for external resources to understand game mechanics and progression. These issues significantly impact the user experience, making navigation and learning the game's systems challenging.
- Proton/Linux: score 80; verdict: Barely Playable; summary: Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord exhibits significant issues on Linux, including frequent crashes, severe performance problems, and overall poor playability. These issues are highlighted by multiple users, indicating a problematic experience for Linux gamers.
- Steam Deck: score 90; verdict: Broken; summary: The Steam Deck experience for this game is marred by frequent crashes, UI and text issues, performance problems, game launch difficulties, and poor optimization. These issues significantly impact the user experience, making the game difficult to play and enjoy.

- Hardware Profile:
  - Summary: Performance varies significantly across hardware cohorts, with lower VRAM/RAM configurations generally reporting better experiences. Higher-end hardware often reports crashes and instability, particularly with mods or during large battles.
  - Sample size: 512 (2% coverage)
  - Audience skew: Review sample is mostly Windows-based.
  - Windows <8GB VRAM / <16GB RAM (positive, 171 reports): Most users report smooth performance and good optimization, even on older or lower-end hardware.
  - Windows <8GB VRAM / 16-31GB RAM (mixed, 105 reports): Users experience occasional crashes and FPS drops, particularly during large battles, but overall performance is decent.
  - Windows 12-15GB VRAM (negative, 89 reports): Frequent crashes and performance issues are reported, even without mods.
  - Windows 8-11GB VRAM / 16-31GB RAM (negative, 54 reports): Users report frequent crashes and significant performance issues, often blaming hardware incorrectly.
  - Windows 8-11GB VRAM / <16GB RAM (mixed, 31 reports): Limited feedback, but includes reports of crashes and optimization issues.
  - Windows 16GB+ VRAM (negative, 30 reports): Despite high-end hardware, users report frequent crashes and instability, particularly with mods.
  - Caveats: 512 of 28147 reviews expose hardware metadata.; Review sample is mostly Windows-based.
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $17.00 - $25.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence consistently points to a community sentiment that the game is not worth its full price and should be purchased at a significant discount, typically around 60% off. This suggests that the community considers the fair price range to be much lower than the current base game price.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 2000.0h
  - Story completion: 70.0h
  - Session length: 5.0h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides direct and indirect mentions of playtime metrics. The first quote mentions years of playing, which suggests a high total playtime for game completion. The second quote provides a specific playtime of 2000 hours, which is a significant outlier but indicates deep engagement. The third quote mentions 101 hours of playtime, which can be considered for session length or story completion. The fourth quote mentions 70+ hours, which can be used to estimate story completion time.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: Players generally enjoy the combat and progression systems, but the game can become repetitive and boring without mods. The fun starts when building a clan and kingdom, but issues like lack of diplomacy and repetitive gameplay can lead to frustration.
  - Stance: Fun then drops
  - Anchor: Building a clan and kingdom
  - Time to anchor: 3h 0m
  - Friction: Lack of diplomacy; Repetitive gameplay; Constant wars; Boring late game
  - Unlock drivers: Mods; Building a clan and kingdom; Engaging combat system
  - Conditions: Playing with mods; Focusing on combat and management skills; Enjoying the sense of progression
- Player Archetypes:
  - History Buff Strategist (buy)
    - Motivation: Historical immersion and strategic depth.
    - Playstyle: Enjoys managing troops, politics, and engaging in historically immersive gameplay.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: history lover; franchise fan
    - Reference games: Mount & Blade: Warband
  - Casual Battle Enthusiast (sale)
    - Motivation: Enjoyment of battles and casual gameplay.
    - Playstyle: Enjoys being part of battles and commanding armies in a casual setting.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: casual player; battle enthusiast
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Critical Balancer (deep sale)
    - Motivation: Seeking a balanced and fair gameplay experience.
    - Playstyle: Critically evaluates game balance and mechanics, often suggesting improvements.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: deep sale
    - Labels: critical player; balance seeker
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Progression Addict (buy)
    - Motivation: Addictive progression and long-term goals.
    - Playstyle: Enjoys the addictive nature of progression, building reputation, and forming large armies.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: progression lover; addicted player
    - Reference games: N/A


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Exciting battles (weight 0.32): Players enjoy the large-scale battles, which are described as awesome, epic, and exciting. The combat system is a highlight, offering satisfying and immersive experiences.
- Mods enhance gameplay (weight 0.26): The modding community significantly improves the game experience by adding new content and enhancing gameplay mechanics. Players find that mods make the game more enjoyable and addictive.
- Positive gameplay experience (weight 0.25): Players consistently praise the game for its engaging and enjoyable gameplay, describing it as fun, excellent, and highly addictive. Many players recommend the game and find it entertaining and spectacular.
- Freedom in gameplay (weight 0.21): The game offers a high degree of freedom and flexibility in gameplay, allowing players to choose different roles and strategies. This sandbox gameplay is praised for its realism and immersion.
- Rich and detailed world (weight 0.12): The game features a vast and detailed world with a variety of activities and interactions. Players appreciate the depth added by new features like birth and death mechanics.
- Unique and immersive experience (weight 0.11): The game is described as unique and immersive, offering an enjoyable and irreplaceable experience. Players find the gameplay to be monumental and engaging.
- Good graphics (weight 0.1): The game is praised for its high-quality graphics, which are described as beautiful, pleasant, and satisfying. The visual effects and sound design are also noted as strong points.
- Engaging gameplay loop (weight 0.09): The core gameplay loop is described as engaging, immersive, and addictive. Players find the gameplay experience to be incredibly enjoyable and familiar.
- Enjoyable early game (weight 0.08): The early game is well-designed and engaging, providing an enjoyable experience for players. The combat system and overall gameplay are also noted as enjoyable.
- Medieval warfare simulator (weight 0.06): The game is praised as one of the best medieval warfare simulators, offering a fantastic sandbox experience for medieval enthusiasts. The siege mechanics and battles are highlights.
- Long-lasting gameplay (weight 0.05): Players report that the game offers countless hours of engaging gameplay, providing long-lasting enjoyment and replayability.
- Regular updates and new features (weight 0.05): The game is actively developed with regular updates and new features, keeping the gameplay fresh and engaging.
- Customizable companions (weight 0.05): The game features customizable and unique companions, allowing for character customization and progression, which enhances the gameplay experience.

Common complaints:
- Modding Issues (weight 0.34): Players report various issues with mods, including difficulties in installation, compatibility problems, and mods breaking with frequent updates. The game heavily relies on mods to enhance the experience, but mod support is weak.
- Repetitive Gameplay (weight 0.21): Many players find that the game becomes repetitive and boring, especially in the late stages. The gameplay loop can feel monotonous and dull after the initial excitement wears off.
- Basic Diplomacy System (weight 0.18): The diplomacy system in the game is often described as extremely basic, simplistic, and lacking depth. Players feel that it needs significant improvement to be more engaging and effective.
- AI Behavior Problems (weight 0.13): The AI behavior in the game is often criticized for being unintelligent and inconsistent. NPCs and AI in battles exhibit flawed and unrealistic behavior, detracting from the gameplay experience.
- Frequent Crashes (weight 0.12): The game is plagued by frequent crashes and bugs, which can be very frustrating for players. These crashes often occur after updates and can disrupt the gaming experience significantly.
- DLC Pricing Concerns (weight 0.1): Players have expressed concerns over the pricing of DLCs, finding them to be overpriced and not well-received. The focus on DLCs and their high cost is a common complaint.
- Bugs and Glitches (weight 0.1): The game is reported to have numerous bugs and glitches, which can affect gameplay and overall enjoyment. These issues are frequent and can be quite disruptive.
- Update Problems (weight 0.1): Updates are often criticized for being infrequent, buggy, and sometimes introducing more issues than they fix. Players feel that updates are poorly handled and can disrupt the modding community.
- Economic Issues (weight 0.08): The game's economy is criticized for being unstable and poorly managed. Players report issues with balance in the economy and pricing factors, making it feel broken and underdeveloped.
- Optimization Problems (weight 0.08): The game suffers from poor optimization, leading to performance issues. Players report problems with system design, control feel, and lighting on maps.
- Limited NPC Interactions (weight 0.08): There is a lack of meaningful interactions with NPCs, which can make the game feel less immersive. Players desire more depth and variety in NPC dialogues and interactions.
- Lack of Cooperative Mode (weight 0.07): Players express a desire for a cooperative multiplayer mode, which is currently lacking in the game. This feature is seen as something that would enhance the overall experience.
- Lack of Innovation (weight 0.07): The game is criticized for its lack of innovation, clear objectives, tutorials, and challenge. Players feel that it lacks meaningful updates and new features.

Gameplay feedback:
- Battle mechanics and strategies (weight 0.14): The game features engaging and realistic battle mechanics, including sea battles, naval combat, and battle commands. Players can use various battle strategies and tactics.
- Diverse gameplay activities (weight 0.12): The game offers a variety of activities including trade, economy management, city management, and first-person combat. Players can engage in different professions like blacksmithing and participate in large-scale battles with various units and formations.
- Kingdom and clan management (weight 0.11): Players can manage fiefs, kingdoms, clans, castles, and towns. The game involves serving different kingdoms or creating and running your own, combining strategy with roleplaying and trade simulations.
- Diplomacy and political systems (weight 0.1): The game features a diplomacy system that includes AI diplomacy, political management, and internal politics. Players can engage in diplomatic features and manage trade systems.
- Multiplayer and co-op modes (weight 0.08): The game offers various multiplayer modes including co-op, singleplayer, cooperative campaign, and multiplayer PvE content. Players can engage in multiplayer battles and cooperative gameplay.
- Army and empire building (weight 0.08): Players can raise an army, build alliances, and command troops. The goal is to build an empire and become a king.
- Economic and trade improvements (weight 0.08): The game has seen improvements in trade and economic management, including increased income from workshops and villages. There are also new alliance and trade agreement functions between nations.
- NPC interactions and depth (weight 0.08): The game includes NPC interactions, quests, and open-world interactions. However, there are comments about the lack of NPC depth and intelligence.
- Strategy and role-playing elements (weight 0.07): The game combines strategy and role-playing elements, offering a medieval strategy experience with combat strategies and army management.
- Sandbox gameplay experience (weight 0.07): The game provides an open-world sandbox experience with engaging gameplay. Players can enjoy sandbox and simulation gameplay.
- Stealth and character traits (weight 0.06): Players can hide in tall grass and perform stealth attacks to gain rogue experience. The game also features hidden character traits that influence gameplay.
- Progression systems (weight 0.06): The game features various progression systems including quests, companion progression, and kingdom progression mechanics.
- Faction management and differentiation (weight 0.06): The game features faction management systems with different factions and faction redesigns.

Performance notes:
- Frequent game crashes (weight 0.15): The game experiences frequent crashes, particularly after updates, with mods, and during various actions such as walking or giving orders to troops. This issue is widespread and significantly impacts gameplay.
- Performance and optimization issues (weight 0.1): Players report unoptimized performance, poor optimization, and performance issues. These problems manifest as FPS drops, high system requirements, and significant declines in performance during gameplay.
- Loading screen problems (weight 0.09): The game has issues related to loading screens, including freezing during loading, long load times, and infinite loading screens. These problems disrupt the gaming experience and cause frustration.
- Stability issues in battles (weight 0.06): Players encounter stability issues, particularly during battles. These issues include instability in battles, freezing in large battles, and crashes during gameplay.
- Graphical and visual bugs (weight 0.06): There are various graphical bugs reported, such as graphical bugs during sieges, ambient occlusion problems, and issues with character scene modeling textures. These bugs affect the visual quality of the game.
- Positive performance feedback (weight 0.05): Some players report smooth performance at max settings and great performance with a thousand soldiers clashing. These positive experiences highlight that the game can run well on certain systems.
- Multiplayer server issues (weight 0.04): Multiplayer servers experience frequent crashes and sometimes do not start back up. This affects the online gaming experience and causes disruptions in multiplayer modes.
- Specific bugs and issues (weight 0.04): There are specific bugs reported, such as spawning under the map, blue screens, and issues with the Steam and task manager. These bugs are less frequent but still impact the gaming experience.
- High system resource usage (weight 0.03): The game uses a high amount of system resources, including 100% CPU usage and high GPU memory usage. This can lead to performance issues and require high-end systems for smooth gameplay.
- Update and launch failures (weight 0.03): There are issues with game updates failing and the game not launching properly. These problems prevent players from accessing the game and enjoying it.
- Miscellaneous technical issues (weight 0.03): There are various other technical hiccups and issues reported, such as GPU device instance suspension and other unspecified technical problems. These issues can affect gameplay in different ways.
- Language-specific bugs (weight 0.02): There are bugs reported in specific languages, such as a bug in Japanese where the game memory usage is high and another bug related to selecting villages and settlements after leaving the arena.
- Menu and interface glitches (weight 0.02): Players report glitches and lag in the settings menu, as well as other menu-related issues. These problems can make navigation and settings adjustments difficult.
- Network and online issues (weight 0.02): Players experience high ping issues in online battles, which can affect the quality of multiplayer gameplay. These network issues can lead to a less enjoyable online experience.

Recommendations:
- Suggested gameplay improvements (weight 0.06): Players suggest various improvements such as automatic development options for characters, enhancing city growth mechanics, managing multiple characters, improving visual feedback for city development, and enhancing military ranks and soldier progression.
- Avoid purchase until fixes (weight 0.06): Multiple reviews suggest not buying the game until significant issues are addressed.
- Recommended for genre fans (weight 0.04): The game is highly recommended for fans of medieval role-playing games, strategies, and similar franchises like Total War, Crusader Kings, or Skyrim.
- Conditional recommendations (weight 0.04): The game is recommended but with reservations due to its current issues and shortcomings.
- Recommended DLC and mods (weight 0.03): Reviews recommend the base game and specific DLCs like War Sails, as well as various mods for an enhanced experience.
- Try the game (weight 0.03): Several reviews recommend trying the game, especially for new players.
- Buy during discounts (weight 0.03): It is recommended to buy the game during sales or discounts.
- Highly recommended (weight 0.02): Some reviews highly recommend the game.
- No regrets purchasing (weight 0.02): Players express that they won't regret buying this game.
- Recommended for multiplayer (weight 0.02): The game is highly recommended for its multiplayer experience.
- Experience full potential (weight 0.02): Recommended for those who want to experience the full potential of Bannerlord.
- Consider Warband instead (weight 0.02): Some reviews suggest buying Warband instead of this game.
- Not for scripted story seekers (weight 0.02): The game is not recommended for players looking for a tightly scripted story or flawless AI.
- Try other RTS games (weight 0.02): Some reviews suggest finding another RTS game that works better.
- Future purchase intent (weight 0.02): Players express intent to buy future releases or new games.

Other player notes:
No miscpoints

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.34): Players are frustrated primarily due to frequent game crashes, mod incompatibility issues, and updates breaking mods. Additionally, AI behavior problems, repetitive gameplay mechanics, and various bugs contribute to this frustration. The game's reliance on mods for an enjoyable experience and the lack of meaningful updates from developers also exacerbate these feelings.
- Disappointment (weight 0.2): Players express disappointment due to the game's lack of significant improvements over its predecessor, repetitive gameplay, and the need for mods to enhance the experience. The game's potential is not fully realized, and there is a lack of meaningful content and updates. Many players feel that the game is unfinished and lacks depth in various mechanics, including diplomacy and AI behavior.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.08): Players are satisfied with the game's combat mechanics, mod support, and the overall depth of gameplay. The game's strategic elements, character development, and the engaging sandbox experience contribute to this satisfaction. Additionally, the game's improvements and the rich mod community enhance the overall enjoyment.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.08): Players enjoy the game's unique blend of action and strategy, large-scale battles, and the freedom to build and lead an empire. The game's addictive nature, engaging gameplay loop, and the variety of roles and activities contribute to this enjoyment. The active and engaging community, along with the game's atmosphere and historical accuracy, also enhance the overall experience.
- Excitement (weight 0.07): Players are excited about the game's unique blend of grand strategy and first-person combat, as well as its engaging and immersive gameplay. The game's depth, quality, and the freedom of choice contribute to this excitement. The unique in-game rituals, intense combat, and the game's impressive gameplay mechanics also add to the overall excitement.
- Anger (weight 0.05): Players are angry due to frequent game crashes, updates breaking mods, and the developers' handling of bugs and DLC practices. The game's design choices, lack of meaningful updates, and the introduction of bugs and issues with new patches contribute to this anger. Additionally, the game's poor optimization and the developers' lack of response to community feedback exacerbate these feelings.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.04): Players are enthusiastic about the game's addictive battles, tactical gameplay, and the variety of systems it offers. The game's progression system, combat mechanics, and the engaging sandbox experience contribute to this enthusiasm. The game's modding community and the fun gameplay experience also enhance the overall enthusiasm.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.03): Players feel nostalgic due to the game's similarities to the original game in the series and the personal memories associated with it. The long-term experience with the game series and the comparison to childhood favorite games contribute to this nostalgia. The personal history and memories associated with the game series also enhance these feelings.
- Appreciation (weight 0.02): Players appreciate the game's unique gameplay, modding potential, and the large-scale battle experience. The game's concept, sandbox gameplay, and the positive sentiment towards its features contribute to this appreciation. The unique game franchise and the modding community's contributions also enhance the overall appreciation.
- Joy (weight 0.01): Players experience joy due to the game's engaging and exciting gameplay, significant payoff from the grind, and the fulfillment of childhood dreams. The personal connection and enjoyment of the game, along with the excellent combat simulation, contribute to this joy. The game's unique and immersive experience also enhances these feelings.
- Frustrated (weight 0.01): Players are frustrated due to the lack of certain battlefield mechanics, AI behavior issues, and the developers' neglect of important aspects. The repetitive aspects, lack of depth in dialogues, and the game's bugs and lack of language support contribute to this frustration.
- Mixed feelings (weight 0.01): Players have mixed feelings due to the game's new mechanics and Viking DLC, but are critical of the lack of certain features and naval battle issues. The appreciation for the game's graphics and potential for joy is tempered by criticisms of its gameplay, audio, and other aspects. The core gameplay and battles are appreciated, but the shallow aspects and mod issues are criticized.
- Boredom (weight 0.01): Players feel bored due to the game's repetitive gameplay and lack of variety in activities. The repetitive and boring gameplay mechanics contribute to this boredom.
- Hopefulness (weight 0.01): Players feel hopeful about the game's potential for greatness with proper development and the desire for more content and new mechanics. The expectation that updates will fix issues and improve the game contributes to this hopefulness.
- Admiration (weight 0.01): Players admire the game's immersive world, freedom, and the scale of battles. The game's unique blend of action and strategy, along with its detailed and engaging gameplay mechanics, contribute to this admiration.
- Disappointed (weight 0.01): Players are disappointed due to the lack of a satisfying conclusion in Sandbox mode, overpriced and bugged DLC, and poor updates. The game's potential is not fully realized, and there is a lack of meaningful content and updates.
- Angry (weight 0.01): Players are angry due to game crashes, multiplayer issues, and the company ignoring players' requests. The game's poor optimization, lack of meaningful updates, and the introduction of bugs and issues with new patches contribute to this anger.
- Hope (weight 0): Players feel hopeful that the developers will continue to improve the game and that updates will fix issues. The expectation of future improvements and the game's potential for greatness contribute to this hope.
- Love (weight 0): Players love the game due to the satisfying combat, creating an army with a mix of cultures, and the overall positive experiences and enjoyment. The game's unique and engaging gameplay mechanics, along with its detailed and immersive world, contribute to this love.
- Satisfied (weight 0): Players are satisfied with the overall recommendation of the game, its unique gameplay, and the 50 hours of exciting gameplay. The game's strategic elements, character development, and the engaging sandbox experience contribute to this satisfaction.}