On this page we’ll help you get started with building your very own leader in Bannerlord. You’ll learn how to increase your skill level, what focus points are and how to use them, and how to create a character. We’ll also be listing the whole lot, and with good planning, you’ll make your character a force to be reckoned with in battle.
How to increase your skill level in Bannerlord
Upgrading your character in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is incredibly complicated. It took me a fair while to wrap my head around it as it’s not very well explained in-game. There are three specific areas to explain here: Attributes, Skills, and Focus Points.
Attributes: These are the six stats that have three skills each bound to them. For every third level up, you will also gain an attribute point which you can assign to an attribute by clicking the attribute in the character sheet (press “C” on world map to bring it up). Then click the plus sign in the window that appears and confirm by clicking “Done”. Skills: Your character’s skills are initially defined by their culture and background (see below for more details on those), but are further upgraded by performing certain actions to gain skill points. Each one is bound to an attribute and you need to perform an action linked to that skill to increase its skill points. You can find the actions in the table below. Focus Points: When you level up your character by gaining enough skill points, you will gain “focus points”. Spending these focus points will allow you to increase your proficiency in that skill up to a maximum threshold. This is indicated by the green area. Any skill increases beyond the green area requires more focus points to be spent on that trait. It does not increase after spending the point automatically based on your performance prior to the threshold increase.
With all that explained, here is a list of all actions required to increase every single skill in the game:
Unlocking skill perks in Bannerlord
As well as increasing your skill points, increasing the skill up to certain levels will unlock perks. These are additional bonuses that are applied to actions you perform or while you have equipped a certain type of weapon or armour. These will grant you various perks that can help in battle. To unlock a perk, you will need to do the following:
Bannerlord perks list
Here is a list of every single perk currently in Bannerlord: Note: If there is more than one perk listed with the same skill level requirement, you can only choose one of the two perks to unlock.
Choosing your culture
A lot of your initial skill points and perks will come from your character’s creation at the beginning of the game. Your first task when creating a character is to choose your culture. There are six cultures to choose from and they’re all named after one of the kingdoms or regions. Your choice therefore, is the region your character grew up in. They comes with their own bonuses. Some cultures affect how troops move in certain terrains, while others give bonuses to experience or reduction in costs.
Vlandians: 20% more upgrade XP to troops from battles. Sturgians: 20% less speed penalty from snow. Empire: 20% construction speed bonus to town projects, wall repairs and siege. Aseri: Caravans are 30% cheaper build cost and 10% less trade penalty. Khuzaits: 10% speed bonus for horsemen on campaign map. Battanians: 10% less speed penalty from Forest.
Since you start out in areas that are not covered in snow, picking the Sturgians might give you a bit of a hard time when compared to the other cultures. If you want my opinion on which ones are the best for beginners, go with either Empire or Vlandians, as their bonuses can help with fortifying your towns or troops. Try the Aseri if you’re looking for a more trade-focused campaign, while Khuzaits help out with amassing a superior cavalry.
Deciding your background
It’s not just your culture that you can choose. Later on in character creation, you’ll be asked to define your background. Picking one of the options available will give you some skill level and focus points to spend on that skill. You’ll also get attribute points which affect all three skills in that attribute’s scope (for example, Vigor has one handed, two handed, and polearm skills). There are six questions you’ll need to answer to create your character. It’s worth noting that question five gives some additional renown and some points in unrelated stats to the ones used for levelling up. To make it easier for you, click the following links to go to the question you need to answer.
Family
A Lord’s Retainers
Riding: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Polearm: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Vigor: +1 attribute point
Urban Merchants
Trade: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Charm: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Social: +1 attribute point
Freeholders
Athletics: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Polearm: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Endurance: +1 attribute point
Urban Artisans
Smithing: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Crossbow: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Intelligence: +1 attribute point
Foresters
Scouting: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Bow: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Control: +1 attribute point
Urban Vagabonds
Roguery: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Throwing: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Cunning: +1 attribute point
Early Childhood
your leadership skills
Leadership: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Tactics: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Cunning: +1 attribute point
your brawn
Two handed: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Throwing: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Vigor: +1 attribute point
your attention to detail
Athletics: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point One handed: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Control: +1 attribute point
your aptitude with numbers
Engineering: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Trade: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Intelligence: +1 attribute point
your way with people
Charm: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Leadership: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Social: +1 attribute point
your skill with horses
Riding: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Medicine: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Endurance: +1 attribute point
Adolescence
herded the sheep
Athletics: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Throwing: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Control: +1 attribute point
worked in the village smithy
Two handed: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Smithing: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Vigor: +1 attribute point
repaired projects
Smithing: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Engineering: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Intelligence: +1 attribute point
gathered herbs in the wild
Medicine: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Scouting: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Endurance: +1 attribute point
hunted small game
Bow: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Tactics: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Control: +1 attribute point
sold produce at the market
Trade: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Charm: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Social: +1 attribute point
Youth
joined a commander’s staff
Steward: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Tactics: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Cunning: +1 attribute point
trained with the cavalry
Riding: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Polearm: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Endurance: +1 attribute point
stood guard with the garrisons
Crossbow: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Engineering: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Intelligence: +1 attribute point
rode with the scouts
Riding: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Bow: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Endurance: +1 attribute point
trained with the infantry
Polearm: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point One handed: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Vigor: +1 attribute point
joined the skirmishers
Throwing: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Bow: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Control: +1 attribute point
Young Adulthood
You defeated an enemy in battle
One handed: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Two handed: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Vigor: +1 attribute point +1 Valor +20 Renown
You led a successful manhunt
Tactics: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Leadership: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Cunning: +1 attribute point +1 Calculating +10 Renown
You invested some money in land
Trade: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Smithing: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Intelligence: +1 attribute point +1 Calculating +10 Renown
You hunted a dangerous animal
Bow: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Crossbow: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Control: +1 attribute point +5 Renown
You had a famous escapade in town
Athletics: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Roguery: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Endurance: +1 attribute point +1 Valor +5 Renown
You treated people well
Charm: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Steward: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Social: +1 attribute point +1 Mercy, Generosity, and Honor +5 Renown
Story Background
you subdued a raider
One handed: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Athletics: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Vigor: +1 attribute point
you drove them off with arrows
Bow: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Tactics: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Control: +1 attribute point
you rode off on a fast horse
Riding: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Scouting: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Endurance: +1 attribute point
you tricked the raiders
Roguery: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Tactics: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Cunning: +1 attribute point
you organised the travellers to break out
Leadership: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Charm: +10 Skill level and +1 Focus Point Social: +1 attribute point
We hope that this is helpful for deciding which skills to unlock, and how to upgrade your character in Bannerlord. You can check out our other guides for the game, such as tips to get started in the campaign, and other complicated parts such as sieges and workshops.
