Companions are vital to your success in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, shaping your journey from lone warrior to ruler of a vast empire. Discover their roles, recruitment strategies, and more below.
Why Companions Are Essential in Bannerlord
Building an Empire Requires a Team
In Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, rising from a mercenary to a monarch demands more than solo prowess. Companions—unique, named characters with distinct skills and backstories—are the key to scaling your ambitions. Unlike standard recruits, they can govern settlements, lead armies, or manage logistics, freeing you to focus on strategy and conquest. These loyal allies are not just stronger party members; they’re the foundation of your growing clan.
Companions do more than fight by your side. They can manage resources, heal troops, govern towns, or command independent warbands. Need someone to oversee food supplies while you outmaneuver enemy forces? A quartermaster handles it. Struggling to maintain loyalty in a newly captured castle? A governor stabilizes it. Want to expand your influence without leading every battle? Assign a companion to lead their own army. Their versatility transforms your campaign from a solo grind to a thriving dynasty.
Companions also add depth to the roleplaying experience. Each carries a unique title like “The Scholar” or “Of the Wastes,” hinting at their skills and origins. These details spark imagination, letting you craft a warband that reflects your vision—whether it’s a noble court, a band of outlaws, or a mercenary company. Your companions define your clan’s identity and legacy.
In a world where your banner represents your name, the companions you choose shape your path to power. They’re not just warriors—they’re the pillars of your empire.
Exploring Companion Roles
Key Party Roles for Success
While Bannerlord doesn’t formally categorize companions, players identify roles based on their skills and campaign utility. These roles—tied to skills like Steward, Medicine, or Scouting—help optimize your army’s performance. Though labels like “healer” or “commander” vary across guides, the principle is clear: match companions to tasks that suit their strengths for maximum impact.
Bannerlord’s party roles—Quartermaster, Surgeon, Scout, and Engineer—keep your army fed, healthy, mobile, and siege-ready. Each role leverages a specific skill to enhance your campaign.
Quartermaster
The Quartermaster manages food, morale, and army cohesion. High Steward skill expands party size, ensures food variety for morale, and slows cohesion loss in large armies.
Best for:
⚫︎ Sustaining large armies on long campaigns
⚫︎ Maintaining morale during sieges or deep raids
⚫︎ Supporting multiple warbands
Top Titles:
⚫︎ The Spicevendor – Excels in Steward and Trade for food bonuses
⚫︎ Willowbark – Strong in Steward and Medicine
⚫︎ The Wainwright – Combines Steward with Engineering for versatility
Surgeon
The Surgeon prevents permanent losses by boosting healing rates and reducing companion death risks. High Medicine skill preserves elite troops and minimizes recovery time.
Best for:
⚫︎ Protecting companions from permanent death
⚫︎ Preserving veteran troops after battles
⚫︎ Enabling relentless combat with minimal downtime
Top Titles:
⚫︎ The Surgeon – Dedicated healer with high Medicine
⚫︎ Willowbark – Top-tier Medicine, often with Steward skills
⚫︎ The Healer – Balanced in Medicine, Steward, and Charm
⚫︎ Bitterdraught – Reliable Medicine and Trade combo
Scout
The Scout enhances your ability to spot enemies, avoid ambushes, and exploit terrain. High Scouting skill boosts party speed, vision range, and auto-battle advantages.
Best for:
⚫︎ Raiding or evading larger armies
⚫︎ Tracking enemy movements
⚫︎ Setting up ambushes in field battles
Top Titles:
⚫︎ Of The Wastes – High Scouting proficiency
⚫︎ The Grey Falcon – Balances Scouting with Tactics
⚫︎ The Ragged / The Fish – Dependable budget scouts
Engineer
The Engineer speeds up sieges, maintains equipment, and strengthens defenses. High Engineering skill accelerates siege engine construction and fortification upgrades.
Best for:
⚫︎ Capturing enemy towns swiftly
⚫︎ Building siege engines faster
⚫︎ Fortifying your settlements
Top Titles:
⚫︎ The Engineer – Straightforward siege expert
⚫︎ The Scholar – Blends Medicine and Engineering
⚫︎ The Wainwright – Strong in Engineering and Steward
⚫︎ The Knowing – High intellect with governor potential
⚫︎ The Accursed – Often skilled in Engineering and Tactics
Popular Companion Titles
Companions are often identified by their procedurally generated titles, which hint at their skill focus. Below is a concise guide to common titles and their typical specialties:
⚫︎ The Accursed – Roguery, Two-Handed
⚫︎ The Black – Roguery, Two-Handed, Bow
⚫︎ The Boar – Tactics, Polearm
⚫︎ The Bull – Tactics, Two-Handed, Polearm
⚫︎ The Butcher – Roguery, One-Handed
⚫︎ The Engineer – Engineering, Crossbow
⚫︎ The Golden – Tactics
⚫︎ The Healer – Medicine
⚫︎ The Ragged – Bow, Scouting
⚫︎ The Red – Two-Handed
⚫︎ The Scholar – Medicine, Steward
⚫︎ The Shieldmaiden – One-Handed, Athletics
⚫︎ The Smith – Smithing, Two-Handed
⚫︎ The Spicevendor – Trade, Crossbow
⚫︎ The Swordsman – Two-Handed, Polearm
⚫︎ The Swift – Roguery, Trade, Steward
⚫︎ The Wanderer – Polearm, One-Handed
⚫︎ Of the Hills – Scouting, Crossbow
⚫︎ Of the Wastes – Scouting, Bow
Note: Companion availability and skills vary by playthrough. Always verify stats before recruiting.
Beyond Party Roles
Governors and Clan Leaders
Companions extend beyond party logistics to shape your empire’s broader strategy. As governors or clan leaders, they manage settlements or lead independent warbands, leveraging skills like Steward, Charm, or Tactics to bolster your holdings or expand your influence.
Key governor skills include:
⚫︎ Steward: Enhances food production and prosperity
⚫︎ Charm and Leadership: Boosts loyalty and influence
⚫︎ Engineering: Speeds construction and fortification
⚫︎ Tactics and Roguery: Supports aggressive or unconventional policies
Governors stay stationed in settlements, making them ideal for companions with weaker combat skills but strong administrative abilities, such as a Steward who maximizes tax revenue.
Utility and Specialized Roles
Companions also fill niche roles like caravan leaders, raiders, or warband captains, generating income or creating strategic distractions. These roles rely on:
⚫︎ Trade: Maximizes caravan profits and ambush avoidance
⚫︎ Roguery: Enables illicit operations or village raids
⚫︎ Tactics: Supports warband leadership and tactical retreats
These autonomous roles extend your influence without constant oversight, allowing companions to drive economic growth or disrupt enemies while you focus on larger campaigns.
No single companion is universally “best”—their value depends on your playstyle and goals. Whether they’re leading charges or managing markets, each companion shapes your empire’s story.
How to Find and Recruit Companions
Locating Talent in Taverns and the Encyclopedia
Recruiting companions requires effort and strategy. They’re found in city taverns across Calradia, identifiable by titles like “The Healer” or “The Engineer.” Visit taverns to check available companions, or use the Encyclopedia (default key: N) under the “Heroes” tab, filtered by Wanderer, to track their stats and last known locations.
Recruitment is straightforward: approach a companion in a tavern, pay their fee, and they join your party—no quests or persuasion needed. Just ensure you have the gold ready.
Choosing Wisely: Stats and Limits
Select companions based on your campaign phase. Early-game players need Surgeons (Medicine) and Scouts (Scouting) for survival and mobility. Mid-game focuses on combat leaders and Stewards for governance. Late-game prioritizes Engineering, Tactics, and Leadership for sieges and large-scale wars.
Consider growth potential: high-stat companions may plateau quickly, while lower-level ones can evolve into versatile assets with experience. Your companion limit, tied to Clan Tier, grows with renown from battles and quests, so plan recruits to fill skill gaps.
Assigning Roles for Maximum Impact
Managing Party Roles
Companions shine when assigned roles that match their skills. Access the Roles tab in the party screen (L key) to designate Quartermaster, Surgeon, Scout, or Engineer. Each role ties to a specific skill, and only companions in your party can apply their bonuses. Assigning roles frees you from micromanaging logistics, letting you focus on leadership and combat.
Clan and Settlement Management
To appoint a governor, select a settlement and choose a companion from the governor menu. They’ll apply their skills to improve loyalty, prosperity, or defenses. For party leaders, use the Clan screen’s “Parties” tab to create a new party, assign a companion, and set their budget and troops. These roles remove companions from your party, so reserve combat-skilled companions for leadership and administrative ones for governance.
Dismissing Companions
If a companion no longer fits your strategy, dismiss them via the Party Menu. Select the companion, choose the dialogue option to release them, and they’ll leave permanently, taking their gear with them. Reassign any roles they held to avoid gaps in your party’s capabilities.
Dismissing is strategic when companions underperform or your Clan Tier limits recruitment. Be cautious, though—unique skillsets like a top-tier Surgeon or Scout may be hard to replace.
The Evolving Role of Companions
Companions are more than tools—they’re the heart of your campaign, from the healer saving your troops to the captain leading your armies. They carry your story, equipped with your best gear and entrusted with your vision.
The upcoming War Sails expansion introduces naval warfare, expanding companion roles to include ship captains and fleet commanders. With customizable fleets and maritime campaigns, companions with new sea-focused skills will manage blockades, boarding parties, and supply lines, adding strategic depth to your empire.
Whether leading warbands, governing towns, or commanding ships, companions reflect your leadership style. Choose them carefully, equip them well, and they’ll carry your banner from Calradia’s battlefields to its storm-tossed seas.
