I have to admit, I love modding. It’s an addiction that’s hard to overcome. The following 15 mods are the best Bannerlord mods I could find. Frankly, I can’t start a playthrough anymore without having some of them installed.
Whether you prefer total conversion mods that completely alter the factions in Bannerlord or smaller quality-of-life improvement mods, there’s a bit for everyone. Let’s get right into it.
RBM – Realistic Battle Mod
I’ll admit it. RBM is probably the best Bannerlord mod period. It’s gotten to the point that I won’t start a playthrough without it, and if a mod isn’t compatible with RBM, I remove the mod entirely.
RBM is great because it makes battlefields feel realistic. Vanilla combat feels a bit like a moshpit, RBM addresses that and makes it feel like proper medieval combat. Additionally, it touches up weapon and armor stats, making them feel realistic as well.
Diplomacy
Diplomacy definitely deserves to be mentioned when talking about the best Bannerlord mods. Many in the community even believe that it should be a core part of the game and that TaleWorlds should just go ahead and add it to the game.
Why is Diplomacy one of the best Bannerlord mods you may ask? Because it completely changes how diplomacy works. It makes it in-depth and rich. It actually feels like you’re running a kingdom. Plus, it makes creating a kingdom much, much easier.
Open Source Armory
Open Source Armory by itself doesn’t do much. What it does in tandem with other mods is what makes it one of the best Bannerlord mods. In essence, OSE is a compilation of weapon, saddle & armor assets.
Many mod teams, instead of having to create original armors, can simply use some of OSE’s thousands of unique armors. Thus, cutting down development time drastically.
CA – Eagle Rising
An example of one such mod is CA’s Eagle Rising mod. Eagle Rising transports Calradia into the ancient world, loosely based on our own ancient world. Total conversion mods are some of the best Bannerlord mods out there. They’re like an entirely new game within a game.
In EA, you can roleplay as a Roman Legionary, a Saka slave driver taking prisoners and selling them to the highest bidder. Or, you can even roleplay as a Carthaginian sacred band. The possibilities are endless.
The Old Realms
Mount and Blade Warband has a mod called Warsong Conquest, which is one of its most popular mods, as it transforms the world of Calradia into the world of Warhammer Fantasy.
The Old Realms does exactly that, just for Bannerlord. Currently, it’s very early in its development, but it’s shaping up to be one of the best Bannerlord mods of all time. I guess we’ll see a year from now.
Trial of the Seven Kingdoms
On the other hand, if the world of a Song of Ice and Fire is more to your liking, then you should definitely try out the Trial of the Seven Kingdoms. A total-conversion mod that turns the world of Calradia into George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones.
The reason Trails of the Seven Kingdoms is one of the best Bannerlord mods is that the mod team behind it meticulously strives to recreate the world of Song of Ice and Fire to the smallest detail. Currently, just like Eagle Rising, it’s relatively early in its development. But who knows what we’ll see a few years from now?
Detailed Character Creation
Bannerlord’s character creator is quite detailed, still, it can be even more detailed. That is where Detailed Character Creation comes in, which over time has become one of the best Bannerlord mods on the internet.
This mod really helps if you want to create your ideal self in the game. Plus, it really helps with getting married in Bannerlord. After all, it’s better to look like a work of art, rather than a cave troll that’s forgotten to do its morning routine.
Improved Garrisons
Improved Garrisons is quite a minor mod, at least compared to some of the other mods on this list. However, it’s undeniably one of the best Bannerlord mods out there. The quality-of-life improvements it brings about are so helpful that I can’t see myself starting a campaign without Improved Garrisons.
In essence, Improved Garrisons allows you to meticulously control every aspect of your settlement’s garrisons. You can predetermine what soldiers to recruit, you can send out parties to defend your villages. It even features a recruiter that you can send out to recruit for you. All in all, a must-have mod for sure.
Full Invasion 3
Although I prefer single-player mods, I have to admit that Full Invasion 3 is one of the best Bannerlord mods. Full Invasion 3 is a continuation of the Full Invasion series of multiplayer mods. In essence, Full Invasion allows you and a squad of other players to defend a settlement against waves of opponents.
Warband’s Full Invasion mod was especially popular as it allowed players to experience some of their favorite fantasy worlds hands-on. The Helms Deep map was particularly popular. There were also some Game of Thrones and Napoleonic maps that were also quite popular. Hopefully, in the future, we’ll be able to experience the same in FI3.
CA – Blood and Smoke
It’d be a real shame if Bannerlord didn’t have any gunpowder mod. Warband had tons of them, and they were some of the most beloved mods. Introducing, CA’s Blood and Smoke. A conversion mod that brings the world of Calradia into the age of gunpowder.
One of the best playthroughs I ever had, I experienced because of this mod. I rushed to increase my party size until I could control a battalion-sized unit. Then I employed actual Napoleonic tactics to win the battles. The roleplaying experience I had remains unmatched to this day. Hmm, I really should download this mod again.
Calradia Expanded Kingdoms
Calradia Expanded Kingdoms is an alternate history mod that further expands the world of Calradia. This is one of my favorite mods, and definitely one of the best Bannerlord mods currently. I’m actually using this mod in my current playthrough, and, honestly, I can’t go back to a regular Calradia after this.
Not only does this mod add extra settlements onto the map, but it also adds extra cultures, all with their unique bonuses and troop trees. The roleplaying options with this mod are endless, which is why I regard it so highly. All in all, it makes for an unparalleled playthrough experience.
Banner Kings
Banner Kings is an “interesting” mod, to say the least. Some consider it one of the best Bannerlord mods, some utterly hate it. The thing that makes Banner Kings so unique is that it brings in elements from the Crusader King games into Bannerlord, leading to a much deeper and richer experience.
On the other hand, it also slows down the gameplay by quite a lot. You can’t just conquer willy-nilly in this mod, there are many systems put in place to slow you down. Sure, it does lead to a more realistic experience, but at the same time, it can be quite frustrating if it’s your first time around using the mod.
Party Screen Enhancement
Bannerlord’s party screen is decent, but, as the name of the mod implies, it can definitely use an enhancement. That’s where Party Screen Enhancement comes in handy. This mod streamlines the upgrading and recruiting process by adding custom upgrading and sorting actions to the party menu.
Before I discovered this mod, I wasted so much time on troop upgrades. It got so bad at one point that my right index finger went numb. Thankfully, PSE came along and helped me ease my struggles. As far as quality-of-life mods are concerned, this one is up there.
Serve as Soldier
Many players would agree that the early game is one of the most boring parts of Bannerlord. We all want to get into the action as soon as possible. Serve as soldier allows you to do just that. Instead of striking out on your own from the get-go, you can enlist in a lord’s army instead.
Not only is this a great way to farm experience and Renown early on, but it’s also a great way to make some money at the start. All your needs are taken care of, plus, if your lord’s party gets taken out, you get to keep the armor that you were issued.
Better Smithing Continued
Smithing is one of those skills that is a bit “rough around the edges,” to say the least. It’s a nice idea for sure, but the execution is definitely lacking. Vanilla Smithing has a lot of systems in place that make it frustrating to level up. Better Smithing Continued addresses those issues and actually makes Smithing fun.
BSC includes a few minor quality-of-life changes that greatly improve the smithing experience. Things like being able to regain your stamina while moving on the campaign map, changes to stamina regeneration speed, and bulk crafting/smelting/refining.
