If you’re playing through Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord, you will eventually want to start your Clan down the path of noble lineage. To get your own kingdom, you first have to gain your own settlement. Sure, you can steal a settlement from another Noble or Kingdom, but that will lead to a war you are almost certainly not ready for this early into the game. Before you commit to that level of warfare, you need to build your army and secure alliances that will support you. A big part of that also involves getting your own towns, castles and villages running.
This involves scouting out a weakly defended settlement and finding out if you can take on its owner. A town or castle will have its own garrison, which you must first defeat to take it over. Take the time to visit the settlement and check out the defenses and economic viability it has. Choose a settlement to attack that isn’t too rundown, but also not essential to the enemy faction you’re about to attack. It’s also a good idea to speak to Nobles in that faction to find out who they’re friends and allies with. The more connected a faction, the harder they will be able to take down in war.
Use a hostile action at a nearby village to declare war once you have chosen your target. Once this is done, lay siege to the castle you wish to take. Be warned though, even if you win this battle, the faction you stole the lands from will try to retake it multiple times.
There is another way beyond war though. The other way to get a settlement is longer but safer. You can join a new kingdom and do quests and tasks for them, fight their enemies, and generally be helpful. Eventually, you will earn a settlement as a reward.
To join a kingdom, you will need to speak to a Lord at a castle. This action will set you down the path of questing your way to Renown. As you move up the ranks, you will eventually be granted quests with sizable rewards. Also, be sure to help out in that faction’s wars. The more helpful you are in protecting their lands, the more likely they are to reward you with titles and lands of your own.
Taking Care of the Settlement
You will need a steady supply of Denar for managing the settlement you just took. As you dump Denar into the reserves, the town or village will see various benefits. To speed up construction of various infrastructure buildings, have a nice amount of Denar ready to stockpile in the village. This will allow the town to quickly expand the defenses, food production and basic resources like Hardwood and Charcoal.
When you open the settlement management screen, you will see a snapshot of the economic health of the location, as well as the projects they are working on. Your first order of business is to get the Granary and Fortifications to Level III. This will allow the town to support its basic needs and deter minor raids. Next, focus on the Garrison Barracks and Training Fields. This will take some time but, it will strengthen the built-in defenses of the new settlement a fair bit.
Once that’s done, I would advise focusing on economic upgrades like the Marketplace, Workshops, and Aquaducts. These will improve the Loyalty and Prosperity of your town the most in the early game.
