As you’re playing through the sandbox campaign of Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord, you will notice that the world revolves around money. The more Denar you have on-hand, the better your troops will be and the happier your settlements will be. You will need to be constantly bringing in cash to keep the war machine ticking, and even though the game throws cash at you with things like the real estate market, there is always more money to be made. Making money in Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord will rely on a handful of different mechanics, and how well you can apply them will depend on your skills and the amount of territory you control.
With that said, here is a simple guide on the most common ways you can make money in Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord. You will eventually need to bring all of these to bear against the game, so keep them in mind throughout your time with this new sim.
Catching Looters and Bandits
As a start within the campaign of Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord, you will be given a variety of quests aimed at both teaching you the game and getting your feet wet with the combat and politics of the sequel. One of the first major quests within the story revolves around rebuilding your clan, and you’re going to need money and soldiers to do that.
The core of the gameplay loop here is to take and sell prisoners, so it’s a pretty simple concept. Be sure to pick and choose your battles though, aiming for smaller groups of bandits that you can take your time with. The more people you injure without killing, the more people you take into captivity. This method will grant the player a nice stream of steady income from smaller skirmishes that’s useful for the early game.
Quests
Visiting towns and cities to look for quests for the various in-game factions is a core component of the game. Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord will be throwing Denars at you for completing quests for the factions and characters. Players can also earn other rewards like new companions too.
This also unlocks some combat potential with Arena quests and tournaments. Taking on tournaments isn’t easy, especially when you’re taking on larger groups of enemies, but the steady flow of Denar of being an Arena champion might be worth it. You can also gain some solid renown from this method too.
Trading and Real Estate
The big source of easy revenue for many players will be exploiting the economy. While traipsing across the world looking for battles and quest targets, you should be checking towns and villages for their market conditions. Look at the traders, Workshops, and other economic elements of a given settlement to try and identify any shortages or gaps in the market. Say a town is short of a popular food item, bring it in from a nearby town to make a tidy profit.
Having a nice supply of horses and mules within your military forces allows you to increase your carrying capacity. So always keep your inventory well-managed to keep some stock room available for trading opportunities.
There is even a real estate system that revolves around taking control of Workshops and other buildings within the game work to make a steady stream of profit. The time spend analyzing the market to look for shortages can also help you out if you corner the market with the Workshops and other buildings.
