As you zip your way through Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord, there are going to be a lot of battles you have to fight. You will also have to contend with a fair few diplomatic and political tasks sprinkled in between the wars as well. The various groups and factions in this game all want power, and so do you. But to claim power, you’re going to need a strong military backbone to take and protect it. A big part of building that is recruiting and training your soldiers to fight alongside you. Sure, you can recruit from towns and villages spread around, but you can also recruit prisoners in Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord.
Players will have to rise up the ranks as a lowly lord or knight, all the way to commanding multiple armies and an entire empire. There are going to be a lot of people that die on your side as a result, because other upstarts will want to challenge your rule, and you have to beat them back with force of arms and a sharp mind. As your skills grow and you unlock new perks, there will be new options that open up to you. One of these is expanding your army, and you need recruits to do that.
After winning a battle and taking the losing survivors hostage, you will want to pay attention. So on your way to ransom the lowly peasants at a major settlement, keep the captured souls in your army caravan for a while. Eventually, you should see a red exclamation point appear on the party member icon in the lower left-hand section. Click on it, and go to the prisoner section of your menu. All of the prisoners currently your party should be listed in that menu.
Although be careful, the new game also brings forth the logistical challenges such as feeding your army from the previous game. Don’t recruit a larger army than you can afford to feed. And keep in mind that any new captive can then be upgraded to a new level within their troop tree, so you won’t be able to transition them into a cavalry unit right away.
Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord also has a rather deep and varied questing system wherein players are responsible for taking on various tasks for the factions in Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord. So while you’re not engaging in battles for fresh blood, feel free to make some new friends.
