Combat in Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord is unforgiving, as armies smash into one another, there are going to be a lot of people bashing each other over the head with clubs, swords, and axes. As the commander of one side of this conflict, you’re going to be leading from the frontlines. The commander will need skills and techniques to win the day in many fights, as the AI in these games is kind of simple. The shield bash in Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord is one of these techniques.
With a shield bash in Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord, you can easily take down any guarding opponent with ease. It’s not that hard to pull off either, as long as you know what you’re doing and can execute the attack well enough to make it effective. You need to be in very close range to do it, so be careful against some tougher enemies.
Just have a shield equipped in your off-hand for starters. In battle, use the key you have set for blocking. which is holding right mouse button by default, to block an incoming attack. At the same time, you can press E, as if doing a kick attack, with the shield raised to use it to bash your opponent in the face. Doing a shield bash will stun and stagger any opponent on foot, and open them up for an easy attack.
The big bonus of this attack is that it allows you to retain some amount of defensive composure while exploiting the weakness of an enemy. The entire action is very quick, only leaving you unguarded for a couple of seconds. The few seconds of stun on your opponent can easily allow for a kill. This technique is also very useful when fighting multiple opponents, which you will be doing a lot of in Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord.
And be sure to pick up the Shield Bash I and Shield Bash II perks on the one-hand weapon tree. These abilities buff the base values of the shield bash, making it more damaging and a little more effective at stunning too.
