Companions are the secret ingredient that makes your clan truly stand out. They fight for you, manage your armies, handle quests, and enhance your core skills. In this Mount & Blade 2 Bannerlord Companions Guide, you learn how to find them, select them, and turn them into the backbone of your campaign.
Table of Contents
Basics
Companions are the core of your clan in Mount & Blade 2 Bannerlord. They may look like regular troops, but they have names, stories, and fundamental skills that strengthen your entire army. Once you start using them, the game runs much more smoothly.
They step in where you struggle. If you love charging into battle but dislike handling finances or settlement management, a good companion can handle that. Their skills directly benefit your party, and they level up just like your character. You can gear them up, assign roles, and watch them grow into true powerhouses.
Here’s what makes them so valuable:
- Their skills boost your party when they travel with you
- They can manage quests so that you can stay focused on the fun stuff
- They level up naturally, which makes them stronger over time
- They can lead their own parties, caravans, or take over settlement duties
- They can be fully equipped, unlike regular troops
Companions are most effective when recruited early. The sooner they start gaining experience, the more powerful they become in the late game.
What Companions Can Do
Companions in Mount & Blade 2 Bannerlord are highly adaptable, and you can shape them as needed. Many in-game tasks don’t require your personal involvement. That’s where they excel. They can complete quests for you, provided they meet the skill requirements. They may be away for a few in-game days and might take troops along, but you still earn the rewards without doing the work.
A skilled trader can operate a caravan for your clan. It moves across the map and earns passive income. This is ideal if you want a steady cash flow without micromanaging every detail. As your clan rank increases, you can assign companions to lead war parties. These parties cost no influence to summon into your army, which is a significant advantage during kingdom wars.
Companions are also excellent governors. Their perks boost loyalty, security, and production. Just remember that a culture mismatch lowers loyalty unless the companion has perks to counter it. There’s also a subtle diplomacy trick: leaving a companion in someone else’s town or castle gradually improves your relations with that owner, sometimes extending to local notables too.
Before you start hiring everyone you meet, keep this in mind:
- Companions are expensive
- They take party slots
- You can only hire a limited number
- They can die if you play with permadeath
Even with these drawbacks, a well-built team of companions is more valuable than many armies. They take care of all the tedious work while you concentrate on the battles and major decisions.
How and Where to Recruit Them
If you want strong companions in Mount & Blade 2 Bannerlord, you need to know where to find them. The world of Calradia is enormous, but luckily, the game provides an easy way to see every potential recruit. All companions have the occupation Wanderer, which simplifies your search.
Your primary tool is the in-game encyclopedia. It shows you every companion in the world, their skills, and even the cities they recently visited. With this, you can plan your route and avoid wandering aimlessly. Here’s how to find them:
- Press N to open the Encyclopedia
- Go to the Party tab
- Scroll to Occupation and pick Wanderer
- Click any name to see their skills and movement history
- Travel to the city they last visited and check the tavern
Companions in Bannerlord move around a lot, so the info isn’t perfect, but it usually gets you close enough. If they wander off again, just reopen the encyclopedia and check their updated timeline.
Once you arrive in a major city, go to the tavern district. Recruitable companions show up at the top of the screen in the character panel. Click on them to talk, hear their backstory, and hire them if the price is right. You can also ask tavern keepers if they’ve heard of someone worth recruiting.
This method works anywhere in Calradia. The only thing that can prevent you is bad timing. If a companion has died earlier in your playthrough, they simply will not appear. Other than that, every Wanderer is yours to find and recruit.
Choosing the Right Companions
There is no single perfect companion in Mount & Blade 2 Bannerlord. Each campaign randomizes their skills, so your best choice always depends on what your clan needs. A merchant seeking passive income won’t look for the same recruits as a frontline warlord. The key is to understand what each surname suggests.
A companion’s surname reveals a lot about their stats, personality, and combat style. If you meet someone named Breakskull, you already know they favor two-handed weapons and have a daring yet cruel personality. This helps you quickly determine if they are suitable for the job you have in mind.
To build a strong clan, look out for these typical roles:
- Medics: Excellent for survival and reducing losses in battle. Look for surnames like The Scholar, The Surgeon, or The Healer. The Scholar usually has the highest Medicine skill in most campaigns.
- Rogues: Ideal for stealthy tasks and specific quests. The top choice is The Prince, with The Black as a close second.
- Warriors: Powerful frontline fighters who strengthen your army in direct combat. Top-tier names include Bloodaxe, The Golden, and Coalbiter.
- Scouts: Essential for tracking, map speed, and avoiding ambushes. Of the Wastes has incredible scouting and strong bow skills. Of the Hills works if the first option is not available.
- Stewards: A good Steward keeps your army organized and your finances stable. The Spicevendor is usually the best choice and also excels at Trading. The Swift is a reliable backup.
Each Bannerlord campaign will offer a different pool of Wanderers, so you’ll always need to adapt. Check surnames, examine their stats, and choose the ones that fit your playstyle. A balanced team is always better than a random assortment of fighters.
Bannerlord Companions FAQ
You can find them in the taverns of major towns. Many will join you for around one thousand Denars. Talk to them, check their skills, and add them to your clan if they meet your needs.
Choose companions with strong skills in Scouting, Engineering, Administration, or Medicine. These abilities provide your clan with a significant advantage early on and help your campaign progress more smoothly.
Yes. You can fully equip them with weapons and armor. A geared-up companion can turn chaotic battles into simple victories thanks to their scaling skills.
They can. Assign them to quests and free yourself for more important tasks. This works well when you want to explore, trade, or concentrate on your army.
Starting at clan level three, you can assign them their own unit, which helps with sieges, defense missions, and large-scale wars.
Level Up Your Companions with PLITCH!
PLITCH’s Mount & Blade 2 Bannerlord cheats make building the ideal companion squad much simpler. If you want to shape your recruits instantly, the Add Focus Points and Add Attribute Points codes are the most powerful tools. They allow you to turn any Wanderer into a Medic, Scout, Steward, or warrior right from the beginning.
Keeping companions alive while they level is also essential. Godmode player, Godmode troop, and Godmode horse make battles much safer and help your companions gain experience without risking a permanent loss.
If you need money to recruit or equip high-quality companions, +1,000 Gold, +10,000 Gold, and +500,000 Gold give you all the Denars you need. For faster clan expansion, Infinite Influence removes the limits when assigning companion parties.
Visit this blog to learn more about PLITCH, and check out our Trainer Showcase on YouTube to see our cheats in action!
Happy Gaming!
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