Bannerlord devs just revealed a unit that could change the dynamic in the game, built with War Sails challenges in mind

We’ve already had a first peek at the Nord archers, what could be one of the deadliest warships in the game, and a bunch of other teasers for the upcoming Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord DLC. And now, TaleWorlds just dropped another reveal, a brand new unit, the Mariner, is joining the game in War Sails.

A first look at Bannerlord’s War Sails Mariner units

Mariners will be a versatile fighters, trained to handle both sea and land battles. Regular troops who aren’t mariners will take a hit to their combat effectiveness when fighting on ships. Mariners, on the other hand, won’t have that problem, but since they’re equipped more lightly, they’ll be easier targets or land, especially for cavalry.

The really interesting part is how this plays out across nations. In the Nord faction, every single unit is trained as a mariner, so none of them suffer penalties at sea. Other factions only get a limited number of mariners, and the Khuzaits don’t get any at all, putting them at a big disadvantage in naval battles. This could seriously shake up the game’s balance, since heavy archers and infantry won’t be nearly as viable in that scenario.

No one knows yet when we’ll actually get to try all the new mechanics and units. With the devs pushing War Sails to fall and not giving a specific release date, it could still be a while before we get our hands on it.

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord - War Sails

November 26, 2025

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• Overview

• DLC and expansions
• TaleWorlds
• Mount & Blade (franchise)