Bannerlord fans are already calling War Sails one of the strongest DLC launches in years

After all the uncertainty and delays, the first DLC for Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord is finally out. No one expected TaleWorlds to announce the release date during their first gameplay showcase, but they really surprised everyone. And it’s great to say – War Sails was totally worth the wait.

Bannerlord War Sails first impressions

Just some YouTube shorts and posts on X here and there, but that was enough to get fans of Bannerlord really hyped for War Sails. As if the game wasn’t already a massive sandbox full of epic fights and deep warfare mechanics, the developers went a step further and added ship battles. With this addition, the game’s replay value just got an extra boost, and it already had plenty to begin with.

The number of concurrent players on Steam doubled as soon as War Sails went live. And judging by the reviews, they all seem to love it:

Of course, not everything’s perfect. Some players aren’t in love the War Sails tutorial, and it’s easy to see why. Learning new mechanics should be quick and fun, just enough to get you into the sandbox mode – the real heart of Bannerlord. But in War Sails, questlines drag on way too long, the AI can be really unresponsive, and the story feels like they just ran out of ideas. This time it’s all about rescuing your kidnapped sister instead of your brother. So more family drama, yay. That said, even though it’s long, this mode is actually a decent way to make some money and grab better gear early on.

Mount & Blade 2: Bennerlords War Sails; Developer: TaleWorlds

But overall, War Sails is sitting at about 73% positive on Steam right now. Sure, most people have only put in a few hours, but first impressions still matter, especially since fans have been waiting way longer than expected for this DLC.

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord - War Sails

November 26, 2025

Rate It!

• Overview

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