Once beloved, this Bannerlord War Sails feature is now widely disliked. ‘It’s literally pointless and a waste of time”

The Mount and Blade series is truly unique. So much so that it has no real competitors. It’s no surprise, then, that the newest installment, Bannerlord, has been a major success. It was only a matter of time before we received the first DLC. To the surprise of no one, it is naval-themed expansion - War Sails. It was introduced alongside 1.3 update that added also a stealth mechanic. After quite enthusiastic first reviews, players have started to see some flaws with the production. One of the major issues is the new mechanic of hideouts.

• That didn’t go well
• How to quickly earn some money?

That didn’t go well

Let’s start with explaining how it used to be – raiding hideouts was a good way to get some XP and equipment for new characters. It also could drop some valuable loot that could boost your income in the first hours of the game. All you needed to do is to pick some warriors to assist you during the attack, kill all bandits, and later their boss (either in a fight 1 vs 1 or team vs team). Now, it works differently.

In the last update it was made simpler and more complicated at the same time. Players don’t have to attack a hideout anymore, instead they can spend a few hour to automatically solve the case. However, by picking this option, you cut yourself off from potential prisoners. Moreover, it seems that by doing so, you don’t get bonus relation points with reginal notables, which was also a useful perk for many.

Source: Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord - War Sails, developer: TaleWorlds Entertainment

Alternatively, you can sneak in to a hideout, stealthy kill some guards, and reach a fire that allows for calling troops to take care of the rest of the camp. However, keep in mind that if you just SNEAK through the guards unnoticed, the signal does not activate, you need to KILL them.

Of course, not all players like it because not all enjoy the new stealth mechanic. However, the real issue with it is something different – devs have nerfed loot in hideouts. Now, they do not drop gear, and the rest of the goodies we get do not sum up to what we used to get.

So, forced sneaking (or no relation points) and worse loot made many people really frustrated, especially that it was enough to add an option of sneaking, and not to remove the old one (with the direct attack). It is well summed by one of the Steam users: “It’s literally pointless and waste of time to deal with hideouts now!” No wonder that the Classic Hideout Battle is one of the most trending projects on Nexus Mods right now.

How to quickly earn some money?

To not end with sad remark, let me tell you how to quickly get some money. First, complete the naval tutorial starting with mission Inquire at Ostican. You will get some troops, equipment, about 15k, and, what is the most important, a free ship. Use this vessel, hire some more soldiers and start attacking pirate ships. You will get precious XP, gear and more ships this way, and they are valuable. Thanks to that you will be able to boost your economy.

Source: Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord - War Sails, developer: TaleWorlds Entertainment

Moreover, it seems that the new patch boosted the traders. So, you can invest the money you earn on the sea to equip a team of two of traders. Of course, this method works the best when you are not part of any kingdom (due to wars and increased risk of losing the party that goes with that).

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord

October 25, 2022

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