Bannerlord's About to Get Wet and Wild: War Sails Expansion Reshapes the World for Maximum Naval Mayhem
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord's War Sails expansion is not just adding boats; it's reshaping the entire game world to make naval combat and trade a much bigger part of the experience. Get ready to fight (and maybe drown) like a medieval pirate!
Right, so TaleWorlds is about to turn Calradia into Venice... well, almost. Their upcoming War Sails expansion for Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord isn't just adding boats; it's literally terraforming the landscape to encourage all sorts of nautical naughtiness. I've been digging into the details, and fair dinkum, it's more ambitious than I initially reckoned.
According to a recent deep dive from TaleWorlds (and let's be honest, who doesn't love a good deep dive?), War Sails, slated for this Autumn, will bring full-blown naval warfare to the medieval sandbox. Forget just raiding coastal villages; we're talking full-scale blockades, sea battles, and the kind of coastal shenanigans that would make a pirate blush. Here's the trailer, if you haven't seen it yet:
[Embedded YouTube Trailer - Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord - War Sails - Announcement Trailer]
Now, the bit that really tickled my fancy? TaleWorlds is physically moving towns closer to the water. Rivers are being widened, bridges are being 'reconsidered' (read: probably demolished), and the entire coastline is getting a makeover. They're calling it an effort to expand the maritime trade network, but I suspect it's also to give us more juicy targets for our longboats. Either way, I'm here for it.
"For settlements now hugging rivers and coasts, danger sails closer — rival ports are now just a voyage away. To meet this new maritime threat, both parties and armies can now travel by water, gaining access to naval movement and combat," says TaleWorlds. Sounds like a bloody good time to me.
The world map is also expanding with a new, rugged southern coastline. Perfect for hiding pirate coves and smuggling... well, whatever medieval folk smuggle. Spices? Stolen horses? Probably both.
Sieges are getting a nautical twist, too. Naval settlements will automatically be blockaded if you've got ships handy. And if you're defending, you can reinforce the town from the sea, either by punching through the blockade or by attacking the enemy fleet directly. Good luck with that, mate.
Oh, and here's a handy feature: if you dock your ship and wander off to pillage a village, you can summon your vessels again from any coastal town. No more trekking across the map to find your ride. Sailing will be affected by wind speed and currents, and you'll have to watch out for attrition from storms and general wear and tear. Because nobody wants their longboat turning into a leaky bathtub mid-battle.
Now, I know what you're thinking: is Bannerlord any good these days? It had a bit of a rocky start, didn't it? While opinions were mixed at launch, the promise of open-world battles kept many of us hooked. With War Sails, it looks like TaleWorlds are finally adding the depth and strategic options that were initially missing. And while I'm not seeing any explicit Web3 integration here (thankfully, no NFT longboats!), the increased player agency and emergent gameplay possibilities that come with these new naval features are always a welcome sign.
It's shaping up to be a right proper expansion, wouldn't you agree?
Tags: Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, War Sails, Naval Combat, Strategy RPG, Gaming News
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun