Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlordis now leaving Steam’s Early Access program, and the developer, TaleWorlds Entertainment, has shared the full patch notes for the game’s 1.0 build. Having originally been announced back in 2012,Bannerlordcomes as a follow-up to the originalMount and Bladegame and its standalone expansion packs, which have successfully turned into cult classics in their own right over the years.
Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlordwas always planned as a comprehensive upgrade of each of the old games' disparate gameplay and progression systems. On top of substantially improved graphics, the game also features better customization systems, more ways for players to advance and develop their characters, and a better modding platform for long-term community projects.
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Following a series of majorMount and Blade 2updates earlier this year, TaleWorlds Entertainment can now push out the full 1.0 version of the game, with an appropriately substantial list of patch notes to go with it. With a massive list of bug fixes and solutions for assorted crashes, version 1.0 also introduces a wealth of new content. Players can expect simple additions such as new weapons and armor, as well as more complex and substantial tidbits, with six new battle terrains and ten new town scenes ready for exploration. TaleWorlds has also noted that players can expect a substantially improved economy sandbox that should prove more interesting for merchant characters, in particular.
TaleWorlds has underlinedMount and Blade 2’s unique progression systemfurther than ever before with the game’s 1.0 version build. The developer has suggested that most character builds should feel more at home in the game’s open world of Calradia, with more improvements and additions coming down the line. Though this is a big milestone for TaleWorlds, the official developer blog makes note of the fact that the studio still has big plans forMount and Blade 2, with post-launch content already planned for future release.
Though the full launch ofMount and Blade 2from early access is bound to break many community mods, the scene is likely to rebound soon afterward. Players have already managed to deliver a variety of fascinating new features, like themod that combinesBannerlordwithCrusader Kings 3. TaleWorlds' patch notes claim that modding should be made easier and more intuitive following the 1.0 update, which should facilitate other community projects in the future.
For the longest time,Mount and Blade 2was one of thebest early access simulatorsfor fans of RPGs and historical fiction. Now that the game has graduated to a full 1.0 release, it’ll be interesting to see what the community makes of it and whetherBannerlordcan successfully overtake its predecessors' fame and glory.
Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlordis out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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