Mount and Blade 2 announces stunning update to how battle terrain is picked

Mount And Blade 2: Bannerlord developers TaleWorlds have quietly announced a stunning change to how the medieval battle game generates the terrain for your real-time third person skirmishes. Rather than picking from a premade map based on the terrain type you're in—such as forests or plains—the game will instead use battlefields based on the overall terrain of the strategic map region around you. That terrain will not only reflect the terrain near where you are, but the new Battle Terrain system "also takes into account the location and direction of the parties within the region and uses this to determine where each side will spawn in the battle." 

The update does not yet have a release date, but most past features have come within a month of their development diary debut.

To this point, there had been no real indication that this level of detail was planned for Bannerlord. It's a revolution to how battles are decided, where previously choosing a spot to fight was based on a static terrain type, now major chokepoints like bridges, rivers, and mountain passes, or advantageous terrain like wide plains or thick forest are key positions for various playstyles. The cavalry-focused Vlandians will prefer to engage on open fields, while the infantry-focused Battanian skirmishers will benefit from forest ambushes. 

The system is still a work in progress, and some details may change, but it's a huge shift from how Bannerlord worked in the past and a major update to Bannerlord's strategic layer. 

The work in progress world regions. (Image credit: TaleWorlds)

A single world region in the north of Calradia. (Image credit: TaleWorlds)

A player leads a cavalry charge on the dynamic region map. (Image credit: TaleWorlds)

An aerial shot of the two bridges from the strategic view, but on the battlefield level. (Image credit: TaleWorlds)

Another major update will add duel servers to multiplayer, letting players join up and fight with others in one on one single combat. Players will be able to move around a central hub and challenge each other to first-to-three-wins duels for a high score. All the game's classes will be available, with the arena for a fight chosen based on the combination of how players challenge each other. The hub area also provides views of the duel arenas, so you can watch in-progress fights.

The development update also includes new town and castle maps for sieges, pillaging for successful sieges, and some new . The video also gives a look at sandbox character creation for those who would rather skip the main story in favor of a more customizable experience including sliders for build, weight, and age, as well as a starting position for each distinct culture.

You can find Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord on Steam, or keep up with it on our game page.