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Your hero in Mount and Blade 2 Bannerlord can be a screaming two handed berserker, a deadly horseback archer, or a charismatic ruler who barely swings a sword, and the game supports all of it.
The trick, however, is understanding how the character system works and then committing to a lane. Here is how attributes and skills fit together, and the strongest builds to aim for.
There are six attributes, each governing three skills:
Skills rise as you use them, but how high they can climb and how fast they level is governed by attribute points and focus points. Every attribute point in a category and every focus point in a skill raises that skill's cap and its learning rate.
Because points are limited, the winning move is to specialize: pour into the two or three skills your build actually uses rather than spreading thin.
The classic hero fantasy. Stack Vigor and pump Two Handed, grab the biggest, beefiest axe you can craft or find for that strikethrough damage, and wade into infantry lines.
Add some Athletics from Endurance so you are not slow, and take the perks that boost axe and shield damage. On foot in a shield wall, a maxed two handed hero can carve through a dozen troops a battle.
The safest and one of the strongest builds. Invest attribute points in Control and focus into Bow, and simply shoot. From range you take almost no damage while deleting enemy troops, and the skill levels fast because you fire constantly.
Add a little Riding if you want to kite on horseback. A high level archer hero is a battle winner who never has to risk the melee.
For players who want to feel unstoppable. Build Endurance for Riding and Vigor for Polearm, then couch a lance at a full gallop and one shot almost anything you hit.
Heavy cavalry with couched lances can rout whole formations. Pair it with a good warhorse and heavy armor and you become a one person cavalry charge.
The hybrid that does everything. Combine Control for Bow with Endurance for Riding and you can circle enemy formations, raining arrows while never letting them touch you.
It is the highest skill build to pilot, but in the right hands it is arguably the strongest, which is exactly why Khuzait horse archer troops are so feared.
Whatever combat lane you pick, remember you are not just a soldier, you are a clan leader. A few points in Steward from Intelligence grows your party, Leadership and Charm from Social help you recruit and hold armies together, and Roguery from Cunning makes recruiting bandits and prisoners far cheaper.
If money is your worry, Smithing under Endurance is the single best earner in the game. A pure combat build that ignores all of this hits a ceiling fast.
What is the best build in Bannerlord?
For raw safety and effectiveness, an archer build (Control and Bow) is the easiest strong pick, since you deal huge damage from range at almost no risk. Two handed and cavalry lancer builds are more hands on but hit like a truck.
How do attributes and skills work?
Six attributes each cover three skills. Skills level through use, but attribute points and focus points raise how high a skill can go and how fast it levels. Specialize into a few skills rather than spreading points thin.
Which attribute should I raise first?
Whatever your combat lane uses: Vigor for melee, Control for ranged, Endurance for cavalry. But save a little for Intelligence and Social, since Steward, Leadership, and Charm keep your clan and army functioning.
Is smithing worth building?
Yes, if you want money. Smithing sits under Endurance and high tier crafted weapons sell for enormous sums, making it the strongest income skill in the game.
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