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Crusader Kings III vs Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord
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| shopping_cart Where to Buy | |
| info General Information | |
| Release Date | |
| Sep 1, 2020 | Oct 25, 2022 |
| Developer | |
| Paradox Development Studio | TaleWorlds Entertainment |
| Publisher | |
| Paradox Interactive | TaleWorlds Entertainment |
| Genre(s) | |
| Strategy, RPG, Grand Strategy, Historical, Simulation | Action, RPG, Strategy, Medieval, Simulation, Sandbox |
| Engine | |
| Clausewitz Engine (with Jomini Toolset) | TaleWorlds Proprietary Engine |
| stars Ratings & Price | |
| Content Rating | |
| Mature 17+ | Teen |
| Avg. User Rating | |
| 4.7 / 5.0 | 4.5 / 5.0 |
| Current Price (USD) | |
| $49.99 | $49.99 |
| tune Key Specs | |
| Quick Highlights | |
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| sports_esports Gameplay & Mechanics | |
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| colorize Combat & Gear | |
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| trending_up Progression & Upgrades | |
| Skills & Progression | |
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Progression revolves around Five Core Lifestyles: Diplomacy (Family Hierarch, Diplomat, August), Martial (Strategist, Overseer, Gallant), Stewardship (Avaricious, Architect, Administrator), Intrigue (Schemer, Seducer, Torturer), and Learning (Whole of Body, Scholar, Theologian). Characters gain lifestyle experience to unlock powerful perks that drastically alter their reign. Additionally, dynastic Renown is spent on permanent Dynasty Legacies (such as Blood for genetic traits, Warfare for army strength, Guile for assassination success, and Erudition for cultural innovation), permanently elevating all future members of your family. |
Character progression is driven by an organic 'learn by doing' skill system featuring 18 distinct competencies grouped under six core attributes: Vigor (One-Handed, Two-Handed, Polearm), Control (Bow, Crossbow, Throwing), Endurance (Riding, Athletics, Smithing), Cunning (Scouting, Tactics, Roguery), Social (Charm, Leadership, Trade), and Intelligence (Steward, Medicine, Engineering). Earning skill levels unlocks powerful perk choices every 25 levels, granting tactical bonuses such as increased movement speed, troop wage reductions, improved siege construction speeds, or devastating decapitating strikes in melee. |
| public World & Exploration | |
| World & Level Design | |
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The grand strategy map is one of the most comprehensive ever conceived, encompassing thousands of individually modeled baronies, counties, and duchies. Key geographical realms include: The British Isles (feuding Anglo-Saxon, Celtic, and Norse earldoms), The Holy Roman Empire & Western Europe (densely populated feudal realms with intricate succession laws), Scandinavia (rugged fjords and Viking raiding launchpads), The Mediterranean & Levant (the crossroads of Christian Crusaders and Islamic Caliphates), The Byzantine Empire (an administrative powerhouse of imperial intrigue), and The Indian Subcontinent & Steppes (vibrant Hindu/Buddhist empires and nomadic tribal hordes). |
The campaign map encompasses an enormous geographic landmass spanning several climatic zones and over 200 settlements (including fortified capital towns, stone castles, and rural villages). The continent includes: The Calradic Heartland (temperate fertile plains dotted with classical amphitheaters and stone aqueducts), The Vlandian Coast (lush oceanic hills and sprawling feudal baronies), The Sturgian Taiga (frozen snowfields, pine forests, and icy northern fjords), The Battanian Highlands (misty, dense ancient woodlands and craggy hillforts), The Nahasa Desert (blistering sand dunes, palm oases, and rocky canyons ruled by the Aserai), and The Steppes (boundless eastern grasslands ideal for nomadic cavalry maneuvers). |
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| book Story & Characters | |
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| people Multiplayer | |
| Multiplayer Details | |
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The game features seamless online multiplayer supporting up to 32 players in a shared persistent campaign. Players can choose to cooperate as loyal vassals under an overarching emperor, marry into each other's dynasties to merge lineages, or wage covert cutthroat wars of espionage, assassination, and conquest against fellow human monarchs with drop-in/drop-out functionality. |
The game features robust PvP multiplayer modes supporting up to 120 players on dedicated servers: Captain Mode (commanding a squad of AI soldiers alongside team members in tactical objective control), Skirmish Mode (intense round-based 6v6 tactical elimination with limited respawn points), Siege Mode (massive assault on fortified castles involving battering rams, ladders, and siege towers), and Team Deathmatch / Free-for-All Duel Arenas. |
| extension Editions & DLC | |
| Available Editions | |
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Crusader Kings III retails at a base price of $49.99 USD across PC (Steam, Windows Store, GOG), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Paradox Interactive supports the title through curated expansion chapters. Major released expansions include 'Royal Court' (introducing 3D throne rooms, artifact collections, and hybrid cultural divergence), 'Tours & Tournaments' (grand travel mechanics, jousts, and weddings), 'Legends of the Dead' (black death plagues and heroic legitimacy), 'Roads to Power' (landless adventurer roleplay and Byzantine imperial administrative bureaucracy), and 'By God Alone' (deep papal and religious reforms). |
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is available globally across PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S at a base price of $49.99 USD. Available bundles include the 'Seafarer Edition' and 'Sealord Edition' featuring the official digital soundtrack and digital companion art book, as well as the major expansion 'War Sails' which introduces open-ocean naval warfare, maritime trading fleets, coastal raiding, and naval boardings. |
| Post-Launch Content / DLC | |
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Paradox Development Studio has maintained an aggressive multi-year post-launch expansion cycle. Flavor packs like Northern Lords, Fate of Iberia, and Legacy of Persia introduced deep regional struggle mechanics to the Norse, Spanish, and Iranian spheres. Major expansions like Royal Court, Tours & Tournaments, Legends of the Dead, Roads to Power, and By God Alone have expanded gameplay with landless wandering knights, dynamic travel routes, deadly epidemic diseases, custom royal courts, and religious governance. |
TaleWorlds Entertainment supported Bannerlord with extensive post-launch patches introducing kingdom destruction mechanics, stealth and disguise infiltrations, weather gameplay effects, alleyway criminal gangs, and diplomacy alliances. The landmark expansion 'War Sails' expanded the map with maritime gameplay, naval fleet command, ship-to-ship boardings, coastal bombardments, and sea trade routes. |
| help_outline FAQ | |
| Frequently Asked Questions | |
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| build Technical Details | |
| Graphics & Visual Fidelity | |
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Built on the Clausewitz Engine with Jomini toolsets, the visual presentation combines a rich parchment map style when zoomed out with detailed 3D topographical terrain (rivers, snow-capped mountains, dense forests, and fortified settlements) when zoomed in. The fully animated 3D character models feature nuanced facial expressions and an advanced genetic inheritance algorithm that realistically blends parental facial structures, skin tones, and hair textures across generations. |
Running on TaleWorlds' proprietary engine, Bannerlord renders breathtaking medieval vistas. The lighting model casts realistic sunbeams through castle battlements, morning mist across river valleys, and swirling blizzard snow across Sturgian pine groves. Detailed armor rendering highlights individually modeled mail rings, polished lamellar plates, heraldic crests, and dynamic blood splatters that accumulate across warriors' bodies and weapons during prolonged skirmishes. |
| Audio & Soundtrack | |
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The musical score, composed by Andreas Waldetoft and Philip Wareborn, blends authentic medieval instrumentation—including hurdy-gurdies, lutes, psalters, and Gregorian choir chants—that seamlessly transitions into intense martial percussion during declarations of war. Sound effects include atmospheric parchment turning, seal-wax stamping, tavern clatter, and the somber tolling of cathedral bells upon a ruler's death. |
The auditory presentation is renowned for its immersive historical authenticity. The musical score features ethnic medieval instrumentation—including hurdy-gurdies, lutes, bagpipes, and thundering war drums—composed by Periscope Studio and Finn Seliger, dynamically adapting between cultural regions and battle intensity. Combat audio delivers bone-crunching shield impacts, visceral flesh cleaves, echoing battle cries, and the deafening rumble of cavalry hooves. |
| User Interface (UI/UX) | |
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The interface is celebrated for its revolutionary 'Nested Tooltips' system, allowing players to hover over any highlighted keyword, mechanic, or character name to open an interconnected chain of explanatory windows without leaving the screen. Beautiful 3D animated character models reflect age, stress, physical injuries, illnesses, and clothing styles directly in dialogue menus, accompanied by an intuitive realm overview and color-coded map modes. |
Bannerlord's UI balances grand strategy overheads with real-time battlefield clarity. The campaign map features a sleek bottom panel tracking party speed, morale, food varieties, and gold. In battle, an intuitive tactical command overlay allows commanders to issue orders to specific formations (Infantry, Ranged, Cavalry, Horse Archers) with function keys or radial controller menus, including Shield Wall, Square, Loose, and Circle formations. |
| Accessibility Options | |
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Extensive accessibility options include: comprehensive nested tooltips, scalable UI scaling up to 150%, adjustable text contrast, colorblind-friendly political and diplomatic map modes, customizable game speed controls (from Speed 1 to Speed 5 with pause-at-will), configurable message notification popups, and full controller remapping on consoles. |
Comprehensive gameplay accessibility options include: customizable combat difficulty sliders (allowing players to adjust received damage to 1/3, 2/3, or full), auto-blocking directional options, adjustable combat AI difficulty, scalable battle size limits (from 200 to 1,000 units), customizable crosshairs, UI scaling, colorblind-friendly faction map overlays, and full controller button remapping. |
| video_library Media Links | |
| Gameplay Video | |
| launchWatch | launchWatch |
| Walkthrough/Guide | |
| launchView | launchView |
| settings_applications System Requirements | |
| 1080p (Full HD) - Recommended (High Preset, 1080p (60+ FPS Target at Speed 5)) CPU: Official recommended 6-core processors delivering fast daily ticks and smooth camera zooming. CPU (Laptop): Modern high-efficiency mobile CPUs ensuring rapid simulation ticks well into the late-game 1300s. GPU: Official recommended graphics cards providing smooth 60 FPS at 1080p on High visual presets. GPU (Laptop): Maintains locked 60 FPS on 1080p high-refresh laptop displays. RAM: Official recommended system memory ensuring zero stutter during autosaves and large dynasty tree rendering. Storage: Delivers instantaneous save file writing in Ironman mode and swift game booting. | |
memoryCPU: Intel Core i5-8400 / AMD Ryzen 5 1600X developer_boardGPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 (4GB) / AMD Radeon RX 480 (4GB/8GB) / Intel Arc A580 laptop_macCPU (L): Intel Core i7-10750H / AMD Ryzen 7 4800H laptop_windowsGPU (L): NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile (6GB) / RTX 3050 Mobile (4GB/6GB) layersRAM: 16 GB saveStorage (Tier): 20 GB NVMe / SATA SSD | memoryCPU: Intel Core i5-9600K / AMD Ryzen 5 3600X developer_boardGPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (3GB) / AMD Radeon RX 580 (4GB/8GB) laptop_macCPU (L): Intel Core i7-10750H / AMD Ryzen 7 4800H laptop_windowsGPU (L): NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile (6GB) / RTX 3060 Mobile (80W+) layersRAM: 8 GB saveStorage (Tier): 60 GB NVMe / SATA SSD |
| 1080p (Full HD) - Minimum (Low/Medium Preset, 1080p (30-45 FPS Target at Speed 3-4)) CPU: Official baseline quad-core desktop processors capable of executing core dynasty calculations. CPU (Laptop): Baseline mobile quad-core processor delivering playable campaign progression in early game years. GPU: Official minimum graphics hardware with 2GB VRAM supporting 1080p map rendering. GPU (Laptop): Provides playable 30-45 FPS at 1080p on modest settings. RAM: Official minimum system memory required to store global court data and character trees. Storage: Adequate drive capacity for base installation files and local player save data. | |
memoryCPU: Intel Core i5-750 / AMD FX-4300 developer_boardGPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 (2GB) / AMD Radeon HD 7870 (2GB) / Intel Arc A310 / AMD Radeon Vega 11 laptop_macCPU (L): Intel Core i5-7300HQ / AMD Ryzen 5 2500U laptop_windowsGPU (L): NVIDIA GeForce MX250 (2GB) / GTX 1050 Mobile (4GB) / Intel Iris Xe Graphics layersRAM: 8 GB saveStorage (Tier): 20 GB available space (SATA SSD / HDD) | memoryCPU: Intel Core i3-8100 / AMD Ryzen 3 1200 developer_boardGPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 (2GB) / AMD Radeon HD 7850 (2GB) / Intel UHD Graphics 630 laptop_macCPU (L): Intel Core i5-8300H / AMD Ryzen 5 3550H laptop_windowsGPU (L): NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile (4GB) / GTX 1650 Mobile (4GB, 50W+) layersRAM: 6 GB saveStorage (Tier): 60 GB available space (SATA SSD / HDD) |
| 1440p (QHD/2K) - Enthusiast (Ultra Preset, 1440p (90-120+ FPS Target)) CPU: High single-core IPC processor maximizing tick rates during high-speed multi-century playthroughs. CPU (Laptop): High-performance mobile CPU delivering fluid 90+ FPS on QHD laptop panels. GPU: Powers crisp 1440p rendering with maximum character mesh detail, volumetric terrain fog, and reflective water. GPU (Laptop): Maintains locked 80-110 FPS on native 1440p mobile displays. RAM: Ample system memory preventing micro-stutters when running extensive total conversion mods. Storage: Ultra-fast read speeds guaranteeing instantaneous game loads. | |
memoryCPU: Intel Core i5-12600K / AMD Ryzen 7 5700X developer_boardGPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (8GB) / AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT (12GB) laptop_macCPU (L): Intel Core i7-12700H / AMD Ryzen 7 6800H laptop_windowsGPU (L): NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (100W+) / RTX 4060 Mobile (85W+) layersRAM: 16 GB saveStorage (Tier): 20 GB PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 SSD | memoryCPU: Intel Core i5-12600K / AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D developer_boardGPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 (8GB) / AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT (12GB) laptop_macCPU (L): Intel Core i7-12700H / AMD Ryzen 7 6800H laptop_windowsGPU (L): NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Mobile (125W+) / RTX 4070 Mobile (105W) layersRAM: 16 GB saveStorage (Tier): 60 GB PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 SSD |
| 2160p (UHD/4K) - Ultra (Max Ultra Preset, 4K (120+ FPS Target)) CPU: Market-leading gaming processor with massive L3 cache providing unmatched simulation speed across decades. CPU (Laptop): Desktop replacement mobile processor delivering desktop-grade processing to external 4K monitors. GPU: High-end 4K graphics rendering razor-sharp heraldry banners, intricate royal crowns, and detailed topographical terrain in native 4K. GPU (Laptop): Flagship mobile GPUs running locked 4K at 100+ FPS with supreme visual fidelity. RAM: Maximum memory bandwidth eliminating all hardware bottlenecks in massive late-game saves. Storage: Peak NVMe transfer speeds ensuring instantaneous game launch and save file backups. | |
memoryCPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D / Intel Core i7-13700K developer_boardGPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 (12GB) / AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT (16GB) laptop_macCPU (L): Intel Core i9-13900HX / AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX laptop_windowsGPU (L): NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (140W+) / RTX 4090 Mobile (175W) layersRAM: 32 GB saveStorage (Tier): 20 GB PCIe Gen4/Gen5 NVMe SSD | memoryCPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D / Intel Core i7-13700K developer_boardGPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 (16GB) / AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX (24GB) laptop_macCPU (L): Intel Core i9-13900HX / AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX laptop_windowsGPU (L): NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile (175W) layersRAM: 32 GB saveStorage (Tier): 60 GB PCIe Gen4/Gen5 NVMe SSD |
| save Overall Storage | |
| Spec: 20 GB available space (Solid State Drive Recommended) Note: An SSD drastically reduces save file writing pauses in Ironman mode and shortens initial world load times. Type: SSD | Spec: 60 GB available space (Solid State Drive Recommended) Note: An SSD drastically reduces loading times when loading into cities, taverns, siege maps, and battle arenas. Type: SSD |
| desktop_windows Operating System | |
| Spec: Windows 10 Home 64-bit / Windows 11 (64-bit) Explanation: Requires a 64-bit operating system to address extensive system memory needed for global character rosters and map entity buffers. | Spec: Windows 10 / Windows 11 (64-bit only) Explanation: Officially requires a 64-bit Windows operating system to manage memory addressing for large battle entity pools. |
| gamepad DirectX Version | |
| Spec: DirectX Version 11 Explanation: Utilizes DirectX 11 for broad hardware compatibility, compute shader processing, and animated 3D portrait rendering. | Spec: DirectX Version 11 Explanation: Utilizes DirectX 11 for broad hardware compatibility, compute shader processing, and efficient mesh instancing. |
| info_outline Other Game Notes | |
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| laptop Laptop Considerations | |
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info_outline Feature details based on available data. System requirements and performance estimates may vary.
laptop_chromebook Laptop Recommendations
Common Recommendations (Handles All Compared Games)
For Crusader Kings III Specifically
For Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord Specifically
info_outline Laptop recommendations are estimates based on available component benchmarks and game requirements. Actual performance may vary depending on settings, drivers, cooling, power limits, etc. Prices and availability subject to change. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.