What do Mercenaries do in Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord?

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Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord lets you round up a powerful army and lead them into battle. You’ll have the chance to add castles and gain prestige on the battlefield alongside the allies you need, but you need to bolster your ranks to create a worthwhile army. A good way to do this is through mercenaries. In this guide, we’re going to cover what mercenaries do in Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord.

You need to find Mercenaries before worrying about adding them to your army. There are two types of Mercenaries. You can hire in taverns and directly add to your army, and Mercenary armies that you can employ that will significantly add to your numbers.

Mercenary armies roam the land, working with many more prominent factions. You can hire these factions if they are not hostile to you already. If they are hostile to you, there is little for you to discuss beyond combat, especially if you have any negative standing with an empire or faction they directly work with.

Most of the mercenaries you encounter will be the more minor factions wandering the world. They typically have a plan. Should you have enough gold and prestige to your character, you’ll have to recruit them to your army, adding their numbers to your rank. Then, you can use them to overtake more formidable opponents you usually wouldn’t have the chance to battle. If you do not have enough money to keep them set by the contract you created, they will leave you.

Several strategies involve Mercenary companies in Mount & Blade II, where players send them out in smaller armies, chasing down smaller targets—keeping the leaders on a short leash and making sure to control their armies if you can pay the Mercenary leaders to leave.

These units are