Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord – War Sails

War Sails is the major sailing expansion for Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord. It adds fleets, naval combat and the northern kingdom of the Nords to the medieval campaign. Your previous decisions on the world map continue to shape trade, wars and the growth of your clan.

Naval battles take place within the existing game world. You can raid coasts, command a fleet and fight on deck yourself. Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is required to play.

War Sails was released on November 26, 2025 for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The expansion launched on the three native platforms simultaneously and can be bought separately from the main game. It builds on Bannerlord, released in 2022.

The free update for the main game released at the same time brought alliances and trade agreements, among other things. These changes are not exclusively tied to buying War Sails.

The sailing expansion is available natively for Windows PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. On PC it is available via Steam, among others. No separate version of War Sails for PlayStation 4 or Xbox One was released.

War Sails expands the single-player campaign. Steam lists cloud saves, Workshop and level editor support on PC.

In War Sails you lead not only land armies but also fleets of ships. Fleets move along rivers, along the coasts and across open sea. Equipment, crew and route determine which tasks a ship can take on.

In battle you choose between closing in, long-range fire and boarding. On deck you control your own character as in Bannerlord's land battles, while other soldiers fight alongside you.

On PC, War Sails requires at least 6 GB RAM and 35 GB of free storage space. Steam lists Intel Core i3-9100T or AMD Ryzen 3 2200G as well as GeForce GTX 960 with 2 GB, Radeon RX 570 with 4 GB or Intel UHD 770.

We recommend 8 GB RAM, Core i5-13600K or Ryzen 5 7600X and a GeForce RTX 3060 with 8 GB or Radeon RX 6600 XT. Older Windows 7 references in the requirements do not mean that today's Steam client still supports Windows 7.

War Sails includes 22 ships, including 17 warships, four merchant ships and one fishing boat. The models differ in speed, armament and crew. Shipyards build ships according to the culture and development of their town.

You can adjust sails, rams, cargo holds and siege weapons. Captured ships and figureheads can also be taken over, so every victory opens new options for your fleet.

Wind direction and water movement affect how ships maneuver. A favorable course helps when closing in, while a wrong turn under fire can be dangerous. Oars and sails matter differently depending on the ship type.

On river maps there is little room for evasive maneuvers. Coastal waters and open sea, by contrast, require a different approach to wind, distance and formation.

Ramming can damage hulls, break oars and hurl soldiers into the water. When boarding, two crews clash directly. Ranged weapons and ballistae can damage sails and make it harder for an enemy to escape.

An enemy ship does not necessarily have to be sunk. Whoever overcomes the crew can then use the ship themselves. Taking over an already damaged ship during battle is also possible.

The Nords are a new faction shaped by Nordic seafaring. Fjords, islands, forests and coastal settlements lie in the north of Calradia. There you can trade, recruit sailors and warriors, or fight the rulers for influence.

The faction adds its own troops, weapons and equipment to Bannerlord. Characters also get additional hairstyles, beards and tattoos.

Shipping routes change trade and the supply of coastal towns. New goods and harbors expand the options for earning money with a fleet. Whoever blocks a harbor can cut off reinforcements and supplies to a besieged settlement.

When raiding villages, troops can land directly from ships. This makes coasts attackable even without a long journey over land.

A separate story explains seafaring through concrete tasks. First you learn the controls and how to handle your crew. Then your fleet grows and you take on a pirate alliance with allies.

The introductory missions help with the transition from land to sea battles without replacing the open campaign storyline.

In the freely configurable battle mode, you can start a naval battle right away. You choose heroes, factions, crews, ships and their equipment. Wind, season and time of day can also be set.

River, coastal and open-sea maps are available. This lets you try out different fleet setups without having to build them up in the campaign first.

Three new skill areas strengthen navigation, naval tactics and ship management. Sailor troops and companions that can take on special tasks at sea are also added.

New shields, axes, spears and armor add to the existing weaponry. The expansion thus links the existing character and troop system with fleet building.