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The speed of your party on the global map is extremely important. With high movement speed, your party can easily catch up to an enemy, and if necessary, run away from them. There are many different parameters that influence the movement speed of a party in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord. In this guide, you will learn how to maximize your party’s speed.
To view the current speed of your party, expand the menu at the bottom right and hover over the corresponding indicator.
Train Cavalry
If you’ve read the guide on horses in Bannerlord, you know that horses are not just a resource but also transportation. If your party includes cavalry units, you’ll receive a significant bonus to movement speed.
In the “Party Speed” window, you will see a “Cavalry” modifier.
Bring horses with you
If there are horses in the character’s inventory, the party will move faster, as infantry will be able to ride them. This speed modifier is called “Footmen on horses“.
However, you should not carry too many horses either, otherwise, the “Herd” penalty will apply to your party, significantly slowing movement. Besides horses, this penalty can also be triggered by other animals: sheep, cows, pigs, camels. The maximum possible number of horses in a party without the “Herd” penalty depends on the number of units in it. The more there are, the more livestock and horses you can carry with you.
Level up Scouting and Riding
The main perks for increasing party speed on the global map are concentrated in the “Scouting” and “Riding” branches of character skills. Thanks to them, you can get a speed bonus on hills, in the forest, at night or day time, a separate bonus at high morale, and others.
The influence of perks is reflected in the “Party Speed” window in the form of separate modifiers.
To level up “Scouting” you have to spot tracks and hideouts, as well as travel through difficult terrain. To level up “Riding“, you need to ride on the map with as much speed as possible and fight on horseback to gain a speed bonus.
Monitor your party’s carrying capacity
If your party is overloaded (the inventory is heavier than what the horses and soldiers can carry), it will move slower. This modifier is called “Cargo within capacity“. Initially, it operates insignificantly, subtracting 0.03-0.05 speed, but if the party is seriously overloaded, this figure will be much higher.
Don’t carry prisoners with you
The presence of prisoners in the party slows down its movement speed on the global map. Moreover, the more prisoners, the slower your party will move. This is especially important in the early stages of the game, as the player often doesn’t have a strong army yet, and it’s crucial for them to avoid battles with more powerful enemy lords.
What else affects the speed of the party
- Game difficulty. At the easiest difficulty, the player’s party gets a +10% speed bonus.
- Culture. For example, Battanians have a 50% lower penalty to speed when moving through forests, and Aserai have no penalty at all for moving in the desert.
- Disorganized. A temporary phenomenon that usually occurs after a battle and taking a large number of prisoners. It passes naturally within a game day.
- Terrain. For example, parties move slower through forests than they do through plains.
- Time of day. At night, all parties move much slower.