Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord - War Sails Review

11 years ago, Mount and Blade: Warband - Viking Conquest set the bar for expansion packs for single-player games. The concept for the DLC was simple and unoriginal, however it fundamentally changed Warband’s overall experience for the better. Viking Conquest improved Warband’s aging visuals, made its gameplay more satisfying, and added a slew of superb non-Viking themed content in addition to a new storyline and sandbox mode. Viking Conquest never did develop the same cult following as Warband’s other major DLC, Napoleonic Wars. But it’s remembered fondly. The same likely won’t be true for Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord - War Sails. Even though it’s almost identical to Viking Conquest in every way, it doesn’t feel like a necessary addition to the superb base title. War Sails is by no means a bad DLC. It just isn’t one you have to buy to get the most out of Bannerlord.

In case it wasn’t obvious, Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord - War Sails is an expansion that, for the most part, focuses exclusively on naval combat. That theatre of war was sorely missing in base Bannerlord, and War Sails does a fantastic job of implementing it. The DLC includes 20 ships that you can either take direct control of or recruit into your party, new naval-themed units to man them, and, of course, plenty of battlefields with dynamic weather that impact how both your vessels and sailors perform in combat. War Sails also adds a new Viking faction to the game, and expands the base game’s map to incorporate a string of islands and ocean to house the Nords. There’s also the expected slew of water-related gameplay mechanics like the ability to raid villages from the sea, make towns produce more ships for your military, and a new story campaign that focuses on being an ethical-ish pirate.

It should go without saying, given Bannerlord’s excellent reputation, that all of these new features work well. Naval battles are surprisingly fun to fight in. Because of Bannerlord’s weather system and huge unit variety, no two encounters ever play the same. They aren’t as strategic as land-based combat, but enjoyable none the less. The storyline included with War Sails is similarly worth playing through at least once, and the new areas of Calradia are well-detailed. If you want to play as a virtual Viking, or a lord who has both sea- and land-based units, War Sails will let you do that in a more immersive way than most similarly themed titles. Bannerlord’s unique blend of third/first-person action combat, overhead strategy and grand strategy is almost perfect for roleplaying as a commander with a navy. Spending hours to build up your forces on land, then sailing out to open waters so you can command them from a top-down perspective, and finally joining the fray when your units are in position is extremely satisfying.

The issue is that it isn’t necessary. If War Sails could be judged solely on its own merits, it would be one of the best DLCs to release in recent memory. But it can’t be, because it’s ultimately part of the larger whole that is Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord. And within that context, naval combat is almost entirely pointless. There’s no real reason to spend your hard-earned resources to assemble a fleet of ships and sailors when it’s much cheaper to build a regular land-based army. If you do recruit soldiers who can swim, you’ll have a few extra tactical options when raiding coastal cities. But you’ll be better served by conscripting cannon fodder. The only reason to engage in naval war is to justify your purchase of War Sails, and consequently enjoy a change of pace from the traditional sword-and-board combat of Bannerlord. The expansion doesn’t add anything that isn’t directly related to the sea. You can obviously use its new Nordic faction on land, or equip yourself with gear that was made to be worn aboard a ship when you’re taking down castles. There just isn’t a reason to.

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‍War Sails did launch alongside the free 1.3.4 update for Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord. That patch reworked a couple of mechanics. It redid Bannerlord’s previously abysmal stealth system into one that’s actually useful, added random events, improved enemy AI, and lets you take control of one of your troops if you’re knocked down in battle. The update isn’t a total overhaul in the way that Patch 2.0 was to Cyberpunk 2077. Instead, it refines existing gameplay mechanics to make Bannerlord even more enjoyable.

That’s what War Sails does, too. It isn’t an essential expansion, but one that’s worth picking up if you’re already invested or at least interested in Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord. The DLC is solid in every way that counts. Everything it adds is implemented well, and doesn’t include too many new bugs to contend with. Sailing and raiding on the high seas is just as fun as fighting in regular battles. There’s plenty of new units and equipment to play around with, a narrative you should sit through before jumping into a sandbox campaign, and new corners of Calradia to explore. However, War Sails costs half as much as Bannerlord itself. That price tag is a high for what you receive in return, which is almost entirely optional content. Anyone who has spent hundreds of hours roaming the game’s medieval world will enjoy War Sails. Everyone else is better served by waiting until it drops to a more palatable price.