Tournaments where everyone is using lances are a serious chore. The couched lance has also been altered and you have to press X to activate it for a short window after which it has a kind of cooldown period. Mount & Blade: Warband still features sieges which can be won or lost thanks to poor pathfinding. There are problems with the gameplay at times. The AI is still pretty basic which is why the multiplayer addition is so welcome. Riding into a crowd of enemies and slashing away is thrilling and you can command your men in battle to ensure you win against far greater numbers. Looting, trading and taking on various missions can all be diverting but the real fun is to be found on the battlefield. You still weave your own path and create your own story as you go but the new possibilities make that story much richer. The RPG side of the game is much more immersive and has been filled out a little. Different weapon classes depend on different skills and getting good is a mixture of levelling up your character and just practicing. There are all kinds of swords, axes, spears, lances and also bows and crossbows to choose from. No other game makes smashing a bearded enemy in the face with a big axe so much fun. It feels much the same as the original Mount & Blade with a heavy focus on melee combat. The gameplay in Mount & Blade: Warband has not changed much. There are also a host of smaller tweaks and additions too numerous to mention but the game is very much recognisable for veterans. To strike out on your own you’ll need to build up support from discontented lords. The various routes to power are varied with diplomacy playing a far larger part that ever before. The AI makes more sensible decisions tactically when attacking other factions. If you can catch them in time then skelping fleeing cowards in the back is loads of fun. Morale on the battlefield can drop so low that men will rout. Finally being able to afford the top tier armour and weaponry is great. There are new weapons, armour and unit types available to add to the already gigantic list of kit. You can now become ruler of your own faction and convince lords to join you or promote your party members by granting them lands.Yes that’s right you can finally become a King. There is an all new faction in the game called the Sarranid Sultanate. The eventual aim of such relations is to claim a hand in marriage. You can in fact now romance various damsels, with or without the permission of their family, and woo them with poetry learned from passing musicians.
The war torn land of Calradia has changed in the last couple of years.