Best Companions and Companion Builds - Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord Guide - IGN (2024)

Finding the best companions and builds in can be a challenge. This guide will help you understand what companions are best for roles like owning a caravan, being a Governor, and leading a party.

Every companion is currently generated uniquely to each player’s game. This means you won’t necessarily find companions in one person’s game that are also in yours. However, data miners are speculating that there may be unique companions added in later Bannerlord updates.

How to Find the Best Companions

Before you have the best companions for whatever role you need, you have to find them first. As explained in our Companions Guide, you can find them by using either the encyclopedia with “N” by default or visiting taverns randomly. The encyclopedia doesn’t always update in real-time, which means companion locations may change from what a page says.

Once you start your Bannerlord campaign, you can search the encyclopedia for specific companion titles that suit what you need. Every character has a title that or last name that makes them specialized in certain skills. For more information on how this works, read the next section below.

What Do Companion Titles Mean?

All Bannerlord companions have a certain title or last name like, “Siona the Healed” or “Elyaksha the Shieldmaiden” that starts them with certain skills. Examples of titles and their related skills are below:

Best Companions For Each Role

Best Companions For Party Leaders

If you've reached Clan Tier 2 and can create a new party for a companion to lead, make sure you pick the right one! Think about it the same way you do for what skills make you a good leader. The table below features some titles that work well for party leaders.

Search the encyclopedia under the Heroes section for companions with these titles:

Best Companions For Caravans

If you're wondering How to Make Money Fast, caravans can be a good source of daily income. If you have the money to invest, make sure you pick the best companion to lead your money maker. The Trade skill helps the most with making money as it reduces trade penalties.

Search the encyclopedia under the Heroes section for companions with these titles:

Best Companions For Governors

Governor companions in Bannerlord primarily should share the same culture as the fief they're governing. This provides a +1 loyalty buff and prevents negative loyalty buffs for not sharing the same culture. Outside of this, you'll want companions who have a high Steward skill for Governor only buffs.

Here are some of the skills, but not all, that give Governor buffs.

Search the encyclopedia under the Heroes section for companions with these titles:

Sora is a noblewoman many Bannerlord players like to marry for her high Steward skill of 160. This makes her a great Governor and Quartermaster.

Best Companion Builds

The best companion build depends on what role they're filling. You should always focus their equipment around the weapon skills they are highest in. For example, if a companion has a high One-Handed skill, only give them One-Handed weapons.

Equip every companion with a melee weapon, a ranged weapon, and a shield. A bow and arrows uses two slots, but gives more projectiles compared to throwing weapons. A shield is always useful for blocking enemy ranged units and during sieges. If you're not sure how to equip companions, our How to Customize Companions guide explains it.

Important Clan Roles to Fill

• Scout - Best fitted to companions with a high Scouting skill and Cunning attribute.
• Engineer - Best fitted to companions with a high Engineering skill and Intelligence attribute.
• Quartermaster - Best fitted to companions with a high Steward skill and Intelligence attribute.
• Surgeon - Best fitted to companions with a high Medicine skill and Intelligence attribute.

For more Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord guides, take a look at our Essential Tips and Tricks for Beginners. And if you need a little help funding the armor and weapons for your companions, we have a guide on How to Make Money Fast.