How To Become The King Of An Existing Kingdom In Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord
Most players assume that becoming king in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord requires founding a kingdom from scratch, but taking over an existing faction is often much easier and far more stable.
Instead of starting with a single castle and fighting the entire map alone, you can grow inside an established kingdom, build influence, and eventually take the throne for yourself.
There is also a lesser-known way to speed up the process significantly by removing the current ruler yourself instead of waiting for natural succession.
Before attempting any of this, make sure you have:
“Death for All Heroes” enabled in campaign settings
Without it, rulers and nobles cannot permanently die, which makes succession manipulation impossible.
Method 1: Kill The King In Battle
The first method is to bring the ruler into battle as an ally and target him directly using ranged weapons such as:
Bows
Crossbows
Javelins
The permanent death chance in battle is relatively low, so most of the time the ruler will only be wounded instead of killed.
Because of this, many players use a repeat approach:
Save before the battle
Attempt to kill the ruler
Reload if they survive
Eventually, the death event will trigger.
Method 2: Kill The King During A Prison Break
This is usually the more reliable method.
Wait until the ruler is captured and placed in a dungeon, then initiate a prison break to rescue them.
During the escape, attack the ruler using ranged weapons again and attempt to kill them before leaving the settlement.
The death chance during prison breaks is generally higher than in open combat, making this method more consistent overall.
Join The Kingdom First
Before succession even becomes relevant, you need to be part of the kingdom.
You can start as a mercenary for quick gold and relations, but eventually you will need to become a full vassal.
Once you join, your goal should be to grow into one of the strongest clans in the faction.
Build Power Before Succession
The kingdom is far more likely to support clans that already have influence and military strength.
Before aiming for the throne, you should ideally have:
High clan tier
Multiple fiefs
Strong, well-trained armies
Large influence reserves
Good relations with nobles
Around 150k–500k+ denars
The stronger your position, the higher your chances of being selected as ruler.
Improve Relations With Nobles
Relations play a major role when the kingdom votes for a new leader.
Effective ways to improve them include:
Fighting in allied armies
Releasing captured nobles
Supporting clans during kingdom decisions
Helping defend settlements
Donating prisoners
Even small, consistent relation gains add up significantly over time.
Win The Election
When the ruler dies, the kingdom immediately holds a vote for the next leader.
The AI typically favors:
Wealthy clans
Powerful clans
High influence clans
Clans with strong relationships
If your clan is strong enough, there is a high chance you will be voted into power automatically.
Once that happens, you become the ruler of an established kingdom without ever needing to create your own faction.
Why This Method Is Easier
For most players, inheriting a kingdom is much smoother than founding one.
Creating your own kingdom early usually leads to:
Constant wars on multiple fronts
Weak diplomatic standing
Low influence
Few allied clans
Heavy pressure from stronger factions
In contrast, taking over an existing kingdom gives you immediate access to:
Established armies
Existing noble clans
Stable territory
Political influence systems
Stronger diplomatic structure
You skip the hardest and most chaotic phase of kingdom building entirely.
Final Thoughts
Becoming the king of an existing kingdom in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is often far more efficient than starting your own faction from scratch.
Whether you wait for natural succession or speed things up through more direct methods, the most important factor is building a powerful clan before the transition happens.
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