How to recruit Lords for your Kingdom in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord

Recruiting lords is the moment when a kingdom in Bannerlord starts feeling like a real kingdom rather than just your clan with a few extra settlements attached to it. In the beginning, it's easy to think that having a strong army is enough, but eventually you reach a point where you simply can't be everywhere at once. You need other clans defending borders, raising armies, and helping you hold the territory you've spent so many hours conquering.

I learned this lesson during one of my earlier kingdoms. I had managed to capture several settlements and felt pretty confident about my position, but every war turned into a constant race from one side of the map to the other. The problem wasn't my army. The problem was that I didn't have enough clans supporting me. Once I started actively recruiting lords, the entire campaign became much easier to manage.

Relationships Matter More Than Most Players Think

Before you even start looking for clans to recruit, it's worth spending some time improving relationships with nobles across Calradia. Lords are much more willing to consider joining your kingdom if they already have a positive opinion of you, and trying to recruit somebody who dislikes you is usually an uphill battle.

Over the years, I've found that relationships tend to build naturally if you're actively involved in the world. Supporting clans during kingdom votes, helping nobles in battles, completing quests, and even trading with them can gradually improve relations. The nice thing is that relationship gains often benefit the entire clan rather than a single lord, which makes future recruitment attempts much easier.

Because of that, I rarely wait until I've founded a kingdom before thinking about diplomacy. Building relationships early often pays off much later.

Charm Is Worth Investing In

If there's one skill that consistently makes recruitment easier, it's Charm.

The persuasion conversations that determine whether a lord joins your kingdom rely heavily on persuasion checks, and a higher Charm skill can significantly improve your chances of success. Several perks further strengthen persuasion attempts by increasing successful outcomes or reducing the likelihood of critical failures.

I used to ignore Charm completely because combat skills felt more exciting, but after a few campaigns, I realized how much easier kingdom management becomes when recruitment conversations stop failing. Once you're running your own kingdom, diplomacy often becomes just as important as fighting battles.

Target The Right Clans

Not every clan is equally likely to join you.

In my experience, the easiest clans to recruit usually come from kingdoms that are already struggling. If a faction is losing wars, losing settlements, and constantly fighting multiple enemies, its nobles become much more willing to consider other options. Strong, successful kingdoms rarely lose clans because their nobles have very little reason to leave.

Whenever I'm looking for potential recruits, I tend to focus on weakened factions first. Not only are those clans easier to persuade, but they're often more valuable because recruiting them further weakens a rival kingdom.

Timing Can Change Everything

Something many players don't realize is that timing can be just as important as persuasion.

One of the biggest advantages of recruiting clans during wartime is that they can bring their settlements with them when they defect. Instead of spending days preparing a siege and losing troops capturing a castle, you can sometimes gain that territory instantly through diplomacy. On the other hand, recruiting a clan during peacetime generally doesn't provide the same territorial benefits.

The first time this happened in one of my campaigns, it felt almost unfair. A single successful recruitment gave me more territory than several battles combined.

Finding The Clan Leader

Before any negotiations can happen, you need to actually find the person you're trying to recruit.

Thankfully, the Encyclopedia makes this much easier. Whenever I'm searching for a specific lord, I simply open the Encyclopedia, locate their clan, and check their last known location. If the information seems outdated, waiting briefly in a nearby settlement usually refreshes their position and makes tracking them much easier.

Ideally, you want to catch them while they're moving around the map independently. Lords leading armies often refuse negotiations, and speaking to them inside settlements can sometimes limit your options.

Bring More Denars Than You Think You'll Need

This is probably the mistake I've made most often.

You finally find the lord, you complete every persuasion check, and then the barter screen appears. That's when you discover that convincing somebody to abandon their kingdom isn't cheap.

The amount required varies depending on the clan's wealth, influence, and overall position, but some recruitment deals can become extremely expensive. These days, I never begin recruitment attempts unless I already have a substantial reserve of denars available.

Workshops, caravans, trading, and smithing are all excellent ways to prepare for these costs.

There's nothing worse than winning the conversation only to realize you can't afford the final agreement.

Release Lords Instead Of Imprisoning Them

This isn't always the right choice, but it can be incredibly useful if your goal is future recruitment.

Whenever you release defeated nobles after battles, you gain relationship points with them. Over time, those small increases can add up and make future negotiations much easier. I've recruited several clans over the years that probably would have refused me if I had spent the entire campaign throwing their leaders into prison every chance I got.

Of course, there are situations where keeping a dangerous enemy locked up makes more sense, but if you're thinking long-term, relationships are often worth more than temporary revenge.

Final Thoughts

When I first started creating kingdoms in Bannerlord, I thought military strength was everything. After a few campaigns, I realized the strongest kingdoms aren't necessarily the ones with the biggest armies. They're the ones with the strongest network of loyal clans supporting them.

Recruiting lords takes patience, preparation, and more denars than most players expect, but the rewards are enormous. A single powerful clan can bring armies, influence, settlements, and long-term stability to your kingdom.

If you're planning to build a lasting kingdom rather than simply survive a few wars, learning how to recruit lords effectively is easily one of the most valuable skills you can develop in Bannerlord.