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

Recruiting lords into your kingdom is one of the fastest ways to expand your influence in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord. Once you establish your own faction, your personal army and companion parties eventually stop being enough to compete with larger kingdoms. Expanding your political power becomes just as important as winning battles, and bringing existing clans into your kingdom is one of the most effective ways to achieve that. The recruitment system can sometimes feel unpredictable, but there are several ways to improve your chances and make the process much more consistent.

Building relationships before recruitment

One of the biggest factors in successful recruitment is your relationship with the target clan. Lords are significantly more likely to join your kingdom if they already have a positive opinion of you.

One of the fastest ways to improve relations is through trading. Even smaller trades can slowly increase reputation over time, and one major advantage in Bannerlord is that relationship gains apply to the entire clan rather than only the individual lord you are speaking to.

Kingdom decisions are another excellent way to build a reputation. Supporting clans during votes for castles, towns, policies, or war declarations can quickly improve relations with important nobles.

You can also gain reputation by helping lords during battles or completing quests for them, although these methods are usually slower.

Why is the charm skill important

Charm plays a major role in persuasion conversations. A higher charm level increases the likelihood of successfully convincing lords to join your faction.

Several perks improve persuasion even further. One of the strongest early bonuses comes from the Athletics skill tree at level 75 through the “Having Going” perk, which greatly improves persuasion outcomes.

The Charm tree itself also contains perks that increase the chance of double persuasion success or reduce the likelihood of critical failures during dialogue checks.

Combined, these bonuses make recruitment conversations much easier.

Preparing before declaring war

Preparation should happen before the war begins. Once war is declared, you can no longer trade with enemy lords, which means you lose one of the easiest methods of building relationships.

It is also important to choose the right targets. Lords from weakened kingdoms or factions fighting multiple wars are far more likely to defect.

Kingdoms under pressure usually struggle economically and militarily, making their clans more open to joining a stronger and more stable ruler.

Why timing matters

Timing is extremely important during recruitment.

If you recruit a lord while your kingdoms are actively at war, that lord brings their settlements with them into your kingdom. This allows you to gain castles and towns instantly without needing to siege them yourself.

If you recruit them during peacetime, their settlements remain with their former kingdom instead.

Because of this, recruiting clans during wars is one of the fastest ways to expand territory in Bannerlord.

Finding the right lord

Before starting negotiations, you first need to locate the clan leader you want to recruit. The encyclopedia makes this process much easier by showing their last known location.

Waiting briefly inside a nearby town or castle refreshes this information and helps track their movement.

Ideally, you want to speak with the lord while they are moving independently on the map. Lords inside armies often refuse negotiations entirely, and lords inside settlements usually limit barter options mostly to denars.

Understanding persuasion checks

Recruitment conversations revolve around persuasion checks. During these interactions, you must successfully select dialogue options that convince the lord your kingdom is worth supporting.

Even high success percentages can still fail occasionally, which is why many players save before beginning negotiations.

Several factors influence persuasion, including charm skill, perks, kingdom strength, and your relationship with the clan.

If the persuasion succeeds, the conversation moves to a barter negotiation.

Bringing enough denars

Successful persuasion is only part of the process. Most clans also require a significant payment before agreeing to defect.

The amount varies depending on the clan’s wealth, strength, and political position. Some clans are relatively affordable, while others may require massive amounts of denars.

A useful trick during negotiations is using the auto offer button, which automatically calculates the exact amount needed to complete the agreement.

Because recruitment can become very expensive later in the campaign, many players prepare large amounts of denars beforehand through trading, workshops, caravans, or smithing.

Capturing settlements through recruitment

One of the strongest advantages of clan recruitment is settlement transfer.

When a clan defects during wartime, their castles and towns immediately become part of your kingdom. This allows rapid expansion without lengthy sieges or heavy military losses.

A kingdom with only a few settlements can grow extremely quickly by targeting clans from weakened factions and recruiting them strategically.

Additional ways to improve relations

Another effective strategy is releasing lords after battles instead of imprisoning them. Allowing defeated nobles to go free increases your relationship with them and can improve future recruitment chances. However, recently defeated lords are often wounded afterward, which temporarily prevents negotiations.

Because of this, many players focus on improving relations with secondary clan members while avoiding unnecessary executions or long imprisonments.

Final thoughts

Recruiting lords is one of the most important systems for long-term kingdom growth in Bannerlord. Military victories help establish your power, but building a network of loyal clans is what allows your faction to compete with the strongest kingdoms in Calradia.

By improving relationships early, investing in charm, preparing enough denars, and targeting vulnerable factions during wars, you can dramatically increase your recruitment success rate and expand your kingdom far more efficiently.