Every warrior and trader in Calradia dreams of the day they can call a castle or a town their own. A fief is more than just a source of income; it’s your base of operations, a symbol of your power, and the foundation of your future kingdom. But the path to lordship is paved with blood and politics.
This guide will walk you through the essential methods for acquiring your first fief in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord.
Contents
- The First Step: Becoming a Vassal
- The Main Path: Being Granted a Fief
- How the Fief Election Works
- The Independent Route: Conquest Without a King
- Key Tips for Success
The First Step: Becoming a Vassal
For most players, the journey to land ownership begins by pledging allegiance to a king or queen. You cannot be granted a fief until you are a vassal of a kingdom.
- Reach Clan Tier 2: You must first increase your clan’s renown by winning battles, completing quests, and participating in tournaments. Once you reach Clan Tier 2, rulers will see you as a worthy candidate for vassalage.
- Find a Ruler: Track down the ruler of the kingdom you wish to join. You can find their last known location in the in-game encyclopedia (N key).
- Swear an Oath: Speak to the ruler and tell them you wish to pledge your sword. Once you swear the oath, you are officially a vassal. Your enemies are now their enemies, and their conquests can become your reward.
The Main Path: Being Granted a Fief
Once you’re a vassal, the most common way to get a fief is to have one granted to you after it’s been conquered by your kingdom. When an army from your faction successfully captures an enemy town or castle, it goes up for a vote.
Three clans are put on the ballot to be the potential new owner. If you are one of the three candidates, you have a chance to win the property.
How the Fief Election Works
Understanding what gets you on the ballot is crucial. The game’s AI considers several factors when choosing the three candidates for a new fief:
- Proximity: The system heavily favors lords who already own fiefs nearby. If you own a castle, you are more likely to be a candidate for an adjacent town that gets captured.
- Being Landless: The game prioritizes giving at least one fief to every clan in the kingdom to prevent them from defecting. If you are a new, landless vassal, you have a very high chance of being on the ballot for the next one or two captured settlements.
- Participation: While not a guarantee, personally leading the siege or being a part of the conquering army can increase your chances of being nominated.
- Spending Influence: Once you are on the ballot, you can spend your influence to support your own claim. Other lords will also vote, and you can often win them over by having high relationship scores with them. Be prepared to spend a few hundred influence points to secure your first town.
The Independent Route: Conquest Without a King
If you prefer to forge your own path, you can take a fief without being a vassal. This is riskier but offers more freedom.
The best way to do this is to attack a rebel town. Cities with low loyalty can rebel against their faction, creating a new, independent “rebel clan.” These clans are not part of any kingdom, so you can declare war on them and besiege their town without angering a major power. If you succeed, the town is yours. The major benefit here is that no other kingdom can declare war on your independent clan until you officially form your own kingdom (which requires Clan Tier 4).
Key Tips for Success
- Build Relationships: High relations with other lords in your chosen kingdom will make them more likely to vote for you. Do quests for them and release them after battle.
- Stockpile Influence: Before you start trying to win a fief, save up at least 500 influence. This gives you the political capital to push your claim through.
- Be Strategic: Once you have your first fief, try to conquer adjacent territories. This creates a defensible cluster of properties and makes the voting system favor you for future acquisitions in that area.
