What Fast Mode is in Bannerlord and how to turn it on

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A game doesn’t need the latest technology or stunning graphics to be popular and enjoyable. Often, a clever concept, a unique setting, and fun gameplay are enough. This is exactly what’s making Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord so successful. The dedicated player base allows TaleWorlds to continually improve the game with updates. The recent launch of the ‘War Sails’ expansion, which adds naval battles and the Nord faction, has been a big hit. This update also includes a useful feature for players with limited time: Fast Mode. While it’s a great way to speed things up, enabling Fast Mode can be a little complicated, so we’ll show you everything you need to know.

How to turn on Fast Mode in Mount and Blade Bannerlord

The new War Sails DLC for Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord has been very well-received, with some fans already calling it a contender for the best expansion of the year. While it does require a slightly more powerful computer than the base game, you don’t need top-of-the-line hardware to enjoy the naval combat. The biggest requirement is time, which many players don’t have. To address this, TaleWorlds included a ‘Fast Mode,’ although how to enable it isn’t immediately clear.

Whether you’ve purchased War Sails or are waiting for it on Game Pass, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord has been updated with a new Fast Mode. To use it, you need to enable it through the game launcher. If you launch the game via Steam, don’t click ‘Play’ right away. Instead, go to the ‘Mods’ tab and find the ‘Fast Mode’ option to activate it.

Despite the name, this isn’t a change to the game, but a special feature added by the developers. You can tell it’s active by looking for a “TW” logo instead of the usual community icon next to the option. Simply check the box and start playing! Keep in mind that you’ll need to begin a new game to use this feature, as older saved games won’t work with it. Also, once you start a game with this feature enabled, you can’t switch back to the standard game mode.

To start a new game without Fast Mode, you need to turn it off in the game launcher before you begin. When creating a new campaign or sandbox, check the “Difficulty” settings during character creation. Scroll down to find the “Fast Mode is Enabled” option – it’s just above the “Enable Birth and Aging” setting. Keep in mind that you can only change this setting through the launcher; the checkbox appears grayed out while you’re actually playing the game.

What is the Fast Mode in Bannerlord?

You might be curious about what Fast Mode does and how it works before turning it on – and that’s a good question! Essentially, it changes two key things to speed things up.

Time scale:

  1. The time progresses around 3.5 times faster than in normal mode – years take 24 days instead of the regular 84. The same change is applied to seasons progression.
  2. The accelerated passage of time also affects your characters in the same, hasted manner. Of course, unless you turn off the “Enable Birth and Aging” toggle in game.

Simulation:

  1. If you have left birth and aging options enabled, the pregnancy duration will be halved in this mode.
  2. Since your characters will get old faster, their XP requirements per level are reduced by 66%, which means that they will level up 3 times as fast as in the default mode.

This update changes the game’s speed to emphasize dynasty management. You’ll now focus more on family trees, generations, heirs, and how your dynasty continues. You can find detailed information about the changes in the patch notes on the TaleWorlds forum. Enjoy!

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2025-11-27 13:32