Exploring the ships of War Sails. A new dev blog shows interesting details about classes and customization options

by

Okay, after what felt like forever of just short videos, we *finally* got a new dev blog for the first DLC for Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord, called War Sails. We recently saw a preview of the Nord archers and some new Mariner units that looked pretty interesting, and now we’re getting a really detailed look at the ships themselves. I’m super excited to see how these changes will affect gameplay!

From light Drakkars to heavy Dromons and everything in between

The development blog post from October 2nd provided a comprehensive overview of the forthcoming War Sails expansion. It detailed that there will be three primary ship types:

  1. Light ships will be cheap, fast, and agile (perfect for flanking), but fragile and limited in crew.
  2. Medium ships will be the all-rounders, balancing cost, durability, and upgrade options.
  3. Heavy ships will be tough, slow, and expensive, but could dominate long battles with big crews and lots of upgrades.

Certain ships will be designated as Trade vessels, prioritizing cargo capacity and operational cost-effectiveness over fighting ability. The type of sail is also important: square sails offer speed and work well when there’s little wind, but they aren’t very effective when sailing *into* the wind, lateen sails are adaptable and can reach a higher maximum speed, although they accelerate a bit slower, and mixed sail configurations blend the advantages of both.

Ships in each culture will be based on historical designs, such as the Nords’ Drakkar longships, the Empire’s Dromon, Battania’s Birlinn, Khuzait’s Qalguk, Aserai’s Ghurab, Sturgia’s Lodya, and Vlandia’s heavily fortified Roundship. There will be approximately 20 different ship types in total, but not all factions will have access to every ship class. Access to larger ships will require upgrading your ports.

You can personalize ships with names, improvements, and decorations. These improvements include things like ballistae and battlements, as well as shield rows, fire braziers, and figureheads that boost your ship’s stats. Larger ships have more space for these additions and allow for more elaborate options, while smaller ships have fewer choices. Certain improvements are unique to specific cultures, which motivates players to explore and trade with different regions.

Read More

2025-10-03 12:02