Mount & Blade 2 Best Culture - Which To Choose

A (maybe too) grand Vlandian king marches through an eerie forest with his troops.

Have you ever wanted to roleplay as a specific character in Bannerlord, but were overwhelmed by the massive lore?  Have you ever looked at all the different buffs and said,"None of these look particularly great for what I'm doing..."?  If so, you should read this list.  It will help you understand who you want your character to align with, and how to better achieve your goals in-game.

Bannerlord’s various nations each have fascinating histories, cultures and culture buffs that combine to make the game a lot more interesting and roleplay friendly.  Down below is a list of the cultures you can choose for your character at the start of the game in order from worst to best.  This also includes a brief history and idea of what each culture is like based on the lore, just in case you were reading for roleplay reasons.  

6. Aserai

Aserai archers fire point blank into incoming Imperial lines.

The Aserai as a country are a group of rich desert clans which have banded together to form the Aserai Sultanate, and as such they are very trading oriented.  The Aserai rely on caravans for their extensive wealth, selling products such as date fruits, olives, silks and most notably their Aserai horses, which are the best (and most expensive) in all of Calradia.  As a culture in-game though, they are the worst of the bunch.  It’s not very practical to choose the Aserai culture for your character, but it is fun when you are roleplaying as a merchant or caravaneer.  It’s also fun if you want to be Muad’dib and rise up as the conqueror from the south. 

Choose the Aserai if you want to roleplay as a desert trader, the underdog desert countryman rising up from his station to lead, or to reenact Dune. 

Aserai Culture Details:

• Caravans are 30% cheaper to make.
• You get 10% less penalties from trading (make more money selling things, spend less money buying them).

    5. Sturgian

 This dude and his horse desperately need a xanax.

The first thing to know about Sturgia is that they are just badass vikings.  The country originated from native Calradians and Nordic traders who came across the sea and discovered a land profitable for hunting.  Sturgians are known hunters, but their real strength is in their incredible shield walls and berserkers.  Despite being fairly trade minded, much of Sturgia is poor, and hard winters continue to hold them down.  Like the Aserai, they are not much better in terms of a practical choice for your character.  It can be a very useful pick if you intend to spend a lot of time in Sturgia, especially if you’re a bandit in need of a fast get-away.

Choose Sturgia if you want to be a viking conqueror or a bandit who has a taste for staying in the snowier regions of Calradia.

Sturgian Culture Details:

• 20% less speed penalty in snow.

    4. Battanian

Battania: the land of Pirate-Viking-Robin Hood.

Battania is a recent coalition of the first tribes to settle on Calradia.  They are forest people, known most notably for an incredible proficiency for bows and guerilla attacks.  They are fairly poor, and have been relegated to a small portion of the land they used to possess after the rise of the Calradian Empire.  Their culture is one of great spirit in the face of unending challenges, and so the opportunities of roleplay (William Wallace, anyone?) spring boundless.  They are also a practical pick, as much of Calradia is covered in forests.

Choose Battania if you like the thought of coming from a culture of underdogs or like having the ability to get out of a tight spot on the campaign map (this is likely the best culture for a bandit build).

Battanian Culture Details: 

• 30% less speed penalty in forests while on campaign map.

3. Khuzait

Does this look beatable to you?

The Khuzaits’ culture is heavily based on the real life Mongols.  They are a group of nomadic tribes unified two generations previous by a great ruler, the likes of which led them to conquer the eastern side of the Empire.  They are known for their riding ability and infamous for their formidable horse archers.  As all things Khuzait, their culture buff is stupid in terms of game balance.  

Choose the Khuzait if you like the thought of reincarnating Genghis Khan and conquering the world with him or if you want to use Khuzait forces, as this culture buff will make you almost unstoppable if you pair it with their horsemen.

Khuzait Culture Details:

• 10% extra speed bonus for horsemen on campaign map.

2. Vlandian 

Pointy-Helmet shows idiot swordsman the supremacy of the Vlandian lance.

The predecessors to the fan-favorite nation of Swadia from Warband, the Vlandians came to possess their piece of the Calradian pie in a somewhat roguish way.  The Empire, weakening on all sides, hired mercenaries and people of all nations from the west to protect their western-most territory.  Unwisely, they paid this new-found conglomerate named Vlandia in land, and before long, a king rose up and declared Vlandia it’s own country.  They are not the best culture to pick for roleplay, but practically, many would say they are the best.  

Choose Vlandia if you are serious about conquering the entirety of Calradia with high-quality troops.

Vlandian Culture Details:

• 20% more troop XP from battles.

1.  Imperial

They think they're as cool as Rome because they have soldiers named Legionaries, but we know better.

The Calradian Empire ruled Calradia for centuries until the events that are occurring in Bannerlord, where the Empire is divided and on it’s last leg.  Much like the Romans, they overextended the reach of their great power and discovered greed, jealousy and the difficulty in defending every part of a massive empire are the components to a recipe called crumbling.  They have the most useful culture buff of any of the other nations.

Choose the Empire culture if you want to roleplay as an average Joe, or you want the most useful culture buff for conquering Calradia with your own kingdom or as a vassal of another.

Imperial Culture Details:

• 10% construction speed bonus to town projects, wall repairs and siege engines (that’s right, you build trebuchets faster).

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