<s>
Mount	B-Device
&	I-Device
Blade	I-Device
II	I-Device
:	I-Device
Bannerlord	I-Device
is	O
a	O
strategy	B-Application
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
TaleWorlds	O
Entertainment	O
,	O
and	O
co-published	O
by	O
Prime	O
Matter	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
a	O
prequel	B-Application
to	O
Mount	B-Application
&	I-Application
Blade	I-Application
:	I-Application
Warband	I-Application
,	O
a	O
stand-alone	O
expansion	O
for	O
the	O
2008	O
game	O
Mount	B-Application
&	I-Application
Blade	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bannerlord	B-Device
takes	O
place	O
210	O
years	O
before	O
its	O
predecessor	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
setting	O
inspired	O
by	O
the	O
Migration	O
Period	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bannerlord	B-Device
was	O
announced	O
in	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Steam	B-Application
page	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
created	O
in	O
late	O
2015	O
;	O
the	O
following	O
year	O
,	O
TaleWorlds	O
began	O
releasing	O
weekly	O
developer	O
diaries	O
detailing	O
elements	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
early	O
access	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
March	O
27	O
,	O
2020	O
and	O
quickly	O
became	O
the	O
largest	O
launch	O
of	O
the	O
year	O
on	O
Steam	B-Application
,	O
achieving	O
nearly	O
250,000	O
concurrent	O
players	O
on	O
Steam	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
,	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
Series	I-Device
X/S	I-Device
on	O
October	O
25	O
,	O
2022	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mount	B-Device
&	I-Device
Blade	I-Device
II	I-Device
:	I-Device
Bannerlord	I-Device
is	O
a	O
strategy/action	O
role-playing	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bannerlord	B-Device
,	O
however	O
,	O
includes	O
significant	O
improvements	O
to	O
numerous	O
elements	O
of	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sieges	B-Application
in	O
Bannerlord	B-Device
are	O
intended	O
to	O
be	O
more	O
strategic	O
than	O
they	O
were	O
in	O
Warband	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
may	O
construct	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
different	O
siege	B-Application
engines	O
and	O
strategically	O
position	O
them	O
before	O
the	O
battle	O
begins	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
target	O
certain	O
sections	O
of	O
the	O
enemy	O
fortifications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
discourage	O
prolonged	O
bombardments	O
on	O
the	O
battle	O
map	O
,	O
only	O
the	O
merlons	B-Application
,	O
gatehouses	O
,	O
and	O
siege	B-Application
engines	O
are	O
destructible	O
during	O
the	O
actual	O
battle	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bannerlord	B-Device
features	O
numerous	O
improvements	O
to	O
the	O
relationships	O
between	O
characters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
is	O
able	O
to	O
use	O
a	O
more	O
advanced	O
dialogue	B-Application
system	I-Application
to	O
try	O
to	O
persuade	O
non-player	O
characters	O
to	O
do	O
things	O
that	O
they	O
want	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Warband	O
allowed	O
characters	O
to	O
marry	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
may	O
also	O
have	O
children	O
with	O
their	O
spouse	O
in	O
Bannerlord	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bannerlord	B-Device
,	O
like	O
Warband	O
,	O
has	O
a	O
multiplayer	O
component	O
that	O
allows	O
players	O
to	O
engage	O
in	O
combat	O
with	O
each	O
other	O
across	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
maps	O
and	O
game	O
modes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
in	O
Warband	O
,	O
the	O
multiplayer	O
of	O
Bannerlord	B-Device
is	O
restricted	O
to	O
battles	O
and	O
is	O
separate	O
from	O
the	O
campaign	O
,	O
although	O
the	O
developers	O
have	O
expressed	O
interest	O
in	O
adding	O
multiplayer	O
to	O
the	O
campaign	O
through	O
post-release	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bannerlord	B-Device
utilizes	O
a	O
class	O
system	O
that	O
allows	O
players	O
to	O
choose	O
what	O
type	O
of	O
soldier	O
they	O
want	O
to	O
play	O
as	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Classes	O
are	O
divided	O
into	O
three	O
categories	O
:	O
infantry	B-Protocol
,	O
ranged	O
,	O
and	O
cavalry	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mount	B-Device
&	I-Device
Blade	I-Device
II	I-Device
:	I-Device
Bannerlord	I-Device
is	O
set	O
on	O
the	O
fictional	O
continent	O
of	O
Calradia	O
,	O
210	O
years	O
before	O
Mount	B-Application
&	I-Application
Blade	I-Application
:	I-Application
Warband	I-Application
,	O
during	O
the	O
decline	O
of	O
the	O
Calradic	O
Empire	O
and	O
the	O
formation	O
of	O
the	O
predecessors	O
of	O
the	O
factions	O
that	O
appear	O
in	O
Warband	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bannerlord	B-Device
includes	O
eight	O
major	O
factions	O
or	O
kingdoms	O
,	O
each	O
composed	O
of	O
several	O
clans	O
and	O
competing	O
minor	O
factions	O
with	O
their	O
own	O
goals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Calradic	O
Empire	O
,	O
based	O
on	O
Greece	O
,	O
Rome	O
,	O
and	O
Byzantium	O
,	O
once	O
owned	O
a	O
massive	O
amount	O
of	O
Calradia	O
,	O
but	O
has	O
since	O
been	O
weakened	O
by	O
invasions	O
from	O
other	O
peoples	O
and	O
the	O
onset	O
of	O
a	O
three-way	O
civil	B-Application
war	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sturgians	O
,	O
located	O
in	O
the	O
northern	O
forests	O
,	O
specialize	O
in	O
infantry	B-Protocol
and	O
are	O
primarily	O
inspired	O
by	O
the	O
Vikings	B-Application
and	O
Rus	O
 '	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Aserai	O
of	O
the	O
southern	O
desert	O
are	O
adept	O
at	O
both	O
cavalry	O
and	O
infantry	B-Protocol
tactics	O
and	O
are	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
pre-Islamic	O
Arabs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Battanians	O
inhabit	O
the	O
central	O
woodlands	O
of	O
Calradia	O
and	O
are	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Celts	B-Algorithm
;	O
they	O
specialize	O
in	O
ambushes	O
and	O
guerilla	O
warfare	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
graphics	O
have	O
been	O
significantly	O
improved	O
from	O
its	O
predecessor	O
,	O
Mount	B-Application
&	I-Application
Blade	I-Application
:	I-Application
Warband	I-Application
,	O
having	O
better	O
shading	O
and	O
higher	O
detail	O
models	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
character	O
animations	O
are	O
created	O
utilizing	O
motion	B-Application
capture	I-Application
technology	O
and	O
the	O
facial	O
animations	O
were	O
updated	O
to	O
improve	O
upon	O
the	O
portrayal	O
of	O
emotions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
of	O
that	O
year	O
,	O
TaleWorlds	O
made	O
a	O
Bannerlord	B-Device
Steam	B-Application
page	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
developer	O
diary	O
in	O
2019	O
,	O
TaleWorlds	O
confirmed	O
that	O
they	O
intend	O
to	O
have	O
a	O
closed	O
beta	O
for	O
Bannerlord	B-Device
at	O
some	O
point	O
in	O
the	O
future	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Prime	O
Matter	O
,	O
publisher	O
and	O
division	O
of	O
Plaion	O
,	O
signed	O
an	O
agreement	O
with	O
TaleWorlds	O
to	O
publish	O
Bannerlord	B-Device
especially	O
for	O
physical	O
copies	O
on	O
consoles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bannerlord	B-Device
was	O
released	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
,	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
Series	I-Device
X/S	I-Device
on	O
October	O
25	O
,	O
2022	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
its	O
early	O
access	O
release	O
,	O
Bannerlord	B-Device
became	O
the	O
largest	O
launch	O
of	O
the	O
year	O
to	O
that	O
point	O
on	O
Steam	B-Application
,	O
achieving	O
more	O
than	O
170,000	O
concurrent	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Whilst	O
still	O
in	O
early	O
access	O
,	O
Chris	O
Bratt	O
,	O
writing	O
for	O
Eurogamer	O
,	O
gave	O
the	O
game	O
a	O
largely	O
positive	O
review	O
in	O
an	O
article	O
entitled	O
"	O
Bannerlord	B-Device
is	O
janky	O
as	O
hell	O
,	O
but	O
I	O
absolutely	O
love	O
it	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
writes	O
that	O
"	O
Bannerlord	B-Device
may	O
not	O
be	O
finished	O
and	O
I	O
suspect	O
it	O
wo	O
n't	O
be	O
finished	O
for	O
a	O
long	O
time	O
to	O
come	O
.	O
</s>
