Bannerlord Mods Guide: How to Install Mods and the Best Mods to Start With

Most Bannerlord mods that have settings or touch the interface are built on the same four foundations. Install and enable these before any mod that requires them, and load them before the native game modules. The minimum versions below are the ones the Diplomacy page requires as of its October 23, 2026 update; if a mod you want requires newer ones, take the newer ones.

Source: Nexus Mods, Diplomacy description page, checked October 28,

2026. The Diplomacy page also recommends installing through Vortex but not using Vortex for mod ordering or launching, and recommends the Bannerlord Software Extender (BLSE) launcher.

Grade A means the mod own page states compatibility with the current version line. Grade B means the mod is actively maintained into the current era but its page does not state a game version outright, so check the Files tab. Grade C means the mod is well known and actively updated, but you must match the file to your version yourself before installing.

A large collection of optional gameplay features, every one of them disabled by default and toggled individually through MCM. Its page states game version Bannerlord 1.3.x to 1.4.x, compatible with the War Sails DLC, and lists Simplified Chinese among its supported languages. Useful first picks from its feature list include remote contact through messengers, a personal retinue, unlocking both perks instead of choosing one, and remote settlement management. Because everything is off by default, it changes nothing until you switch features on, which makes it a safe first content mod.

Reworked arenas for every culture, with three stages of development tied to town level, seasonal variation, and different setups for practice and tournaments. Its page states compatibility with 1.3+ and 1.4+ and the War Sails DLC, and states that the mod is safe to add and remove during a campaign. Its own installation note puts it at the bottom of the load order, because mods that change arenas overwrite each other. If you enter arenas constantly for tournaments, this is the most visible upgrade on this list.

A vanilla-friendly campaign and sandbox mod that widens what characters can do to the world: non-aggression pacts, granting fiefs to clans in your kingdom, claiming fiefs you led the assault on, war exhaustion, expansionism, and factions and civil wars, including seceding from a kingdom and forcing a ruler to abdicate. Its Nexus page was last updated October 23, 2026, at version v1.5.4, and its page states it can be installed mid-game with no issues and removed at any time. It requires the four foundations listed above at the minimum versions given there. This is the natural companion to our kingdom guide: it adds the diplomatic moves the vanilla vote system does not have.

A long-running combat overhaul that reworks armour and damage, projectile simulation, stamina and AI behaviour. Its Nexus page lists version 4.3.4, last updated July 9, 2026, and the authors newer notes describe version 4.5.3 changes including War Sails ship-ballista fixes, which shows the mod is being kept up through the War Sails era. That is not the same as a stated game-version match, so before installing, open the Files tab and confirm the file is for your game version. Do not install it on the strength of this paragraph alone.

A large campaign overhaul covering titles, peers, religion, demesne management and settlement elections, with its own changelog reaching mod version 1.4.0. Its scale is exactly why it sits in grade C here: overhauls touch more systems than any other kind of mod, and a version mismatch costs more. Open its Nexus page, read the Files tab for the game version the current file targets, and check its requirements before you add it to a campaign you care about.

A mod page that still lists its tested game version as an early-era build is a warning, not a recommendation. Examples found during this check include pages whose stated tested version is 1.1.4-era. Those mods may still work, but nothing on their pages proves it for the current version line, so they are not recommended here. If you need one of them, ask on its page whether a current-version file exists before you install it on a campaign you care about.

TaleWorlds ships the Bannerlord Modding Kit, including a War Sails Modding Kit released in August 2026, with official documentation pages for the new naval systems. That is the supported route for building scenes, ships and naval content, rather than editing game files by hand. This guide does not teach the editor; it points you at the kit so you start from the supported tool.

Both channels exist. Steam Workshop installs through the Steam client, while Nexus Mods installs through Vortex or by hand into the Modules folder. Follow the installation instructions on the mod own page either way.

Their pages say yes: Diplomacy can be added or removed at any part of a campaign, and Arenas Extended is safe to add and remove during a campaign. Other mods do not promise this, so check each page.

This guide covers PC modding only. The mods and tools named here are PC downloads installed through the PC launcher and Modules folder.

Downloads accumulate over years and across game versions. A grade based on what the mod own page states today is a better predictor of whether it works on your version.

Not confirmed from official sources at check time. Do not assume either way; check the official documentation before starting an achievement run with mods enabled.