Summary
The road to kingship inMount & Blade 2: Bannerlordis filled with suffering, violence, and stubborn AI. Players will find that as their territory and armies grow, more challenges will keep rearing their ugly heads. In moments like these, players will do well to have a right-hand man or woman who will not only take some of the burden off their hands but also even save them from time to time. This is where companions come into play.
Granted, they’re not as unique or as promising as the wives. Some of the best among them are often encountered as wanderers or random (but still unique) NPCs that have their own suffixes. Looking into each of these suffixes or templates determines how well they can perform as a companion inMount & Blade 2: Bannerlord. When hiring or scouting out potential companions, players will do well to look for these namesuffixes.
To find these companions, players only need to go totaverns in towns and cities. Potential companions' icons are typically shown on the UI.
Updated on June 07, 2025, by Mati Kent-Nye:Over two years after its release, Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord remains one of the most complex medieval RPGs out there. From epic sieges to bountiful exploration to kingdom management, there’s something every medieval fan can enjoy here. Command armies from afar or delve deep into the midst of bloody combat; the choice is up to the player.Companionsplay a vital role in kingdom management, tending to smaller tasks on behalf of the player. For players yet to carve out their own kingdom, companions bolster an army’s strength, whether through their combat prowess, tactical skill, or by helping to ease the injuries of those wounded in battle.
A Strong Warrior
Strengths:
One would think that smithing is the only thing “The Smith” is good at, but any companion with this kind of prefix can often be sent to the frontlines or the vanguard of the army in order to inflict some heavy losses against the enemy since they’re also proficient at two-handed weapons.
It seems they practice all the time with their creations. Apart from that, simply having a companion with the Smithing skill in the party or in an administrative position is handy since players can make their own powerful weapons and save money.
An Adaptive Fighter
If players are looking for a jack-of-all-trades companion who’s also a good combatant with multiple weapon proficiencies, then a companion with “The Tracker” suffix is quite hard to beat. This warrior can hold against a cavalry charge and infantry combined.
They’re also good at shooting bows, crossbows, javelins, horseriding, and athleticism. They’re the all-around military men and shouldn’t be left behind in combat. Players ought to stick with these guys in the heat of combat; they can double as personal bodyguards.
Best For Sieges
Players looking to carve out their own kingdom will want to add companions with the “The Engineer” suffix to their army. Their high engineering skills make for faster siege engine build times, ensuring that even players under strict deadlines can utilize these powerful machines. Siege engines do wonders at mitigating the heavy losses sustained when attacking towns and castles.
Unfortunately, “The Engineer” is far from an ideal soldier. With low melee skills across the board and passable archery skills at best, players should avoid engaging them in combat at all costs.
An Epic Marksman
Bows or ranged combat is still the meta inMount and Blade 2: Bannerlord. It’s just hard to beat projectile weapons in this game despite the shields. For that matter, having a combat companion with a “Deadeye” suffix might just make players win combat more easily.
Just give them a bowman company, and they’ll be sure to wipe out a huge chunk of the enemy infantry. The good news is that if melee troops ever close the gap and try to ambush a “Deadeye” companion, they can trade blows since they’regood at the sword.
A Fantastic Scout
A “Horsethief” companion, true enough to their name, is great at being a cavalryman and combat jouster. Players can also treat them as a jack-of-all-trades companion during combat, although their proficiency in scouting also makes them excellent ambushers.
They’re thus the ideal companions if players want to approach the game with guerilla warfare as their main mode of picking fights. The throwing proficiency means a “Horsethief” companion is always ready for some lopsided fights and ranged surprises.
A Must-Have Medic
“The Surgeon” is an excellent addition to any army, whether players are one day or one year into their playthrough. “The Surgeon’s” high medicine skill gives a big bonus to armies, helping to reduce casualties and speed up soldier recovery. In the early game, this is particularly useful as both the player and their soldiers are incredibly weak.
Players who have hired this companion must be mindful not to let “The Surgeon” charge into battle. They may be good at medicine, but they’re far from a competent warrior.
Helpful In And Outside Of Combat
Medicine is quite an underrated skill inMount and Blade 2: Bannerlord, but having a companion that’s proficient in medicine can help the player’s army recover a lot quicker after combat. If not, then a companion with a “The Scholar” as a suffix can be left to towns, and they’ll still easily recover after surviving a siege.
Overall, a companion with a “The Scholar” in their name gives players a degree of resiliency they never knew they needed. Being able to go combat hopping or escaping after a disastrous encounter is a valuable maneuver in the game.
A Two-Handed Weapons Expert
Anyone with a “Bloodaxe” in their name means business when it comes to performing on the battlefield. Because most NPCs that spawn with this suffix are more than proficient in fighting with Two-Handed weapons. Thus, players will do well to place them in the army, particularly on the frontlines, where they can do their job uninterrupted.
It’s also worth noting that a companion also has specific personality traits apart from their combat skills. Some of them are honorable, while others are cynical and won’t mind banditry. Players will want to double-check this as well; a surname like Bloodaxe doesn’texactly ring a valorous tune.
A Combat Ready Soldier
Coalbiter is similar to Bloodaxe as both of them typically start with a robust serving of the Two-Handed skill. In Coalbiter’s case, it’s also usually 200 or sometimes even higher. Regardless, Coalbiter is another good candidate for players who want another frontline soldier or scrapper.
There’s a wide range of two-handed melee weapons in the game, and each of them has its strengths and weaknesses. That’s why having multiple elite warriors capable of wrecking enemy formations isalways beneficial to any army inMount & Blade 2: Bannerlord.
A Highly Skilled Commander
A warrior woman with “the She-Wolf” as a surname is certainly no slouch. Wanderers or potential companions like her often match with the other Two-Handed warriors in terms of skill and proficiency. She’s yet another elite warrior to be placed at the head of the army.
The difference is that the She-Wolf can also be a marriage candidate for the players assuming their character is male. Players have full authority to pick who their sovereign will marry when the time comes, and companions are also part of that orbit.
