Once you join or create your own kingdom in Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord, you will need to work with the other clans of the realm to decide which policies you should all follow.
Though you might not think of these often, there are more than 30 policies to choose from, and the AI will do its best to choose the worst policies it can.
Recommended Read: Best Archers to Use in Bannerlord
This is why you should know which policies offer the best advantages and are needed to make a kingdom powerful and prosperous.
So, to make sure that your faction isn’t the worst one out there, here are the best policies you should choose in Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord.
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Best Policies to Choose in Bannerlord
Out of all 35 kingdom policies in Bannerlord, we have selected exactly 10 (in no particular order) which are the best and that you should try to implement in your faction:
S-Tier Policies (Always Get These)
Forgiveness of Debts Kingdom Policy
The Forgiveness of Debts kingdom policy in Bannerlord will offer you these modifiers:
- Settlement Loyalty +2 per day
- Workshop Production -5%
This policy is a no-brainer. You need to get this one. A 5% debuff to workshop output is incredibly negligible.
Especially compared to the huge +2 bonus to Loyalty per day. You need this policy to keep all of your settlements in check and let you get the real bonuses that Loyalty can offer you.
Increased Loyalty will provide you with an increased income for the town anyway, so having workshop output lowered will not actually cause you monetary problems.
Tribunes of the People Kingdom Policy
The Tribunes of the People kingdom policy in Bannerlord will offer you these modifiers:
- Town Taxes to Ruler -5%
- Town Loyalty +1 per day
This policy will slightly lower town income for the owners of these towns. However, it is nothing compared to the Loyalty bonus they will get daily.
Considering the amount of money they will make from the Loyalty bonus, losing 5% shouldn’t be a problem. You should get this policy every chance you get.
Castle Charters Kingdom Policy
The Castle Charters kingdom policy in Bannerlord will offer you these modifiers:
- Castle Upgrades Cost -20%
There aren’t many policies that just offer free buffs. However, the Castle Charters policy does.
With the help of the Castle Charters kingdom policy, you will be able to construct buildings faster in Bannerlord, and you won’t get any disadvantages for it.
This policy is a no-brainer, and you should get it the first chance you get. This can help castles become a bit more relevant, as most ignore them since they are a lot less profitable than towns.
A-Tier Policies
Grazing Rights Kingdom Policy
The Grazing Rights kingdom policy in Bannerlord will offer you these modifiers:
- Settlement Loyalty +0.5 per day
- Village Hearth Growth -0.25 per day
If your first priority is Prosperity, then don’t take this kingdom policy. The -0.25 modifier might sound like a minor debuff, but it is actually significant, and it will slow down your growth in villages by a lot.
However, in most scenarios, Loyalty is a resource that is hard to gain, and it would be much more useful to get your hands on it rather than on Prosperity, as they will increase hand in hand.
Sacred Majesty Kingdom Policy
The Sacred Majesty kingdom policy in Bannerlord will offer you these modifiers:
- Ruling Clan Influence +3 per day
- Vassal Influence -0.5 per day
This policy is incredible for players that have just started their own kingdom. This will allow them to constantly lower the Influence of your vassals, which will let you dominate all kingdom votes.
With a passive income of Influence, you can easily do whatever you want with your kingdom.
However, if you are not the ruling clan, this policy might sound horrible to you, so try to get rid of it fast. Only kings benefit from this policy.
Royal Privilege Kingdom Policy
The Royal Privilege kingdom policy in Bannerlord will offer you these modifiers:
- Reduce Influence Cost for Overriding Votes as Ruler by 20%
This is another great policy for young kings and queens, as it will allow them to easily change the outcomes of kingdom votes.
Combine this policy with Sacred Majesty, and you will be able to rule your kingdom as if it was an autocracy and not a tribal chiefdom.
Again, if you are a vassal, reject this policy as much as you can, as it will allow the ruler of the faction to dominate you all like you don’t exist.
Precarial Land Tenure Kingdom Policy
The Precarial Land Tenure kingdom policy in Bannerlord will offer you these modifiers:
- Reduce Influence Cost for Removal of Fiefs as Ruler by 50%
This is a weird policy, as it offers you an advantage that you probably won’t use much. It isn’t a must-have, as some of the other policies on this list, but it is interesting depending on the circumstances.
With this policy, as the ruling clan, you will have the power to always decide who controls what. So, if someone upset you, you will have an easier time removing their fiefs using this reduced-cost policy.
Since the AI never uses the ability to remove someone’s fief, if you find the kingdom clans voting for this policy, you should usually ignore it. You don’t want to waste your Influence on a policy that can be really good but situational.
Royal Guard Kingdom Policy
The Royal Guard kingdom policy in Bannerlord will offer you these modifiers:
- Ruler Party Size +60
- Vassal Influence -0.2 per day
If you haven’t realized yet, most policies are really good for rulers. They can get amazing advantages that will destabilize vassals forever.
By getting this policy, along with Sacred Majesty and Royal Privilege, a king can make sure that their vassals never have any say in what the kingdom does.
With the ability to bring down the Influence of your vassals and also increase the number of troops you have, this policy is a must-have for rulers.
However, as a vassal, avoid this policy at all costs. This will slowly but surely destroy your Influence reserves.
Noble Retinues Kingdom Policy
The Noble Retinues kingdom policy in Bannerlord will offer you these modifiers:
- Tier +5 Clans -1 Influence per day
- Clan Leaders +40 party size limit
This is an interesting policy, as it requires many of the powerful clans to give their precious Influence on a daily basis in exchange for party size.
Since we know that party size limits are very hard to increase, this policy is a must-have. The little Influence debuff won’t be a problem if you learned how to properly increase Influence.
Trial by Jury Kingdom Policy
The Trial by Jury kingdom policy in Bannerlord will offer you these modifiers:
- Settlement Loyalty +0.5 per day
- Settlement Security -0.2 per day
- All Clans -1 Influence per day
Loyalty is one of the hardest stats to increase in a settlement. However, Security is closely related to Loyalty, and a low Security rating can result in low Loyalty.
This is why this policy is very volatile. If you are sure that you can keep the Security rating high, then you should get this policy instantly.
Otherwise, stay far away from it, as you can lose more than just a bit of Influence per day. The Security debuff is the only thing keeping this policy from S rank.
Combining this policy with all the other ones that lowered the Influence of most rulers would allow you to properly use the strategy to destroy a kingdom from the inside.
That’s everything you need to know about the best policies to choose in Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord!
Have any input or suggestions for this guide? Let us know in the comment section below.
