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TaleWorlds has dated Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord’s War Sails expansion for November 26, 2025, on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, priced at $24.99/€24.99. The studio also published a 15-minute gameplay showcase, which you can find below.
War Sails adds Bannerlord’s first official naval warfare layer, letting players command fleets, helm a flagship, and fight across sea battles that move from ranged volleys to ramming and boarding. Each side can field up to eight ships per engagement depending on army perks, with an Order of Battle phase to pick your flagship and assign companions as captains.
Ship handling hinges on wind and rig choice. A wind dial UI shows favorable and unfavorable angles, with square rigs trading coverage for burst speed, lateen rigs offering broader coverage, and hybrid rigs mixing both (with the option to furl just the square sail). When the wind dies or you need tighter turns, rowing can be set to stop, half, or full power, trading deck fighters for propulsion and risking snapped oars if you’re rammed.
At range, players can operate deck ballistae directly from the helm, firing bolts, stones, or fire pots. Archers and javelin units draw from supply crates for sustained pressure, and braziers enable fire arrows that burn sails and hulls, stripping a ship of its main drive.
Close-in fighting emphasizes momentum and mass. Effective ramming depends on speed, angle, ship weight, and where you hit. Perpendicular impacts into the midsection are most punishing, while head-on bumps do little. Heavier hulls turn slower but hit harder and ride out rough seas. Hull damage is localized, causing partial sinking on the struck side; fires force crews off stations, and ship damage carries forward between battles unless repaired.
Boarding is initiated with grappling hooks to pull ships together and lay rope bridges. Multiple hooks speed the pull and open more assault routes. Chains of locked ships can form as crews fight across decks; cutting bridges is a tactical retreat option, but anyone on a severed bridge goes overboard. Players can fall, swim, dive, and climb back via nets, and it’s possible to seize an enemy ship mid-battle if your own is crippled.
Each vessel manages its own reinforcements based on deck capacity. Some ships keep reserves below deck that replace casualties until morale breaks. Battles end when all enemy ships are destroyed or their troops are eliminated. Surviving hulls can be claimed as prizes depending on your skills and the ships’ condition.
- Release date is November 26, 2025, with a simultaneous launch on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.
- Price is $24.99/€24.99 as a paid expansion.
- The official gameplay showcase runs approximately 15 minutes and demonstrates helm control, wind management, rowing tiers, ranged artillery, fire mechanics, ramming outcomes, boarding chains, swimming/climbing, reinforcements, and post-battle ship capture.
- Maximum deployed ships per side in naval battles is eight, governed by perks and pre-battle selection.
