Attributes & Focus Points

November 21, 2025

How attribute points and focus points affect leveling and performance.

The character progression system in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord revolves around two main currencies: Attribute Points and Focus Points. Understanding how these interact is the difference between a character who masters everything and one who struggles to learn basic skills.

Understanding the System

At its core, your ability to learn and level up a skill is determined by your Learning Rate. If your Learning Rate drops to 0.00x, you cannot gain any more XP in that skill, no matter how much you use it.

The Skills screen showing Attribute columns and Focus Point slots.

Your Learning Limit (the "Hard Cap") is determined by a combination of the Attribute governing that skill and the number of Focus Points you have invested in it.

The Golden Formula

To calculate your max skill level:

  • Base: Everyone starts with a small base limit.

  • Attributes: Each point adds roughly 10-14 levels to the cap.

  • Focus Points: Each point adds 30-40 levels to the cap.

Attributes Breakdown

There are six primary attributes, each governing three specific skills. You gain 1 Attribute Point every 4 levels (Level 4, 8, 12, etc.). Since the level cap is soft-capped around 30-35 for most playthroughs, you will only gain about 7-8 extra attribute points in a typical game. Choose wisely!

Choosing the right attributes defines your playstyle.

Vigor (VIG)

  • One-Handed

  • Two-Handed

  • Polearm

  • Best for: Frontline fighters and duelists.

Control (CTR)

  • Bows

  • Crossbows

  • Throwing

  • Best for: Snipers and horse archers.

Endurance (END)

  • Riding

  • Athletics

  • Smithing

  • Best for: Everyone. Speed and health are universally good, and Smithing is the best money-maker.

Cunning (CNG)

  • Scouting

  • Tactics

  • Roguery

  • Best for: Party leaders who want map speed and auto-resolve advantages.

Social (SOC)

  • Charm

  • Leadership

  • Trade

  • Best for: Kingdom builders and army commanders. Leadership is essential for large armies.

Intelligence (INT)

  • Steward

  • Medicine

  • Engineering

  • Best for: Quartermasters and Governors. Steward is critical for party size.

Focus Points Explained

You gain 1 Focus Point every level. These are much more abundant than Attribute points. You can invest up to 5 Focus Points in a single skill.

  • 0 Focus Points: Very slow learning, cap around skill level 10-20.

  • 1-2 Focus Points: decent early game progress.

  • 5 Focus Points: Massive XP multiplier, essential for reaching level 200+.

Optimizing Your Build

The "Holy Grail" of Bannerlord builds is reaching Skill Level 275 to unlock the final, often game-changing perk. To reach 275, you typically need:

  • 7 Attribute Points in the governing stat.

  • 5 Focus Points in the skill.

Efficient leveling requires planning your Focus Points early.

The "7/5" Strategy

If you want to be a master Archer, you need 7 Control and 5 Bow focus points. If you stop at 4 Control, you might hit a "Hard Cap" around skill level 220, forever locking you out of the top-tier perks.

For more details on specific perk trees, check out our Skills & Perks Overview.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  1. Spreading Attributes too thin: Having 3 in everything means you master nothing. Pick 2-3 attributes to max out (7+).

  2. Ignoring Endurance: Athletics (run speed) and Riding (horse speed) are vital for survival.

  3. Wasting Focus on capped skills: Once a skill hits its hard cap (learning rate 0.00), remove focus points via the Arena master if possible, or stop investing.

For help planning your family's growth, see Companions & Family Building. And if you are ready to expand your influence, read up on Clan Tier Progression.

Attributes & Focus Points | mountandblade-bannor-lords-2 | Blink5