Banner Customization & Heraldry

November 21, 2025

Guide to creating banners and applying heraldry.

Banner Customization & Heraldry in Bannerlord

In Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, your banner is more than just a flag; it's the symbol of your clan's power, history, and ambition. Whether you're a humble mercenary or a king unifying Calradia, your heraldry will fly over your castles, lead your armies, and strike fear into your enemies. This guide covers everything you need to know about customizing your banner, from the basic in-game tools to advanced mods and color theory.

The Importance of Heraldry

Your banner represents your Clan. As you gain Renown and increase your Clan Tier, your banner becomes a recognizable symbol on the campaign map. It appears on your troops' shields, your town gates, and the UI. A distinct banner helps you quickly identify your parties and fiefs in the chaotic political landscape of Calradia.

Bannerlord In-Game Heraldry A character displaying their custom clan banner on the campaign map.

The Banner Editor: Tools and Sigils

You can access the Banner Editor at any time by pressing B on the campaign map. The editor allows you to modify:

  • Background Color: The primary and secondary colors of your flag field.

  • Sigil: The central icon (e.g., a lion, bear, sword, or geometric shape).

  • Sigil Color: The color of the icon itself.

  • Size and Position: You can scale and rotate the sigil to fit your aesthetic.

While the vanilla editor is functional, it has limitations compared to the complex heraldry seen in historical medieval settings. You are restricted to a single sigil layer and a limited palette of colors based on your culture.

Color Theory: Visibility on the Battlefield

Choosing the right colors is crucial for gameplay visibility. In the heat of battle, you need to instantly distinguish your troops from the enemy.

  • Contrast is Key: Use a light sigil on a dark background (or vice versa). For example, a White horse on a Red background (Vlandian style) is highly visible.

  • Terrain Considerations:

    • Snow (Sturgia): Avoid all-white banners; they blend into the terrain. Deep blues or reds work best.

    • Desert (Aserai): Avoid yellow/sand colors. Purple, Green, or Black stand out well.

    • Forest (Battania): Green can camouflage you, which might be thematic but makes command harder. High-contrast Orange or White helps.

Sharing and Importing Banners

The community has created tools to surpass the in-game editor's limits. The most popular is the Bannerlord Banner Thing (often found at bannerlord.party), which allows for complex, multi-layered designs.

Bannerlord External Banner Editor The external banner editor allows for complex layering of sigils.

How to Import a Custom Banner

  1. Create your design on a banner editor website.

  2. Copy the generated code.

  3. In-game, open the Banner Editor (B).

  4. Press Ctrl + V to paste the code.

    • Note: In recent patches, you may need a mod like BannerColorPersistence or BannerPaste to enable this feature, as TaleWorlds restricted clipboard functionality in some updates.

Mods for Enhanced Heraldry

To truly unlock the potential of Bannerlord's heraldry system, several mods are highly recommended:

  • BannerColorPersistence: Fixes issues where custom colors revert to default kingdom colors upon loading saves or joining kingdoms.

  • BannerPaste: Re-enables the clipboard functionality if the base game has disabled it.

  • Raise your Banner: Adds banner bearers to your formations in battle, drastically improving immersion.

Bannerlord Custom Banners Guide Thumbnail Custom banners add a layer of personalization that vanilla gameplay can't match.

Conclusion

Your banner is the first thing your enemies see and the last thing they remember. Take the time to design a sigil that tells your story. Whether you choose the golden lion of a righteous king or the black skull of a ruthless raider, make sure it flies high.

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