Charm Skill Guide

In Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, the sword may win battles, but Charm wins wars. Whether you are trying to convince a powerful lord to defect to your kingdom, negotiate a peace treaty, or simply find a spouse, your Charm skill will determine your success.

The Power of Words

Charm is governed by the Social attribute. It primarily affects:

• Relation Gain: How much people like you after you do them a favor.

• Persuasion Chance: The probability of succeeding in dialogue mini-games.

• Influence Gain: Passive influence generation.

The Persuasion Minigame

When trying to convince a noble to marry you or join your faction, you enter a "Persuasion" dialogue.

• The Circles: You must fill the success circles (usually 3 or 4) to win.

• Critical Success: Instantly fills all circles.

• Critical Failure: Instantly fails the negotiation (and often locks it permanently).

Your chance of success is boosted by your Charm skill, your Relation with the target, and specific Traits (Merciful, Honor, etc.).

Leveling Charm (Fastest Methods)

1. Barter with Nobles

The classic "Gift" trick.

• Method: Open a barter with any noble. Offer them 1 gold (or a small gift).

• Result: You gain a small amount of relation and Charm XP. Repeat this with every lord you meet.

2. Kingdom Voting

Once you are a vassal, you can vote on fief ownership and policies.

• Method: Spend Influence to support a decision. Even if you lose the vote, the act of spending influence grants massive Charm XP.

See Gaining Influence for how to fuel this loop.

3. Release Prisoners

After a battle, if you capture a noble:

• Method: Choose "You are free to go."

• Result: Huge relation boost and Charm XP. This is far better than ransoming them for a few thousand denars in the long run.

Key Perks

The Charm tree has some of the best perks in the game:

• Virile / Fertile (Level 25): Increases chance of having children by 30%. Essential for Marriage & Family.

• Meaningful Favors (Level 75): Double persuasion chance gain. Critical for recruiting lords.

• Immortal Charm (Level 275): Influence cost for policies is reduced.

Summary

Don't neglect Charm. Even a "Barbarian Warlord" needs to talk his way out of an unwinnable battle or convince a King to give him a castle. Invest in Social early to reap the rewards later.