FAQ & Troubleshooting

November 21, 2025

Quick answers to common questions and bugs.

FAQ & Troubleshooting

Bannerlord is a massive, complex simulation. As such, it can be prone to technical hiccups, especially when mods are involved. This guide covers common technical issues and how to resolve them.

Crash to Desktop (CTD)

The most frustrating issue is the sudden crash.

"The Application Faced a Problem"

This generic error reporter appears for most crashes.

  1. Verify Game Files: In Steam Library > Right Click Bannerlord > Properties > Installed Files > Verify integrity of game files. This fixes 90% of vanilla crashes.

  2. Disable Mods: If you use mods, disable them all. If the game runs, enable them one by one to find the culprit.

  3. Delete Configs: Go to Documents\Mount and Blade II Bannerlord\Configs and back up/delete the files to reset settings.

Safe Mode Sometimes a fresh start is needed. Safe Mode disables mods and resets graphics to default.

Performance Issues

Stuttering in Battles

Large battles (1000 units) are CPU-intensive.

  • Lower Battle Size: Drop from 1000 to 600 or 400.

  • Audio Channels: Set to "Low" (128). Sound calculations can surprisingly bottleneck the CPU.

  • DLSS / FSR: Use upscaling to reduce GPU load.

Battle Performance If your framerate drops when cavalry charges, try lowering "Particle Effects" and "Shadow Quality".

Gameplay Bugs

Stuck in Siege Menu

Sometimes after a siege ends, the menu refuses to close.

  • Fix: Press Alt + F4 immediately to avoid an auto-save in the stuck state.

  • Console Fix: If on PC, enable Cheats and use campaign.leave_settlement.

Disappearing Companions

If a companion is "Holding" or "Traveling" for weeks:

  1. Go to a Tavern.

  2. Talk to the Ransom Broker (if they were captured).

  3. Use the Clan Tab to "Recall to Party".

Crafting Crashes Specific menus like Smithing can sometimes cause crashes if a mod adds an invalid item part.

Save Corruption

  • "Cannot Load Save": This usually happens if you remove a mod that the save depended on. Never remove mods mid-campaign if they add items or cultures.

  • Backup: Always keep a manual "Safe" save file every 10-20 hours of gameplay.

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