Horses, Camels & Mount Bonuses

In Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, your mount is your lifeline. But not all four-legged friends are created equal. Understanding the stats and hidden bonuses of different breeds can mean the difference between outrunning a bandit party and being captured.

Speed, Charge, or Armor? Choose your mount wisely.

Mount Statistics Explained

When looking at a horse (or camel) tooltip, you see four key stats:

• Speed: How fast the horse gallops. This affects your travel speed on the world map AND your charge damage bonus in combat.

• Maneuver: How tight the horse can turn. Vital for Horse Archers doing the "Cantabrian Circle".

• Charge: Collision damage. A high charge stat allows you to trample infantry without stopping.

• Hit Points (HP): How much damage the horse can take before dying (or becoming lame).

Horse Breeds & Bonuses

Desert Horses (Aserai)

• Traits: Very High Speed, Good Stamina.

• Bonus: No movement penalty in Desert terrain.

• Best For: Scouting, Kiting, Light Cavalry.

Steppe Horses (Khuzait)

• Traits: Highest Maneuverability, Decent Speed.

• Best For: Horse Archers. You need to turn on a dime to keep shooting.

Chargers / Hunters (Vlandia / Empire)

• Traits: High Charge, High HP, Can wear heavy barding.

• Best For: Heavy Cavalry (Banner Knights, Cataphracts). You want to smash through lines, not turn around them.

The Camel Question

The Aserai make extensive use of camels.

Camels (like the Husnphree) are a unique choice.

• Pros:

  • Height: You sit higher up, making it harder for infantry to hit you with swords.

  • Tanky: High base HP.

  • Desert King: Zero penalty in sand.

• Cons:

  • No Armor: Camels cannot wear horse armor. This makes them vulnerable to arrows in late game.

  • Slow: Generally slower than top-tier horses.

  • Awkward: Your attack angles are different because of the hump and height.

Barding and Weight

Horse Armor (Barding) provides defense to your mount but adds Weight.

• Weight reduces Speed and Maneuver.

• Only put heavy armor on a horse with high base speed, or it will become a tractor.

Relevant Perks

To get the most out of your mount, check the Riding skill tree.

Perks can transform a nag into a warhorse.

• Sweeping Wind (Level 100): Increases top speed.

• Tough Steed (Level 250): Increases mount HP.

• Nomadic Traditions: Huge map speed bonus for mounted herds.

For a full list of mounts, check out Horses & Mounts.