Leadership Skill Guide

Leadership is arguably the most critical skill for any aspiring ruler in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord. While combat skills help you win duels, Leadership helps you win wars. It directly governs your ability to command large armies, maintain high morale, and keep your garrisons disciplined.

Leading armies is the primary way to develop your Leadership skill.

How to Gain Leadership XP

Unlike combat skills which level up as you deal damage, Leadership requires you to act like a commander. There are three main ways to gain XP:

1. Leading an Army: This is the most efficient method. Once you are in a kingdom (as a mercenary or vassal), you can form an army. Even leading an army of just your own parties (companions) counts and generates passive XP while moving on the map.

2. High Morale: Maintaining a party morale above 75 provides a slow trickle of XP. This is useful in the early game before you can form armies.

3. Garrison Management: If you are a governor, you can gain XP, but this is rarely the player's role.

For a dedicated guide on grinding this skill quickly, check out our Leadership Skill Leveling guide.

Key Perks Breakdown

The Leadership tree is packed with essential perks. Here is a breakdown of the most impactful choices.

The Leadership skill tree offers choices between quality (XP) and quantity (Recruitment/Garrison).

Early Game: XP vs. Recruitment

• Combat Tips (Level 25): Gives a small amount of daily XP to all troops. This is generally preferred over Raise The Meek because it helps tier up your high-level troops, not just recruits.

• Stout Defender (Level 50): While Fervent Attacker sounds good, Stout Defender helps significantly during the hardest battles—defensive sieges where you are outnumbered.

Mid Game: Discipline and Loyalty

• Veterans' Respect (Level 150): This is a must-have. It allows you to convert bandit prisoners into regular troops. This is the only way to reliably get noble troops like Fians (from Forest Bandits) or Banner Knights (from Sea Raiders) without camping villages.

• Presence (Level 125): Reduces the chance of recruitment failure with notables, which is crucial for maintaining a steady supply of troops.

Late Game: The Army Commander

• Leader of the Masses (Level 125): Grants +5 party size for every town you control. This scales massively in the late game.

• Ultimate Leader (Level 275): The capstone perk. It increases your party size for every skill point above 250. This allows for massive 400+ man personal parties.

Choosing the right perks can double your effective party size and efficiency.

Synergies with Other Skills

Leadership does not exist in a vacuum. It pairs perfectly with:

• Steward: While Leadership increases party size via perks, Steward Skill increases it via the Quartermaster role. You should always aim to level both.

• Charm: High Leadership allows you to muster large armies, but Charm ensures you have the Influence to keep them together. See our Army & Influence Management guide for details.

Conclusion

Investing in Leadership is an investment in your future kingdom. By prioritizing Clan Tier Progression and forming armies early, you will unlock the ability to command the massive hosts needed to conquer Calradia.