Scouting Skill Leveling Guide

The Scouting skill in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is essential for controlling how your party interacts with the world map. It governs your ability to spot enemies from afar, follow their tracks, and—most importantly—move quickly across Calradia. A high Scouting skill allows you to pick your battles, chasing down weaker foes or escaping from overwhelming armies.

The Scouting skill tree offers crucial bonuses to movement speed and spotting distance.

How Scouting Works

Scouting is based on the Cunning attribute. It provides two main benefits:

1. Spotting Distance: How far away you can see parties, hideouts, and other map entities.

2. Information: Examining tracks to see who passed by and when.

3. Movement Speed: High-level perks significantly boost your party's speed, especially in difficult terrain.

If you are the party leader, you can assign yourself the Scout role in the Clan tab, or you can assign a companion. If no one is assigned, the highest skill in the party (usually yours) is used, but you won't gain XP unless you are the effective Scout.

Fast Leveling Methods

Leveling Scouting can be slow if you play passively. To power-level it, you need to actively engage with its mechanics.

1. Spotting Hideouts and Parties

You gain XP whenever you spot a bandit hideout or a party that was previously hidden by the fog of war.

• Tip: Ride through areas with high bandit density (like the forests of Battania or the steppes of Khuzait). The more hideouts you discover, the faster you level.

2. Tracking

Tracking is the most consistent way to gain XP. You gain XP for detecting tracks on the campaign map.

• Harder tracks yield more XP: Tracks have a difficulty rating based on their age and the party size. Spotting old or faint tracks gives more experience.

• Strategy: Follow a large army or a busy trade route. You will constantly detect new tracks.

Checking tracks on the campaign map is a reliable way to farm Scouting XP.

3. Traveling through Difficult Terrain

You gain passive XP simply by traveling through terrain types that hinder movement, such as Forests and Snow.

• Battania: The dense forests are excellent for this.

• Sturgia: The deep snow in winter provides constant XP ticks.

Perk Analysis: Speed vs. Information

Scouting perks generally force a choice between Day (Speed/Vision) and Night (Speed/Vision), or between Combat Info and Campaign Speed.

• Level 25: Day Traveler vs. Night Runner

  • Day Traveler gives +2% movement speed during the day.

  • Night Runner gives +5% movement speed at night.

  • Recommendation: Night Runner. The bonus is larger, and night speed is often where you get caught.

• Level 50: Pathfinder vs. Water Diviner

  • Pathfinder increases movement speed in forests/rivers.

  • Water Diviner increases spotting distance.

  • Recommendation: Pathfinder. Speed is king in Bannerlord.

• Level 200: Forced March

  • This is a game-changer perk that boosts party speed when morale is high. It is essential for late-game armies.

A deep dive into the Scouting perk tree shows the importance of prioritizing movement speed bonuses.

Best Scout Companions

If you don't want to invest in Cunning yourself, you should hire a dedicated Scout. Look for Wanderers in taverns with specific suffixes:

• "The Wastes": Usually high Scouting (100+), originating from Aserai/Khuzait.

• "The Frostbeard": Good Sturgian scouts.

• "The Cowthief": Often has Roguery and Scouting.

Use the Encyclopedia (N) to search for Heroes -> Wanderers and filter by Scouting skill to find where they are spawned.

Strategy: Solo vs. Party Role

• Early Game: It is often better to be your own Scout to level up Cunning and gain attribute points that also help with Tactics and Roguery Skill Leveling.

• Late Game: If you are leading a massive army, your personal stats might be spread thin. Hiring a companion with 200+ Scouting allows you to focus your focus points on Steward or Leadership as detailed in our Party Roles and Skill Leveling Overview.

Summary

• Focus: Cunning Attribute.

• XP Loop: Spot hideouts, follow tracks, walk in forests.

• Key Perk: Forced March (Level 200).

For more on optimizing your map movement, check out our guide on Party Speed Mechanics and Travel & Map Exploration. If you are looking to make money while you travel, align your scouting routes with profitable Caravans and Trade Routes.