Mod Configuration
You can tune Retinues from the Mod Configuration Menu (MCM). Options are grouped like the in-game sections below. Three global presets exist:
- Default: balanced first playthrough.
- Freeform: very permissive, fast prototyping.
- Realistic: stricter rules, slower progression, more immersion.
⚠️ If an option is marked “(restart)”, changing it will require a game restart.
🧹 If options don’t seem to apply correctly or you get strange behavior after updating Retinues, clear MCM’s cached settings for the mod:
1. Close the game.
2. Delete theRetinuesfolder in
%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Mount and Blade II Bannerlord\Configs\ModSettings\
(for example:C:\Users\YourName\Documents\Mount and Blade II Bannerlord\Configs\ModSettings\Retinues).
3. Restart the game and re-apply your options in the mod configuration menu.
Retinues
Limits and costs for converting troops into retinues and advancing (ranking up) retinues.
| Option | What it does (detail) | Default | Freeform | Realistic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max Elite Retinue Ratio | Max fraction of your party size that can be elite retinues (0.0–1.0). Checked against party size when converting/adding a retinue. | 0.10 | 1.00 | 0.05 |
| Max Basic Retinue Ratio | Same as above, but for Basic Retinues. Elite and Basic ratios are separate caps and are checked independently. | 0.20 | 1.00 | 0.10 |
| Gold Conversion Cost (Per Tier) | Gold charged per tier of the retinue troop when converting a regular troop into a retinue. Example: T4 retinue with cost=50 → 200 gold. | 50 | 0 | 100 |
| Rank Up Cost (Per Tier) | Gold charged per retinue tier when ranking up a retinue troop. Rank-ups also require sufficient XP and skill caps. | 1000 | 0 | 2000 |
| Influence Conversion Cost (Per Tier) | Influence cost per tier of the retinue troop when converting a regular troop into a retinue. | 5 | 0 | 10 |
| Renown Required (Per Tier) | Clan renown required for a retinue to join automatically, per tier of the retinue troop. Higher values delay access to high-tier retinues. | 10 | 10 | 20 |
Doctrines and your party size both influence how many retinues you can practically field.
Recruitment
Control where/how custom volunteers appear and who can recruit them across the world.
| Option | What it does (detail) | Default | Freeform | Realistic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Custom Volunteer Proportion | Fraction 0.0–1.0 of vanilla volunteers that are replaced by custom troops in eligible settlements. 1.0 = all volunteers become custom, 0.5 ≈ half of them. | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Restrict To Owned Settlements | If On, custom troops can only appear in settlements owned by the player’s clan or kingdom. If Off, custom volunteers can also appear in neutral/other-faction fiefs. | On | Off | On |
| Restrict To Same Culture Settlements | If On, volunteers in settlements of a different culture will not be replaced by custom troops. If Off, swaps can happen regardless of settlement culture. | Off | Off | On |
| Kingdom Volunteers In Clan Fiefs Proportion | Chance 0.0–1.0 for each volunteer in player clan fiefs to be a kingdom troop instead of a clan/custom troop. Use this to re-introduce kingdom troops in your own fiefs. | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Clan Volunteers In Kingdom Fiefs Proportion | Chance 0.0–1.0 for each volunteer in kingdom-owned fiefs to be a clan/custom troop instead of a pure kingdom troop. | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Vassal Lords Recruit Custom Troops | If On, lords of the player’s clan or kingdom can recruit custom troops in their fiefs. May be auto-locked On when daily volunteer swap is forced by another mod. | On | On | On |
| All Lords Recruit Custom Troops | If On, any lord can recruit custom troops in the player’s fiefs (required for some garrison mods like Improved Garrisons). May be auto-locked On by compatibility. | On | On | On |
Troop Unlocks
Rules for when special troop templates become available at all (separate from equipment unlocks).
| Option | What it does (detail) | Default | Freeform | Realistic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Fief Requirements | If On, troops can be unlocked without owning a fief. If Off, some troops require you to control a fief first. | Off | On | Off |
| No Doctrine Requirements | If On, special troops (militias, villagers, caravan guards, etc.) can be acquired without owning the corresponding doctrines. | Off | On | Off |
| Disable Kingdom Troops | If On, the kingdom troop tree is disabled and clan troops are always used instead. Useful for runs focused entirely on custom clan lines. | Off | Off | Off |
| Copy All Sets On Unlock | If On, when unlocking a new troop template, all equipment sets of the original troop (battle, civilian, alternates) are copied instead of only main battle + civilian. | Off | On | Off |
Global Troop Editor
Options controlling the escape-menu Global Troop Editor.
| Option | What it does (detail) | Default | Freeform | Realistic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enable Global Troop Editor (restart) | Master switch for the Global Troop Editor (escape menu). When Off, only your own faction troops can be edited. Changing this requires going back to the main menu or starting a new campaign. May be auto-disabled if another mod is incompatible. | On | On | On |
| Keep Upgrade Requirements For Vanilla Troops | If On, vanilla troop upgrade requirements (e.g. war horses) are preserved when you change their equipment instead of being recalculated from the new loadouts. | On | On | On |
Restrictions
When you may edit troops, and how wide upgrade trees can branch.
| Option | What it does (detail) | Default | Freeform | Realistic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restrict Editing To Fiefs | If On, most editor actions (conversions, equipment changes, training) require being inside a settlement/fief. If Off, many actions are allowed from the campaign map. | Off | Off | On |
| Max Elite Upgrades | Maximum number of upgrade targets a single elite troop can have (branching). Higher values allow wider trees and more elite paths. | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| Max Basic Upgrades | Maximum number of upgrade targets a single basic troop can have. Higher values allow wider branching for basic lines. | 2 | 4 | 2 |
Doctrines
Gates and strictness for the doctrine/feat system.
| Option | What it does (detail) | Default | Freeform | Realistic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enable Doctrines (restart) | Master switch for the Doctrines system and its bonuses. Saving with doctrines disabled will clear all doctrine data in the save. | On | On | On |
| Enable Feat Requirements (restart) | If On, doctrines require feats to be completed before unlocking. If Off, feat requirements are ignored and doctrines can be unlocked freely. Saving with feats disabled will clear all feat data in the save. | On | Off | On |
| Doctrine Gold Cost Multiplier (restart) | Multiplier applied to doctrine gold costs. 0.0 = free doctrines, 2.0 = double cost. | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
| Doctrine Influence Cost Multiplier (restart) | Multiplier applied to doctrine influence costs. Works like the gold multiplier but for influence. | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
User Interface & Appearance
Visual/UI extras that don’t affect core balance but change how you interact with the editor.
| Option | What it does (detail) | Default | Freeform | Realistic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enable Editor Hotkey (Shift + R) | If On, enables the Shift + R hotkey on the campaign map to open the Retinues editor directly. | Off | Off | Off |
| Enable Item Comparison Icons | If On, adds comparison icons (better/worse/equal) next to items in the equipment list relative to the currently equipped item. | On | On | On |
| Enable Appearance Controls | If On, shows age / height / weight / build sliders in the editor for troops and heroes. These are cosmetic only and may occasionally create visual oddities with some armors/cultures. | On | On | On |
| Max Equipment Rows Per Page | Maximum number of equipment rows to show per page in the troop editor. Lower values can improve UI responsiveness on lower-end machines or with huge item lists. | 100 | 100 | 100 |
Equipment
Money/time rules, availability filters, culture rules, mounts, and formation behavior.
| Option | What it does (detail) | Default | Freeform | Realistic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equipping Troops Costs Gold | If On, equipping an item without stock purchases it for gold, scaled by Equipment Price Modifier. If Off, no gold cost to equip. | On | Off | On |
| Equipment Price Modifier | Multiplier over item value when buying missing gear for troops. Example: 2.0 means paying 2× item value. | 2.0 | 0.0 | 4.0 |
| Changing Troop Equipment Takes Time | If On, changes are staged and apply only after troops spend in‑game hours upgrading equipment in a fief (Wait/Upgrade). If Off, equipment applies instantly (subject to other rules). | Off | Off | On |
| Equipment Time Multiplier | Scales the hours needed for staged equipment changes. Higher = slower. | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Restrict Items To Town Inventory | If On, only items currently sold in the settlement are allowed for troop equipment (even if unlocked). If Off, any unlocked item can be used regardless of local shops. | Off | Off | On |
| Allowed Tier Difference | Max allowed difference between troop tier and item tier at equip time. Prevents low-tier troops from wearing top-tier gear until they rank up or doctrines loosen rules. | 3 | 6 | 2 |
| Force Main Battle Set In Combat | If On, troops always spawn with their main battle set in combat, ignoring alternate sets. Useful for simplicity or compatibility if alternate sets cause issues. | Off | Off | Off |
| No Civilian Set Upgrade Requirements | If On, horses in civilian sets are ignored when checking mount requirements for upgrades. Only battle-set horses count for mount requirements. | On | On | Off |
| No Noble Horse Upgrade Requirements | If On, upgrades never specifically require noble horses; a normal war horse is always enough. | On | On | Off |
| Disallow Mounts For T1 Troops | If On, T1 troops cannot have mounts, even if other rules would allow it. If Off, T1 can mount if other conditions are met. | On | Off | On |
| Allow Formation Overrides | If On, allows manual overriding of troop formation class. May cause awkward AI behavior and can slow down the pre‑battle formation screen, so leave Off unless you know you need it. | Off | Off | Off |
Skills (Training)
Time and XP economy for skill increases; pool behavior.
| Option | What it does (detail) | Default | Freeform | Realistic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Training Troops Takes Time | If On, raising skills consumes in‑game hours via the training flow (Wait/Train). If Off, skill increments apply immediately (XP permitting). | Off | Off | On |
| Training Time Multiplier | Scales hours per training session. Higher = longer training periods before points apply. | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Skill XP Cost (Base) | Baseline XP required to buy the next skill point (before slope). | 100 | 0 | 200 |
| Skill XP Cost (Per Point) | Linear slope added per current skill level. Example: nextCost = base + (currentValue × slope). | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Shared XP Pool | If On, all edited troops share a single XP pool instead of having individual XP. If Off, each troop has its own pool. | Off | Off | Off |
| Force XP Refunds | If On, when lowering a troop’s skill, the XP previously spent on those points is always refunded to the pool. If Off, decreasing skills does not refund XP. | Off | Off | Off |
Equipment Unlocks
How gear gets unlocked into your equipment lists during play.
| Option | What it does (detail) | Default | Freeform | Realistic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Equipment Unlocked | If On, every item is available from the start, ignoring all other unlock rules. Great for testing/sandbox. | Off | On | Off |
| Unlock Items From Kills | If On, played battle victories unlock gear based on the items worn by defeated enemies. | On | Off | On |
| Required Kills Per Item | Progress threshold (count) of eligible enemies that must be defeated to unlock a specific item via kills. Higher = slower. | 100 | 100 | 200 |
| Unlock Items From Discards | If On, discarding items contributes unlock progress toward that item’s threshold. | Off | Off | Off |
| Required Discards Per Item | Count of discards needed to unlock an item via the discard route. | 10 | 10 | 20 |
| Player Culture Unlock Bonus | If On, item unlock progress also adds progress to random items matching the player culture, making culture-faithful kits unlock faster. | On | On | Off |
| All Culture Equipment Unlocked | If On, player clan and kingdom culture items are always available, regardless of kill/discard progress. | Off | Off | Off |
| Unlock Popup | If On, displays a popup notification when items are unlocked. If Off, unlocks only appear in the log. | On | On | Off |
With Restrict Items To Town Inventory also On, an item can be unlocked but still unavailable if the current town doesn’t sell it.
Skill Caps
Per-tier maximum value per skill. Retinues get an extra flat bonus on top. Doctrines can add more.
- Retinue Skill Cap Bonus: +5 (Freeform: +50, Realistic: +0).
- Tier caps (defaults):
- T0 20, T1 20, T2 50, T3 80, T4 120, T5 160, T6 260, T7+ 360.
- All caps can be raised up to 360. Freeform sets all to 360.
- Hero Skill Cap: 420 (Freeform: 420). Maximum per-skill cap for heroes.
What it means: a T3 troop with cap 80 cannot take a skill to 100 even if you have the XP; the cap must be raised (by tiering up, retinue bonus, doctrines, or preset).
Skill Totals
Per-tier total points you may distribute across all eight combat skills. Retinues get an extra flat bonus.
- Retinue Skill Total Bonus: +10 (Freeform: +100, Realistic: +0).
- Tier totals (defaults):
- T0 90, T1 90, T2 210, T3 360, T4 555, T5 780, T6 1015, T7+ 1600.
- Freeform sets every tier to 1600.
What it means: totals are a budget that caps how many points a troop can spend overall, even if individual skill caps would allow more.
Debug
- Debug Mode: Prints verbose logs to help diagnose behavior (editor usage, imports/exports, unlock ticks, training, etc.). Turn off for normal play.