How to Get Renown Fast - Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord Guide - IGN (2024)

This guide covers how to get renown fast so you can become a strong leader respected by other lords. Renown has always played a significant role in the Mount & Blade franchise, but it's a little different in Bannerlord.

Renown has more of an emphasis on how other lords treat you and upgrading your clan by hitting certain goals. The first Bannerlord quest is to "Rebuild Your Clan" by hitting 50 renown. Here are a few tips to finish that quest quickly and become renowned.

Battle Large Groups of Enemies

The best way to get renown in Bannerlord revolves around fighting groups of enemies with more units than you. If you have an army of 20 units and you go against one with 30, you'll get more than fighting a smaller group instead.

This isn't the only way to get large amounts of renown, but it's a good measure for how much you'll gain. The enemy tiers influence it as well. However, whether it's the beginning of your Bannerlord run or not, Looters are always a great source of renown.

So long as you have more units than a band of Looters, you'll often win automated battles and get a few renown depending on their size.

• If you plan on farming renown using Looters and Bandits, don't destroy their Hideouts. These function as a spawner and base that they love to patrol near.
• When you're more experienced, taking on enemy lords that have stronger units can yield good amounts of renown too.

Become a Mercenary or Vassal

Another great source of renown is joining a kingdom once you reach Clan Tier 1 (50 renown). Until finishing the "Rebuild Your Clan" quest, you can't become a mercenary. Once you do, kingdoms are frequently warring with each other, presenting an opportunity for constant action.

By coordinating with friendly lords that have massive armies, you can take part in giant battles. As long as you win those battles, you'll get a chunk of renown regardless of whether you bring 10 or 100 soldiers to the battle. Also, for each battle you win as a mercenary, your kingdom pays 15 denars.

If you've already reached Clan Tier 2 (150 renown), you can become a vassal instead of only a mercenary. Unlike previous Mount & Blade games, you can thoroughly influence how a kingdom operates.

How to Become a Mercenary or Vassal

Fortunately, becoming a mercenary or vassal in Bannerlord is easy. It only requires finding a lord from the kingdom you want to join and having a short conversation with them.

Talk to any lord from that kingdom and follow these dialogue options:

• “There is something I’d like to discuss.”
• “I would like to enter the service of (kingdom).” or “I would like to enter your service”
• Mercenary Option - “My sword is yours. For the right sum.”
• Vassal Option - “My lord, I would pledge allegiance to you and be counted among your loyal followers.”

Win Tournaments For Renown

Tournaments are a good way to mix things up and get a little renown alongside a chunk of money. If you're confident in your combat skills, compete in tournaments for 3 renown per win. This is a decent method for closing the gap on your first 50 renown.

One important thing to note about tournaments is that you're on a fair playing field as everyone else. For example, weapon skills like One Handed, Two Handed, and Bow, all impact how much damage you deal and how fast you can attack.

How to Find Tournaments

If you want to take advantage of tournaments for renown, money or pure entertainment, they're not too difficult to find.

• Enter an arena in any major town.
• Talk to the Tournament Master.
• If it's your first time speaking to them, they'll talk about how the arena and tournaments work. Then, you can ask, "Are there any tournaments going on in nearby towns?"
• The Tournament Master will name any nearby towns with a tournament going on. You can click the town name in the dialogue to open its encyclopedia page for tracking.

For more Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord tips, take a look at our Essential Tips and Tricks for Beginners. If you're struggling to get money, we also have a guide dedicated to making money fast.