This game all comes down to personal preference, You will either love it, or hate it. Personally, i loved it, this is my definition of a free roam RPG. But it is not only an RPG, it feels like a strategy game also. There are so many elements to the game its rediculous, this is what makes the game fun. HOWEVER, i have encountered numerous bugs in the game, the quests can be really annoying, and there are pretty bad consequences for losing a battle. Also, the graphics aren't the best, and the game seems a little.. stale, that is where imagination comes in however, unlike other games such as Dragon Age: Origins, you do not follow a guided storyline, you kindof make your own, and that is what i really like about the game.… Expand

I have been playing this game for 8 months now on a casual basis and yet everytime I sit down to play it I get sucked in and the next thing I know 5 hours have passed and in the midst of a massive battle with 200 units battling always brigns a smile to my face as I ride along cutting down my enemies. There is so much to do and the developers have patched in more content, items, quests and ways to make money (like buying property) constantly. Graphically the game is not amazing to look at compared to say a modern FPS but the thing is M&B: Warband is showing you massive battles & sieges with sometimes 200+ units & horses fighting with arrows and bolts flying through the air, blood spattering and the general chaos that makes this game of medi-evil battles so much fun. Sure there is diplomacy & trading and questing but these things are available in other games, Such excellent mounted combat can only be found in Mount & Blade & Mount & Blade: Warband. Worth every penny.… Expand

Highly authentic medieval combat. The most unique gaming experience I've had in a long time. In 8 hours of this Action Adventure game I've trained in weapons, archery and horseback, fought in tournaments, searched for volunteers for my mercenary band, fought bandits and deserters, tracked down criminals, ran errands for lords, delivered ransoms, ransomed/sold prisoners into slavery, traded goods between villages, trained villagers to fend for themselves, delivered aid to said villagers, drove cattle, wrangled cattle, lost in battle and was captured several times. I'm still a lowly mercenary and have yet to even become a vessel, let alone fight in a war or earn a fief and who knows what else. This is NOT some text based RPG. I can't put it down and highly recommend this game to anyone who loves this era.… Expand

The game is very addicting. The immersion of riding your horse to battle with arrows flying all around you and knowing each of them would kill you right there is just amazing! M&B:WB is a truly unique medieval "simulation." Altough a little buggy right now, the game is fully playable for most people and the company is known to fix problems.

Best medieval game simulation! very realistic and it has really unique game play, objects and quests. i am playing since beta and they are still improving the game.. and its really nice to have a forum on the game's site, so you can just post your suggestions, they are considering the users a lot. lots of ideas in the game have been proposed on the forums first.. thanks for this great game taleworlds!… Expand

For its price, for its deep and polished combat mechanics, for its amazing single player with intricate politics and its array of choices, for its upgraded graphics and for such a dynamic and energetic multiplayer this sequel to Mount and Blade would sure deserve a maximum score. But the game was released without being at its full strenght, with some showstoper bugs on the single player game (multiplayer as none) - althought now, Tale Worlds is sure making the effort to fix them all. Excellent game overall - be sure to get it!… Expand

Really good, plays more or less like the original except you can be a king, the graphics have been brushed up a bit, and a lot of other things has been expanded. I did rather feel that they could have added more which they undoubtably will in the third, and it is a bit rough around the edges. Still has far and away the best medieval third person combat crucially, and has that addictive one more more battle effect.… Expand

Warband, even though many people may not have patience for such a game nowadays, is excellent. It features very deep gameplay mechanics that are hard to come by for a game of this genre, and a enormous community following. Not that the original game is bad at all, but the mods that have been created for this game lend even more towards it's fun and re-playability. An excellent game for any would-be knight of the past! Perhaps the best of it's kind, in that case!… Expand

Mount & Blade Warband is a medieval warfare simulator placing a first person avatar in command of small units or warbands. Set in a redrawn map of the European continent you can deposed monarchs and become a king yourself. Graphically the game is built on a robust engine, that is fairly bare boned, this is deliberate as the designers, TaleWorlds, are an inhouse team. This means mods can add very impressive levels of detail but combined with the potential of the default engine (400 corpses and their equipment littering the field of battle) can crash even the mightiest of PC's. Default game graphics are good enough and can be quite captivating although the battlefields are a little sparse of foliage at times. It is not a pretty game but it can have flashes of wonder. The type of gamer who will play M&B:W wont care that much though about graphics. The gameplay consists of primarily first person wandering around towns and villages speaking to the guild masters, lords, and village elders about fairly traditional fetch, escort quests with some nice rescue, pay the ransom and capture the spy missions. These tasks improve your favour allowing you to recruit troops in greater number, trade in towns at a discount or in the later game sway lords to your military or political needs. Starting with a rag tag band of peasants you slowly grow into a capable army. With troops becoming more experienced and levelling they go from a peasant to a footman to man at arms & finally knights with the power and durability on the battlefield that entails. As your troops grow so do you. A fairly decent RPG system allows you to develop as a warrior, statesman or trader. Even as a surgeon, allowing some of your troops to survive despite their KIA status at the end of battles. The level component of the engine does not restrict your actions in the game. You dont have to be level 12 to use that sword or any other artificial constraint but you do have to have hefty skills to use bows & thrown weapons. Charming your chosen wife into marrying you requires Persuasion as does convincing her father to side with you in the civil war your about to start. So skill choices have a effect on late game actions. But thankfully you can recruit 'companions' who round out other areas of ytour skill base, provide an unkillable (they can be badly wounded & out of the fight for days though) part of your army and you can equip & level them as you see fit. Most of the gameplay occurs riding around the rather bland world map chasing fleeing groups of enemy forces & avoiding large warbands of not fleeing enemy forces :D. While the AI can be rather irksome it generally engages when it can win and avoids fights when it cant. Recent patches allow the AI to use nearby allies in combat meaning small groups can dog pile in on your 'sure thing'. The real meat on Mount & Blades bones is the battles. Prior to battles a few mano-e-mano fights on foot, either training peasants, or thrashing some muggers or drunks in bars are the main stay. Battles supporting 150 very individual fighters going at it are amazing. With a skill called Tactics affecting your disposition & ratio of troops and Looting affecting the prize for the fight, in addition to the value of the target affecting your renown and reputation you can gain alot from picking a fight well. Rudimentary commands can be issued to archers, infantry & cavalry and micro tactics can be used but generally your troops manage to stand in a line until they are hit with a wave of cavalry or bow shot. What the game engine allows for however is detail & precision in the combat. I have shot a man in the face through the legs of half a dozen charging infantry. I have used ballistic trajectory to drop an arrow on someones head through ramparts. Melee is a little rougher but the weapons function approipriately with two handers cutting through a riders leg, the horse and at the end of its swing the man next to the horse. It is very capable and requires you to use nuances of the engine in blocks and attacks dependant on the weapon your using. This challenging and rewarding mechanism allows you to be a devastation force when your skilled enough but puts you firmly in your place enough spear points will kill you :D. Levelling isnt some artificial RPG nonsense for power it allows options. The game is at its best when you ride through the enemy lines lance and sabre in hand and sweep the enemy strongpoints with a cadre of heavy knights & tooled up companions behind you. One important battle detail worth noting is your troops gear. Each man is individual, I have seen peasants pull out cleavers, clubs, knives & daggers while wearing a seelction of hats, and a selection of shirts. Against it, the AI can be fairly dull (enemy lords particularly charging straight to contact), but it does do a very good job of creating a confused and messy battlefield a trademark of the medieval period… Expand

I believe this game to be the ultimate simulation of medieval times. The possibilities are endless, I have played the game's single-player for 250 hours, yet I still haven't tried them all out. It is all very well done, from the combat to the politics. You can become king, and rule the land, from the Sarrinid deserts to the Nord seas, or you could just be a robber, raiding caravans and living the good life, or you could be an honest trader, making a living and defending his caravans from brigands, so that you might eventually buy your own producing business.… Expand

Having never played the first Mount and Blade, I happened on Warband by chance, and WOW! At the start of the game you make several choices on who your character is obviously starting first with your gender, but then moving onto your fathers background and then your own. All these affect how the other characters in the game react to you. For example, some of the Lords DESPISE women being on the battlefield, while a lot of them will respect men from a Noble Background, some of them will threaten to tear your families "banner" (coat of arms) apart. Now to get down to business. You first find yourself stumbling across a merchant, who gives you a brief tutorial on how to recruit members to your party but also how to fight! But after this very short tutorial, you're kind of thrown into the world to build up experience yourself! The trading system can be quite complicated if you don't know where to buy and sell things. For example (not naming cities) I can buy Iron in one city for around 120, but sell it in another for around 300 making a massive profit, but you can't find these deals unless you look for them, or know what cities produce which resource. Sure, the forums are pretty active and have people posting all their advice on there about different trade routes and this may be very helpful, but I find the best way to learn is to figure it out for yourself. Of course being called Warband, there can be a lot of fighting, especially when you first start out with Bandits, Sea Raiders but also when you've got a LOT of man power if you join a Kingdom! I've found myself having battles will well over 1000 people on each side with my Kingdom defending a Castle from an opposing Kingdom. Now with these Kingdoms, there are 6 present in the game when you start out, but if you start doing well for yourself you can set up your own and convince the Lords from other Kingdoms to join you! Overall, I have 211 hours of play time but I KNOW I haven't completed HALF the opportunities Warband offers me. To be honest, I haven't "won" the game by taking over the whole map with one Kingdom yet, but that's the fun, I've made about 15 different characters trying to get them exactly how I want to, and I've finally settled on one (who has just come out of "prison" for attacking another Kingdoms caravan)! So overall, Warband can be quite complicated for the first couple of hours, but as soon as you figure out the systems in place in game, it becomes a VERY addictive game!!!!… Expand

Being a $30 expansion, I expected Mount and Blade: Warband to be better than the first. I must say that crtl+ unit mass upgrade is by far the best improvement. Some of the castles are bugged and your men won't go up the ladder into the base more than 1 at a time. If you liked the first one, and you bought it for $8 and thought it was worth the money, DO NOT spend the $30. Wait a few months and then it will go on 75% off sale. Mutliplayer is pretty cool, even though some of the maps have huge advantages. (they might fix the ladder problem in the future).… Expand

Immersive and exciting combat but it takes practice to get good like any FPS or diving game. Excellent attempt to put skill back in melee combat rather than just mashing buttons on timers like all mainstream RPG's. Good value for the money.

Not the most polished game ever at the moment. Very dedicated dev team and I expect things to work out smoother. Many complaints of ugly graphics make little sense to me, looks quite nice with details at max and 3d integrates spectacularly. Very deep combat and imo enough additions(need to dig, not all easily apparent to average person, module stuff for example) to justify a already low price compared to most blockbuster games.… Expand

One of the best games I've played. If you're tired of the same old fantasy games of magic, elves, dragons, ect. than this game is for you. It's totally original, authentic, and realistic, the only game of its kind and it's about time. Give this game a try you won't be sorry.

This game is awsome and i've been expecting to play such an amazing mix of combat and RPG for a long time. Finally the game i longed for is her and it's really good. Flaws? Yes there are some definitely.. but why can't i just stop playing? It's very addictive and well ...who never dreamt of being a knight ? a king? Well i did and now i can do ti with fun and exhilaration! Thanks a bunch for this great game.… Expand

This is a fun game. Even though it looks like the original after playing awhile you will be able to see some differences. while the graphics aren't the best in this game it's not the part that counts. The game play is fun and addicting if you like this style of game. Start your own kingdom join another kingdom own your own castle town or village. Dominate the land along side your army, companions, and king/queen. Also you can always try the demo before you buy!… Expand

I am really surprised this game slipped past so many people when it was released. Obviously Warband is just a polished version of the original with MP...so it's perfect to play on it's own. I can see how people gave it negative marks for being exactly like the original, however...but I love this game. It's tremendously fun, intuitive, and cuts a lot of wasted time out of the typical RPG play. I really was excited to learn that you don't have to walk through a town to get to a person you wanted to talk to, or get to a vendor you wanted to work with - all you need to do is click on that person or area and you're there. I can't tell you how much more enjoyable it is to play something like this. The battles are so fun, like, ridiculously fun. This game has one of the highest user scores on metacritic for a reason...it's just really really fun. There is something terrible satisfying about throwing a huge pike and an enemy on a horse and knocking them off of it with a kill shot. Boom.… Expand

This is certainly a love it or hate it game, but I have thoroughly enjoyed it. Easily worth the price for the amount of game time. The controls feel smooth, the graphics great considering the number of AI on the screen at one time and the music is awesome too, when it's not skipping or repeating...

Mount & Blade: Warband's name couldn't be more apt: warband leadership and intensely personal combat is by far the most detailed aspect of the model, which extends to provide scope for just about everything a real medieval warband leader could hope to accomplish. TaleWorlds squeezed so much sophistication into their fight controls that I found myself wondering whether they couldn't have added footfall timing to the agility model: you can beat opponents on timing and distance and feints, but you can't actually wrong-foot them. I mention this not as a complaint, only to suggest the level of detail. A twitch game this isn't -- if you just point and click you're going to get pwnt pretty darn quick. Within its limitations, fighting feels totally immersive and real. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CvE67YjIyQ for the best small-battle intro I've found. What isn't apparent in that video is, again, how much sophistication they've gotten into the controls. It's WASD and mouse with good keystroke defaults for the ancillary controls (though I like to put sheathe on V because you can run faster with empty hands) like looking around and picking up weapons or spent arrows if you happen to see what you want LMB controls attack swing strength and timing, RMB controls block direction and timing, combos control feints, mouse movement controls tip trajectory and body or viewpoint rotation, MMB controls weapon and shield selection, WASD combinations control body movement.. I haven't loved a fighting game so much since the first Prince of Persia on my mac, 20 years ago. Elite equipment and high character level will not keep you safe. They're skill amplifiers, not I-win buttons. In arena and tournament combat in town (deathmatch-style open melee with wooden weapons, i.e. the basic combat and tactics tutorial range) I started out unable to kill even a single opponent taking quarter damage against the weakest combat AI. It took me practice and focus and more practice and some time just thinking about it and then more time in to be able to take first prize at that level most of the time, by which time my character was fairly skilled -- more so than the knight in the video above, for example. Then I tried it on full damage and good AI. The adrenaline rush was incredible. I'm pretty sure I sounded like the in-game recorded battle yells when I hit my stride, only at full volume. I'm still learning. I can now more or less expect to survive about a quarter of an arena combat playing as a new character. I'm not good at mounted combat. Many things your arena opponents will do seem unfair until you realize they're the result of lessons learned. A tip: unless I'm imagining this, and I don't think I am, don't run directly at an opponent if you don't want them attacking you. Don't even stare directly at them. They're running threat assessments just like you are. You'll learn more lessons. These guys aren't just having a great time and a lot of fun building this. They love it. Real combat in the game world adds terrain and weapon variety, not to mention upping the stakes dramatically. Plus you're commanding a warband. See the video for a small taste. The rpgfan reviewer gets many things right, but I simply don't understand why he said: "the game is ultimately directionless.". Say what? I also came up with the Pirates! and Total War comparisons, (I'd say the economic sim is closer to Railroad Tycoon in its depth, though I haven't pushed it yet). But I called Pirates! a story-construction kit and loved it for that; and both their game and their name say it: TaleWorlds love the same things in a game. As with Pirates!, you start out a newly-arrived, inexperienced youth in a limited world, and set out to make your fortune. Ruling the world or whatever part of it pleases you isn't direction enough? From the bottom, there is only one direction: up. If making yourself king of one country isn't enough, you can conquer the world, but you sure as hell won't do either just by winning battles. It will take smart alliances and marriage, attention to loyalty and economic development, staff development and broad political awareness and strategy. I considered giving this game only a 9 because of the faults many people have noted: the graphics outside of combat settings are perfunctory at best, there are some real bugs and lots of long-unfixed typos, there are undocumented features like ctrl-space to accelerate campaign map motion, leaving me to wonder what other of the game's infelicities I could avoid if only they'd bother documenting how, and the incredible combat sophistication they do manage to cram into the left five fingers on the keyboard and the mouse on the right actually make me long for ... perfection. And then I realized steam tells me I have almost a hundred hours into this game, I've barely scratched the surface, and I care enough to write this review. Frakking awesome.… Expand

This is truly a unique and engrossing game play experience. Most games have you progress straight up until you finish the game, but in this game any shred of linearity is gone. The graphics are just decent, but that is a natural limit of this kind of game where over a hundred characters can be on screen at the same time, fighting. Replay value is incredible, and that's just the single player part, and the multiplayer is an equally long-lived joy. Overall a 9 because the graphics don't stack up to today's games in some ways.… Expand

I recently bought this on Steam during a sale they were having and am so glad I did. If you're looking for a unique RPG'ish type game that's medieval but doesn't have anyone named Lleggolas11 or people flinging magic around - this is for you. if you have a bit of trouble getting the hang of combat initially, please stick with it as the brilliant game design really is worth getting used to a different sort of control system.… Expand

Awesome game, first of it's kind in my opinion. It's somewhere in between a Total War Battle and a FPS. You get to ride around the countryside building up a small army and working for a ruler along with other NPC characters who control their own army detachments and multiply that by about 50 and what you have is this chaotic game with factions that behave independently and creates this amazing game. The combat system is polished and really effective, no where else have I had so much fun hacking and slashing away in fort attack or defence. Really cool skirmish system with a character building edge to it. Although, don't get too excited about the character building, it's very linear as are the options. The fun is in the battles which are really polished even thought the character side is pretty b grade.… Expand

The game mechanics are engrossing. The interface sufficient. But... this sandbox game cries out for a story mode or more casually achievable goals. It desperately tries to be all things to all players: strategic, tactical, romantic, historic, deeply playable, casually playable, replayable and just plain fun. It barely keeps a head above water on average. Fortunately the programmers made it modifiable and the mod community around it is unbelievably prolific. If the engine can handle it, the game will eventually take on the depth of a Tolkien novel (but probably without the fantasy elements). It is the medieval "Counter-strike". Here's hoping the devs "Source" it.… Expand

This game was such a wonderful surprise. Bought for me by a friend through Steam I almost didn't play it. I'm sad that there were a few weeks where I had this installed but didn't bother to start it up. I was not aware of the original game so the sand box / freeplay world is just so exciting and refreshing. You really get to play any type of character you like and seek out your own future. For me it is very much like a offline MMORPG, but much better and without all the annoying 11 year olds calling you a noob. Fantastic game.… Expand

Do not get me confused, this is a great game - I'm considering 10 a "nearly flawless" game. This game may not be much to look at, but the graphics are indeed wonderful, and runnable with even a normal computer. The animations are livable, nothing too fancy. The combat, it's remarkably fantastic, were I to judge the combat I'd rate it a 9 instantly (So long as the auto-defend is turned off). It's very immersive, and rarely do games allow you to just be some average travelling sellsword as apposed to a Legendary Dragon-Slayer. With a bounty of treasure to boot, there's sure to be no shortage of custom content with this game. Plus, the musical score is classic!… Expand

M&B:W is not a particularly beautiful game. This was brought home to me early on when practice-fighting in Praven's arena. As my sword curved up, my neck (which was a different colour to the rest of me) appeared to detach from my shoulders. Oh well. It's only a flesh wound. That said, the graphics aren't bad: just unpolished. The combat is frankly the best I have ever seen from a first-person hack and slash: I only hope that Bethesda are paying attention to it for the Elder Scrolls V. Mounted combat is thrilling and exhillerating. Issuing orders to my army felt second nature after a while. It is difficult to express just how enjoyable it is to engage 50 enemy spearmen and archers with my own infantry and archers, then have my cavalry flank the enemy and turn those proud lines into an utter rout. Where this game does falter, apart from the graphics, is the role play element. Quests and characters seem to have been lifted from a game 15 years older: while perfectly adequate, they don't provide much in the way of immersion. But M&B is the only game I've come across which offers the opportunity to build and control a warband from a first person perspective, without sacrificing anything in the way of action. I wouldn't be without it.… Expand

Is Warband worth it? Am i buying the same game? Did the developers even try to update the game? People, stop worrying, its a great game, and surpasses the original in every aspect. The hit detection is more responsive, the AI is greatly improved and...well...it feels more, refined. Every single little tiny detail seems more refined than the original, but that may just be me, but i belive they had a graphical overhaul. So stop worrying people, its well worth you time, your effort and your money.… Expand

Dude! This sequel looks just like the previous version with more bloom effect! Nothing much was added to make it any different from M&B 1. The interface is the same, the graphic is the same, the units are the same, the limitations are the same, the siege is also the same loaded with bugs!!! Units get stuck in walls and ladders, the works! Hell no, I'm not buying this scrawny duplicate for 30 bucks. Why should I buy the same game over again....hell no. The tavern is as boring as ever. Taleworlds is a laughing stock.… Expand

For a regular priced title, M&B: warband does not deliver what you'd want after playing the original. Naturally, more options and more content were added and the way units interact on the map and in battle have somewhat improved. HOWEVER, and as a result, more bugs were also introduced. One major annoyance comes from the siege battle. It is still the very same way in the original. Your troops clumsily climb a narrow wooden ladder (which has been trumped with slightly more appeal to it LOL) only to be a choke point for your troops. They just line up on that ladder to be cannon fodder to the enemy merciless arrows and bolts and profane shouts or incomprehensible curses as none of your men are able to get off the damn ladder LOL. You wind up watching a slaughter fest of your own men that can take away most of your gaming time and in a loss in the end. Of course, there is that "multiplayer" mode but what good to play that if you can't even take a town from the enemy! A total waste of time and money. Don't buy it if you haven't yet. I do not recommend any games coming from this developer. Support the developers who provide us with a full game not a broken game. They didn't even fix the original FYI.… Expand

best game I have played in years, bought it for £5 in a steam sale, played nearly 200hrs in just over a month, no other game since UT2k4 have I played for hours on end and not been bored or sick of it at all. So many good mods, mount and musket, c-rpg, vikingr etc. always full servers, literally the best game around atm.

Another underrated game. This is one of the most fun and addicting game of its genre. the fighting system is absolutely amazing and unique making it a very skillful and rewarding game to play online. Its online game play is excellent due to the huge battles and the combat system. Modding is very popular in this game which provide players with different experiences online which is always a bonus. The single player is extremely addictive and fun to play, allowing you to play for hours on end without getting bored of it. Totally worth $30.… Expand

I am not east to please my number one thing is total content. I like story, I like sand box, I like to be able to do whatever i want in the game. This game has it all!!! the graphics are a little crude but there are mods that improve that aspect. there could be more voice overs, that would be interesting. The game is great and replay ability is Great! There was only two developers, I could imagine what they could do with a team. they could rival Bioware.… Expand

Warband brings some interesting new concepts to Mount and Blade. Better graphics, more intuitive interface, a new overhead map,some new castles and a few more things to do such as marry or start a buisness. Wtih that said the gameplay is basically the same as the original and the dialogue still feels like I'm talking to a sack full of rocks trying to fit into human society. Where this game really shines is in multiplayer. Warband multiplayer is a bit unlike anything I've tried before. This is the only game I've played where real time close combat is done right. The learning curve may be high but those people who keep at it for awhile will find warband to be one of the most intense and rewarding multiplayer game for some time.… Expand

Initially I was going to rate this game a very high score for its extremely fun gameplay, then I encountered a deadly gamebreaking bug that caused one of my companion to disappear. All the effort I've been putting into him in the 30 hours playing time is gone. After doing some searching on Google, I found that this is a known bug that has existed since the game's release. Therefor, a high score can't be justified anymore.… Expand

The game on itself is good. Has some downsides and bugs, but in general is really good. With mods it gets amazing. You just gotta join the community to truly realize its potential!

This game doesn't have grate graphics -rather medium level at most. This game doesn't have grate scenario - only repetitive misions given by pesants, lords or merchants that -even worse - are re-given after few months game time doesn't matter if you completed them already or not. This game doesn't have interesting characters - they are only little more than nameless peasants recruited to your band of mercenaries. So what makes this game just grate? Battle system - it's the greatest, and most realistic medieval battlefield - or rather mounted knight - simulator that i ever played. When you and your 30 fellow knights charging few times bigger line on infantry it really feels like battle field. It;s not Oblivion where horse is only driving equipment - here horse is as important - or even a lot more - than sword in your hand. Without horse you're just an easy prey. And even with poor mission system this game has excellent game play - you start as mr. nobody with a stick in your hand, lame horse and a cheese +bread in your backpack. Soon you will be chef of mercenary band that can try his luck even with some lords with mighty army ... to ultimatly became 1 of those lord for himself. And then the real fest start - fighting lords of other realms, conquering castles and cities and accumulating might to ultimately trying your luck as a ruler either by declaration of independence or acknowledging right to rule of some royal bastard and making him your puppet. No campaign here, no interesting missions - you have to create campaign for yourself and it is fun! But if you like everything given to you at plate than no problem also - fun works and mods are just plenty - and they are really good - most of them by few levels exceeded original - native campaign.… Expand

'Tis a great game... in single player. I give it a ten for single player (especially if you install mods, eg. Floris Expanded Mod Pack - it's truly expanded) Freeroaming, choose whatever you like, trade or fight; trade and fight; trade and pay others to do the fighting... But Warband was supposed to be all about multiplayer. Instead of a single-in-multi (dont know if can be done) we get stupid deathmatches. Worst thing is that most of the fights you get into are ping-fights not skill-fights. You'll get killed a lot at the beginning just because you have worse ping. so, single 10, multi 4. overall, 7.… Expand

The single player is enjoyable but the multilayer is abysmal because of the ridiculously overpowered weapons that go at lighting speed. so if one man was covering with a shield and another man was attacking with a two handed weapon he can just hack away until the shield is broken and hack you apart in one hit. Not my idea of fun.

Pro: This combat mechanics are quite original and the game, with mods, develops a realistic feel. The grahics are fine for most users with mid-level computer. It loads and plays quickly even on a laptop if you keep the battle sizes to under 100. Con: The campaign game is heavily bugged. Even a year of mods haven't been able to root them out. The diplomacy aspect is atrocious. Even with the best player sponsored mod, diplomacy is bizarre and unrealistic. With a campaign that's so time-consuming and tedious to improve your stats, the player expects to be able to create a semblance of a kingdom late game. Alas,it will break your heart over and over if you try to go anywhere beyond a roving mercenary band. The system of honor, right to rule, and reknown end up having minimal weight in the minds of the other kingdoms. If you enjoy endless scenes of grahic violence with a large variety of weapons, this is for you. If you want a true strategy or RPH, try something else… Expand

The game has huge potential as a concept, but there again as previously mentioned, has little in the way of competition on the market. I'm purely an online multiplayer gamer and have little interest in the single player aspect of the game so this assessment is purely based on my online experiences. After giving the game a go for several weeks, the steep learning curve, number of glitches / exploits, lack of interesting servers (most are DM or Battle, very few are CTF or Siege in our part of the world) ruins any form of enjoyment for me so I'm reluctantly giving it a 3...… Expand

this game is the complete **** same game as the first one. Nothing has been improved, not even the overly retarded sieging its just a **** again. its just watching your soldiers get slaughtered one by one. maybe the graphics have been improved abit but that dosent matter a **** **** with the ****load of bugs and the even worse AI in warband. i played a tournament and there were more than 3 **** NPC's that were just riding or running into corners of walls not being able to get out. there's no point of selling a game for 30 $ that is the same as the original 30 $ game. this sucks dont buy it, buy the original please for gods sake just stay away from this piece of **** **** seriously buy the original it dosent matter if you think it has bad graphics cause the gameplay overcomes it for the ones who think graphics judge games. and the tavern hasnt even improved either ...… Expand

all i can say is this game is fantastic, when i first saw this game it looked meh to me, but im glad i got past my unfair judgements for this game because its on of my favorites now.

melee combat at it's best. Realism at it's best. Huge battles. RPG elements. Open world. Already played it for hundreds of hours. For me its the best game in some genres

The game play in warband has been improved with additional features. players can now kick enemies, making their foes open to an attack. Enemies are more difficult to hit because the hitboxes were changed to be more accurate. he singleplayer mode has been improved quite a bit. There is a wider variety of areas. Villages and castles now have a more unique feel for each faction. The player can now become a king or queen, and may marry a lord or a lord's daughter. There are more characters and scenarios in the custom battle mode. However I found the multiplayer mode is terribly done and unblanced. but I definitely recommend this to new players of the seires.… Expand

Love this game, especially how it combines rpg with medieval warfare and economics. It is a whole new way to feel the traditional medieval tale of a young man (or woman) going from nothing to everything. The game scales great from you having nothing but a sword and your horse to you controlling an entire army of a hundred men or more. Especially if they are all cavalry to charge the enemy down.. I spend many hours on this game, trying different methods, armies, factions and character developement. You can do so many different things and it is amazing how such a small team of developers can create something so wast and full of entertainment. The only really bad thing about the game is the sieges, where the AI is somewhat stupid and you can have a hard time to get into a castle (as the only way is over the wall by a ladder or two. But it is not that big of a deal and you should really try it out! Remember to set settings on realistic, as it gives the best experience in my opinion.… Expand

As I write this review I am readying myself to embark on yet another adventurer into the realm of Calradia. But in terms of ‘completing’ this game, I have yet to leave my figurative front-garden. This ambitious sandbox RPG had left my last ambitious warlord at odds with every nation in the land; I literally didn’t have a single town that allowed me to sell the plethora of goods I had looted from the bodies of my errant enemies. It says everything, though, that I’m (reasonably) happy to start a new game (albeit with my imported character) to try to be (a bit more) diplomatic. http://teachergamer.blogspot.com/2011/04/mount-and-blade-warband-review.html… Expand

I tried to love this game, I wanted to, sounded like the perfect game, but this was the worst 12 dollars I've ever spent on a utter inept developer.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The single player is akin to the space stage in Spore, but with slightly more depth, even more grind and horrid pacing. Spending days of play time trying to get anywhere in the game, using a pseudo turn-based style which makes me only yearn for a better game like Civ 4 or Gal Civ. Totally unable to raise your diplomatic standings with lords other than repeating the same 5 basic quests over and over often half way across the world, the game becomes a **** chore as you fight battles with brain dead AI that you can kite in a circle. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In multi-player, the combat in this game is incredibly hard, if you plan to be any good at it plan to spend at least +100 hours of practice - giving you the most control in any game also means that you shouldn't expect to kill anything as you'll be getting 0/0 or 0/20 kill/deaths as you will be killed instantly in most cases or ganged upon with no way to defend yourself other than the directional blocking which is awful or shields that shatter after 4 hits. I can get like a 11/6 at best but the vast majority of players you'll see will get a 1/1 K/D with the exception of 4 out of 60 players who will be 20/1. It all works in theory, but for 99% of the population, dealing with multiple targets is hard enough while blocking and attacking, but directional blocking and stuns (a split second to block otherwise you're dead) make it completely overwhelming as you'll be killed from behind by someone you didn't see because you were trying to focus on blocking rather than situational awareness. And players who get high K/D? They just kite players into 1v1 situations and kill them that way rather than charge in, its not possible to master. There is so much more I can go into about this, but I will say only that "easy to learn, difficult to master" does not apply to this game like a well-designed game should - no tutorials, no guide, nothing easy about it and mastering it is not rewarding at all - this isn't like Demon Souls where it is designed to be hard, this is due to their sheer unintentional ineptitude as a developer.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To be honest the only great thing about this game is the +200 person cap on servers and massive battles, but nearly everyone will tire of it immediately as you will often be killed by anyone you engage for 5-10 hours until you can kill maybe 1 person a match or shot by arrows or lanced by a horseman you didn't see. And you can't help your team in any way, only get in their way, no engineering, nothing, only the very clunky combat system. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you are anything like a normal gamer, a gamer who loves strategy games, or anything other than a person willing to dedicate months to master a game with an awful single player and brutally difficult multiplayer should just avoid this piece of garbage.… Expand

This game, if it were set up in a mmo with fleshed out carears other than combat would be some serious fun. Even when it is only the combat you can spend hours with just one more seige game play, and I havent eve gotten around to the multiplayer yet. In a world of poor game releases and games that are pretty but crappy you cant go wrong with this one.

I was pleasantly surprised when I picked this up for under ten dollars during the sale out of curiosity; the combat in this game matches that of one of my favorites of all-time (chronicles of riddick) and adds a plethura of weapons into the mix. The world is huge and there is so much to do; I'm already coming up to the 50-hour mark (about half was spent in sp, half in mp) and I feel that I'm barely halfway through the single-player campaign. If you're interested in a game of this type, get it, it's the only one. If you're interested in it because it looks good, get it, it is… Expand

Recruit soldiers and companions, do battle and train them up. Improve your character. Be a mercenary, a bandit, a vassal to a king or just play nice with the other lords, until you are ready to claim the crown yourself. There are no fixed goals, so you are free to set your own and that's what's so wonderful about this game. Battle however are where this game really shines. There is just something immensely satisfying about toppling knights from their horses, running down fleeing enemies and seeing enemy soldiers tumble from the walls of castles and towns. Plus, with the excellent sounds you can almost feel the arrows and bolts impacting on your shield. If you give this game the benefit of the doubt and open yourself up to it's learning curve, you'll find a game unlike anything else around. Depending on your goals a game can last 80 hours and more.… Expand

Warband certainly looks modest from a distance but its engrossing gameplay largely makes up for it. At a time when most modern games follow the complete opposite trend it's a breath of fresh air.

Great game. One the best i'have ever played. If this game would have good graphic engine they would ruin skyrim! Buy it - and they will! Awesome story - you can make your own kingdom!

Really enjoyed this game. I got it for next to nothing in a Steam sale. I had a vague idea of what it was about but I had never played the orginal. Within a week I had racked up hours on end of gameplay. It is quite unique and I absolutely loved how FPS battles have been combined with tactical, RPG and strategy elements. Sure theres a few edges that can be smoothed out, but for the price its a no-brainer. I would love to see some of the bigger developers (notably Bethesda) try something along these lines. Also the dozens of really cool mods out there really add to the longevity and scope of this game. A pleasant surprise.… Expand

The best medieval game ever. Combat is the best part of the game, the controls are perfect, leading your army from behind or throwing yourself in the middle of the fight, sieging castles, everything is nicely done and very fun. Single player campaign has hundreds of hours of gameplay, mod community is very active, multiplayer is glorious. Great game.

great game buy it now ........................................iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Ok i bought this hidden gem for 5$ on Steam sale and am convinced its the best 5$ ive ever spent. I didn't think mele combat could be done this well, and the archery and horseback physics are brilliant. 80 hours in and still havent played the single player yet...lol Try the crpg mod for multiplayer.....it effectively turns it into an mmo rpg. BUY THIS GAME!!

3/10 for the concept, the hitboxes are so terrible in this game that you cannot even hit anyone effectively. Several times I have shot arrows going straight through people with them taking zero damage. It's so buggy, and it doesn't seem like the developers intend on fixing the hitbox horrors. I wish a game like this existed with a similar concept but with proper execution.

This game has a very unique combination of RPG, Action, and Strategy elements that adds a nice fresh combination to the RPG genre. There are a lot of things to do in this indie game, and there are a lot of items you can receive. The game itself barely suffers from any glitches (surprisingly) and it's obvious that it took a lot of work to make this game. Most people get angry over the graphics of this title, but truth be told it's an RPG and with one as massive as this one I find graphics an excusable element, but for graphics I took '-1' off of the score. This game really is a 9/10 for me. I've had so much fun playing this incessantly and building my own kingdom with my own knights. Can't wait for the second game… Expand

Very good rpg-strategic game with a excellent massive pvp and with so much mods from the community. Is something new and different in the rpg genre.

Awesome Multiplayer mod experience(mm russia3), I find the single player to be fun but the multiplayer mods are where this game shines. Ive been playing for hours on servers with 150 people and the huge battles are just so addicting with the mods adding huge amounts of replay value!

First downloaded a demo of this game, seemed fun. Then bought the whole game, seemed fun. Then played singleplayer... got borring pretty fast. Then played multiplayer, gamed seemed pretty lame (to say the least). This game looks and feels like an Alfa version. Bugs like arrows stopping in mid air!!?! WTF! Overpowered weapons, pick-up of items is a mystery, bunny hopping to avoid arrows??! Slow swing/fast swing never knowking when, and the list goes on. So much potential, so many bugs... What a shame. When they release the final version (un-bugged), I will give it a go. This game is just pure crap... People, do your self a favor, do NOT buy this game. (Yes, they want money for a alfa version).… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is a gem. It's single player campaign is highly immersive. In the Kingdom of Calradia there is 6 factions, each representing an area of the Medieval world (Italians, Arabs, etc) .You start as a individual with a backstory decided by you and a character who's stats and looks(to the nose and eyebrow size) are decided by you. Beginning as the leader of a small warrior band, your military grows in size as you seize control of towns and castles and train your peasant recruits into elite warriors that can tear through enemies like medieval tanks. Eventually you will be able to conquer Caldaria alongside your Noble King or start your own Kingdom and conquer the land yourself. Little touches like interactive companions with very interesting backstories and have complex relationships with your other companions increases the feel of immersion. The Multi-player is simply epic, especially with the Napoleonic DLC. Melee combat is simple to learn but hard to master. You direct your weapon to body parts with the mouse and block with the mouse. Engagements are exciting and there is a huge variety of modes, from large battles, duels to even great sieges. The game's servers have high player limits, 64-200 leading to epic battles. A gem and considering the price, a MUST HAVE.… Expand

A highly addictive "medieval knight simulator" (impressive blend of action, strategy and role-playing) with true in-game freedom (no storyline-imposed limitations whatsoever).