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New Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord gameplay shows massive battles on horseback

Mount & Blade II Bannerlord co-op multiplayer

You’ve got to have both horse and sword or it isn’t a Mount & Blade game. What you also need is huge number of massed men clashing across a large battlefield. The new gameplay trailer, above, has both.

The PC Gaming Show at E3 2017 is still ongoing. Check it out.

Longer versions of the gameplay trailers were also uploaded to the Taleworlds YouTube channel. The first focuses on a cavalry sergeant charging his horsemen into battle:

Then there’s the horse archer sergeant, who takes a less direct but just as deadly approach to combat, engaging from range and encircling enemy cavalry.

Here’s what TaleWorlds have to say about their combat features:

  • Advanced Formations – more control over how your units are deployed, cavalry doing fast charges or heavy infantry forming invulnerable shield walls.
  • Battlefield AI – enemies will use real-world tactics taken from historical battles and commanders, making it much harder for you to take over the world.
  • Sergeant System – an actual chain of command from commanders to soldiers, giving more flow to the battle.
  • Directional Shield Blocking and Shield Bash – blocking the wrong way can be deadly and is terrible for your shield, while shield bash will briefly stun opponents.
  • Attack Chaining – completed animations allow for follow-up attacks, taking advantage of opponents who left their guard down.
  • Improved Animations and Combat Engine – it’s prettier. Way prettier.

Expect more as Bannerlord approaches release – though we still don’t have a date for that.