Influence fuels everything in Bannerlord. It shapes who listens to you, whose votes tilt your way and how much weight your clan carries in a kingdom that is always one tense council meeting away from someone losing their temper. When I first tried to grow my influence, I assumed it would magically appear just because I won a few battles. Turns out influence makes you work for it, and it loves to slip through your fingers if you get careless.
This guide breaks down the best ways to build it, protect it and make the most of it, without turning the whole thing into a chore.
Why Influence Matters More Than You Think
Influence controls policy votes, army creation, settlement control and general political respect. You can be the strongest fighter in Calradia, but without influence the kingdom council treats you like the intern who forgot everyone’s coffee order. Growing influence is basically your ticket out of background character territory.
Winning Battles That Actually Count
Battles give influence, but some pay out far better than others. Defending your own lands gives a nice boost, almost like the game is patting you on the back for protecting your kingdom. Beating large enemy armies is even better, especially when you are the one who initiated the fight.
Chasing down scattered bandits works early on, but once you are in a faction you want to pick meaningful fights. Think major sieges, kingdom skirmishes and any chance to corner an enemy lord who thought they were safe.
Serving as a Vassal the Smart Way
Joining a kingdom is the simplest way to boost your influence long term. You get a steady stream from simply existing as a loyal vassal, and it stacks nicely with your battle income. Some rulers are generous, others have the personality of a cold stone wall, so your mileage may vary.
Policies also shift how much influence you gain. Certain kingdoms have policies that reward vassals with passive influence, and if they do not, you can push those votes yourself once you have enough influence to sway the room.
Gaining Influence Through Diplomacy and Charm
Charm skills help you squeeze extra influence from lords you interact with. Convincing them to support your proposals, convincing them to defect or persuading them in peace talks nudges your influence upward. It is like being the friend who settles arguments before the group chat melts down.
Focus on Charm and Leadership if you want political growth to feel natural rather than forced. The game rewards smooth talkers way more often than people expect.
Taking Part in Kingdom Decisions
Voting costs influence, but being involved in those decisions also gives you ways to earn it. If you make a proposal and the kingdom approves it, you gain a tidy influence bump.
Support the right people and they will often return the favour in future votes. Influence feels like currency, but it also behaves like social goodwill. Spend it wisely and people start treating you like you matter.
Owning Land and Helping It Thrive
Being granted a fief is a major step toward steady influence growth. Prosperous towns and castles naturally generate influence and it rises further if you invest in fair policies and strong garrisons. Keeping bandits or raiders away from your region protects that steady flow.
Do not let the fief starve or burn. Your influence income tanks instantly, and your clan starts to look like a disastrous landlord.
Leading Armies Without Burning Yourself Out
Calling armies is powerful, but it drains influence quickly. The trick is to only call armies when you know the objective is worth the cost. If your army takes a town, crushes a rival kingdom or breaks apart a siege, you often regain more influence from the victory than you spent gathering the troops.
Marching your army around the map doing nothing drains influence so fast that you can almost hear your clan groaning at your poor planning.
Defection Power Plays
One of the less glamorous ways to influence the map is to encourage enemy lords to defect. High Charm, strong relations and a kingdom that actually looks functional gives you far better odds. Each successful conversion boosts your prestige and nudges your influence upward.
It is basically political recruitment with extra armour and much higher stakes.
Clan Role Management
Assigning the right companions to the right roles helps keep your influence machine running. If you have a high Steward or Leadership companion running caravans or governing settlements, it frees you up to win battles and work the political rooms while they handle the boring economic stuff.
Keeping Your Influence Safe
You can lose influence if you vote against your ruling clan too often or if you consistently behave like a walking disaster. Try to pick your battles, both in war and in politics. Influence only feels unlimited until you watch it vanish after one misguided vote.
The Seven Swords Takeaway
Influence gives you reach. It decides how far your voice carries and how much of the map bends to your decisions. Once you work out how to earn it and when to spend it, the game opens up in a way that feels genuinely satisfying. I still lose influence sometimes by making questionable choices, but that is part of the charm. Calradia keeps you honest.
If you want to reshape the borders, topple kings or simply get your fiefs in order, influence is the quiet force that gets you there.
