If you want a good surgeon, scout or caravan leader in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, you will usually have to hire one of the wanderers who sit in its taverns, and the ones you meet will change from one campaign to the next.

Every wanderer has a random first name and a fixed nickname such as “the Surgeon” or “the Swift”, and that nickname, together with their culture, decides what they are good at. All skill values below were read from the game’s own character files for v1.4.8, including the eleven wanderers that War Sails added. They are shown as ranges, because every wanderer gets a small random bonus on each skill when they spawn.

The best surgeon is the Surgeon (Empire) with Medicine 165-169, the best engineer is the Engineer (Aserai) with Engineering 160-164 and the best trader is the Spicevendor (Aserai) with Trade 155-159. For scouting, the Wanderer (Empire), the Tracker (Vlandia) and the Swift (Khuzait) are tied at 155-159. Several nicknames also exist in two or three cultures with different skills, so you are going to want to check the culture every time.

Best companions for each role

The table below shows the three strongest wanderers for eleven jobs, ranked by the skill each job uses, and the last three rows are for the sea skills of War Sails. The highest number is not always the best pick for your campaign, though, so you will find a few words on every role below the chart.

If these picks look different from what you remember, that is because many older companion lists still show numbers from 2020. Some of the names on them, such as “Deadeye” or “the Wronged”, no longer exist in the game, and the Exile is the current name of the latter. The Prince is a leader with very little Roguery, and the Swift is a scout with Scouting 155-159, even though some lists still call them a rogue and a steward.

Before you hire anyone, there is one rule you should know. Each party role uses that companion’s own skill, but only while they travel in your party. If you send your surgeon off to lead a caravan, your own Medicine is what will count until they come back.

Trade, Roguery and Leadership are not roles at all, as they always use the skill of whoever leads the party. As such, caravan leaders, rogues and party leaders will only help the party they command themselves.

Surgeon

Personally, I would say the surgeon is the first role worth paying for. Your surgeon’s Medicine raises the chance that your troops and heroes survive a blow that would otherwise kill them, and it speeds up healing. The Surgeon (Empire) starts with Medicine 165-169 and also brings Steward 100-104, followed by the Healer (Battania) with 160-164, Bitterdraught (Vlandia) with 155-159 and Willowbark (Sturgia) with 150-154.

All four are fairly easy to find. The game reserves a few of its wanderer slots for medics. Without War Sails all four of them exist somewhere in the world almost all the time, and with War Sails usually three of the four are around at once.

If you are going to raid villages, the Healer is the one top surgeon who is not Merciful, so there will be no complaints when you loot them. The Surgeon, Bitterdraught and Willowbark are all Merciful, and so are both Scholars.

Scout

The scout spot is a three-way tie, as the Wanderer (Empire), the Tracker (Vlandia) and the Swift (Khuzait) all start with Scouting 155-159, and the table simply lists them in a fixed order. A good scout will spot other parties from further away on the campaign map and tell you more about the tracks you find.

Since the main skill is the same, the rest decides it. The Swift is the best rider of the three with Riding 150-154, and the Tracker has the best Bow at 115-119. The Wanderer has a little less of both, so if you ever get to choose, the Swift or the Tracker will give you a bit more outside of scouting.

Realistically, you will probably take whichever of them you find first. With 21 wanderers counted as scouts, any single one of them can be missing from your world for a long time. The Wanderer (Battania) at 150-154 and of the Wastes (Aserai), the Silent (Empire) and of the Hills (Empire) at 145-149 are all fine stand-ins.

Engineer and quartermaster

The Engineer (Aserai) is the clear pick for sieges with Engineering 160-164, ahead of the Smith (Vlandia) at 140-144 and the Scholar (Empire) at 135-139. Your engineer will speed up the building of your siege engines, so he matters most when you are the one besieging.

The quartermaster uses Steward, and every point of it adds a quarter of a troop to your party size limit. This role is a tie between the two Scholars, who both start with Steward 125-129.

I would advise you to take the Empire one, because he also has Engineering 135-139 and can hold the engineer role at the same time. The Aserai Scholar has Medicine 100-104 instead, which makes him a reasonable backup surgeon. The Prince (Aserai) and the Spicevendor (Aserai) come next with Steward 115-119.

Caravan leader, party leader and rogue

Since Trade always uses the party leader’s skill, a trader does very little as a passenger in your own party. The Spicevendor (Aserai) is the obvious caravan leader with Trade 155-159, far ahead of the Wainwright (Vlandia) at 120-124 and the Smith at 110-114. She is the only wanderer built around Trade, so she will rarely be missing from the world for long.

For a companion who leads their own party, the Prince (Aserai) is the best choice with Leadership 155-159, Charm 145-149 and Tactics 125-129, and his Leadership will keep up the morale of the party he leads. Fairhair (Battania) follows with 150-154 and the Grizzled (Vlandia) with 125-129. The Prince is a little bit harder to find than the medics, though, as he shares his slots with many other leaders.

The Robber (Empire) has the best Roguery at 155-159, with the Black (Empire) and the Hyena (Aserai) at 150-154. Roguery adds to the loot from battles, but again only for the party the rogue leads.

Governors

Governors follow their own rules. A governor of the same culture as the town adds 1 loyalty a day, and one of a different culture takes 1 away, so culture matters more here than a few skill points.

Engineering speeds up building projects, but only while the governor is inside the town, and Medicine helps the garrison heal. The garrison size bonus from Leadership uses the clan leader who owns the fief, so a governor’s Leadership does nothing there.

For most cultures, a fitting governor is easy to find. The Engineer and the Aserai Scholar suit Aserai towns, the Empire Scholar with Engineering 135-139 suits imperial ones and the Smith with 140-144 covers Vlandia. The Healer brings Medicine 160-164 to Battania, and the Knowing brings Medicine 105-109 to Khuzait fiefs.

Sturgia and the Nords are the weak spots. The best Engineering among the ten Sturgian wanderers is 50-54 (the Fish), so Willowbark with Medicine 150-154 is about the best you will get there. The Nords look much the same, with of the River and her Medicine 125-129 as the most useful one. For those fiefs, you will have to choose between a weaker governor of the right culture and a stronger one from another culture, whether a family member or a wanderer, who costs you 1 loyalty a day.

Smith

Smithing has no party role, but a companion with high Smithing can still do your crafting at the smithy. The Smith (Vlandia) starts with Smithing 165-169, the Wainwright (Vlandia) with 150-154 and the Engineer with 135-139, and the first two will almost always be alive somewhere. If you want to know more about crafting your own weapons, have a look at my Bannerlord smithing guide.

Fighters and captains

If you mainly want someone to swing a sword next to you, these are the wanderers with the highest starting weapon skill.

Ironeye (Khuzait) and Bellowsbreath (Vlandia) lead with Bow 170-174 and Crossbow 170-174. The Hawk is the pick for a horse archer, as he combines Bow 165-169 with Riding 160-164.

For melee, Breakskull (Sturgia) has the best Two Handed at 165-169, and the Butcher (Empire) and the Swordsman (Aserai) share the top One Handed value.

Players are split on how much a fighting companion is worth. Some feel that even a well-equipped one is barely better than a top-tier troop, while others put them in charge of a formation as its captain, where perks and banners count for more than kills.

Age plays a role too. Ironeye, the Swordsman and Bloodaxe will spawn in their thirties, and the chance of dying in battle rises a little with age, while the Mad can be as young as 18.

War Sails companions

War Sails adds 11 wanderers to the 67 of the base game, for 78 in total. Eight of them are Nords, and the other three are the Shipwright (Empire), the Navigator (Aserai) and the Fisherman (Vlandia). Each of them has at least one of the new sea skills Mariner, Boatswain or Shipmaster among their best four.

Navigator and First Mate

War Sails also adds two party roles. The Navigator uses Shipmaster and will make your party sail faster on the campaign map, by 5% per 100 skill.

The First Mate uses Boatswain, and your ships will take 25% less hull damage per 100 skill, from battles, storms and open-sea wear alike. Sail damage is not affected. You can assign both roles in the clan screen or by talking to the companion.

Empty-Pockets is the best Navigator with Shipmaster 135-139, followed by the Easterling at 130-134 and the Navigator at 95-99. For First Mate, Trolldaughter leads with Boatswain 120-124, ahead of the Boatswain at 110-114. The Navigator bonus only works on the campaign map, though, as each ship in a naval battle uses its own captain’s Shipmaster for the wind bonus.

Any clan member can hold two roles at once, with or without War Sails, so one sea-skill companion can be both Navigator and First Mate. A third role is not possible until you take one away.

The most interesting of the bunch is probably of the River. She has Medicine 125-129 and Boatswain 95-99, so she can be your surgeon and your First Mate at the same time. Her Medicine is well below the Surgeon’s, but if you spend most of your time at sea, a companion who covers both jobs saves you a slot.

Mariner has no role. It helps a party leader when a naval battle is simulated and reduces a companion’s penalties when fighting at sea, so the Sea-Raider (Mariner 135-139), the Restless and Wave-Breaker are best used as leaders of their own party or as fighters on your ships.

Nord companions

Plenty of players noticed after War Sails came out that Nord companions are very hard to find, and the reason is how the game balances wanderer types. Everyone from the sea-faring pool of War Sails, meaning all eight Nords plus the Shipwright, the Navigator and the Fisherman, shares a quota of only about five of the roughly 35 wanderers alive at once. You can expect around three or four Nords in the whole world at any time, and hiring sea-skill wanderers fills that quota until one of them dies or is dismissed.

Lahar, Bjolgur and the Emira al Fahda are War Sails story characters and cannot be hired as companions. Lahar and Bjolgur only travel with you during their quests and leave when those quests end, and none of them can be hired afterwards.

How to find a specific companion

Wanderers sit in the tavern of a town, and you hire them by talking to them and choosing “I can use someone like you in my company.” Finding the one you want is the harder part, because the encyclopedia will not show you where a wanderer is until you have met them.

Asking the tavern keeper

The fastest way is the tavern keeper. Ask any tavern keeper “I am looking for some people to hire with specific skills…”, then pick the job.

You can ask for a scout, an engineer, a surgeon, a quartermaster, a caravan leader, a lieutenant who is judged on Leadership and Tactics together, or someone from “the darker side of the world” for Roguery. War Sails adds a First Mate and a Navigator to the list.

Each question costs 2 denars, even when he does not find anyone. He names the wanderer with the best skill for that job among the towns around you, as long as that skill is above 30, and that wanderer’s location then shows in the encyclopedia. Ask “Is there someone else?” for the next best, at 2 denars again. You can’t ask for a culture, though.

Quite a few long-time players only found out about this option after hundreds of hours, so it is well worth the few coins.

The encyclopedia

In the encyclopedia, go to Heroes and filter the occupation by Wanderer to see every wanderer in the world, your own companions included. An unmet wanderer appears as “Never seen before”, with skills and traits hidden.

Once you have met them, entered the tavern district where they sit, or had a tavern keeper name them, the page will show their skills at 50 or higher and a “Last seen” town that the game refreshes once a day.

Duplicate names

Five nicknames exist in more than one culture, each time with different skills.

The Empire Scholar is an engineer first with Engineering 135-139, while the Aserai one only has 95-99 there and works better as a quartermaster. Only the Empire version of the Wanderer reaches Scouting 155-159, so make sure to check the culture in the encyclopedia before you ride across the map for one of these names.

Spawning and disappearing

If you cannot find a certain companion anywhere, there is a good chance they do not exist in your world right now. The game tries to keep about 32 wanderers alive, or 35 with War Sails, which adds four Nord towns, and wanderers you have hired count toward that number. That is fewer than half of the 78, and only one wanderer per nickname and culture can be alive at once.

When the count is below that target, one new wanderer appears per day in a random town that has no unhired wanderer, is not under siege and is not the town you are standing in. Once a day, there is also a 10% roll that one random wanderer leaves the world for good. Hired companions are never picked off this way, and neither is a wanderer sitting in the same town as you.

Unhired wanderers do not travel the map. The game simply teleports them between towns, moving one or two of them most days, so a tavern’s wanderer can change while you are away, and their culture has nothing to do with where they sit.

Additionally, the game fills its wanderer slots by type. Small groups like the Smithing wanderers, the Spicevendor and the Scholars are almost always around (and the medics too, though with War Sails one of the four is usually missing), while big groups such as the scouts and the leaders are the reason a particular nickname can be missing for months.

Dismissing and rerolling

Dismissing a companion removes them from the game for good, and they will not go back to a tavern. Talk to them while you are out on the campaign map, as the option does not show inside a settlement, and pick “About your position in the clan…” and then “I no longer have need of your services.”

Take their gear off first. A dismissed wanderer leaves in their original starting kit, so anything you gave them is lost.

Their slot in the world’s wanderer count opens up, so a fresh wanderer usually turns up somewhere within a day or so. That is why hire, strip and dismiss works as a reroll when the taverns around you are full of wanderers you do not want.

Companion limit

You can have clan tier + 3 companions, so 3 at tier 0 and 9 at tier 6. We Pledge our Swords from Leadership and Camaraderie from Charm each add one more if your clan leader has them, which makes 11 at most.

Both perks sit at 250 in their skill and only count on whoever leads the clan, which is usually you. If you are planning your perks anyway, have a look at my guide to the best Bannerlord perks.

Every hired wanderer counts, including governors, caravan leaders, party leaders and companions in prison, and so do people who join your clan through a quest. Your spouse, children and siblings do not count, and neither do companions you have made lords.

Once you hit the limit, the hire line changes to “Thinking again, I already have more companions than I can manage.”

If you ever end up over the limit, you will get a warning, and from about a week later one random companion leaves the game each day until you are back at the limit. That mostly happens when your limit drops, for example after a perk reset or when an heir without those two perks takes over.

Early on, you are going to hit the limit fairly fast, so it helps that each clan member can hold two party roles. Family members are the other way around it, as they never count. Mind that the 20% extra experience from Natural Leader only works on hired companions, and your family will not get it.

Hiring cost and wages

A wanderer’s fee is half the value of the gear they carry at the local town’s prices, plus 10 denars per level, so a well-equipped one costs far more. Paid in Promise cuts it by 25% while you lead your party, and Great Investor on your quartermaster cuts it by 30%, so together they bring it down to 45%. You will need slightly more gold than the price, as the exact amount is not enough.

After that, each companion costs 2 denars plus 2 per level every day. Your spouse and children travelling with you are free, while hired wanderers always draw a wage.

Paid in Promise on the party leader also cuts each hero’s wage by 25%, and with War Sails your whole party’s wage bill drops by 20% while you are at sea. A companion leading their own party or caravan pays wages from that party’s purse, which your clan treasury tops up to 5,000 denars.

Whether a companion is worth that money mostly depends on the job, as a surgeon or a quartermaster works for your party every single day. If you are short on income, a few good workshops will help you cover the bill.

Keeping your companions

Complaints and leaving

Companions with certain traits will complain about how you run things, but only while they are inside your party and never at sea. Merciful companions complain after you loot a village, Daring ones after you abandon troops to escape a battle, and Generous ones when your men starve or go unpaid. Forcing supplies or recruits from a village does not count as a raid.

The first time, promise to do better with “Very well, I will consider this when taking such actions.” for +10 relation. Never answer “Perhaps you are not suitable for this party after all.”, which usually makes them leave on the spot.

Each later complaint costs 5 relation, or 2 if you never promised, and a companion leaves once relation falls below -10. About two months after their last complaint, the count and your promise both start over.

The simple fix is to park Merciful companions outside your party before you go raiding, for example as a governor. Beware that companions who lead their own party in your army are a different story.

When you lead the siege of a town of another culture, they lose 10 relation without any warning each time you devastate it if they are Merciful, or show mercy if they are Cruel. Pillage is the safe middle choice.

Death in battle

Companions can only die in battle if your campaign options allow it. The Freebooter preset turns hero deaths off, and Warrior halves the chance for your clan, hired companions included.

Even then, a knocked-out companion only dies from a cutting or piercing blow, and the chance starts just under 2% and drops as they gain levels, wear heavier armour and travel with a skilled surgeon. The Cheat Death perk on your surgeon halves it, and on the Warrior setting the two reductions add up, so your clan cannot die in battle at all.

After a lost battle

If your party is beaten, wounded companions are almost always captured, while companions who get away will turn up in a town or castle the next day, ready to be recalled from the clan screen. Family members can take several days to resurface.

Recall will not work while the companion is a prisoner, is still recovering from an escape or sits in a besieged or raided settlement, or while you are at sea.

Turning companions into lords

You cannot marry a wanderer in the base game, hired or not, and neither can anyone in your family. The way around it is to make the companion a lord.

Once you rule your own kingdom and your clan holds a town or castle, choose “I wish to reward you for your services.” when talking to a companion. It costs 20,000 denars, paid to them, and 500 influence, and it hands them the fief.

You will name their new tier-2 clan, which joins your kingdom with two relatives of the companion’s culture, and the new lord no longer counts toward your companion limit. Your brothers, sisters or children can then marry into that clan, but you cannot marry the new lord yourself, because you would both be clan leaders. A companion who is leading a caravan will turn the offer down.

Companion list

Here are all 78 wanderers with their culture, gender and four best starting skills as ranges, with the eleven War Sails wanderers marked.

Companion questions

How many companions can you have in Bannerlord?

Between 3 and 9 depending on your clan tier, plus one each for We Pledge our Swords and Camaraderie on your clan leader. That makes 11 at most, and family members do not count toward it.

How do you find a lost companion?

Check the clan screen and the encyclopedia. A companion who escaped after a lost battle will be in a town or castle by the next day and can be recalled, and a captured one turns up the same way once they escape or a peace deal frees them. One who left over complaints or was dismissed is gone for good.

Can companions die in Bannerlord?

Yes, if your campaign options allow hero deaths. The chance starts just under 2% when a companion is knocked out by a cutting or piercing blow, and a good surgeon, better armour and a few levels will push it lower.

Can you marry a companion in Bannerlord?

Not in the base game. Once you rule a kingdom and hold a town or castle, you can make a companion a lord, and then your siblings or children can marry them, but you still cannot marry them yourself.

Who is the best companion in Bannerlord?

For most campaigns, it is the Surgeon (Empire). His Medicine 165-169 will keep more of your troops alive in every battle, he is alive somewhere in the world most of the time, and his Steward 100-104 makes him a decent stand-in quartermaster as well. If you raid a lot, the Healer (Battania) is the better first hire.