Mount and Blade 2: Ban­ner­lord is an addictive game that has gained pop­u­lar­i­ty among gamers all over the world. It makes sense to set up your own dedicated server if you’re a hardcore fan of the game. A Ban­ner­lord dedicated server will optimize your gaming ex­pe­ri­ence and ensure that the game runs smoothly. Other benefits include improved per­for­mance, re­li­a­bil­i­ty, and security. We’ll tell you every­thing you need to know about setting up a dedicated server for Mount and Blade 2: Ban­ner­lord.

Ad­van­tages of a Ban­ner­lord dedicated server

You can host your own Mount and Blade 2 server on your home PC or on an external server. An external server offers greater ad­van­tages when compared to your home PC. A server on your home PC is only ac­ces­si­ble to fellow players when the device is turned on. On the other hand, an external rented server runs around the clock and is always ac­ces­si­ble.

The internet con­nec­tion is an important factor to consider. Rented servers offer a higher bandwidth and a more stable con­nec­tion than most home networks. The server’s con­nec­tion quality can be easily affected by other devices on your home network. Ac­ces­si­bil­i­ty and speed are not concerns when it comes to an external server.

Mount and Blade 2 Ban­ner­lord server system re­quire­ments

The man­u­fac­tur­er rec­om­mends the following minimum re­quire­ments to run your Ban­ner­lord dedicated server:

  • Processor: at least 2 cores with 2-3 GHz
  • Working memory: at least 4 GB
  • Storage space: at least 60 GB

These spec­i­fi­ca­tions are more suitable for beginners who want to play in small groups. You can opt for a server with more power depending on how many users you want to play with and which con­fig­u­ra­tions you choose.

Tip

The cloud server is rec­om­mend­ed for beginners who are not sure what server ca­pac­i­ties they will need. It offers a lot of flex­i­bil­i­ty and can be easily scaled up if required.

Suitable IONOS servers to host your Ban­ner­lord dedicated server

IONOS has several server models to choose from, so you can choose the server that fits your in­di­vid­ual re­quire­ments.

  • Cloud server: Cloud servers offer maximum flex­i­bil­i­ty. You can scale the virtual server as needed. This option is flexible in case your player community grows over time. You will only be billed for the server per­for­mance used at the end of the month.
  • vServer: vServers are also virtual servers. Do you have a fixed group of users using the server and know exactly what per­for­mance you need? A vServer with the exact con­fig­u­ra­tions you need would be the best option.
  • Dedicated server: A Dedicated Server provides the highest per­for­mance. You rent all the hardware for a fixed monthly price. A dedicated server is suitable if you play a lot and need a server with strong per­for­mance.
Tip

If you’re a regular player and you’re thinking about hosting a TeamSpeak server or a Mumble server in addition to the actual game, you will need more capacity. A dedicated server has enough space and it can be used for multiple servers.

Step-by-step guide for setting up a Ban­ner­lord dedicated server

You can begin the setup after selecting your server and getting your access data. We will show you step by step how to set up your Mount and Blade 2 server. We use a IONOS Cloud Server and Windows 2022 in our example.

Step 1: Establish con­nec­tion to the server

You need to establish a Remote Desktop con­nec­tion to access your server. Log in to your IONOS customer account and go to “Server and Cloud”. You will find your server there.

Click “Download” and launch the file to connect to the server. Your login data will be needed the first time you connect to the server. You may also need to unblock the firewall.

Image: Bannerlord Server in the IONOS customer account
You can connect remotely to the server through your customer account.

Step 2: Forward ports

You will need to forward ports to access your server later. You can do this in your IONOS customer account. Click on “Network” in the main menu and set up port for­ward­ing in “Firewall Policies”. Enable ports UDP 7210 and TCP 7210 for your Ban­ner­lord dedicated server.

Image: Release ports in your IONOS customer account
You can release the ports in your IONOS customer account.

Step 3: Install Mount and Blade 2 Ban­ner­lord dedicated server

You must install Steam, Mount and Blade 2: Ban­ner­lord and the Mount and the Blade 2: Ban­ner­lord Dedicated Server on your server before you can proceed with the setup. The dedicated server is in the Steam library under “Tools”.

Down­load­ing the con­fig­u­ra­tion files is the final step. These can be found in the Developer’s Forum. Unzip the files and save them to your desktop.

Step 4: Generate a Ban­ner­lord token

You must generate an in­di­vid­ual token to set up a dedicated server for Ban­ner­lord. Start the game and open the console by pressing [Alt] + [^] when you are in the main menu. Then enter the command:

customserver.gettoken
bash

You should not share the token with third parties as it is linked to your Steam account.

Step 5: Copying the con­fig­u­ra­tion files

Go to your desktop and paste the con­fig­u­ra­tion files into the correct folders on the server. First, copy the tdm_config.txt file to your clipboard.

Open Steam and right-click on “Mount & Blade II: Dedicated Server”. This file is in the overview on the left. Select “Prop­er­ties” > “Local Files” > “Browse”.

Image: Steam: Open the folder with the server files for Mount & Blade 2
Click Browse to open the folder with the server files.

The folder con­tain­ing the server files will open. Follow the path Modules\Native and paste the tdm_config.txt file from the clipboard.

Open the tdm_config.txt to name your server. You will use this name to find your Ban­ner­lord dedicated server when playing. You only need to change the first line of the file. Delete “First­Serv­er” and enter a name of your choice. Save the changes and close the file.

Image: The tdm_config.txt file contains the server settings
Change the server name from First­Serv­er to the name of your choice for your Ban­ner­lord dedicated server.

Next, move the startup file, which is also one of the down­loaded files, to the correct folder. Copy it, go back to the Mount & Blade II Dedicated Server folder, and paste the file under bin\Win64_Shipping_Server.

It is a good idea to create a shortcut to the desktop as the server is also started using the start file. Create the shortcut by right-clicking on the start file and then “Send to” > “Desktop”.

Go back to the “Modules” folder and open the “Native” subfolder. Create a new folder called “Mul­ti­player­Force­dA­vatars” there.

Step 6: Update the Dedicated Customer Server Helper

It is important to update the Dedicated Customer Server Helper before starting the Mount and Blade 2 server. Start Ban­ner­lord to find out the current version of the game. You can see the current version on the start screen in the lower left corner. Make a note of it and close the game again.

Go to the “Modules” folder again and open the “Ded­i­cat­ed­Cus­tom­erServer­Helper” subfolder. The SubModule.xml file is there. You can edit it by right-clicking and clicking “Edit”. Change the “Version value” and the “De­pen­dentVer­sion” to the current version of the game and save the changes.

Image: The Dedicated Customer Server Helper settings can be changed in the SubModule.xml file
Insert the current version of the game in the areas marked red.

Step 7: Starting the Ban­ner­lord server

Your Mount and Blade 2 server is ready. Double-click on the linked start file on the desktop to start the server. The green dialog box indicates that the server is live.

Image: The command line version of the dedicated serverPretty VectorsShut­ter­stock
The server is live as soon as the green text is displayed.

Step 8: Connect to the server

Con­nect­ing to a Mount and Blade 2 server is very simple. Start the game in mul­ti­play­er mode on your PC. You will find a list of all the dedicated servers under “Play” and “Custom Server List” in the menu. Use the search bar at the bottom right to search for the name of your server. Join the server and start your battle!

Image: Screenshot from Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord
You can connect to the server once it is online and start the game.
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