- Spoiler Alert: The following article is about the campaign of TaleWorlds’ Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord. As such, it contains spoilers regarding the game’s biggest decision. If you would rather find out what happens as you play through the campaign, we recommend reading one of our other Bannerlord articles instead.
The campaign of Bannerlord focuses around the civil war within the Empire and its effect on the rest of Calradia. Most players know that it heavily references the fall of the Roman Empire at the end of their reign.
At the core of this conflict is a quarrel over the right to succession of the Imperial throne and a tale called ‘Neretzes’ Folly’, the game’s main quest, where the player character is tasked with piecing together what happened during a great war prior to the start of the game. Drosios Neretzes was the name of the previous Emperor, the supreme ruler of all before the Battle of Pendraic, a series of mistakes made by the ruler that would ultimately claim his life. His successor Arenicos became the last undisputed leader of the Empire before he was assassinated in his chambers by a still-unknown assailant.
Six years after the Battle of Pendraic, the incumbent ruler is Rhagea, Arenicos’s widow. She has a weak claim to the throne, not just because she’s a woman in a patriarchal society, but because the challengers Lucon and Garios have strong claims of their own. The fact that Arernicos didn’t name a successor means that any claimant can step forward and declare him or herself ruler, presuming they have enough support and troops, which both men do.
Behind all this is the story of two influential individuals–Arzagos and Istiana–who represent anti-empire and pro-empire sentiment, respectively, and a symbolic item of power called the Dragon Banner. After finding out what happened during Neretzes’ Folly from the lords who were there, the player is tasked with assembling the Dragon Banner, and using its symbolic power to ultimately decide the fate of the Empire. Once the Banner is assembled, the player must choose between Arzagos and Istiana, to decide if he or she wants to topple the empire for good and rid the world of Imperial influence, or unite it and establish a lasting peace through Imperial order.
This decision depends entirely on how you feel about the empire, so there’s no wrong or right answer, but the following should clarify the potential results of each.
Siding with Arzagos
Arzagos is the former bodyguard of Neretzes, who has become disillusioned with the Empire’s politics and wants to see it destroyed. His ancestry is a civilization that was assimilated by the Empire called the Palaics, and he laments the loss of this culture to Imperial rule. Players typically side with Arzagos because he represents the “underdog” story, of civilization like the Gallics who were destroyed by the Romans. If chosen, he will task the player with giving the Dragon Banner to a non-imperial ruler and using its influence to destroy them.
Siding with Istiana
Istiana was Neretzes’ spymaster, privy to all his secrets and one of his most trusted subjects. While she too is disillusioned with the Empire, she still believes it to be the best path to peace in Calradia, and that it must be preserved at all costs. Players typically choose Istiana if they share the sentiment that a unified Empire is the best way to stop the constant wars plaguing the lands. If chosen, she will task the player with granting the Banner to one of the three Imperial faction leaders, and to begin solidifying their claim to the throne and unifying the Empire.
Note that the player can also ignore both characters’ requests and keep the banner for him or herself, forming their own Kingdom to contend with the Empire. This is the toughest route, of course, because you’ll have no support from your faction. Either way, the decision is really just about how you feel about the Empire, since the opposing character will enact a series of conspiracies that turn all of Calradia against you. This is an unavoidable consequence that balances the game by making each decision equally challenging.
Some would say that Istiana is the easier choice since unifying the Empire takes less effort than taking a single faction and fighting off the entire game world, but you’ll still need to settle the civil war through conquest or diplomacy, and you’d be fighting a war on all fronts due to each Empires location at the center of the map.
