Part 3

Learn how Strength, Agility, and Intelligence impact combat, army management, and more in Mount & Blade: Warband. Maximize your character's potential.

Strength

Strength governs the Iron Flesh, Power Strike, Power Throw, and Power Draw skills. Each point of Strength also grants one additional Hit Point. Strength directly governs the ability to use heavy armor, crossbows, and melee weapons, with specific Strength requirements listed for each item. Some lighter armor and weapons may not have a Strength requirement. As Strength governs Power Throw and Power Draw, it indirectly governs the use of throwing weapons and hand-drawn bows. Each of these items will explicitly state the Power Draw/Throw requirement. All bows require at least 1 Power Draw, but some throwing weapons have no requirement.

A character with high Strength can deal more damage, wear better armor, use better weapons, and will have more Hit Points. Investing in the Iron Flesh skill can further increase Hit Points. Decent Strength is vital, as you will likely be your army's most experienced and best-equipped soldier, and your army will automatically lose any battle in which you are knocked out.

The Power skills impact different weapon types: Power Strike for all melee weapons, Power Draw for bows, and Power Throw for thrown weapons. Crossbows do not have a corresponding Power skill due to their mechanical tension. It is difficult to specialize in more than one Power skill. Generously investing points into your primary weapon type's Power skill can provide tremendous damage bonuses, ranging from 80-140% depending on the weapon type.

Agility

Agility governs Weapon Master, Shield, Athletics, Riding, Horse Archery, and Looting. Each point of Agility grants five additional weapon proficiency points. A character with high Agility, particularly with investment in Weapon Master, can increase weapon proficiency ratings more easily. The Shield skill is highly beneficial for defense, improving a shield's coverage, speed, and durability. If you intend to ride a horse, you will want at least 12 Agility to use a Charger, the best horse for direct combat. The fastest horse, the Courser, requires only 2 Riding, but at least 4 Riding skill is useful for increased horseback movement speed.

Athletics skill is dependent on your playstyle. Even mounted characters will be on foot during sieges, where Athletics can reduce exposure to missile attacks, though skill points might be better spent elsewhere. If your character is primarily on foot, Athletics offers significant value. Weapon Master allows for more proficiency points to be allocated to weapons, but proficiencies can also be increased by using the weapon, making Weapon Master a potential waste of skill points. Horse Archery requires investment in its specific skill. Looting is somewhat useful but is best left to Hero characters rather than your personal character.

Intelligence

Intelligence governs Trainer, Tracking, Tactics, Pathfinding, Spotting, Wound Treatment, Surgery, First Aid, Engineering, Inventory Management, and Persuasion. Each point of Intelligence grants an extra skill point, which is fortunate as Intelligence governs many important skills.

Persuasion and Inventory Management are Leader skills, meaning the game only uses your skill for relevant checks. Trainer is very useful; a party with high Trainer skill results in soldiers rapidly advancing in rank, making the army more effective. Tracking is useful for quests and general warfare. Tactics influences a battle parameter called battle advantage, potentially impacting morale or skill at arms. Pathfinding increases your party's map speed, and a hero should focus heavily on maximizing it. Wound Treatment, Surgery, and First Aid are essential for keeping your army healthy. Designate one character to specialize in these three skills as the party doctor, with another as a backup. Each skill point in Engineering reduces siege engine build time (ladders by 1 hour per point, siege towers by 6 hours per point), decreasing the time enemy relief units have to arrive. Persuasion is most useful for recruiting lords. Inventory Management allows your party to carry more items, enabling more loot collection, stable food supplies, and increased earnings from battles and pillaging, with lesser benefits including carrying alternate equipment and more goods for sale. Intelligence governs too many vital skills for one or three characters to handle, so it is likely you will want most heroes in your party to have some Intelligence investment.