I'm still tearing through the new version and thought I might mention a few more changes/ bugs that need to be addressed. Of course if you already know about these then simply ignore it but I assume you value the feedback.
1. There are still random bridges all over the map that don't span any waterway and look odd.
2. Longboats on land and "mainland bandit" parties stuck on the water.
3. Horse prices. A lame courser is way more expensive than a heavy northern horse.
4. Helmet prices. There is a nasal helmet that is fairly common in the armor shops and it is way more expensive than stronger better helmets. A rusty nasal helmet might cost more than a thick or reinforced vendel or chieftan helmet.
5. Sword lengths. The viking long swords are shorter than broadswords. The standard faction sword is really short also. Length 84 or 73. These should be changed to between 94 and 102 IMO.There are also some problems with axe length vs the way it looks when a NPC is holding it or has it slung across his back.
6. Lighting. The inventory screen wear you change weapons and armor seems dark and grainy.
7. Too many lords with the same name. If you end up with pairs of Jarl Harald etc. It makes it confusing when trying to assign fiefs or perform other interactions. You might want to consider some more nicknames like "Olad One-Eyed" the make it really easy to keep track of different lords and adds a nice personal flavor to the drone like lords.
8. The sea travel bit should be expanded upon. The player is the only one capable of sea travel. I havent seen any other lords or bandits traveling on water. It would be really nice if the inner lake were somehow accessible via the outer sea. That way you could take your ship to just about anywhere on the map. I'm not sure if this is possible but it would be awesome if you could throw in a fjord or two on some of the narrow strips of land. Viking longboats were designed to travel relatively shallow rivers as well as oceans. If you could figure out a way to get other parties going here and there on the water it would really open this game up.
9. Loot city/castle. This is a fairly common feature on other mods and can really beef up income. You have the choice of looting a castle you have just taken, share it with your other lords etc. I can't think of another mod where this feature would be more appropriate than a viking mod.
10. Soldiers getting stuck during sieges. There are quite a few castles where your men can't go forward. Or they end up trying to defeat the garrison in groups of 2 or 3. Tampere castle has this problem. I recognize some of the castles from other mods and they had the exact same choke points like a ladders the AI cant climb over. They can't follow you or charge on their own. Kampslott is another such castle. Which is a shame because I had never seen it before and when I saw all those tunnels and caverns I was really stoked about assaulting it. I'm not sure what can be done about this. If its just a path finding issue or if the design of some of these castles just doesn't work for WB AI.
Keep in mind that after playing warband for years I am only offering you some suggestions and that is because I REALLY like this mod and want to see you continue to improve on it.
You mentioned some hidden loot before the release of the mod. Did that actually make it in this version? Any hints? Even very vague ones?
. (A few minutes after writing this I was playing and found a stash. F'n Awesome!) Is there only one?
You are doing a great job on this. Also, give my regards to the guy that added the new companions and claimants. Pretty well thought out and interesting. I look forward to more from you.