Getting into Bannerlord again recently, and I'm recalling my frustrations with the companions and their availability. For example, very often there is not a single smith or trader in the entire continent willing to join your party. Yet there are smithys and caravans all over the place. Not to mention, even if I have the good fortune of spawning a wanderer with one of these skills, their perk distribution is most likely undesirable. Meaning if I want a smith, I probably shouldn't look for a smith. Instead, I should find someone who isn't a smith and level them up to then train them to be a smith. Which I will usually have to do anyway with the general unavailability of certain roles. I'll say it again though, if a wanderer comes in at 60 skill let's say, that's a 25% chance it'll actually have the desired perks. It's just really counter intuitive that if you want a smith, you're likely better off NOT recruiting a smith and training someone who's not one to become one.
This also gets trickier because although we CAN see what skills a potential companion specializes in, we CANNOT see what their current learning limits/focus points are at. Usually I'll hire someone just to see they'll have to have to undergo quite a bit of training before I can unlock more focus points and then I can start training them in the role I desire for them. I haven't been so unlucky with some key party roles like scout/engineer/surgeon to get 0 wanderers spawn in. But again, I often run into the problem of their perk allocation being undesirable. The absolute RNG of this system seems more fitting of a roguelike. Not a game you could sink dozens of hours into for a single campaign.
If I were to rework companion recruitment as it stands...
Although this does streamline the companion process, we don't have to get rid of tavern travelling companions either. Although I would make the new tavern travelling companions quite rad. These would be epic party leading companions with high tactics, leadership, steward and combat prowess. Requiring a lot of gold or a quest to recruit, or possibly both. Practically hireable nobles you could eventually one day recruit into your clan. These new tavern travelling companions would be like level 25 or something crazy and totally badass. These new tavern travelling companions would be iconic and available in each playthrough with their own backstories and dialogue to add like the old Heroes of Warband.
But having the customizability for some generic companions would just be huge QOL for players. If you actually wanted to play a merchant prince and have all your companions running caravans, it would be nice to get companions who are even mildly competent for that role. Instead we are just left frustrated that our seed has 0 "Swift" or "Spicevendor" companions over and over again. Or if you just want to have a well-balanced party with desirable perks, you don't have to worry about rerolling seeds until the stars align.
This also gets trickier because although we CAN see what skills a potential companion specializes in, we CANNOT see what their current learning limits/focus points are at. Usually I'll hire someone just to see they'll have to have to undergo quite a bit of training before I can unlock more focus points and then I can start training them in the role I desire for them. I haven't been so unlucky with some key party roles like scout/engineer/surgeon to get 0 wanderers spawn in. But again, I often run into the problem of their perk allocation being undesirable. The absolute RNG of this system seems more fitting of a roguelike. Not a game you could sink dozens of hours into for a single campaign.
If I were to rework companion recruitment as it stands...
- Smiths could be hired/bartered from smithys in towns.
- Traders could be hired/bartered from market places in towns.
- Scouts/Warriors could be hired from mercenary captains in taverns in towns.
- Rogues could be hired/bartered out of the criminal underworlds of towns.
- Surgeons/Engineers are more specialized roles likely to be found in the service of nobles. They could be hired/bartered out of keeps. Engineers could plausibly be recruited out of wood workshops too. I suppose they were making wagons or something.
Although this does streamline the companion process, we don't have to get rid of tavern travelling companions either. Although I would make the new tavern travelling companions quite rad. These would be epic party leading companions with high tactics, leadership, steward and combat prowess. Requiring a lot of gold or a quest to recruit, or possibly both. Practically hireable nobles you could eventually one day recruit into your clan. These new tavern travelling companions would be like level 25 or something crazy and totally badass. These new tavern travelling companions would be iconic and available in each playthrough with their own backstories and dialogue to add like the old Heroes of Warband.
But having the customizability for some generic companions would just be huge QOL for players. If you actually wanted to play a merchant prince and have all your companions running caravans, it would be nice to get companions who are even mildly competent for that role. Instead we are just left frustrated that our seed has 0 "Swift" or "Spicevendor" companions over and over again. Or if you just want to have a well-balanced party with desirable perks, you don't have to worry about rerolling seeds until the stars align.