The War Sails expansion for Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord revolves around ship combat and one way to improve your fleet is by using figureheads. While not every ship can equip one, you can get bonuses like increasing your crew’s health, decreasing enemy morale, and more. If you’re not sure how to get figureheads, I’ll explain how in this guide alongside other info like each one’s stats and what the best ones are.
You can either scroll down to continue reading this guide or click any of the links below to jump to the section you’re looking for!
- How to Get Figureheads in Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord
- All Figureheads in Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord
- Best Figureheads in Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord
How to Get Figureheads in Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord
Getting a figurehead in the War Sails expansion is a bit of a double-edged sword. The way to get them is simple, but they have a low chance of appearing. After putting over 100 hours into the expansion, I’ve learned it revolves around winning sea battles against other lords. For a while, people theorized that the culture of the figurehead you’re trying to get may be connected to which lords you’re fighting.
However, this doesn’t seem to be the case since I’ve gotten figureheads from lords that aren’t of the same culture. Such as getting the Viper while battling the Khuzaits. Fortunately, once you get one, you don’t have to do anything to actually acquire it. It doesn’t appear in your inventory or the after-battle loot. You’ll simply have it available to attach to any ship with a slot for it. Upon getting one, a green message will appear in the chat near the bottom left corner after your battle.
All Figureheads in Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord
I put together this section in case you’re trying to dig up information about each figurehead and aren’t able to check in-game at the moment. The table below includes each one, its culture, and the bonus/effect it gives. For those who may not know, if you get to level 275 Shipmaster, you’ll get the Commodore perk. This makes it so the flagship figurehead provides its bonus to all allied ships!
| All War Sails Figureheads | ||
| Figurehead Name | Culture | Effect |
| Boar | Battania | Crew armor +10% |
| Raven | Nord | Crew throwing weapon damage +10% |
| Deer | Sturgia | Oar force +15% |
| Saber Tooth Tiger | Vlandia | Archer armor penetration +10 |
| Dragon | Nord | Boarded enemy crew morale -5 |
| Sea Serpent | Nord | Fire damage resistance +40% |
| Hawk | Aserai | Crew ranged accuracy +15% |
| Siren | Sturgia | Boarded enemy crew melee damage -10% |
| Horse | Khuzait | Ship travel speed +10% |
| Swan | Empire | Sail force +10% |
| Lion | Vlandia | Crew battle morale +10 |
| Turtle | Sturgia | Crew shield hitpoints +40% |
| Oxen | Battania | Crew hitpoints +10 |
| Viper | Aserai | Ballista reload speed +25 |
| Ram | Empire | Ramming ship and morale damage +20% |
| Wings of Victory | Empire | Party battle experience +15% |
Best Figureheads in Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord
Picking the best figurehead depends on how you’re playing and what your current goals are. Here are some of my favorites for each situation:
- Trading: Horse for quicker ship travel speed if this applies to the overworld
- Boarding: Siren or Oxen
- Skirmishing at sea: Saber Tooth Tiger
- Leveling troops quicker: Wings of Victory
That’s just about everything there is to know about how the figureheads work in the War Sails expansion for Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord. If you’re looking for more guides here regarding the expansion, here are some worth checking out:
Jeff is a journalist with over 10 years of experience writing, streaming, and making content about video games. With an associate degree in journalism, he’s a sucker for RPGs, survival games, roguelikes, and more.