All Console Commands & Cheats in Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord

To use cheats in Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord, you need to set cheat_mode = 1 in your engine_config.txt file (found in Documents/Mount and Blade II Bannerlord/Configs), then either use hotkey combos in battle or open the console with Alt + ~ on the campaign map. That’s the short version — everything below is organized by what you actually want to do, not alphabetically.

Bannerlord’s cheat system splits into two layers: keyboard shortcuts that fire immediately during combat or on the map, and text-based console commands for deeper manipulation of gold, troops, skills, and faction relationships. Both are covered here in full.

How to Enable Cheats in Bannerlord

This is the step most players miss, and skipping it means nothing else in this guide will work. The game ships with cheats disabled, and there’s no in-game toggle — you have to edit a config file directly.

Close Bannerlord completely before making this change. Then follow this path:

1. Open File Explorer and go to Documents → Mount and Blade II Bannerlord → Configs
2. Open engine_config.txt with Notepad or any text editor
3. Find the line that reads cheat_mode = 0
4. Change the 0 to a 1
5. Save the file and relaunch the game

That’s it. No mods required, no Steam launch options needed. The change applies to any save you load after that point.

One thing worth noting: hotkey cheats like CTRL + F4 work during active battles, while console commands operate on the campaign map. Open the console at any time on the map screen by pressing Alt + ~ (tilde). If the tilde key doesn’t respond, your keyboard layout may map it differently — try Alt + the key directly left of the number 1.

Fair warning: using cheats in a campaign disables achievements on that save. If you care about completing the achievement list, keep a separate save before enabling cheat mode.

Combat Cheats & Hotkeys

These shortcuts activate during battle scenes. They’re instant — no console needed.

CTRL + ALT + F4 is the one most players come here for — it ends any fight in seconds. Useful when you’re grinding clan renown and don’t want to sit through 40-minute siege battles. CTRL + Left Click on the campaign map doubles as one of the most practical movement tools in the game; crossing Calradia normally takes real-world minutes.

Economy & Resources Commands

Type these into the console (Alt + ~) on the campaign map. Replace the bracketed placeholders with your actual values — no brackets in the final command.

For campaign.give_item_to_main_party, the item ID needs to match the game’s internal naming exactly — things like iron, hardwood, or specific weapon IDs. If you’re unsure of an ID, the community-maintained Bannerlord item list on the game’s wiki is your fastest lookup. Spacing and capitalization in settlement names matter for campaign.give_settlement_to_player; Epicrotea works, epicrotea does not.

Army & Troop Management Cheats

Running a full army in Bannerlord without cheats means constant recruitment, wages, and attrition. These commands cut through that entirely.

Run campaign.give_troops_help first — it outputs the full ID list right in the console, so you don’t have to guess spellings. Troop IDs follow a pattern like imperial_elite_cataphract or vlandian_banner_knight. The number argument accepts any positive integer; community testing suggests values above 1000 can occasionally cause party size display glitches, though functionality remains intact.

Character & Progression Commands

Skill grinding in Bannerlord is notoriously slow. Leadership and Steward especially take dozens of in-game hours to develop naturally. These commands let you skip the grind entirely or fine-tune specific stats on any hero.

For campaign.add_skill_xp_to_hero, the skill name needs to match the in-game label exactly: Riding, Athletics, Leadership, Smithing, and so on. Hero names follow the same rule — use the name as it appears in your clan screen, with correct capitalization. If the command doesn’t fire, a typo in the hero name is almost always the culprit.

campaign.set_all_skills_main_hero 300 is the nuclear option for your own character — it maxes out every skill simultaneously. Useful for testing builds, less satisfying if you care about the progression arc.

Diplomacy & Faction Commands

These are among the most powerful commands in the game, and also the most likely to create unintended chaos. Calradia’s faction AI doesn’t always handle sudden war declarations or universal truces gracefully — save before experimenting.

campaign.start_world_war does exactly what the name implies — every kingdom declares on every other kingdom simultaneously. The resulting simulation can be genuinely interesting to watch play out, but it tends to destabilize the entire political map within a few in-game years. If you’re using it for entertainment rather than strategic purposes, consider doing it on a late-game save where the map is already settled.

campaign.start_player_vs_world_truce is the opposite problem-solver: if you’ve accidentally declared war on too many factions and can’t trade or recruit freely, this resets your diplomatic standing across the board. The effect is immediate and doesn’t require any in-game negotiation.

Faction names in campaign.declare_war use internal identifiers. The reliable format is: empire, vlandia, sturgia, aserai, khuzait, battania. Splitting the empire factions uses empire_s, empire_w, empire_n for Southern, Western, and Northern Empire respectively.

When Commands Don’t Work: Common Fixes

A few things account for the majority of “nothing happened” situations after typing a command:

• cheat_mode wasn’t saved properly — open engine_config.txt again and confirm the line reads exactly cheat_mode = 1 with no extra spaces
• Wrong console key — some keyboard layouts (especially non-US) map tilde differently; try Alt + the key to the left of your 1 key
• Capitalization in names — hero names and settlement names are case-sensitive in most commands
• Command used on wrong screen — hotkeys only work in battle; console commands only work on the campaign map
• Mods interfering — certain overhaul mods (Diplomacy mod, Harmony-based mods) can block or alter default console commands; test on a vanilla save first
• Outdated command syntax — as of the e1.2.x patch series, some older commands changed prefix from campaign to other namespaces; type help in the console to see the current full list for your installed version

The built-in help command is genuinely useful here. It outputs every available command for your current patch version, so if something in this guide doesn’t match what you see, that’s the fastest way to find the updated syntax.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Bannerlord cheats disable Steam achievements?

Yes. Enabling cheat_mode = 1 disables Steam achievements on that save file. Keep a separate save before making the config change if you’re pursuing the achievement list.

Can I use cheats in multiplayer?

No. Console commands and cheat hotkeys only function in single-player campaign mode. They have no effect in multiplayer sessions.

Do cheats work with mods installed?

Usually, but not always. Heavy overhaul mods can override or break certain commands. If a command isn’t working with mods active, test it on a vanilla (no mods) save to isolate the issue.

How do I find the correct item ID for campaign.give_item_to_main_party?

Type help give_item in the console for syntax reminders, then cross-reference with the Bannerlord community wiki’s item ID list for the exact string. Common crafting materials use simple names like iron, hardwood, charcoal, and steel.

Does changing cheat_mode affect existing saves?

The setting applies globally once changed — it affects any save you load after the config edit. There’s no per-save toggle built into the base game.

What’s the fastest way to get a full list of console commands in-game?

Open the console with Alt + ~ and type help. The game outputs every available command for your current version, which is the most reliable reference since it updates with patches.