A great sequel to a great game. It is clearly incomplete but it is early access after all.
Pros
-graphics are a huge improvement from warband
-combat is smooth and satisfying
-early game is fun and difficult
-family system is awesome to have
-encyclopedia is as useful as it was in warband
-empire policies are sick
-army creation is very intuitive and useful

Cons
-late stage kingdom owning stage is less fun, after initial expansion, and just more tedious
-other kingdoms ages away from you will declare war on you for no reason other than being stronger.
-AI is too aggressive in Kingdom stage
-kingdom quest becomes stupid and boring after multiple play throughs. Should be considered a tutorial quest that you can opt out of
-clan joining kingdom system is plain bad. Weaker and disgruntled clans should come to you offering their sword.
-Tribute system being based off the balance of power is odd. It should be based off a combination of balance of power, number of wars each side is in, and most importantly successful sieges/casualties. Ex Why should my kingdom have to pay tribute to Sturgia when they hold no fiefs.
-poor optimization but has improved with every update

Ultimately great game that has the potential of being a generational game just like warband

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Edit: it's been some time since initial release. It pains me to do this but i just can't recommend this game. It has been 2 years since release and total conversion mods are still not readily available due to the sluggish roll out of mod tools. This is just unacceptable. I've been a M&B fan for 10 years but find myself preferring Warband to this game.
The campaign after 1 or 2 play troughs is just boring and has changed little since release. Sure they have added new features like dynamic battle maps but nothing that really makes you say wow. As it stands Bannerlord will never be what Warband was.
This is devastating for me to say as I am just such a big fan of this franchise, I hope the devs realize the importance of having mods for player retention.
Additionally CHANGE THE CHILD NATIONALITY BUG. How this stupid bug is still in the game is beyond me, it's so obvious that the nationality of your child should follow the player character or at least give the player an option.
Regardless, I am disappointed with the game 2 years in and don't recommend it for the price tag it is.

A great sequel to a great game. It is clearly incomplete but it is early access after all. Pros -graphics are a huge improvement from warband -combat is smooth and satisfying -early game is fun and difficult -family system is awesome to have -encyclopedia is as useful as it was in warband -empire policies are sick -army creation is very intuitive and useful Cons -late stage kingdom owning stage is less fun, after initial expansion, and just more tedious -other kingdoms ages away from you will declare war on you for no reason other than being stronger. -AI is too aggressive in Kingdom stage -kingdom quest becomes stupid and boring after multiple play throughs. Should be considered a tutorial quest that you can opt out of -clan joining kingdom system is plain bad. Weaker and disgruntled clans should come to you offering their sword. -Tribute system being based off the balance of power is odd. It should be based off a combination of balance of power, number of wars each side is in, and most importantly successful sieges/casualties. Ex Why should my kingdom have to pay tribute to Sturgia when they hold no fiefs. -poor optimization but has improved with every update Ultimately great game that has the potential of being a generational game just like warband ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Edit: it's been some time since initial release. It pains me to do this but i just can't recommend this game. It has been 2 years since release and total conversion mods are still not readily available due to the sluggish roll out of mod tools. This is just unacceptable. I've been a M&B fan for 10 years but find myself preferring Warband to this game. The campaign after 1 or 2 play troughs is just boring and has changed little since release. Sure they have added new features like dynamic battle maps but nothing that really makes you say wow. As it stands Bannerlord will never be what Warband was. This is devastating for me to say as I am just such a big fan of this franchise, I hope the devs realize the importance of having mods for player retention. Additionally CHANGE THE CHILD NATIONALITY BUG. How this stupid bug is still in the game is beyond me, it's so obvious that the nationality of your child should follow the player character or at least give the player an option. Regardless, I am disappointed with the game 2 years in and don't recommend it for the price tag it is.