How to Earn Gold in Bannerlord Online – Best Strategies for Profit

introduction

Gold is the lifeblood of your success in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord Online. Whether you're recruiting powerful troops, upgrading your equipment, or investing in workshops and caravans, having a steady flow of gold is essential. However, making money in Bannerlord Online isn’t always straightforward, and many players struggle to find the most efficient and profitable ways to build their wealth.

In this guide, we’ll break down the best strategies to earn gold fast in Bannerlord Online. From trading and caravans to combat, looting, tournaments, and smithing, we’ll cover the most effective methods to help you maximize your profits and build your fortune. Whether you're a beginner looking for easy gold-making tips or an experienced player aiming to optimize your income, this guide has you covered.

Let’s dive into the top money-making methods in Bannerlord Online and turn you into a financial powerhouse!

Trading & Caravans – The Most Profitable Gold-Making Method

One of the fastest and most reliable ways to earn gold in Bannerlord Online is through trading and caravans. The in-game economy is dynamic, meaning that supply and demand fluctuate across different cities. Smart traders who buy low and sell high can make massive profits by transporting high-demand goods between regions.

Choosing the Best Trade Goods

Not all goods are equally profitable, so it’s crucial to know which items yield the best returns. Some of the most profitable trade goods include:

Horses – Highly valued, especially in faction wars.
Grain & Food Supplies – Always in demand in war-torn areas.
Iron Ore & Hardwood – Essential for smithing and crafting.
Silk & Spices – Luxury goods that sell for high prices in distant cities.

Finding Profitable Trade Routes

To maximize profits, you need to understand which regions produce certain goods cheaply and where they are in high demand. Here are a few profitable trade routes to consider:

Aserai lands → Buy spices and silk, then sell them in the Empire cities.
Khuzait region → Purchase horses at low prices and sell them in Vlandia or Battania.
Vlandia & Sturgia → Buy iron ore and transport it to the Empire for smithing profits.

How to Start a Caravan

Caravans offer passive income, allowing you to earn gold while focusing on other activities. Here’s how to set one up:

Find a Merchant NPC in a town and pay 15,000 gold to start a caravan.
Hire strong guards to protect it from bandits and enemy factions.
Let the caravan operate on its own while you continue adventuring.

Risks & How to Protect Your Caravans

While caravans can be highly profitable, they also come with risks. Bandits and rival factions may attack your trade routes, leading to potential losses. To minimize risks:

Choose neutral or friendly territories for your trade routes.
Hire experienced troops as caravan guards.
Avoid running caravans during active wars.

By mastering trading and caravans, you can generate steady, long-term gold income and build your financial empire in Bannerlord Online.

Workshops – Passive Gold Income for Long-Term Profit

If you’re looking for a steady and passive way to earn gold in Bannerlord Online, investing in workshops is one of the best long-term strategies. Unlike trading or battles, which require active involvement, workshops generate consistent income over time with minimal effort. However, choosing the right workshop in the right location is crucial for maximizing profits.

Best Workshops to Buy and Where to Place Them

Not all workshops are equally profitable. The key is to match the workshop type with local resource availability to ensure a steady supply of raw materials at lower costs. Here are some of the best workshop choices:

Breweries – Best in towns with an abundant supply of grain (e.g., Vlandia, Battania).
Tanneries – Profitable in regions that produce hides and leather (e.g., Sturgia, Aserai).
Smithies – Work well in towns near iron ore sources (e.g., Empire cities, Sturgia).
Silk Weaving Workshops – Best in areas that produce raw silk (e.g., Khuzait and Aserai regions).

How to Manage and Optimize Workshop Profits

Once you purchase a workshop (costing around 13,000–15,000 gold), it will start producing goods automatically. However, to ensure maximum profits, consider these tips:

Pick a town that produces the raw materials needed for the workshop.
Monitor workshop earnings – if profits are low, consider switching to a different type.
Avoid workshops in towns that are frequently attacked or besieged, as war can disrupt income.

Comparing Workshops vs. Caravans – Which Is More Profitable?

Both workshops and caravans offer passive income, but they have different benefits:

Workshops – Low risk, steady income, but slower profits.
Caravans – Higher earnings potential, but riskier due to raids.

For a balanced gold-making strategy, it's best to invest in both. Use workshops for stable daily income and caravans for high-risk, high-reward trading.

When to Sell or Change Your Workshop

If your workshop isn’t making enough gold (less than 100–200 gold per day), it may be time to:

Convert it into a more profitable type (e.g., switch from a tannery to a brewery).
Sell it and reinvest in a better location with more resource availability.

By strategically choosing and managing workshops, you can enjoy passive income that grows over time, giving you more gold to expand your army, upgrade gear, or fund new ventures in Bannerlord Online.

Combat & Looting – Fast Gold Through Battles

If you prefer action-packed gameplay, earning gold through combat and looting is one of the fastest ways to build wealth in Bannerlord Online. Every battle, whether against bandits, enemy lords, or rival factions, offers an opportunity to make quick gold through loot, ransoms, and faction rewards. Mastering this method can turn you into a battle-hardened warrior with a fortune to match.

Fighting Bandits & Raiding Villages for Quick Cash

One of the easiest ways to earn gold early in the game is by hunting bandits and raiding caravans or villages. Here’s how to maximize profits:

Target looters and sea raiders – They drop valuable loot that can be sold for a profit.
Attack enemy caravans – High-risk, but rewards include trade goods and ransoms.
Raid enemy villages – If you're at war, raiding can provide fast cash but may cause long-term diplomatic issues.

Becoming a Mercenary or Vassal for Faction Payments

If you don’t want to operate alone, joining a faction as a mercenary or vassal can provide consistent income. Here’s how it works:

Mercenaries get paid per battle, making it a great option for war-focused players.
Vassals receive fiefs and land, generating passive income through taxes.
Fighting for a kingdom grants access to siege loot, captured towns, and faction rewards.

Selling Prisoners – Best Ways to Profit from Captives

After battles, you’ll often capture enemy troops, lords, and bandits. Instead of letting them go, you can sell them for a profit:

Take prisoners to a town tavern and sell them for instant gold.
Keep valuable lords as hostages – They can be ransomed for high payouts.
Recruit some prisoners into your army to save money on troop recruitment.

Looting & Selling Equipment from Battles

Every battle yields weapons, armor, and trade goods that can be sold for gold. To maximize profits:

Sell lower-tier weapons and armor at the nearest town.
Keep high-tier gear to equip your troops or sell in wealthier cities for better prices.
Disassemble cheap weapons in the smithy to gain materials for crafting high-value weapons.

By mastering combat and looting, you can build a battle-hardened army while earning steady gold from loot, ransoms, and faction payments. This strategy is perfect for players who enjoy fighting their way to fortune in Bannerlord Online.

Arena Tournaments & Betting – Risky but Rewarding

If you're confident in your combat skills, participating in arena tournaments and betting on yourself can be a thrilling and profitable way to earn gold in Bannerlord Online. While it's not the most consistent money-making method, tournaments offer high-value rewards, and with the right strategies, you can turn betting into a steady income source.

How to Join Tournaments and Win Valuable Equipment

Tournaments are held in major cities, allowing warriors to prove their strength in 1v1 duels, team fights, and free-for-all battles. To enter:

Visit a town with an active tournament (check the arena).
Sign up and prepare for multiple rounds of combat.
Use fast weapons and good positioning to gain an edge over opponents.
Win the final round to claim valuable prizes, such as high-tier armor or weapons.

Betting Strategies for Maximum Gold Profit

One of the best ways to maximize earnings from tournaments is by betting on yourself. The more rounds you win, the higher your betting payouts. Here’s how to optimize your winnings:

Place the maximum bet (if confident in your skills) before each round.
Use agile weapons like spears and swords for better control.
Practice against different weapon types to adapt to any matchup.

Winning all rounds and betting wisely can earn you thousands of gold per tournament, making this a high-risk, high-reward strategy.

Best Cities for High-Stake Tournaments

While tournaments are available across the map, some cities offer better rewards and larger betting pools. Consider competing in:

Empire cities – Often feature high-tier armor or horses as rewards.
Vlandian towns – Great for earning powerful melee weapons.
Aserai regions – Occasionally provide warhorses, which can be sold for a fortune.

Selling Tournament Rewards for Extra Gold

If you win a valuable piece of armor, weapon, or horse, you can:

Equip it to improve your character’s strength.
Sell it in wealthy towns to get the best price.
Save rare items for future use or trade.

By mastering arena combat and strategic betting, you can earn quick gold while sharpening your skills. Though tournaments come with risks, a skilled fighter can turn them into a reliable source of wealth in Bannerlord Online.

Smithing & Crafting – Profitable but Time-Consuming

If you're looking for one of the most lucrative ways to make gold in Bannerlord Online, then smithing and crafting can be an incredibly profitable venture. While it requires significant time and resource investment, mastering the art of blacksmithing allows you to create high-value weapons that can be sold for thousands of gold.

How to Level Up Smithing for High-Profit Weapons

To make smithing profitable, you need to increase your Smithing skill. Here’s how to do it efficiently:

Smelt down looted weapons – This provides crafting materials and levels up your skill.
Forge basic weapons frequently – Even lower-tier weapons help improve your proficiency.
Invest in Smithing perks – Unlock perks that reduce stamina usage and improve crafting efficiency.
Complete Smithing orders – Townspeople often request custom weapons, offering huge payouts.

Best Materials to Use for Crafting Expensive Weapons

Crafting powerful weapons requires rare and high-quality materials. Some of the best materials include:

Iron and Steel – Essential for crafting swords, axes, and polearms.
Fine Steel and Thamaskene Steel – Used for creating legendary weapons that sell for thousands.
Hardwood – Necessary for refining charcoal, which fuels the smithing process.

To save money, try to gather or buy raw materials at a low cost instead of purchasing refined materials.

Selling Custom Weapons for Maximum Profit

Once you have high Smithing skill and rare materials, you can forge and sell high-value weapons for huge profits. Here’s how to maximize your earnings:

Focus on crafting two-handed swords and polearms, as they often sell for the most gold.
Sell weapons in wealthy towns, where merchants have more gold to spend.
Take custom weapon orders, as they can sometimes offer thousands of gold for a single crafted item.

Managing Stamina and Workshop Orders for Efficiency

Smithing in Bannerlord Online requires stamina, which depletes with each action. To manage it effectively:

Rest in towns to regenerate stamina.
Use multiple companions with Smithing skill to share the workload.
Invest in the "Efficient Smith" perks to reduce stamina consumption.

Though smithing is time-consuming, it is one of the most profitable money-making methods in Bannerlord Online, allowing skilled players to earn huge amounts of gold from crafting and selling legendary weapons.

Conclusion

Earning gold in Bannerlord Online requires strategy, patience, and the right approach. Whether you prefer trading and caravans for long-term passive income, combat and looting for quick cash, or smithing and crafting for high-profit sales, there are plenty of ways to build your fortune.

For a balanced income, consider combining multiple methods:

Use workshops and caravans for steady, passive gold.
Engage in combat, tournaments, and looting for fast, action-packed earnings.
Invest in smithing for a high-reward but time-intensive profit stream.

By mastering these strategies, you’ll never struggle for gold again. Experiment with different methods, adapt to the game’s economy, and soon you’ll be one of the wealthiest players in Bannerlord Online!

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How to Earn Gold in Bannerlord Online – Best Strategies for Profit