It’s part of The Banner Saga 2’s tightrope routine. In a wise move, you can train more whenever you make camp, if you’ve civilians to spare. As for nameless fighters ‒ consisting of humans and varl ‒ they minimize casualties to clansmen in the text-heavy skirmishes. If the wounded don’t recuperate, they suffer penalties to their stats.

You need supplies, too, to restore morale at camp and heal injured characters. My kin were mere digits before, another incidental factor to keep above zero. The more clansmen in your party, the meatier the harvest. Clansmen now forage during your linear travels, bolstering daily provisions. The disparities between fighters and clansmen, for example, serve a greater purpose than they did amid The Banner Saga.

You’ll already have enough to manage without worrying whose head is on the chopping block. I wasn’t torn between bad outcomes and less-bad outcomes any time I blinked. I kissed allies goodbye left and right in The Banner Saga, whereas the sequel ‒ for the most part ‒ filled me with confidence. When not choosing between assumed life and oblivion, the dialogue shows mercy. Occasionally, you can consult with a member of your convoy about the current predicament, like asking a supposed witch to verify the identity of another. They take leave because the fate of civilization demands it.

They don’t part ways because they want to. I wish I could alter the game’s code to keep my strongest warriors ‒ and allies ‒ together. The Banner Saga 2 offers a real breaking-of-the-fellowship moment between Rook and his oldest comrade, and the emotional realization of the situation wouldn’t have hit me as hard if I jumped into this sequel without knowledge of the characters and what they’d overcome. Such paranoia makes scenes between good friends all the more precious. It grows tiring wondering who could backstab me next. I tallied one deified serpent, the darkness, a governor, mages, some horseborn, the king ‒ and don’t forget bandits, swamp men, dredge, or the cold. Without climax, the plot bends until it breaks while juggling too many villains. The cutoff for this campaign seems random and unfulfilling the closing battle brings questions, no answers. I felt livid, not relieved when the credits began their slow upward crawl. Me? I’m still bitter about The Banner Saga 2’s ending.

Split up to fight dredge and horseborn