Mace

Bannerlord v1.4.8 · checked 2026-11-11 · updated 2026-11-12

This page answers two questions for the mace: which piece drives which stat, and which recipe gives the best result for each goal once you have unlocked pieces up to a given tier. The formulas were read out of the game's own code: they were recovered from v1.4.6 and compared method by method against v1.4.8, where none of the compared methods changed (some could only be compared by their headers; Value and price has the details). Rows labelled "NavalDLC" give the best result with NavalDLC active, which adds pieces and changes which pieces each weapon type can use; they are listed only where they beat the base game. On this page they use only base-game pieces and score higher because NavalDLC redefines sickle_handle_1. How smithing works in general is in the Crafting guide; the usage, grip and blade ranges in full are in Weapon templates.

Usage and damage

The mace has three slots, pommel, handle and blade; there is no guard. It has a single usage, Mace, with the one-handed grip: 27 blades in the base game, 28 with NavalDLC.

Pieces from the bottom up: Pommel, Handle, Blade.

Damage factor and stack size ranges cover every blade, NavalDLC ones included.

Example recipe:

Swing damage = swing strength × the blade's swing damage factor

• Swing strength: grows with the weight and with the square of the swing speed.
• Swing damage factor: a number on the blade, from 1.053 to 3.24.

Most blades have no thrust. Blunt damage counts 1.45 times as much as cut for the tier score, so a mace is worth more than a cut weapon with the same damage. The example recipe deals 62 blunt swing damage and is worth 11,089.

Which piece drives which stat

• Blade: sets the damage factors and the damage type, and decides whether the mace thrusts at all. It also counts most for difficulty.
• Handle: adds weight and length. The blade sits on top of it, so a longer handle means a longer mace.
• Pommel: adds weight but no length. The game counts it as if it sat past the blade tip when it works out handling, so a heavy pommel costs far more handling and swing speed than its real position would. Its appearance sets the value multiplier.
• Weight: all pieces added up. More weight means more swing strength, so more damage, but usually less speed and handling.

Best results from tier 1 to tier 5

• Swing damage: 22 with tier-1 pieces, 54 at tier 2, 58 at tier 3, 68 at tier 4, 72 at tier 5.
• Thrust damage: 0 at tier 1, where no recipe thrusts; 16 at tier 2 and 27 from tier 3.
• Swing speed: 106 at tier 1, rising to 116 from tier 4. NavalDLC gives 117, 120 and 122 from tiers 2, 3 and 4.
• Thrust speed: 93 at tier 1, rising to 98 from tier 4.
• Handling: 108 at tier 1, rising to 115 from tier 4. NavalDLC gives 115, 116 and 117 from tiers 2, 3 and 4.
• Length: 43 at tier 1, 89 at tier 2, 92 from tier 3.
• Weight (lightest): 1.4 kg at tier 1, 1 kg at tiers 2 and 3, 0.91 kg from tier 4.
• Value: 100 at tier 1, 926 at tier 2, 3,032 at tier 3, 11,353 at tier 4, 19,116 at tier 5.

Best recipes by highest piece tier

Each row is the best recipe for one goal using only pieces at or below that tier. The highest piece tier is the highest tier among the pieces you have unlocked for the mace.

Mace usage

All pieces at scale 100. Weight in kg.

Every recipe here has every piece at scale 100, the piece's default size. The scale slider changes weight and length, and with them the other stats; how it works is in Scaling a piece. What the solver research found about scale is in Getting the best weapon from your pieces.

Worked example. With tier-2 pieces your best swing damage is 54, with blade mace_head_25, handle mace_handle_17 and pommel aserai_pommel_4. With only tier-1 pieces the best is 22, from blacksmith_hammer_tip_1 on blacksmith_hammer_handle_1 with the same pommel.

Practical tips

• Tier 2 is the big step. Best swing damage more than doubles, from 22 to 54, and the best length goes from 43 to 89.
• aserai_pommel_4 for damage. It is the pommel in every best swing-damage recipe up to tier 4.
• sickle_handle_1 for speed. From tier 2 it is the handle in every best swing speed, thrust speed and handling recipe.
• NavalDLC helps swing speed and handling only. At tier 2 the NavalDLC swing speed row lists the same three pieces as the base-game row and still scores 117 against 111: NavalDLC redefines sickle_handle_1, so the same pieces give different stats.
• Blunt weapons are worth more. Blunt damage counts 1.45 times as much as cut for the tier score.