Two Handed guide

Bannerlord v1.5.7 · checked 2026-11-12 · updated 2026-11-13

This guide explains what the Two Handed skill and every Two Handed perk really do: how your greatswords, great axes and two-handed maces hit harder and swing faster, what the captain, party-leader and governor halves give your troops and towns, and which perks behave differently from their tooltips. Game version v1.5.7. The battle rules (weapon speed, damage, armor, knockdown, morale) live in the SandBox module. NavalDLC extends the agent stats, agent damage (including the remaining momentum, how a two-handed swing cleaves through several enemies), battle morale, building construction, hit experience, wage and recruitment cost and armor and strike magnitude models, and extends and replaces parts of the party size limit models; its armor recompute still counts Vandal once. The tooltip marks the sea limits: Baptised in Blood (secondary) shows "Reduced effect at sea" and Thick Hides (secondary) shows "Land only". StoryMode extends the hit experience, party size limit and wage and recruitment cost models in the story campaign.

For exact formulas, edge cases and links to the game code, see the deep dives: Combat damage (damage perks, shield hits, armor penetration, speed bonus, knockdown, cleave), Combat agent stats (effective skill, swing speed, handling, weapon damage, troop health, arrow deflection), Battles (battle morale, combat XP, garrison XP), Party and map (wages, recruitment cost, party and prisoner limits), Settlements (construction) and Characters and politics (hero hit points).

Each perk has two halves. The primary half usually helps you personally; the secondary half helps others when you hold a role: captain (troops in the formation you lead in battle, not counting yourself), party leader (your whole party) or governor (the settlement you govern, usually only while you are in it). The verdict after each half says how the code compares with the tooltip:

works: does what the tooltip says, or more; broader effects are noted.
differs: narrower, different or extra conditions or values compared with the tooltip.
unused: never read by the game.
ui_only: only shown in the interface.

No Two Handed perk is unused or ui_only.

What unlocks what

You pick one perk of each pair. Tiers 6 and 10 have a single perk.

Two Handed	Perk A	Perk B
25	Strong Grip: +10% handling with two-handed weapons	Wood Chopper: +30% damage to shields with two-handed weapons
50	Head Basher: +10% damage with two-handed axes and maces	On the Edge: +3% swing speed with two-handed weapons
75	Baptised in Blood: +5 XP to your party's infantry for each two-handed kill	Show of Strength: two-handed swings ignore 30 points of knockdown resistance
100	Beast Slayer: +50% damage to mounts with two-handed weapons	Shield breaker: +40% damage to shields with two-handed weapons
125	Berserker: +20% two-handed damage below half health	Confidence: +15% two-handed damage above 90% health
150	Projectile Deflection: block arrows with a two-handed sword	—
175	Hope: +30% morale boost for your side from your two-handed kills	Terror: +20% morale shock for the enemy from your two-handed kills
200	Reckless Charge: +20% speed bonus with two-handed weapons on foot	Thick Hides: +5 hit points
225	Blade Master: +10% damage with two-handed weapons	Vandal: +25% armor penetration with your attacks
250	Way Of The Great Axe: +0.2% attack speed and +0.5% damage per Two Handed point above 250	—

The second half of each perk is described in its section below.

"Two-handed weapon" means a weapon whose skill is Two Handed: two-handed swords, axes and maces. Two-handed polearms use Polearm and do not count, except for Baptised in Blood.

How the damage perks add up

Most Two Handed perks add a percentage to the damage of a hit. They all go into one sum:

Damage after perks = damage of the hit × (1 + all SandBox percentages added together) × (1 + all NavalDLC percentages added together)

Damage of the hit: the damage after armor, before any perk.
SandBox percentages: every damage perk of this guide, plus One Handed, Polearm, Riding, Engineering and other perks that apply to the same hit, and your formation banner. They add, they do not multiply each other.
NavalDLC percentages: Mariner perks and other naval terms, applied on top.

So Blade Master +10% and Confidence +15% on the same hit add together; neither multiplies the other.

Two Handed 25: Strong Grip or Wood Chopper

Strong Grip

Primary (works): +10% handling with a two-handed weapon.
Secondary, captain (works): +30 Two Handed skill to troops in your formation who are on foot (whose character has no horse). This is real effective skill: it raises the two-handed damage and speed those troops get from their skill. It adds to Phalanx (Polearm) and Flexible Fighter (Throwing) when those apply.

Worked example. An infantry troop with Two Handed 100, in a formation whose captain (someone else) has Strong Grip:

An infantry troop on foot with Two Handed 100 in a formation whose captain (another character) has Strong Grip. Inputs: skill value 100.

Step	Source	Stage	Change	Running value
Base	Character skill value	base		100.0000
1	Strong Grip	add	+30.0000	130.0000
Result	Agent effective skill in battle			130.0000

With these inputs, agent effective skill in battle is 130.0000.

The troop now fights as if it had Two Handed 130; see the damage example under Skill effects.

Wood Chopper

Primary (works): +30% damage to shields with a two-handed weapon. It counts when your blow is blocked by a shield (it raises the damage the shield takes) and when you hit a shield carried on someone's back (there it raises the damage to the person, broader than the tooltip).
Secondary, captain (differs): +15% to the same hits by troops in your formation, but only troops swinging a two-handed weapon get it; the tooltip says every troop in the formation.

Wood Chopper and Shield breaker (Two Handed 100) add together on the same hit.

Two Handed 50: Head Basher or On the Edge

Head Basher

Primary (works): +10% damage with two-handed axes and two-handed maces. Two-handed swords do not get it.
Secondary, captain (works): +2% damage by troops in your formation who fight on foot. It works with any weapon, bows and crossbows included, so on-foot archers get it too (broader than the tooltip's "infantry").

On the Edge

Primary (works): +3% swing speed with a two-handed weapon.
Secondary, captain (works): +2% swing speed to on-foot troops in your formation holding any melee weapon, not only two-handed ones.

Swing speed = 0.93 × (1 + 0.0006 × Two Handed) × (1 + mounted penalty) × (1 + all perk percentages added together)

0.93: the starting swing speed of every agent.
0.0006 × Two Handed: the Two handed weapon speed skill effect at your effective Two Handed.
Mounted penalty: the Riding penalty while mounted (it never becomes a bonus); 0 on foot.
Perk percentages: On the Edge, Blade Master (captain), Way Of The Great Axe and the swing perks of other skills that apply.

Worked example. A hero on foot with Two Handed 200 and On the Edge:

A hero on foot swinging a two-handed weapon with effective Two Handed 200, with On the Edge and no captain speed perk. Inputs: skill 200.

Step	Source	Stage	Change	Running value
Base	Melee swing speed multiplier	base		0.9300
1	Two handed weapon speed	factor +12%	+0.1116	1.0416
2	On the Edge	factor +3%	+0.0312	1.0728
Result	Melee swing speed multiplier			1.0728

With these inputs, melee swing speed multiplier is 1.0728.

Two Handed 75: Baptised in Blood or Show of Strength

Baptised in Blood

Primary (works): each time you kill an enemy with a two-handed weapon, every infantry stack in your party (not heroes) gets 5 XP per troop in it. Two-handed swords, axes, maces and two-handed polearms count (broader than the tooltip). Your party needs regular troops in it.
Secondary, party leader (works): +5% combat XP for the non-ranged troops of your party. The tooltip says "after every battle"; the game raises the XP of every hit they land, which is how battle experience is earned, and the tooltip shows "Reduced effect at sea" for it. See XP per hit.

Show of Strength

Primary (differs): the tooltip says +0.3%, but the game adds 0.3 to a resistance that runs from 0 to 1: your swings with a two-handed weapon that can knock down ignore 30 percentage points of the victim's knockdown resistance. The game compares penetration with the victim's knockdown resistance, so more penetration means more knockdowns. It adds to the leg-hit bonus of a swing. Reduced effect at sea, as the tooltip shows.
Secondary, party leader (works): −20% recruitment cost of infantry troops. The game checks the hero who pays, not only a party leader (broader than the tooltip). A recruit still costs at least 1.

Two Handed 100: Beast Slayer or Shield breaker

Beast Slayer

Primary (works): +50% damage to horses and other mounts with a two-handed weapon. Hits on the rider do not count.
Secondary, captain (differs): +10% damage to mounts by troops in your formation, but only troops swinging a two-handed weapon get it; the tooltip says every troop.

Shield breaker

Primary (works): +40% damage to shields with a two-handed weapon, with the same rule as Wood Chopper: shield damage when a shield blocks you, damage to the person when you hit a shield on their back.
Secondary, captain (differs): +10% to the same hits by troops in your formation, but only troops swinging a two-handed weapon; the tooltip says every troop.

Two Handed 125: Berserker or Confidence

Berserker

Primary (works): +20% damage with a two-handed weapon while you have less than half of your hit points.
Secondary, governor (works): −10% wages of the garrison in the town or castle you govern, while you are in it.

Confidence

Primary (works): +15% damage with a two-handed weapon while you have more than 90% of your hit points.
Secondary, governor (works): +30% daily construction power in the settlement you govern, while you are in it, when the building at the front of the construction queue is a military project. See Daily construction power.

Two Handed 150: Projectile Deflection

Primary (works): lets you block arrows and other projectiles with a two-handed sword. The game turns this ability on for hero agents when they spawn in battle.
Secondary, governor (works): +10% XP to the garrison of the settlement you govern, while you are in it. It raises both the daily garrison XP (from Training Fields, Drills and Raise The Meek) and the XP garrison troops earn per hit in battle. See Daily garrison XP.

Two Handed 175: Hope or Terror

When a troop falls, its side loses battle morale and the killer's side gains some. These perks scale those changes when you make the kill with a two-handed weapon.

Hope

Primary (works): +30% to the morale your side gains from your two-handed kills. It adds to Make a Difference (Leadership) and the morale banner. See the worked example in Battles.
Secondary, party leader (works): +5 party size limit.

Terror

Primary (works): +20% to the morale the enemy loses from your two-handed kills. It adds to Annoying Buzz and Thunderous Charge (Riding), Heroic Leader (Leadership) and the other morale-shock perks. Player-controlled agents never lose this morale.
Secondary, party leader (works): +10 prisoner limit.

Two Handed 200: Reckless Charge or Thick Hides

Reckless Charge

Primary (works): +20% to the speed bonus of your swings and thrusts with a two-handed weapon while on foot. The speed bonus is the extra force a hit gets from you moving into your target; the perk adds nothing when you stand still.
Secondary, captain (differs): two separate bonuses for troops in your formation:
- +2% damage for troops fighting on foot, with any weapon, ranged included (works, broader than the tooltip's "infantry").
- +2% movement speed, but only for troops without a shield in their off hand; the tooltip has no shield condition. There is no on-foot test for this part.

Thick Hides

Primary (works): +5 maximum hit points. When you unlock the perk you also get +5 current hit points at once.
Secondary, party leader (works): +5 hit points to the troops of your party (not heroes) when they spawn in battle. Land only, as the tooltip shows. Any troop type gets it. See Max health.

Two Handed 225: Blade Master or Vandal

Blade Master

Primary (works): +10% damage with a two-handed weapon.
Secondary, captain (works): +2% swing speed and +2% thrust and ready speed to on-foot troops in your formation holding any melee weapon.

Vandal

Primary (works): your attacks ignore 25% of the armor on the body part you hit. It works with every weapon, not only two-handed ones. With NavalDLC active the game recomputes this armor step, and Vandal is still counted once. It adds to the other armor-penetration perks (Bodkin, Puncture, Weak Spot and others) that apply to the same hit. See Adjusted armor.
Secondary, captain (works): +20% damage against destructible objects by troops in your formation. There is no on-foot test, so mounted troops get it too (broader than the tooltip's "infantry").

Two Handed 250: Way Of The Great Axe

Primary (works): for every point of Two Handed above 250, +0.2% swing speed and +0.2% thrust and ready speed with a two-handed weapon.
Secondary (works): for every point of Two Handed above 250, +0.5% damage with a two-handed weapon. Despite being the second half, it is yours, not a role bonus.

Both halves count your own Two Handed skill, not the effective skill a captain's Strong Grip gives you.

Skill effects

Your Two Handed skill itself does two things, whether or not you have perks. Both use your effective Two Handed in battle (your skill plus captain bonuses such as Strong Grip) and only apply while you wield a two-handed weapon.

Two handed weapon damage (works): +0.16% damage per point. It multiplies the force of your blow before armor.
Two handed weapon speed (works): +0.06% swing speed and +0.06% thrust and ready speed per point.

Weapon damage multiplier = 1 + 0.0016 × effective Two Handed

Effective Two Handed: your skill plus captain bonuses, as in the Strong Grip example.

Worked example. The Two Handed 100 troop under a Strong Grip captain fights at effective skill 130:

The same troop swinging a two-handed weapon with effective Two Handed 130. Inputs: skill 130.

Step	Source	Stage	Change	Running value
Base	Agent weapon damage multiplier	base		1.0000
1	Two handed weapon damage	factor +20.8%	+0.2080	1.2080
Result	Agent weapon damage multiplier			1.2080

With these inputs, agent weapon damage multiplier is 1.2080.

The skill level also sets the inaccuracy of melee weapons with a wide grip: it starts at 1 and falls by 0.01 per point of the weapon's skill, never below 0.

What the skill level itself does

The game also reads your Two Handed level directly, without any perk. Effects that depend on any skill level are listed once in the skills guide.

What it affects	What the level does	Level needed	Conditions	Verdict
Agent AI combat level	A soldier's melee combat AI level is their melee skill ÷ 300 × the difficulty setting, kept between 0 and 1. The skill is the primary weapon's (One Handed, Two Handed or Polearm; other weapons count as One Handed; Athletics with no weapon). The game engine uses the level.	—	—	works
Agent AI combat level	A soldier's ranged combat AI level is the skill of their primary weapon (One Handed, Two Handed, Polearm, Bow, Crossbow or Throwing; Athletics with no weapon) ÷ 300 × the difficulty setting, kept between 0 and 1. The game engine uses the level.	—	—	works
Wielded weapon inaccuracy	A wide-grip melee weapon's inaccuracy is 1 − 0.01 × skill (at least 0). A sling's is 1 − 0.007 × skill, at least 0.2.	Only wide-grip melee weapons and slings; no minimum skill	Item: melee weapon	works
Ranged max movement accuracy penalty	A ranged weapon's movement accuracy penalty is 0.125 × (1 − weapon skill ÷ 500), at least 0. Mounted it is 0.025 × (1 − weapon skill ÷ 500) × (1 − Riding ÷ 1800).	—	Item: ranged weapon	works
Ranged max unsteady accuracy penalty	A ranged weapon's unsteady accuracy penalty is 0.1 × (1 − weapon skill ÷ 500), at least 0. Mounted it is 0.12 × (1 − weapon skill ÷ 500) × (1 − Riding ÷ 1800).	—	Item: ranged weapon	works
Ranged aim unsteady begin time	Per skill point the aim holds steady longer: 0.01 for throwing weapons, 0.01 × a factor between 2 and 4 for bows, 0.064 for slings, 0.005 for wide-grip melee weapons.	—	—	works
AI clan hero score for leading a new lord party	AI clans pick who leads a new lord party by the score 3 × Tactics + 2 × Leadership + Scouting + Steward + One Handed + Two Handed + Polearm + Riding (raw levels of the candidate).	—	—	works
Hero can equip item	A hero can equip an item only if their level in the item's skill (a weapon skill, or Riding for horses) meets the item's difficulty. Captain and party bonuses do not count.	Skill at least the item's difficulty	—	works
Hero counts as a combatant	A hero counts as a combatant if any of the six weapon skills is 100 or more. A non-combatant clan companion cannot enter tournaments; AI clans use it to pick party leaders and rate clan strength.	Any weapon skill at 100 or more	—	works
Player may take an issue's quest	You cannot take an issue's quest while all six weapon skills are low (other conditions also apply).	At least one weapon skill at 50 or more	Hero: main hero	works
NPC hero may enter a fight tournament	An NPC hero (including your clan's companions, not you) can enter a fight tournament only with enough melee skill.	The better of One Handed and Two Handed at 100 or more	—	works
Score of a participant in a simulated tournament	In tournaments you do not attend, an AI participant's score adds 0.01 × the best of One Handed, Two Handed and Polearm, scaled by the hero's own factor.	—	—	works
Daily chance a town starts a tournament	Each day, every hero without a party in a town adds 0.1 to the chance the town starts a tournament if their best of One Handed and Two Handed is above 100.	The better of One Handed and Two Handed above 100	Settlement: town	works
Simulated tournament attack power	Each non-shield weapon's part of a simulated attack power is multiplied by 0.3 + 0.7 × the weapon's skill ÷ 300.	—	Mission: tournament	works

Who the perks work for

Who counts as you, a relative or a wanderer, and why some halves skip one of them, is explained in the Skills guide.

Every other Two Handed perk half and skill effect works for every hero: you, relatives and wanderers.

Perk	Half	Works for	Where the hero has to be
Berserker	secondary	relatives and wanderers, not you	governor
Confidence	secondary	relatives and wanderers, not you	governor
Projectile Deflection	secondary	relatives and wanderers, not you	governor

All effects at a glance

Every effect site of the Two Handed perks, skill effects and skill level. Values are what each site applies; a value that grows with skill is shown at the perk's required skill (skill effects and skill levels: per skill point). ×N marks N identical sites.

Perk	Half	Game number	Stage	Value	Conditions	Verdict
Strong Grip	primary	Melee weapon handling multiplier	factor	+10%	Item: two handed weapon; role: personal	works
Strong Grip	secondary	Agent effective skill in battle	add	+30	Role: captain; troops: on foot	works
Wood Chopper	primary	Blow damage after attacker amplifications	factor	+30%	Attack: shield hit; item: two handed weapon; role: personal	works
Wood Chopper	secondary	Blow damage after attacker amplifications	factor	+15%	Attack: shield hit; item: two handed weapon; role: captain	differs
Head Basher	primary	Blow damage after attacker amplifications	factor	+10%	Item: two handed axe or mace; role: personal	works
Head Basher	secondary	Blow damage after attacker amplifications	factor	+2%	Role: captain; troops: on foot	works
On the Edge	primary	Melee swing speed multiplier	factor	+3%	Item: two handed weapon; role: personal	works
On the Edge	secondary	Melee swing speed multiplier	factor	+2%	Item: melee weapon; role: captain; troops: on foot	works
Baptised in Blood	primary	XP granted to party troops by an event	add	+5	Attack: killing blow; hero: not hero; item: two handed weapon class; role: personal; troops: infantry	works
Baptised in Blood	secondary	Combat XP from one hit	factor	+5%	Role: party leader; troops: melee	works
Show of Strength	primary	Knockdown penetration	add	+0.3	Attack: swing; item: two handed weapon; role: personal	differs
Show of Strength	secondary	Troop recruitment cost	factor	-20%	Role: party leader; troops: infantry	works
Beast Slayer	primary	Blow damage after attacker amplifications	factor	+50%	Item: two handed weapon; role: personal; victim: mount	works
Beast Slayer	secondary	Blow damage after attacker amplifications	factor	+10%	Item: two handed weapon; role: captain; victim: mount	differs
Shield breaker	primary	Blow damage after attacker amplifications	factor	+40%	Attack: shield hit; item: two handed weapon; role: personal	works
Shield breaker	secondary	Blow damage after attacker amplifications	factor	+10%	Attack: shield hit; item: two handed weapon; role: captain	differs
Berserker	primary	Blow damage after attacker amplifications	factor	+20%	Health: below half; item: two handed weapon; role: personal	works
Berserker	secondary	Party daily wage	factor	-10%	Party: garrison; role: governor; settlement: fortification	works
Confidence	primary	Blow damage after attacker amplifications	factor	+15%	Health: above 0.9; item: two handed weapon; role: personal	works
Confidence	secondary	Daily construction power of a town or castle	factor	+30%	Role: governor	works
Projectile Deflection	primary	Agent flag - deflect arrows with two-handed sword	override	on	Hero: hero; role: personal	works
Projectile Deflection	secondary	Daily XP for garrison troops	factor	+10%	Party: garrison; role: governor	works
Projectile Deflection	secondary	Combat XP from one hit	factor	+10%	Party: garrison; role: governor	works
Hope	primary	Morale gain of the killer's side when an enemy agent falls	factor	+30%	Item: two handed weapon; role: personal	works
Hope	secondary	Party member size limit	add	+5	Role: party leader	works
Terror	primary	Morale loss of the casualty's side when an agent falls	factor	+20%	Item: two handed weapon; role: personal	works
Terror	secondary	Prisoner size limit	add	+10	Role: party leader	works
Reckless Charge ×2	primary	Attacker extra linear speed in strike magnitude	factor	+20%	Item: two handed weapon; role: personal; troops: on foot	works
Reckless Charge	secondary	Blow damage after attacker amplifications	factor	+2%	Role: captain; troops: on foot	works
Reckless Charge	secondary	Agent max movement speed multiplier	factor	+2%	Item: no offhand shield; role: captain	differs
Thick Hides	primary	Current hit points on perk unlock	add	+5	Role: personal	works
Thick Hides	primary	Maximum hit points	add	+5	Role: personal	works
Thick Hides	secondary	Agent max health at spawn	add	+5	Hero: not hero; role: party leader	works
Blade Master	primary	Blow damage after attacker amplifications	factor	+10%	Item: two handed weapon; role: personal	works
Blade Master	secondary	Melee swing speed multiplier	factor	+2%	Item: melee weapon; role: captain; troops: on foot	works
Blade Master	secondary	Thrust or ranged ready speed multiplier	factor	+2%	Item: melee weapon; role: captain; troops: on foot	works
Vandal ×2	primary	Victim armor after attacker penetration effects	factor	+25%	Role: personal	works
Vandal	secondary	Blow damage after attacker amplifications	factor	+20%	Attack: entity hit; role: captain	works
Way Of The Great Axe	primary	Melee swing speed multiplier	factor	+0.2% per point above 250	Item: two handed weapon; role: personal	works
Way Of The Great Axe	primary	Thrust or ranged ready speed multiplier	factor	+0.2% per point above 250	Item: two handed weapon; role: personal	works
Way Of The Great Axe	secondary	Blow damage after attacker amplifications	factor	+0.5% per point above 250	Item: two handed weapon; role: personal	works
Two handed weapon damage	—	Agent weapon damage multiplier	factor	+0.16% per point	Item: two handed weapon; role: personal	works
Two handed weapon speed	—	Melee swing speed multiplier	factor	+0.06% per point	Item: two handed weapon; role: personal	works
Two handed weapon speed	—	Thrust or ranged ready speed multiplier	factor	+0.06% per point	Item: two handed weapon; role: personal	works
Skill level (any skill)	—	Agent effective skill in battle	base	skill value	—	works
Skill level ×2	—	Agent AI combat level	base	min(1, max(0, skill / 300 × difficulty factor))	—	works
Skill level	—	Wielded weapon inaccuracy	override	set to 1 at skill 0, -0.01 per point, limit 0	Item: melee weapon	works
Skill level	—	Ranged max movement accuracy penalty	base	0.125 at skill 0, -0.00025 per point, limit 0	Item: ranged weapon	works
Skill level	—	Ranged max unsteady accuracy penalty	base	0.1 at skill 0, -0.0002 per point, limit 0	Item: ranged weapon	works
Skill level	—	Ranged aim unsteady begin time	add	+0.01 per point	—	works
Skill level	—	AI clan hero score for leading a new lord party	add	+3 × tactics skill + 2 × leadership skill + scouting skill + steward skill + onehanded skill + twohanded skill + polearm skill + riding skill	—	works
Skill level (any skill)	—	Skill a hero inherits on coming of age	base	+1 per point	—	works
Skill level (any skill)	—	Heir selection points of a clan member	add	+5	—	works
Skill level	—	Hero can equip item	override	off	—	works
Skill level	—	Hero counts as a combatant	override	on	—	works
Skill level (any skill)	—	Maximum troops lost on an issue's alternative solution	multiply	×max(0.2, min(0.8, trunc(issue required skill / skill) × 0.1))	Hero: player clan	works
Skill level (any skill)	—	Days an issue's alternative solution takes	add	+2 × min(10, trunc(issue required skill / skill))	Hero: player clan	works
Skill level (any skill)	—	Failure risk of an issue's alternative solution	add	-0.005 per point	Hero: player clan	works
Skill level (any skill)	—	Troops required for an issue's alternative solution	multiply	×max(0.2, min(1.2, issue required skill / skill))	Hero: player clan	works
Skill level (any skill)	—	Skill is high enough for a perk reset	override	on	Hero: player clan	works
Skill level (any skill)	—	Gold cost to reset the perks of a skill	add	+40 per point	Hero: player clan	works
Skill level	—	Player may take an issue's quest	override	off	Hero: main hero	works
Skill level (any skill)	—	Persuasion success multiplier	factor	min(0.2, floor(skill / 250) × 0.2)	Hero: main hero	works
Skill level	—	NPC hero may enter a fight tournament	override	off	—	works
Skill level	—	Score of a participant in a simulated tournament	add	+0.01 × hero factor × skill	—	works
Skill level	—	Daily chance a town starts a tournament	add	+0.1 × min(1, floor(skill / 101))	Settlement: town	works
Skill level	—	Simulated tournament attack power	multiply	×0.3 at skill 0, +0.002333 per point	Mission: tournament	works

Practical tips

Damage perks: Head Basher (axes and maces only), Confidence, Blade Master and Way Of The Great Axe add into one damage sum; the skill's own +0.16% per point multiplies the blow separately.
Berserker or Confidence: Confidence rewards staying healthy (above 90%), Berserker rewards fighting on when hurt (below half). As a governor, Confidence speeds up military buildings; Berserker cuts garrison wages.
Shields: Wood Chopper and Shield breaker add together on the same hit. As a captain they only help troops who also swing two-handed weapons.
Vandal or Blade Master: Vandal applies to every weapon you hold, including bows, lances and one-handed weapons; Blade Master applies only to two-handed weapons.
Captain of an infantry formation: Strong Grip (+30 skill) helps only two-handed troops on foot; Head Basher and Reckless Charge (damage) help every on-foot troop, archers included.
Reckless Charge as captain: if your formation carries shields, the movement part gives nothing; the +2% damage still applies to every on-foot troop.
Baptised in Blood trains your whole infantry from your kills, two-handed polearm kills included, but its secondary half shows "Reduced effect at sea" in the tooltip.
Thick Hides for your party does nothing at sea (land only, as the tooltip shows).