Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord is heading to the ocean with a Viking-themed naval expansion this summer

What's summer for if not heading to the nearest body of water and flinging yourself into it? But if you'd rather stay dry, you can instead send an army of hardened warriors into the sea in Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord's upcoming naval expansion, War Sails.

Now that the sea's being opened up, naturally that means we need a Viking-inspired faction. In this case, it's the Nords, a faction of "legendary seafarers and fierce close-quarters fighters" living in the Northern Kingdom. Expect lots of fjords and chilly mountains.

The trailer's got me frothing at the mouth to ram some ships and turn the ocean red, though hopefully we'll also see some proper in-game footage of these nautical brawls soon.

Here's everything that's been revealed so far:

• The new Nords faction, and their home, the Northern Kingdom.
• Naval warfare, complete with wind and water physics, boarding, ramming and all sorts of ship-themed mayhem.
• 18 ships with distinct handling, which can be upgraded with new sails, rams, siege engines and cosmetic flourishes.
• Traversable rivers.
• New companions, banners, tattoos, hairstyles, weapons and skills.
• A larger map with the northern sea, islands and rivers.

Alongside the expansion, you can expect a meaty free update, 1.3, and developer TaleWorlds has teased a slew of new features on the horizon, including stealth and disguises, new random events tied to the trait system, a parley mechanic, new weapon types and more things that will be revealed as we get closer to launch.

Having not played much Bannerlord since I had a great time reviewing it back in 2022, I'm keen to hop back when the expansion arrives on June 17. It's one-of-a-kind, a sandbox that lives up to the name, and while I didn't realise I needed some naval action, I'm now pretty giddy at the prospect of raising the sails and invading kingdoms from the sea.