Bannerlord Focus Points vs Attributes: Skill Caps
Short answer: one focus point raises a skill's learning limit by 30 and its maximum level by 40. One attribute point raises them by 10 and 14. So for the learning limit a focus point is worth three attribute points, and for the maximum level about 2.9. Use that ratio as your baseline when you spend points.
Version covered: v1.4.8 (released August 10, 2026; Steam announcement). On October 25, 2026 the official Steam news feed still showed v1.4.8 as the latest stable build, with v1.5.0 (announced August 19) as a beta.
A note on sources. The formulas and tables come from the Skills (Bannerlord) page on mountandblade.fandom.com (last edited May 26, 2026). It is a fan-run wiki, not an official one, and it states no game version. The page text also calls 330 the "soft cap", but its own formulas and tables make 330 the maximum level and 240 the learning limit. Because the formulas and tables agree with each other, this article follows them. Check the numbers in game.
Two caps: learning limit and maximum level
Per the wiki, how fast a skill rises depends on the focus points in that skill and the attribute points in its category. There are six categories (Vigor, Control, Endurance, Cunning, Social, Intelligence), with three skills each, 18 skills in total.
- Learning limit, the soft cap where growth slows: focus points × 30 + (attribute points − 1) × 10
- Maximum level, the hard cap: 4 + (attribute points − 1) × 14 + focus points × 40
Because of the "− 1", the first point in a category adds nothing to either formula. The base 4 in the maximum level formula stands in for it.
A commenter in a Steam discussion thread gives the hard limit as focus × 40 plus attribute × 14 − 10, which expands to the same formula. That is a user post, not an official figure.
Learning limit table (soft cap)
Rows are focus points on the skill, columns are attribute points in its category. I computed every cell from the formula and matched spot checks against the wiki's table (0 FP/1 point = 0, 2 FP/10 = 150, 5 FP/10 = 240, 3 FP/5 = 130, 4 FP/7 = 180).
| FP \ Attribute points | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 60 | 70 | 80 | 90 |
| 1 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 60 | 70 | 80 | 90 | 100 | 110 | 120 |
| 2 | 60 | 70 | 80 | 90 | 100 | 110 | 120 | 130 | 140 | 150 |
| 3 | 90 | 100 | 110 | 120 | 130 | 140 | 150 | 160 | 170 | 180 |
| 4 | 120 | 130 | 140 | 150 | 160 | 170 | 180 | 190 | 200 | 210 |
| 5 | 150 | 160 | 170 | 180 | 190 | 200 | 210 | 220 | 230 | 240 |
Maximum level table (hard cap)
| FP \ Attribute points | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 4 | 18 | 32 | 46 | 60 | 74 | 88 | 102 | 116 | 130 |
| 1 | 44 | 58 | 72 | 86 | 100 | 114 | 128 | 142 | 156 | 170 |
| 2 | 84 | 98 | 112 | 126 | 140 | 154 | 168 | 182 | 196 | 210 |
| 3 | 124 | 138 | 152 | 166 | 180 | 194 | 208 | 222 | 236 | 250 |
| 4 | 164 | 178 | 192 | 206 | 220 | 234 | 248 | 262 | 276 | 290 |
| 5 | 204 | 218 | 232 | 246 | 260 | 274 | 288 | 302 | 316 | 330 |
Both tables cover 0–5 focus points and 1–10 attribute points. The bottom-right cell, 5 FP and 10 points, gives a learning limit of 240 and a maximum level of 330.
What the tables tell you
- Two focus points with 4 attribute points match zero focus with 10 attribute points on learning limit (both 90). Maximum level is 126 versus 130. On learning limit, two focus points equal six attribute points.
- A skill with no focus points stops at a learning limit of 90 and a maximum level of 130, even with 10 attribute points. Spend focus points on your main skills before attributes.
- Attribute points are shared by the three skills in a category, while a focus point helps one skill only. If you want several main skills in one category, attributes are worth more. Bow and Throwing are both Control, for example.
What happens past the learning limit
The wiki says only that skills "upgrade more slowly" beyond the learning limit, with no numbers. A Steam commenter claims the real limit is fuzzy and can sit 25% or more higher, but that is an unconfirmed guess. So I can't say growth stops at the learning limit. Treat it as a guide.
The wiki also says one very large XP gain (a big trade profit, for example) can push past the cap, and gives a hard cap of 1023. Neither matters in normal play, so this article skips them.
What raises each skill (per the wiki)
Caps only matter if XP comes in. The wiki lists the working methods per category. It states no version, and it notes that Roguery from raiding villages "seems to be broken".
| Category | Skills | What earns XP |
|---|---|---|
| Vigor | One Handed, Two Handed, Polearm | Dealing damage with that weapon type in real combat only |
| Control | Bow, Crossbow, Throwing | Dealing damage in real combat. Throwing gains a lot from throwing stones and wildfire pots in sieges |
| Endurance | Riding, Athletics, Smithing | Riding: damage while mounted, moving on the map mounted. Athletics: damage on foot, moving on foot. Smithing: refining, smithing and smelting |
| Cunning | Scouting, Tactics, Roguery | Scouting: moving on the map as the Scout. Tactics: simulating battles and winning at bad odds. Roguery: selling captives at taverns, breaking nobles out of prison |
| Social | Charm, Leadership, Trade | Charm: improving relations with lords, successful barters. Leadership: assembling and using an army. Trade: buying and selling by rumors |
| Intelligence | Steward, Medicine, Engineering | Steward: owning a town, keeping the party fed and paid as Quartermaster. Medicine: acting as Surgeon with wounded troops. Engineering: building siege camps and engines, kills with siege weapons |
For Smithing, the wiki's tips say that forging high-DPS weapons and completing orders works best, and that a two-handed sword order can give 5+ levels in one craft. These are community tips with no stated level range or version.
Companion focus points
The Companions (Bannerlord) page says a companion's starting focus points total their level + 4, handed out one at a time to the skill with the highest "skill_value − learning_limit" score (learning limit = (attribute − 1) × 10 + focus × 30), with some randomness from "minor" skills. The wiki adds that companions with few skill points per level tend to waste 2–3 of their focus points on random minor skills. Companions with starting levels 8, 12 or 16 are listed as bugged, with one attribute point fewer. I could not confirm whether that bug remains in v1.4.8, so check attributes and focus points in the encyclopedia before hiring.
What I could not confirm
- How many focus and attribute points you get per level-up. Steam posts give figures that disagree with each other and I found no official statement, so none are listed here. Check the level-up screen in game.
- How much XP drops past the learning limit.
- Perks. The wiki says perks unlock every 25 skill levels, but their requirements and effects are outside this article.
Summary
Three points. First, a focus point adds 30 to the learning limit and 40 to the maximum level; an attribute point adds 10 and 14. Put focus points into main skills before attributes. Second, attribute points are shared by the three skills of a category, so they pay off most when you build around several skills from one category. Third, caps only matter if the skill earns XP, so check what feeds each skill.
Sources
- mountandblade.fandom.com — Skills (Bannerlord) (formulas, tables, XP methods, perks every 25 levels. Fan wiki, edited May 26, 2026, no version stated. Its prose calls 330 the soft cap, which conflicts with its tables, so the tables are used)
- mountandblade.fandom.com — Companions (Bannerlord) (companion starting focus points = level + 4, attribute note for levels 8/12/16. Fan wiki, edited May 26, 2026)
- Steam Community — discussion thread (corroborates the maximum level formula. User post, not official)
- TaleWorlds — WS v1.2.8 / BL v1.4.8 announcement (release date of v1.4.8. Official)
- Steam — Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord news (v1.4.8 as latest stable, v1.5.0 as beta. Official)
