Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 Beginner's Guide: Tips and Tricks

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is unforgiving to newcomers who are not accustomed to complex multi-layered projects, which can make the first few hours of the game daunting. We decided to prepare a guide with useful tips. They will help simplify the gameplay in the early stages and make your experience in the realistic Middle Ages more forgiving.

After a lengthy introduction, you'll find yourself in the open world in just your underwear. It's important to acquire some armor. Talk to the local village steward named Drozd, who will tell you about fresh graves nearby. You can buy a shovel from a trader in the same village. If you're short on cash, the easiest way is to quietly steal one at night. For example, an unclaimed shovel lies by the chapel in the cemetery in the eastern part of Troskovice.

With the shovel, go to the graves. After a dialogue with Drozd, a marker will appear on the map, but in general, they are located a bit south of the first village. The equipment on the corpses isn't great, but it's something. You can find a sword on the upper floor of the barn near the butcher. You'll have to steal it too, but it's very easy to do even during the day.

Also, right after the demonstrative punishment and quarrel with Jan, a beggar will call you. Don't neglect the dialogue, as she can tell you where things are located and share a few lockpicks for free.

We would recommend starting your journey with the quests of the blacksmith and miller. This will give Henry the necessary boost in both money and skills, as well as new equipment and a horse. Additionally, do not forget to visit Kot to get somewhat familiar with a sword or other weapons.

All saves are done through schnapps, which you have to obtain somewhere, but there's an easier way. Press "Save and Exit" in the main menu. This way you can do it for free. Additionally, schnapps can be crafted through alchemy, and you'll learn the recipe at the very beginning of the game. The recipe is quite simple, and all the ingredients can be found near the village.

At the beginning of the game, you can start working at the forge. It's a great way to earn money legally. There are other ways, such as starting to steal, but items will be marked as stolen for about 2 weeks. During any search, guards will try to confiscate them. Hide items in your personal chest, which is always by the bed considered yours. After two weeks, you can retrieve the items and sell them.

In the open world, there are fences for stolen goods, so you don't have to wait. Also, at level 20 of Speech, you can unlock the "Accomplice" perk to sell stolen goods to any trader immediately. In general, there are several activities in the game that can be considered work: forging, stealing, hunting and subsequent sale of skins and meat, dice games and fistfights, collecting and selling potions and herbs. All of this, of course, will require skill development, but this is how you can make money.

You will immediately receive many free skill points. But don't rush to allocate them. The game operates on the rule that you level up what you do most often. However, a new level of a characteristic only unlocks access to new perks. Wait until a sufficient number of improvements are unlocked, and then choose what to acquire.

The more you travel, the higher your "Survival" characteristic will be. This is one of the most necessary skill groups. In general, at the beginning of the game, you should first pay attention to perks that increase carrying capacity, prices from traders, and the speed of equipment breakdown. This will save you a lot of time and money.

The next step is to increase stamina and running speed. It will take a while before you find a horse, so it's useful to move quickly on foot. Pay attention to the perks of speech and drinking — they are extremely useful in side and story missions. Finally, the group of the most important skills is completed by fistfighting. At the beginning, you'll have to fight a lot with your fists, plus it will give you an advantage in fistfights for money.

In the player menu, you will be taught the costume system. These are three presets that you can quickly switch between. You should assemble a combat set with maximum protection, a communication set with maximum charisma, and a stealth suit in which you won't make noise. Note that blood and dirt affect the success of your dialogues. Regularly wash in tubs and take baths to wash off all the excess. Clothes can be repaired, washed in ponds, and baths. It's also important to do this from time to time. Free washing places are marked on the map.

Don't pay attention to which characteristic is your highest. Analyze who you are talking to and in what situation. Choose the answer that best fits the situation, not your parameters.

Success is influenced by clothing and reputation. For example, in dirty rags, you can't talk on equal terms with a rich person, and in heavy armor, it's easier to threaten bandits. Depending on the situation, the following responses will be available:

Fast travel is a blue icon with a wheel on the map. It is only available to places where Henry has already visited. There is also a second condition — no overload. When you reach another map, you can hire a carriage to return.

To learn everything related to theft and stealth, go to the miller. You will meet him, as well as the blacksmith, at the beginning of the game. It's better to steal at night. If you're afraid of failing in pickpocketing sleeping NPCs, use choking. This way, the NPC will live, and you can easily take the keys to all the chests in the house. However, there is a downside — you will be suspected of theft, and the guards will be more vigilant.

To win at dice, you need plaques and special dice. You can buy all of this from the innkeeper or steal from opponents. Plaques provide buffs for the game, and dice affect the frequency of certain combinations. Plan your combinations before the game. Some dice only show certain numbers, which can help. The most valuable are celestial and lucky ones, but they are not easy to find. It's better to save before each game to avoid losing money.

A horse is a very useful assistant. It not only reduces the time of your travels but also has its own inventory. To get it, start completing the blacksmith's tasks. As a result, with certain Speech skills, you can get a steed for free or almost free. Later, the horse can be exchanged or stolen. Each animal has its own basic characteristics, so inspect animals to find the best steed. Stolen horses can be sold at the gypsy camp, where you can also buy a stolen one for yourself.

Henry's dog is very useful, so it's worth finding him early. Moreover, you can level up your friendship with Mutt: the more loyal the dog is to you, the more actively he will participate in battles. This will help distract opponents if there are more than one. Mutt needs to be fed and occasionally allowed to sleep next to Henry, which will also improve him as a companion.

The sword master awaits you in the gypsy camp. At the beginning, Henry will meet a beggar woman who will tell him about Cat. He is the one you need. Cat will give many valuable tips and also level up your overall swordsmanship for 100 groschen.

Archery can be improved at the hunter in the west of the map. You can also participate in competitions there and enhance your skill.

Alchemy allows you to craft potions. In many quests, you will need to heal characters, so it's good to have a stock with you. Alchemy provides various buff options and additional income. Buy recipes whenever you can. Potions are divided into categories: the more accurately you follow the recipe, the higher the quality and better the effect.

Herbs can be dried, and meat can be cooked in a smokehouse. This automatically removes the freshness status. The worse your ingredients, the less benefit you will get from potions and food. It's useful to have a stock of herbarium and meat without an expiration date. Both the drying rack and the smokehouse are marked on the map.

Fistfights will help improve your hand-to-hand combat. This is important since not all battles occur with weapons. The more you fight, the more perks you unlock.

You will have to spend some points to level up the "Drunkenness" attribute. Some quests imply that Henry will have to drink a lot. It's important not to pass out too quickly. Moreover, a sip of alcohol can temporarily improve your parameters, so pay attention to the perks in this group at the very beginning of the playthrough.

Sleep is very useful. It heals Henry from severe injuries and also fast-forwards time, but you can't just sleep in any bed. You must be told that it's your bed, then a "Sleep and Save" icon will appear above it. Otherwise, you will wake up to the owner's complaints and might even pay a fine. Usually, lodging can be bought at inns. Renting a bed for one night is inexpensive, but for the ability to sleep regularly, you'll have to spend more.

At night, the game world is indeed dark. Additionally, guards in settlements are wary of those who walk in the shadows. Find a torch and check the controls to see how to activate it (each platform has its own button, on PC it's the "R" key). Torches work regardless of rain and time, and they hardly deteriorate.

Overload in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is not that bad. If you move around with increased weight for a long time, you'll unlock the ability to carry more items in the future, so don't worry if Henry takes more than he can carry.

The sword is your main, though not the only, weapon. However, from time to time it needs to be sharpened. Every blacksmith and almost every village has a grindstone. Move the sword across it so that sparks fly. When the sword's quality reaches 100%, Henry will say that the sharpening was successful. Beware of smoke. This means the angle is wrong, and you risk damaging the item.