11 Essential Tips and Tricks for Mastering Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

My Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 tips and tricks compile all the insights I wish I had before diving into the game. This collection of advice is based on my own experiences, ensuring you won’t have to make the same mistakes I did.

These tips will significantly ease your initial hours in this challenging yet rewarding medieval setting. KCD2 can be tough, especially for newcomers who might struggle to grasp the mechanics early on.

If you’re seeking specific guidance for the game’s opening, there’s a detailed walkthrough available on what to do first in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2. Meanwhile, here are some universal tips that will benefit you regardless of your current situation. Here are my top Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 tips to elevate any squire to knighthood.

In the starting town of Troskowitz, the Apothecary offers a variety of useful items, with the most crucial being the recipe for Marigold Decoctions—your healing potions. Priced at 150 Groschen, it should be a priority early on. Once you have the recipe, the ingredients for crafting these potions are inexpensive and easy to gather. It may seem optional, but this recipe is vital, and you’ll be glad you acquired it. For more details on crafting, there’s a guide dedicated to making your own healing potions and Marigold Decoctions.

Each major settlement you discover can be fast-traveled to, indicated by a blue icon resembling a wheel on your map. If you reach a settlement and don’t see this blue symbol, explore a bit more until it appears. Building a network of fast travel points makes navigating the game much smoother, so take the time to explore between quests to unlock new areas.

Additionally, it’s safer to use this fast travel network during the day, as random encounters can occur. While these encounters can vary, bandit attacks are more frequent at night. You’re not entirely safe during the day, but your chances of avoiding trouble are better.

Sleeping in a bed restores health and provides rest, and it’s also one of the ways to save your game. However, using someone else’s bed can lead to legal trouble. Certain quests offer free beds (like assisting the Blacksmith in Tachov), but you can also pay for lodging at Taverns and Inns. A small fee allows for a night’s stay, while a larger payment secures a permanent room, which can be quite beneficial.

There’s a distinction between types of accommodations. At a tavern, you might only find a hay bale in the barn, while a proper inn offers a bed that provides a better rest and access to a chest for storing spare items and food. The hay bale is cheaper, and if you’re in a pinch, you can find abandoned camps in the wild or clear out bandit hideouts for makeshift shelter.

Haggling is a minigame available with every trade, whether you’re buying equipment, horses, or lodging. If you haggle poorly, you risk upsetting the merchant and paying full price, making future negotiations tougher. With time, you’ll learn the best strategies for this minigame, but always remember to haggle, even for a small discount. Importantly, you can also haggle when selling to maximize your groschen!

Successful haggling boosts your reputation and increases your Speech skill, and over time, the money you save will add up. A clever tactic is to occasionally offer to pay a bit more to win over the merchant, then return to haggle for a high-value item to score a significant profit.

You can create three loadouts to switch between, tailored to the three main playstyles in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2: open combat, stealth, and dialogue. Just keep in mind that you can’t change loadouts during combat or dialogue, so anticipate what’s coming. As you progress, you may find gear that serves multiple purposes (like plate armor that boosts charisma), but it’s unlikely you’ll find a single build that excels in all three areas.

One of the first combat skills you can learn in KCD2 is the Masterstrike, taught by a wandering swordsman named Tomcat. You can find him at the Nomad’s Camp west of Bozhena’s house. After meeting certain criteria, he’ll teach you this powerful counter-attack, which can only be executed with swords. It’s a game-changer, allowing you to deflect an enemy’s strike and follow up with a powerful attack that often leaves them open for more hits. If you’re focusing on swordplay, this skill should be a top priority. Many of the best weapons in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 are longswords, and their ability to utilize the Masterstrike is a key reason why.

Fighting becomes significantly more challenging when facing multiple enemies, so your best strategy is to control their positioning—aim to take them on one at a time. Back away to draw them into a line, have Mutt distract one, and stay nimble; getting surrounded can lead to a quick demise.

You’ll start off struggling with various skills like Speech, Blacksmithing, and Thievery. The only way to improve these skills is through practice (or by reading special skill books), but you can also find and brew consumables like Quickfinger and Perfume for temporary buffs. If you’re facing a tough challenge—like a tricky lock or an NPC you want to impress—having these items handy can give you the edge you need.

To the northeast of Troskowitz, you’ll find Trosky Castle. You’ll visit this location later in the main story, but if you explore the Quarry just outside the castle walls, you can discover a stash of 549 Groschen. This is an easy win and a significant amount of cash early on that can greatly ease your initial hours. If you’re looking for more ways to build your wealth, there’s a guide on the best money-making strategies in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2.

Curious about acquiring a horse in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2? You can receive a free horse or even two during the main quest from generous NPCs, but for a steed with better stats, you’ll need to take a different approach. You can buy horses from Horse Traders, but a smarter option is to find a Horse Handler (they’re different) and steal a horse from the Traders under the cover of night. Once you have the horse, head to the Handler to register it as yours for a fraction of the cost.

To increase your Strength, pick up everything you can find and walk across the map while overburdened. It may be tedious, but it’s an effective and low-risk way to gain Strength experience. Long walks with a heavy load will not only improve your melee damage but also increase your maximum carry capacity, making it harder to become overencumbered.