Last updated: 13 July 2026

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Beginner Tips What to Do First

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (KCD2) is not a forgiving game for players expecting a traditional RPG. Developed by Warhorse Studios and released on February 4, 2025, it drops you into a realistic 15th-century Bohemia with no fast-travel shortcuts early on, a demanding combat system, and a reputation system that actually matters. This guide covers the essential things to know in your first few hours — from getting your free horse to understanding why Henry keeps losing fights — so you spend less time confused and more time actually enjoying the medieval world.

01What Kind of Game Is KCD2?

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a first-person action RPG set in the Kingdom of Bohemia in 1403. There is no magic, no fantasy, no experience points in the traditional sense — instead, every skill improves through direct use. Swords get better the more you swing them. Stealth improves the more you sneak. Speech grows through conversations. This means the early game is genuinely difficult, and that difficulty is the point.

The game continues directly from the events of the original Kingdom Come: Deliverance (2018). You play as Henry, a blacksmith's son now working as a squire for the exiled lord Radzig Kobyla. A short recap at the start brings newcomers up to speed, but playing the original first deepens the emotional weight considerably.

KCD2 runs on PC (Steam and GOG), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The most recent patch as of mid-2026 is 1.5.6 ("A Jester's Visit", June 25, 2026), which added a Balatro-inspired side quest near the Hangman's Halter tavern and Steam Controller support with no combat, perk, or alchemy balance changes. Patch 1.5 (late 2025) introduced the third story DLC alongside significant quality-of-life improvements.

• No chosen one fantasy: Henry starts weak, awkward, and barely literate. His competence grows through practice — not a stat screen.
• Reputation matters: NPCs remember your crimes, your cleanliness, and your social standing. A blood-soaked Henry in dirty rags will be refused service.
• Time passes: NPCs sleep, shops close, and world events unfold on schedules. You cannot pause time to craft or read.
• Save often: KCD2 uses a Saviour Schnapps system (alcoholic save item) on harder difficulties, or autosaves at beds and certain checkpoints on the default difficulty. Always save before risky activities.

02Get Your Free Horse as Soon as Possible

Fast travel in KCD2 requires being near a road or known location, and the map of Bohemia is enormous. Walking everywhere in early game is slow and frustrating. The good news: there is a free horse available very early.

After the opening section in the town of Troskowitz, you will reach the village of Semine. Visit Groom Ballatay in Semine and he will give you access to Pebbles — Henry's horse from the first game, or an equivalent mount. Pebbles is reliable, fast, and free. You can upgrade to a better horse later if you have the groschen, but Pebbles handles the early game well.

Your horse is more than transport. You can store items in the saddlebags, increasing your effective carry weight substantially. You can also engage in mounted combat and archery as those skills develop.

• Store heavy items in saddlebags — Henry's carry limit is strict, and armor weighs a great deal.
• Keep the horse fed and rested — a tired horse runs slower and handles worse.
• Whistle to call your horse — if you dismount and wander off, a whistle summons it back rather than requiring you to retrace your steps.

03Buy the Marigold Decoction Recipe Early

Healing in KCD2 is not instantaneous. You cannot drink a potion mid-combat to recover — potions take time to drink, and during that time you are vulnerable. The Marigold Decoction is the game's primary healing potion and the most cost-effective way to stay healthy throughout the early game.

The recipe is sold by the Apothecary in the starting town of Troskowitz for around 150 Groschen. Once you have the recipe, the ingredients — Marigold and Belladonna — are cheap and grow in fields and roadsides across the map. Brewing potions in an Alchemy lab also levels your Alchemy skill quickly, and Alchemy perks significantly increase potion quality and yield.

You can also buy Marigold Decoctions ready-made from apothecaries, but brewing them yourself is considerably cheaper and faster long-term.

• Pick herbs whenever you see them — they weigh almost nothing and Marigold grows everywhere.
• Brew potions at inn alchemy labs — most inns have a usable lab.
• Drink potions before a planned fight, not during it — their healing effect is gradual.
• Bandages also heal slowly and can be applied from your quick inventory; they are cheaper than potions but heal less.

04The Early Quest Choice: Blacksmith vs. Miller

Early in the game's main quest, the Wedding Crashers quest gives you a choice between working with Radovan the Blacksmith or Miller Kreyzl in Lower Semine. Both paths unlock different early resources.

Radovan the Blacksmith is generally the better choice for new players. He introduces the blacksmithing and crafting system, provides a free bed (which serves as a reliable autosave point), and teaches you weapon maintenance — a critical skill since damaged weapons deal dramatically less damage. His questline also tends to flow more smoothly into the main story.

Miller Kreyzl in Lower Semine is valuable because he has a training chest that allows you to practice lockpicking repeatedly for free — the fastest early way to level the Thievery skill. You do not have to choose his questline to visit him; you can practice on his training chest as a side activity regardless. If you want to develop lockpicking, make a trip to Lower Semine even if you chose the Blacksmith path.

• Blacksmith path recommended for beginners — free bed, crafting tutorial, weapon maintenance.
• Visit Miller Kreyzl for lockpicking practice regardless of questline choice.
• A free bed is important — on harder settings, sleeping at a bed autosaves, removing the need to spend Saviour Schnapps.

05Combat Is Slow and Methodical — Treat It That Way

The single most common mistake in KCD2 is treating combat like a fast-paced action game. KCD2 combat rewards patience, timing, and equipment condition — rushing in and mashing attack buttons is the fastest way to get killed.

• Watch the enemy's guard before attacking. Each swing in KCD2 is directional; attacking into a guard the enemy is defending wastes stamina and opens you to a counter.
• Parrying costs stamina — you cannot block forever. A perfect parry (timed to the green shield flash) uses far less stamina than a sustained block and staggers the attacker.
• Create space after a missed attack — step back and let the enemy's failed swing waste their stamina, then counter.
• Stamina is your most important resource — when it is depleted, Henry cannot attack effectively and defences collapse. Vitality perks and armor that fits Henry's strength level both affect stamina endurance.
• Avoid outnumbered fights early on — even two opponents at once is extremely dangerous in the first few hours. Use terrain, doorways, or a horse to isolate enemies.
• Maintenance matters constantly — a sword at 50% durability deals noticeably less damage; a sword at 20% is nearly useless. Sharpen weapons at grindstones found in towns and villages, and repair armor at an armorer.

Henry does not start as a skilled fighter. If a fight feels impossible, consider whether your gear is damaged, whether you are fighting too many enemies, or whether you need a few more in-game days of training before that specific encounter.

06Cleanliness and Presentation Affect Dialogue Outcomes

KCD2's Charisma stat is heavily influenced by appearance. Henry wearing clean, well-maintained clothing that suits his social context will have far more success in persuasion and barter than a Henry caked in mud and dried blood, even if they have the same Speech stat.

You can wash Henry and his clothes at laundry spots near rivers, at wash troughs in villages, or at bathhouses in larger towns. Bathhouses also restore health and are worth a visit after difficult fights.

• Wash regularly — especially before approaching merchants, nobles, or quest-critical NPCs.
• Match attire to the situation — fine clothing (doublets, good boots) boosts Charisma for court and merchants; armour might lower Charisma in peaceful civilian contexts.
• The Flower Power perk grants +2 Charisma when you carry more than 30 herbs — worth taking early since you should be picking herbs constantly anyway.
• Wealth signals status — higher-quality clothing costs more but provides a persistent Charisma boost independent of cleanliness.

07Making Your First Groschen

Money in KCD2 comes slowly at first and the temptation to loot and steal everything is real. However, theft has significant consequences: caught stealing builds criminal reputation that makes NPCs hostile, and guards actively search you if your reputation is low. For early-game income that avoids these risks, two approaches are safest:

• Alchemy and potion selling — buy a recipe, gather ingredients cheaply, brew potions in bulk, sell them to apothecaries and merchants. The markup is significant and the ingredients cost almost nothing.
• Loot enemy bodies after scripted fights — main quest and many side quests involve combat with bandits or enemies who drop weapons, armor, and coin. Looting these openly after a victory is not theft.
• Sell low-quality weapons and armor rather than hoarding them — inventory weight is strictly managed, and a blacksmith will buy broken gear.
• Complete side quests — many quests in KCD2 reward cash directly and are far faster than grinding trade goods.

Avoid the early temptation to steal from homes. The short-term gain is rarely worth the long-term reputation damage, especially in the limited set of towns you will be visiting repeatedly throughout the game.