Best Tips For Surviving Hardcore Mode In Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Kingdom Come: Deliverance is one of the most complex RPGs ever created, transporting players on an epic journey through the Kingdom of Bohemia in the 15th century. The protagonist evolves from a peasant to a legendary figure, while the game impresses with its realism and unique mechanics that accurately simulate life in the Middle Ages, making the experience immersive and challenging.

Like other RPGs, the game offers difficulty selection, but the highest options require mastery of the mechanics. To progress in this challenge, it is essential to know the best tips for playing in hardcore mode in Kingdom Come: Deliverance. These strategies help overcome obstacles without reducing difficulty, allowing players to advance the story consistently and rewardingly.

10

Choose Negative Perks Wisely

Henry Is Forced To Have These Traits That Accompany Him Throughout The Game

Right at the beginning of hardcore mode in Kingdom Come: Deliverance, players are confronted with one of the most important choices that will accompany them throughout the story: selecting negative perks. They offer a way to hinder Henry’s gameplay by reducing attributes or applying other mechanics that can disrupt the character.

However, among the available options, some are less punitive when selected. For example, Nightmares cause a small debuff to the character’s attributes while sleeping, but this can be mitigated if players plan Henry’s daily routine well, as these effects remain for two hours after waking up.

9

Familiarize With The Game Map

Hardcore Mode In Kingdom Come: Deliverance Does Not Show Locations

Before tackling hardcore mode in Kingdom Come: Deliverance, it is essential to explore the map in normal mode and become well-acquainted with its paths. This helps familiarize with the territory, as on the highest difficulty, the game does not display the character’s location, making prior knowledge essential for surviving the challenge.

At the same time, the map of Kingdom Come: Deliverance is highly detailed with various information, allowing players to use nearby landmarks to navigate. Comparing these visual references with the map drawings helps Henry understand his location and chart the correct path to the next objective, even without the conveniences of the standard mode.

8

Train As Much As Possible With Captain Bernard

Getting Used To Combat Mechanics Is Essential

Combat on the highest difficulty of the game is extremely lethal, both for Henry and the enemies he encounters, so mastering this mechanic is fundamental. The best way to train the protagonist without taking risks in hardcore mode in Kingdom Come: Deliverance is with Captain Bernard, who becomes available shortly after the first hours of the story.

It is important for players to take the necessary time to get accustomed to combat in this difficulty, even if it takes several hours to understand the correct timing of received blows. Additionally, players can try to acquire the Master Striker perk, one of the best in the game, with Captain Bernard himself, but to do so, they need to have level 3 in Swords, Mace, or Axes.

7

Not Every Battle Needs To Be Fought

Know The Right Moment To Retreat

Given the high difficulty of combat in Kingdom Come: Deliverance in hardcore mode, players need to know which fights Henry should engage in, especially random encounters outside the main quest. Whenever enemies have a numerical advantage or are well-equipped, the best choice is to retreat and seek another route to continue the journey.

Related

5 Open-World Games With High Difficulty Curves

These expansive open-world games provide high difficulty curves to ensure only the more persistent players make it through to the end.

Ignoring these battles does not cause any loss, but if they are inevitable, it is essential to take advantage of the spaces left by enemies between attacks to strike them and gain an advantage as soon as possible. Additionally, good positioning and attention to the enemy’s movements are crucial to prevent Henry from being surrounded or surprised by deadly back attacks.

6

Invest In Alchemy

Saviour Schnapps Are Essential Items To Have In The Inventory

Although this mechanic already exists in the game’s normal mode, in hardcore difficulty, opportunities to save Henry’s journey are scarcer. For example, in this difficulty, auto-saves that occur when starting a quest are disabled, only available when sleeping, visiting a bathhouse, quitting the game, or drinking a Saviour Schnapps.

Therefore, one of the best tips for playing in hardcore mode in Kingdom Come: Deliverance is to invest in alchemy as soon as possible, because the cost to produce Saviour Schnapps is relatively cheap. The drink requires only 2x belladonna and 1x nettle, which not only ensures the opportunity to save the game whenever possible but also costs much less than buying it ready-made.

5

Save Henry’s Money When Repairing Items

It’s Better To Buy Repair Kits Than To Pay Someone To Do It

This difficulty in Kingdom Come: Deliverance raises the prices of everything, making the management of Henry’s gold coins essential for survival, especially during the first half of the journey. Therefore, one of the best ways to save is to buy repair kits for equipment maintenance rather than paying an NPC to perform this activity.

The amount charged by vendors to restore the quality of Henry’s spent items is high, especially for high-quality equipment. Additionally, maintaining items in good condition on inventory ensures that Henry is always prepared to face the game’s toughest challenges without needing to return to town before starting an important quest.

4

It’s Important To Get A Horse As Soon As Possible

Hardcore Mode Does Not Have Fast Travel

To increase realism and also the difficulty for players during the adventure, hardcore mode in Kingdom Come: Deliverance does not have Fast Travel, so Henry must travel from one point to another on his own. Given the map’s size and the difficulty in navigating it, this can be a challenging task.

Thus, from the moment players truly begin the journey in Rattay, one of the priorities should be to get a horse to facilitate transportation along Bohemia’s roads. It is possible to earn Pebbles for free through the main quest, specifically The Hunt Begins, but there are other options that can be purchased for players who wish to explore the map as soon as possible.

3

Avoid Traveling At Night

Henry Has A Better Chance Of Not Getting Lost During The Day

Given the changes the map undergoes in this difficulty, the best option for players who want to move to another place is to travel during the day and always stay on the main road, as these two actions prevent the player from getting lost while exploring the region. The low visibility caused by night and the high chances of ambushes are difficult to handle in hardcore mode.

Related

Kingdom Come: Deliverance – 6 Ways To Roleplay & Improve Immersion

Kingdom Come: Deliverance is a great game to really lean into roleplaying. These tips can help improve the immersion further.

Additionally, unless the player wants to explore the forests of the Kingdom of Bohemia, they should also be avoided during other important objectives, as the map lacks markers, increasing the chance of getting lost there. Therefore, it is important to always watch for possible landmarks to prevent the character from spending too much time in these areas and wasting essential resources like food while trying to find the way.

2

Prioritize Non-Perishable Foods

Dried Foods And Bread Are Ideal For Survival

Food in Kingdom Come: Deliverance has a spoilage system, so it is important to always choose foods that can last longer in the character’s inventory. Dried foods, like jerky, are ideal as they maintain their quality for extended periods, preventing food poisoning, which can only be cured with a specific potion.

Additionally, more affordable options like bread provide a cheap way to keep the character satiated without worrying about waste. These choices help manage resources while allowing players to focus on more important tasks without the need for frequent resupplies or excessive spending on these resources when buying new items.

1

Be Patient

Hardcore Mode In Kingdom Come: Deliverance Takes Time To Master

Although it does not change the core gameplay of the game, maintaining many mechanics of the normal mode, this difficulty was designed to be more challenging for players. Therefore, common activities that were previously done quickly may take extra grinding time in hardcore mode to achieve the same result, so patience is necessary.

If a challenge seems impossible to overcome at that moment, it is important to retreat and seek alternative ways to handle it or, in other cases, focus on new missions until enough power is gathered to overcome it. Gradually, it is possible to get accustomed to the high difficulty of Kingdom Come: Deliverance and enjoy the immersion it brings by simulating life in the Middle Ages.

Released

February 13, 2018

Developer(s)

Warhorse Studios

OpenCritic Rating

Fair