Beginner's Guide

0:00 In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 your first hours should go to three things: learning to fight (the Combat Training side quests and Master Tomcat's duel, which teaches the Master Strike), getting your horse Pebbles and your dog Mutt back, and building a stock of Savior Schnapps so you can save. The game drops Henry of Skalitz into the Trosky region badly hurt and nearly penniless after the prologue, and PCGamesN's combat guide calls the stretch right after the pillory the hardest part of the whole game. It gets easier fast, because every skill rises as you use it. This guide covers the choices and habits that matter most in that opening, with what guide outlets recommend, and links to the full pages on each system.

Quick facts

What to do first

2:03 Talk to Bara in Troskowitz before anything else. Game Rant's early-game list (Feb 5, 2025) makes her its first must-do: she is the woman in a red dress who gives directions around the region and points you to Tomcat, the fencing master you need for the Master Strike. The main quest Wedding Crashers also starts from her.

6:08 Take the Combat Training side quests a couple of hours in. TheGamer's beginner tips (Feb 4, 2025) put them first on its list, because they teach combos and the Master Strike, the counter that wins most sword fights. To learn the Master Strike you beat Tomcat in a duel at the Romani nomads' camp west of Troskowitz, past the ridge behind Bozhena's hut, at the end of the quest Laboratores, as Game Rant's Master Strike guide (Feb 5, 2025) explains. Game Rant's advice for the duel is to wear Tomcat down with Perfect Blocks rather than trading blows, using the combos he teaches beforehand.

3:41 Get Pebbles back early. TheGamer says to go to Semine, talk to the stable owner about the gray horse in the field and pass the skill check. If you fail, outlets disagree on the price: PCGamesN's horse guide (Feb 21, 2025) says about 410 groschen, varying with Charisma, while Game Rant says 150. Finding her earns the achievement An Old Friend, which 64.4% of Steam players hold (Oct 25, 2026). Riding and horse choice are on Horses.

8:10 Follow the trail to Mutt. The search starts at the pond near your escape and runs through Bozhena's hut, the Zhelejov innkeeper, a fisherman and a shepherd whose flock wolves attack, ending at a wolf den south of the nomads' camp, as PCGamesN's Mutt guide (Feb 19, 2025) lays out. The den holds a cuirass and a sword, and reuniting with Mutt opens the Houndmaster skill tree. Everything about the dog is on Mutt the Dog.

Choose a path for Wedding Crashers

4:50 Wedding Crashers offers two routes to the wedding at Semine, and taking one closes the other. You either help Blacksmith Radovan in Tachov or Miller Kreyzl in Lower Semine, according to Game Rant's points-of-no-return guide (Feb 13, 2025). Game Rant's early-game list recommends Radovan, because he gives Henry a free bed (a place to save by sleeping) and introduces Blacksmithing. The miller's route teaches lockpicking, pickpocketing and takedowns instead, with his hired hand Hensel as the practice target (Game Rant, Feb 7, 2025). Either way the quest leads straight into For Whom the Bell Tolls.

Saving

26:56 Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has four ways to save. PCGamesN's saving guide (Feb 7, 2025) lists them: drink a Savior Schnapps, use Save & Quit (which closes the game), sleep in a bed you own (which also restores health and energy), and the autosaves at quest milestones. Savior Schnapps is sold in nearly every tavern and by almost every merchant who sells alcohol, and drinking one makes Henry mildly drunk.

Brew your own Savior Schnapps once you can. PCGamesN's recipe is wine in the cauldron, Nettle boiled for two turns, ground Belladonna added and boiled one more turn, then poured. Since Patch 1.4 (Sep 9, 2025) the game warns you when the save pool is full and a new Schnapps save would overwrite the oldest. The full rules are on Saving and Savior Schnapps, and every recipe is on Alchemy and Potion Recipes.

Eat, sleep and wash

Survival needs are light by design. Warhorse's own survival post (Nov 1, 2024) says "It's not hard to be rested and well fed" and that meals give no combat buffs. Game Rant's needs guide (Feb 17, 2025) gives the working rules: keep nourishment under 100 (overeating lowers stamina), keep energy above 50, never eat food below condition 50 (food poisoning), and sleep 8 to 9 hours a night. Tiredness lowers Strength, Vitality, Agility and Charisma; hunger lowers maximum stamina and eventually health.

Food spoils, so carry the kind that keeps. Warhorse recommends dried fruit or jerky for long trips, and Game Rant says cooked meat gives the most nourishment but spoils fastest, while dried meat gives the least and lasts for days. More on Food, Sleep and Health.

Wash regularly, because dirt costs you in conversation. TheGamer's tips explain that troughs outside taverns clean only your face, laundry spots by lakes clean clothes, and paid baths clean best. Game Rant's bathhouse guide (Apr 13, 2026) adds that a paid bath washes all your clothes and armor and prevents the Reeky debuff, which lets people track you by smell. In the Trosky region the baths are at Zhelejov and Trosky Castle.

Combat basics

Fights are won by reading your opponent, not by stats alone. PCGamesN's combat guide says enemies hold their weapon left, right, high or low and you attack from the opposite direction; you parry by blocking as the green shield symbol appears; and combos are usually three directional inputs, each entered as the previous hit lands. PCGamesN also recommends a controller over keyboard and mouse for combat.

Do not hold block. Game Rant's combat tips (Feb 4, 2025) say to block only when the shield icon appears and to follow a Perfect Block with an attack, which is more likely to land. Against groups, fight when numbers are even, keep every enemy in view and step back when outnumbered. The full system is on Combat Guide, and weapon choices on Melee Weapons and Bows and Crossbows.

Perks and skills

0:58 Every skill in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 levels by use. Warhorse writes that "Henry's skills level up as he uses them" in its character post (Oct 4, 2024). Each level of a stat or skill gives one perk point, which you can spend in any tree, as Game Rant's perk point guide (Feb 12, 2025) explains.

Spend the first points on survival. Game Rant's early-game list names Head Protection (Warfare) and Thick-Blooded (Vitality); PCGamesN's May 2025 perk list says Head Protection cuts head damage by 20% with a helmet and Thick-Blooded slows bleeding. Perk figures may have changed in later patches. Every tree is on Perks and Skills and Stats, and the fastest ways to raise each skill are on Leveling Guide.

Money in the first hours

Brew healing potions instead of buying them. Game Rant's early-game list says to buy the Marigold Decoction recipe for about 150 groschen and make your own. It also points to the archery range west of Troskowitz for early groschen; the game has no crosshair, so practice there helps twice. TheGamer's money guide (Feb 4, 2025) notes that the chest in Henry's room at the Troskowitz blacksmith holds the pre-order gear, which can be sold for early cash. Every method is on Money Making Guide.

Haggle every trade. TheGamer's method is to offer between your best price and the market price, then counter halfway between your last offer and the merchant's. Haggling also raises Speech, as PCGamesN's leveling guide (Feb 4, 2025) notes. More on Speech and Charisma.

Throw stones at bird nests. TheGamer says to crouch and throw a stone at any nest marked "nest discovered": they drop eggs and sometimes dice badges, which matter for Dice.

Mistakes to avoid

Do not get caught stealing or looting. TheGamer's tips warned at launch that looting the dead counts as a crime unless guards saw the fight; since Patch 1.4 (Sep 9, 2025), "Looting or killing bandits no longer counts as a crime." Stealing from townsfolk still does. Warhorse says that after crimes "the now-fearful locals will arm themselves, the guards will become more vigilant, and the shopkeepers will increase the price of their goods" (Warhorse). A first serious crime brands Henry, and a serious crime while branded ends the game at the gallows, per Game Rant's crime guide (Feb 6, 2025). See Crime and Reputation and Stealth, Lockpicking and Pickpocketing.

Watch reputation everywhere. TheGamer explains that reputation is tracked per town, per region and per person, and is helped by saying the right things, paying fairly, not stealing and looking presentable.

Finish side quests before big story steps. For Victory! starts the chain to Storm and locks out Demons of Trosky and Bad Blood, and Hans warns you to finish your business first, according to Game Rant's points-of-no-return guide. Read key dialogue too: Game Rant's unwritten rules article (Feb 4, 2025) notes that important quest information often appears only in conversation, not in the journal. Quests are listed on Side Quests.

Do not overload yourself. Being over-encumbered slowly raises Strength but disables fast travel, so do it only in safe areas, says Game Rant's combat tips article.

Help from Warhorse

Warhorse itself pointed new players to five community videos, on Master Strikes, stealth, lockpicking, health potions and perks, in a Steam post titled "New to KCD II? Watch these videos" (Jan 26, 2026). The game's systems and story are summarized on Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and the opening hours step by step on Prologue Walkthrough.

Frequently asked questions

What should you do first in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2? In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, talk to Bara in Troskowitz, take the Combat Training side quests, beat Master Tomcat for the Master Strike, and recover Pebbles at Semine and Mutt from the wolves. Game Rant and TheGamer both put these at the top of their early lists.

How do you save in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2? Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 saves when you drink Savior Schnapps, use Save & Quit, sleep in a bed you own, or reach a quest milestone autosave. PCGamesN says Savior Schnapps is sold in nearly every tavern.

Is Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 hard for beginners? Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is hardest right after the prologue, when Henry has few skills, according to PCGamesN. Skills rise with use, so training with Tomcat and the other masters makes the early fights much easier.

Should you help Radovan or the miller in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2? In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Game Rant recommends Blacksmith Radovan in Tachov for Wedding Crashers, because he gives a free bed and teaches smithing. Miller Kreyzl's route teaches lockpicking and pickpocketing instead, and choosing one locks out the other.

Does Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 have difficulty settings? Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has one standard mode and an optional Hardcore Mode, added free in Patch 1.2.4 on Apr 15, 2025 and chosen when you start a new game. Hardcore Mode removes fast travel and your map position and adds at least three negative perks.

Is looting bodies a crime in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2? In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, looting or killing bandits has not counted as a crime since Patch 1.4 (Sep 9, 2025). Looting innocent people and stealing from homes still are.

Sources

• Beginner Tips For Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, TheGamer (Tom Hopkins), Feb 4, 2025
• 8 Must-Do Things For A Strong Early Game In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Game Rant (Eduardo Ariedo), Feb 5, 2025
• Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 combat and combos guide, PCGamesN (Lowell Bell), Feb 21, 2025
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 - Master Strike, Explained, Game Rant (Marc Santos), Feb 5, 2025
• Best Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 horse location, PCGamesN (Lowell Bell), Feb 21, 2025
• How to find Mutt in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, PCGamesN (Paul Kelly), Feb 19, 2025
• When is the Point of No Return in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2?, Game Rant (Marc Santos), Feb 13, 2025
• How to Farm Lockpicking XP in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Game Rant (Hamza Haq), Feb 7, 2025
• How to save Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 progress and find Saviour Schnapps, PCGamesN (Paul Kelly), Feb 7, 2025
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Patch 1.4 notes, Deep Silver, Sep 9, 2025
• Survival Instincts: Cooking, Hunting and Staying Alive in KCD II, Warhorse Studios on Steam, Nov 1, 2024
• Energy & Nourishment Consequences Explained, Game Rant (Joshua Leeds), Feb 17, 2025
• Where to Find Bathhouses in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Game Rant (Marc Santos), Apr 13, 2026
• Tips To Master Combat In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Game Rant (Eduardo Ariedo), Feb 4, 2025
• Shape and evolve Henry your way, Warhorse Studios on Steam, Oct 4, 2024
• How To Use Perkpoints In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Game Rant (Joshua Leeds), Feb 12, 2025
• Best Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 perks, PCGamesN (Lowell Bell), May 16, 2025
• How To Get Money (Groschen) Fast In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, TheGamer (Tom Hopkins), Feb 4, 2025
• How to level Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 skills fast, PCGamesN (Lowell Bell), Feb 4, 2025
• How Does Crime & Punishment Work, Game Rant (Joe Grantham), Feb 6, 2025
• The Unwritten Rules of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Explained, Game Rant (Josh Cotts), Feb 4, 2025
• Hardcore Mode is live NOW in Patch 1.2.4, Warhorse Studios on Steam, Apr 15, 2025
• New to KCD II? Watch these videos, Warhorse Studios on Steam, Jan 26, 2026
• How long is Kingdom Come Deliverance 2?, PCGamesN (Paul Kelly), Feb 4, 2025
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II global achievements, Steam Community, read Oct 25, 2026
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II store page, Steam, read Oct 25, 2026
• Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 - 10 Things to Do First, IGN, Feb 4, 2025 (video)
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Dev Livestream #2, Warhorse Studios, Nov 20, 2024 (video)
• Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 - 10 Early Game Mistakes to Avoid, IGN, Feb 4, 2025 (video)