Kingdom Come: Deliverance: Beginner-to-Advanced Guide

A guide to the first Kingdom Come: Deliverance: surviving the brutal opening hours, learning the combat system, how skills and perks grow, making money, saving with Saviour Schnapps, and what the DLCs add. Written for new players and people coming back after playing Kingdom Come: Deliverance II.

Researched September 2026 — current as of the final PC version (Royal Edition content, patch 1.9.x). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

KCD1 is finished and no longer receives content (a Nintendo Switch port arrived in March 2024, and PS5/Xbox Series X/S versions were scheduled for 13 February 2026). Warhorse's current game is Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (released 4 February 2025), which continues Henry's story. This guide is for the original.

Quick Start

1. Henry starts terrible at everything, on purpose. He can't fight, read, or pick locks. You improve by doing things, so expect the first 5–10 hours to be rough.
2. Train with Captain Bernard in Rattay as soon as the story lets you. Sparring is the fastest early way to get good at combat and it's how you learn the Master Strike.
3. Learn to read. The scribe in Rattay can teach Henry to read. Books then give free skill XP, and you'll need reading to use alchemy recipes and some quests.
4. Saving uses Saviour Schnapps. You also save by sleeping in a bed you own or rent, and the game autosaves at key quest points. Brew Schnapps with alchemy to save when you want.
5. Stay fed, rested, and clean. Hunger, energy and cleanliness affect your stats and how NPCs treat you. A bathhouse visit fixes your Charisma.
6. Don't fight groups early. Two armed bandits can kill an untrained Henry. Run, use a horse, or come back later.
7. Loot armour from enemies, then repair it. Buy Repair Kits (armourer's, blacksmith's, tailor's, cobbler's) or pay a smith.
8. Horse = storage + escape. Your horse carries saddlebags. Call it with the whistle and flee fights you can't win.

Stats and Skills

Henry has four main stats and a list of skills. Each levels up from use, and each level gives you a perk point to spend in that skill's tree.

Combat Basics

KCD's melee is directional. It feels awkward until it clicks.

• Lock on to an enemy. You see a star-shaped reticle with attack zones. Move the mouse to choose the direction, then attack.
• Block with the right mouse button. Blocking drains stamina; when stamina runs out, you get hit.
• Perfect block (riposte): Block right as the green shield icon flashes. This counters the attack.
• Master Strike: Press attack at the moment the green icon shows during an enemy attack. Henry counters with a heavy riposte. It's taught by Captain Bernard and is the most important skill in the game.
• Stab to get through gaps, slash against lightly armoured targets, use maces against heavy armour.
• Combos: Learned by practising with Bernard and in perk trees. They're chains of attack directions that finish with a stronger blow.
• Archery: No reticle. Aim by instinct, and practise; bow skill improves your stability.

Group Fights

• Keep all enemies in front of you. Use terrain to funnel them.
• Switch target lock to the enemy about to swing.
• Horses and bows let you split groups.

Early Game Route

1. Prologue (Skalitz): Short, story-driven. Loot what you can; you'll lose it all.
2. Talmberg / Rattay: After waking up, you'll end up in Rattay. Do quests for Sir Hanush and Sir Radzig and start sparring with Captain Bernard.
3. Rattay money: Pick herbs around town (Nettle, Sage, Chamomile, Belladonna, Marigold) and sell them. The miller Peshek's side quests teach lockpicking and pickpocketing.
4. Reading: Ask the scribe in Rattay to teach you to read. Then read everything you find.
5. Better gear: Loot from bandit camps once you can win a 1v1. Buy a better sword and a brigandine or gambeson.
6. Monastery (Sasau): The Sasau monastery main-quest section is famously long and restrictive. Make sure you're comfortable with stealth and have supplies before you go.

Money Making

• Herbs: Early money is picking herbs and selling them or brewing them into potions.
• Alchemy: Healing potions (Marigold Decoction, Lazarus) and Saviour Schnapps sell for good prices, and you'll want them anyway.
• Armour looting: Bandits and Cumans drop armour and weapons. Repair it before selling for a much better price.
• Hunting: Hunting game in the lords' forests is poaching, which is a crime. It gives lots of meat and pelts, but get caught (or carry the meat past guards) and you're in trouble.
• Contests: Tournaments and races around the map offer prize money once Henry can hold his own.
• Theft: Lucrative but risky. Fences in some towns buy stolen goods.

Alchemy

• Alchemy benches are in apothecaries and some other places. You need the recipe in your book (bought or found) and the skill to read it.
• Follow the recipe steps in order: add ingredients, use the bellows, grind with mortar and pestle, and turn the hourglass. Mistakes waste ingredients.
• Key potions: Saviour Schnapps (saves the game), Marigold Decoction (+30 Health within a minute), Lazarus Potion (+100 Health), Aqua Vitalis (you take 50% less wound damage for five minutes), Buck's Blood (+50% stamina for ten minutes), Bowman's Brew (+5 Bow), Padfoot (+5 Lockpicking, Pickpocketing and Stealth), Antidote (cures poisoning), Digestive Potion (cures food poisoning) and Nighthawk (night vision).
• Higher Alchemy pays off: a skilled alchemist who follows the recipe exactly can get up to three potions from one set of ingredients.

Crime and Reputation

• Each town has its own reputation. Crimes witnessed or discovered make guards pursue or arrest you.
• Punishments: Fines, prison time (which costs skill/stat progress), or branding for repeated crimes.
• Sneaking tips: Dark clothing, dirty clothes and noise from heavy armour all matter. Take armour off to steal.

DLCs

The Royal Edition (June 2019) bundles the base game with all DLC.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Skipping Bernard's training. Players who don't spar struggle all game.
• Drinking Schnapps as your only save. Keep a stock, but also save by sleeping in beds you own.
• Fighting in torn, dirty clothes. Dirt lowers charisma; broken armour protects less.
• Carrying too much. Being overloaded prevents fast travel and sprinting. Use your horse's saddlebags.
• Ignoring hunger and fatigue. Starvation and exhaustion both chip away at health and stats.
• Rushing the monastery. It has strict rules and few saves. Prepare first.
• Stealing near guards in full plate. Heavy armour is loud and noticeable.

Advanced Tips

• Pick one weapon type early. Specialising in sword or mace speeds up perk unlocks.
• Stack defence perks and armour. Good armour in KCD is extremely strong; a full plate set makes Henry very hard to kill.
• Horse perks: Upgrading your horse and Horsemanship makes you much faster across the map.
• Night raids: Many camps are easier at night when enemies sleep.
• Use Padfoot and a dark outfit for stealth kills. Assassinations from behind skip combat entirely.
• Mods: The PC community's most common mod is an unlimited saving mod for people who don't like the Schnapps system. It's unofficial; back up your saves first.

FAQ

Is KCD1 still worth playing before KCD2? Yes. KCD2 continues Henry's story directly, and the first game sets up his relationship with Hans Capon and the war with Sigismund.

How do I save the game? Drink Saviour Schnapps, sleep in a bed you own or rent, or reach an autosave point. Saving and quitting is also available.

How do I get better at combat? Spar with Captain Bernard in Rattay, learn the Master Strike, and keep sparring until you can win 1v1 fights consistently.

How do I learn to read? Go to the scribe in Rattay and ask him to teach you. You can't read books (or follow alchemy recipes from your book) until you can read.

Where do I get Mutt the dog? In the A Woman's Lot DLC, which also adds the Houndmaster skill.

What's in Hardcore Mode? It removes map markers and the compass, makes survival harsher, and adds negative perks you pick at the start.

Does KCD1 get updates anymore? No new content. The Steam news feed now covers KCD2, the KCD board game with Czech Games Edition, and community events.

Sources

• Kingdom Come: Deliverance on Steam
• Steam News: Kingdom Come: Deliverance
• Wikipedia: Kingdom Come: Deliverance
• KCD Wiki (Fextralife): Skills
• KCD Wiki (Fextralife): Alchemy Recipes