Sadly, I'm gonna need a break from this game.

[Razamanaz]

I love this game. I loved the first game also. For whatever reason (maybe age?) I still haven't gotten the hang of combat in this game. It took me a long time to learn the janky combat in KCD1 but I eventually did learn it and improved. I actually got decent at it.

This game's combat feels slightly less janky yet, while it seems slow to me on the surface, it also seems quite fast. I think it may be due to enemies not needing to use Stamina. A sustained 9 strike attack on me leaves me little choice but to die. Even if I disengage to back up although I haven't tried actually running away, I've noticed the enemy phases into you quickly most of the time.

I'm still on the first map and Mutt has been a great help at times during battles. Lets me get a few free shots in on the enemy. I just don't get why the combat has been simplified a bit but yet still seems harder for me. I have Masterstrike but I can't land it that often. Enemy feints often leave me confused.

I realize this a skill thing but I'm still looking for an edge in combat somehow. Maybe I'll try using poisons? I don't think I have a recipe for any poisons. Maybe it's just slower reaction times? (In my 60's)

Any suggestions?

[paulbierley]

Im 56 practice practice practice plus dollmaker and bane poison. When you come across two bandits looting stick an arrow with bane on it in one its a ohk. Then you can fight the other one on one.

[Jeza]

I had the same issues than you, ii'm simply crap at combat and in KCD 1 I trained for hours, real time hours with Bernard until I could consistently land master strikes and knew where to position my weapon to land the ones that deal the most damage.
As I'm very bad at combat, bad hand/eye coordination and I tend to stress and panic master strike was my savior and only reliable way to win any fight.

Then comes KCD 2 and master strike is now very convoluted, it's not only dependent on the position of the sword but also it shows the shield icon but I have to attack instead of block, this means every hit I have to think and by the time I've analyzed the situation it has changed or i've panicked and fumble. This makes the combat much harder than in KCD 1.

The only way I found to compensate is by being OP.

I started by leveling up alchemy until I could make Henry level potions and made a ton of aqua vitalis, painkiller, buck's blood, marigold decoction, nighthawk and fox potions.
With fox potion I ahve 50% XP gain for every skill for 2 days, I renew as soon as it stops and never go without the effect being active.

I went to Tomcat, asked to train combos and when comes the time to do the one that starts above I instead do the one that starts right (or left). Combos give more XP than the average hit and he doesn't hit you or stop the training. I spent two days training and reached lvl 30 sword, I also went to the archery range below the castle an hit the targets over and over for a couple of days to reach lvl 30 archery, I walked around for a whole day completely overuncombered and with all of this I reached level 30 in strength agility and vitality.

At night I went around town stealthily and opened all the locked doors I could without stealing anything. Then I left town before people woke up and went to another one, that way I leveled up sneak and stealing. I then raided all the bandit camps I could at night, killing first the sentinels then the sleeping bandits and got all their gear and money. I used a lot of nighthawk potions for this but it makes it very easy as you can spot guards and sentinels very far thanks to their torches while you stay in the dark but still can see where you're going.

Finally I went to the blacksmith and trained making axes until I could make henry level weapons, then I went to grab the basillard sketch from a cave to have the best shortsword possible in the first map.

With that sword, the gear i looted from bandit camps and some I bought from the blacksmith and being lvl 30 in every stat and skill that counts for combat I've so far managed to beat every enemy I had to. When outnumbered the potions (aqua vitalis, painkiller and buck's blood) help a lot as well as Mutt who distracts one while I deal with the rest.
I still don't try and take a whole camp, when I have the possibility I go stealthily at night.
But I also trained normal combat with Tomcat and others to try and get some grip on it and i can duel pretty decently, the first blow takes time to come usually and gives me time to place the sword in the right place fro a master strike, then I don't try it again when the hits come fast because I fumble more often than not on when I can or can't or just parry instead of attack by simple habit seeing the green shield. but brute force works when you're OP so opening with master strike and then crowding them and clinching works very well usually.

Just remember to go to Kuttenberg first thing when you reach the second map to upgrade your armor and look online how to get the sketches for St Valentine's sword and tournament longsword and craft them Henry level.
If you are given gear for a tournament always remember to repair it before starting the fight it makes a big difference.
And potions are always your friends , bane poison is great but even without it just buffing yourself helps.

[Abu]

Get one red mushroom, 2x belladonna, and 1x wormwood

-At the alchemy workbench, use wine.
-Put the wormwood in the cauldron and lower it over the fire for 2 turns.
-Raise the cauldron, grind the belladonna and put it in, then lower it over the fire for one more turn, using the bellows for the whole turn.
-Raise the cauldron, throw in the mushroom, then distill.

You should have strong/Henry-tier Bane.

Some of the recipes, like this one, are pretty easy to memorize. Or at least this one is easy to memorize because it's very similar to the recipe for savior schnapps, which is an even simpler recipe than this one.

[Greg]

I find it best to be patient if you are being overwhelmed by sheer numbers or trying to get hits in. Wait for them to attack and then counter keep an eye on stamina and step back if you are getting too tired. I remember saving right before an encounter with a well armed random group of bandits early on. I had to reload a few times before I managed to defeat them, but in the end I got some great armour that was the best I could find until Kuttenberg. Also I prefer to use a nice short sword with no shield. It's quick and there are some nice perks that boost the style.