Tips For Beginners / Feeling Overwhelmed

[DigitalFarce]

Greetings all! Finally got the Royal Edition of this game and am loving it so far! I just got to the part where I met up with Pierstein (?) and the world has really opened up. Feeling a bit overwhelmed so looking for a few tips:

* It looks like weight management is a major issue if you are going to carry any weapons/armor. Is there a way to better manage this? Is your storage/bed at the mill permanent so I can leave a lot of items there safely?

* It seems like money can be hard to come by unless you steal fancy clothes, lockpick, etc. Is it ok to be in "middle ground" in morality or is it always better to plan an honest character who never steals?

* The world seems huge. As a completionist, it is better to stick to main quest for a while and explore later or is it ok to go wander and explore for a while before I progress?

* Is there a list of missable items or quests or is it pretty forgiving?

* I am sure there are mixed feelings about the save system. I'm cool with it it just makes me nervous to save/experiment manually as the items seem so expensive

* Any "5 things I wish I would have known before starting the game" type of lists would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

[uglyface2]

I can answer a few questions.

Weight: One of the game's concessions to being a video game is that chests at "home" locations share a combined storage. The first one at the base of the bed at the mill is one such chest, and you can get more by using inns (buying for "several" days means for as long as you need it).

Morality: People generally get upset if you steal from an area. There isn't a penalty in the story, but you can suffer reputational damage if you get caught.

World: It's generally accepted that you want to train with Captain Bernard before you go wandering.

Saves: You can brew Savior Schnapps at an alchemy table. The hardest part is getting one of the ingredients because it isn't colorful like a lot of other plants. You can, however, buy the ingredients pretty readily from alchemy shops. While it's not an absolute requirement, it also helps if you learn how to read.

[SympliKrazi]

It's a pretty big world for the beginner with a decent sized newb wall / learning curve

Originally posted by DigitalFarce:

Greetings all! Finally got the Royal Edition of this game and am loving it so far! I just got to the part where I met up with Pierstein (?) and the world has really opened up. Feeling a bit overwhelmed so looking for a few tips:

* It looks like weight management is a major issue if you are going to carry any weapons/armor. Is there a way to better manage this? Is your storage/bed at the mill permanent so I can leave a lot of items there safely?

Yes, Peshek's Mill is one of the permanent locations for storage. Also, more locations will open up where the storage is linked, same as the Chest at Peshek's Mill. At every Inn you purchase a stay overnight, the chest nearby is an access point to Henry's stash. Also, Henry gets a mount as a reward in the main quest line very soon, it's got saddle bags(upgradable via store purchase/side quest) for packing loot.

Originally posted by DigitalFarce:

* It seems like money can be hard to come by unless you steal fancy clothes, lockpick, etc. Is it ok to be in "middle ground" in morality or is it always better to plan an honest character who never steals?

It's more of a personal preference/ role play value.

Originally posted by DigitalFarce:

* The world seems huge. As a completionist, it is better to stick to main quest for a while and explore later or is it ok to go wander and explore for a while before I progress?

Certain parts of the main quest are timed, so that events may turn out a little different based on how soon Henry arrived at or completed a mission. But the main story does not change, and it's possible to continue on the main quest missions even if Henry got there late, because... clues and hints.

Imo, the best time put the main quest on hiatus is when Henry's leads inform him directions to spoiler Pribislavitz bandit camp

Originally posted by DigitalFarce:

* Any "5 things I wish I would have known before starting the game" type of lists would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Henry is not Hercules. He cannot tank a horde of enemies, not till way later, maybe. He starts out barely being able to handle the town drunk in a 1v1 fist fight. And in a 1v2+ he's already feeling outmatched. Sometimes a hasty retreat is the best option(preferably on a horse).

There is more than one way to fry an egg.
Rushing headlong with brute force, may not always be the only option(And can be fatal). In some missions, Henry can ask for help with the dirty work instead of trying to solo. Or he can talk his way through it. Or he can use a sneaky/cunning way. (There's even a "Merciful" achievement for beating the game with only 1 story related event kill). Just saying.

Player skills mean very little, when Henry's starting stats are nil.
Henry gains exp in the thing that he does even if he fails. Exp gain is arguably better than trying to save scum, especially in the first play through. Save scumming may actually needlessly frustrate the new player.

Combat is RNG based off Henry's Combat Skills vs opponent's Defense Skill. (such as, Strength, Agility, Sword Skill)

And vice versa, Henry's Defense (while pushing "Block") vs opponent's Combat Skills.

If Henry doesnt block or dodge/back step in time, enemy gets a free pot shot.

Watch your Stamina in combat, it mitigates direct damage. 0 stamina and a direct attack on Henry means HP gets chopped to bits.

Bernard of Rattay gives free combat lessons and Henry gains exp doing so, while the player can learn the mechanics. He also teaches Master Strikes, which is an upgrade of the Perfect Block and the cheese to combat.

Edit: Bold text and spelgram

[SympliKrazi]

If all else fails.. Nexusmods.com probably has it. Sometimes, too much reality in a game requires QoL compensation.

[DR GOO]

If you go to the "Inn in the Glade" near Neuhof, sometimes standing by a road shrine is a Knight in full amor that will ask you to a duel. Kindly refuse, sneak up on him and knock him out and steal all his stuff.

There's a ton of mods on the Nexus, but I advise to play vanilla at least up to the confrontation with Runt.

IN the mission at Ulhitz where you have to follow three women to a witches circle, do NOT get involved and escort them all home safely. You'll fail the mission but at least they all survive.

[DR GOO]

Also Peshek sends you to see the executioner, if you go back to his house later you'll find a woman who's husband was executed sleeping on the ground near the gate to his house.

Check it out for a great side quest.

Oh, and train TRAIN all the time, train.
It might be overwhelming but you do git gud. ;)

[DigitalFarce]

These are great! Thanks for all the tips thus far!

[SympliKrazi]

Feinting in combat is misleading or poorly implemented. Feel free to try it, but from what i hear, KCD pro's avoid it

[...]

Originally posted by DigitalFarce:

* It seems like money can be hard to come by unless you steal fancy clothes, lockpick, etc. Is it ok to be in "middle ground" in morality or is it always better to plan an honest character who never steals?

There are two simple ways to cheese money with different risk/reward ratios.

Herbalism/Alchemy: Completely risk free, but very tedious at first. You need Alchemy level 13 for truly industrial production.

Combat Loot: If you have the space to maneuver you can ride down any group of enemies, only archers pose a small danger. Just ride past them and hit them over the head. Doesn't take too much practice.

Originally posted by DigitalFarce:

* The world seems huge. As a completionist, it is better to stick to main quest for a while and explore later or is it ok to go wander and explore for a while before I progress?

Slow walk the main quest line. They add too much of a sense of urgency early on, if you continue that pace, you'll fall behind in skill and equipment. There will be a mission with Bernard on site. At some stage he returns to Rattay: That's when you can take a break and also should spend a little time training with him.

Originally posted by DigitalFarce:

* Is there a list of missable items or quests or is it pretty forgiving?

There are lots of side quests, you're bound to miss some. Ask innkeepers if there's anything going on. If there is a side quest in the area, it will show up on your map afterwards.

Originally posted by DigitalFarce:

* I am sure there are mixed feelings about the save system. I'm cool with it it just makes me nervous to save/experiment manually as the items seem so expensive

Once you figured out (or googled) the recipe for Savior Schnapps and learned to recognize the rarer ingredient, it becomes a non-issue.
There is a field between Rattay and Neuhof, roughly in the middle, west side where trees and some bushes overhang the road. There's roughly 200 Belladonna to be had there.

Originally posted by DigitalFarce:

* Any "5 things I wish I would have known before starting the game" type of lists would be appreciated.

Pots. Look for pots. There's a free meal on virtually every corner.
Equipment matters. A lot.
Use your fist for horizontal aiming, then look along the arrow for angle. Or join the archery haters.
Poaching is profitable.
Traders accumulate more buying power as you trade with them regularly.

[Incrediblejimmy]

- Weight isn't a long term problem - once you got a horse you get a second, larger, inventory to and from which you can switch stuff around anytime...also you can carry more when you level up afair strength...also there are player chests that have endless inventory, and can be accessed from many points in the game like eg. the rattay mill; and all inns where you pay for a room

- money isn't really hard to come by, its a bit rare at the start, but becomes so plentiful during the game that its almost meaningless...Personally I prefer an honest character as it feels more realistic, makes choices a bit more important and you're not immediately super rich

- The main quest will hand you some important stuff a bit into it, and you'll either hit a skill wall if you only do the main quest, or at least it will show you a warning when the mainquest starts to interfere with sidequests...you're safe if you go far into the mainquest (if you can handle it yet) - just beware that some quests are timed, and you might miss out if you interrupt the main questline at some unfortunate points...

- The safe system forces you to think twice about taking risks, and imho enhances the experience a lot. Almost all quests have a multitude of solutions, and thanks to the save system you get to see more of the games depth, as you naturally start to consider looking for less risky ways to handle things. Just don't take on fights you aren't ready for...and in the long run learn alchemy for endless sav schnapps supply...

1. Don't delay Merhojed when the mainquest mentions trouble there
2. Alchemy can be really helpfull, especially stuff with negative effects
3. The game requires only one kill - so everything else can be solved differently, and a lot of depth goes lost if you chose the head-through-the-wall approach
4. Not me, but judging from the forums a lot of people don't get this: stuff gets easier when you level it up
5. Don't delay side stuff too long, because at higher levels its just a walkthrough and becomes a bit boring
6. Failing an objective is ok - 99% quests can still be done another way you won't experience if you reload

[danilo.schoeneberg]

The first and foremost lesson is: You are only as good as your Henry. It doesn't matter if you can mash buttons at lightning speed, if Henry has a sword stat of 1, he will hardly be able to tell the pointy end of the sword from the blunt bit, and it will show in battle. Many people get frustrated easily because they are wizards at some other game, but get completely beaten on KCD, That is is simply because it requires you to level Henry to a point where his stats match your skill at the controller or the mouse.

Try finding some structure in the game. Don't just hunt down any quest marker that is nearest to you. You may fail quests badly if you start them too early. The innkeepers are usually a good source of gossip about quests. So visit them. If a quest sounds easy, it probably is, so do those first. Many quests reward you with money and XP on top of it.

One thing to keep in mind about KCD - it is a role playing game. It is what you want to make it. If you like battle, train until the cows come home and Henry will become a veritable one-man army. You can play as a diplomat. With a high speech stat Henry can talk himself out of more than one tricky situation without having to use the metal stick on other people's heads. Or you can develop him into the 'incredible shadow', maxing his stealth stats and he can wipe out a bandit camp without ever been seen. The opportunities are endless.

And most important of all - don't be afraid to fail. It's just a video game, and a very good one at that. If things don't work out - try again or try a different method. I've played it for over 4.000 hours and I'm still finding new ways to solve some of the quests. It never gets old.