newcomer. best advice?

[tools guy-kun]

I hear that the combat can be really tough, and while that has scared me away for some time, I'm in serious need of a new game to play that strays from the constant zombie slaying I've been doing lately. this piqued my interest.

so far I know very little about this game. so if you have any spoiler free tips/advice you would like to share, please do so.

bonus question: do loot and enemies respawn regularly? I simply enjoy killing and looting on a habitual basis. nothing more, nothing less.

[Bandy]

KCD is a thinking game, so not for every player, sadly. See some threads here LOL...
The game rewards patient exploration, attention to detail, and role play. What other game makes the player\Henry learn to read!?!

Game does not reflect player gamer skill in beginning. 'Henry' who you play, is a blacksmith's son, he can't fight well in beginning until you train melee skills as part of the story quests. You MUST learn to pick your fights and learn when to run for at least first half of the game. If you keep dying you need to try something else.

Do not bring expectations of combat from other games, you will need to adapt to KCD mechanics or just get frustrated. IOW keep an open mind, don't try to fight toe-to-toe you will fail. Do not try to fight more than one enemy at least in beginning, you will fail. Use the terrain features to isolate enemy, fight in doorways, use fences, to funnel enemy.

Do not, or try not to, fast travel. The map is actually small but is beautiful and every corner appears handmade. By not fast traveling if you have good situational awareness you will be able to see and avoid bandit and other ambushes, or at least be able to pick your fighting ground.

ALSO, the game can have nasty bugs, sometimes crashes, but some do not experience much of this. That said, think about\look into the 'Save Anywhere" mod to avoid disappointment and rage quitting, it is most popular mod on nexus for KCD.

[Bandy]

And KCD had to be one of the most miserable games to tweak performance for me, at least in 2018 with a 980Ti and overclocked i7 chip. There should be plenty of threads here anbd other forums, search for 'performance' and 'usercfg'.

That said, places in the game will always tank to slideshow, "making the turn in Rattay" is well known to all vet players regardless of their chad systems.

[Valden21]

When it comes to combat, I've found that the key is patience, practice, and effort. Don't go into combat expecting it to be like Skyrim. I made that mistake my first couple of attempts, and I always got curbstomped. It wasn't until I started to fight from a slightly more defensive standpoint, and began taking my time in combat, that I started to improve. The best bit of advice I have to give is this: don't get over-confident, and listen to the NPC's during the combat tutorial. The things you learn in that tutorial are the building blocks for the game's combat.

Will there come a time when it seems the game's combat is too difficult for you? Yes; I call it "the newbie wall". It happens to everybody who plays the game for the first time, and it's something that CAN be overcome. The key to getting over the newbie wall is in what I've already said. However, this is something only we can do; we can't do it for you, but you CAN get over that wall.

[Insomec]

Take your time and enjoy the experience, it’s one of if not the best RPG going for the mid to late medieval period.

[vine]

with all the info popping up on GUI as you play through Prologue (cca 6h? heavily depends but you will know when you end prologue, credits roll :D) and a bit after that, all the info can be found in game in codexes. for KCD you don't need to go to google. EVERYTHING is noted there, if you need to re-read that horse-riding tutorial or whatnot. it's there.

check your controls settings and adjust to your liking - don't find yourself mid-event thinking what's the key i want to press. i personally like rebinding Block from default Q to Left Ctrl - much easier to press with pinky while retaining all movement fingers to use in combat.

for lockpicking - either lower your DPI on mouse or enable Simplified Lockpicking for joypad. the setting is ONLY available on PC if you have a pad plugged in. and be patient, like any other skill in KCD, practice makes perfect. skill level matters.

if you have the Royal Ed. with all DLCs, or any DLCs (there are some free) - DLC quests are highlighted by Blue Icon on map and in your gui radar. One quest - Theresa's view of Skalitz - will yank you out of Henry for few hours and you play as Theresa through prologue. so be aware of that.

the one Blue Icon DLC quest you SHOULD engage in, is the Rattay tournament. it's a recurring event - every week - so if it says it failed, do not fret, you'll always have it next week. entry fee is 60groshen which may sound like a lot at first, but it's best spent money early on, safe training.
the next safe training is with Cpt. Bernard - after prologue and one two main quests - that'll only cost you repairing your gear. maybe start with wooden weapons. also as others said, DO ASK him to learn the Master Strike. you need to progress with combat skills first, learn a bit, then show to Bernard you're worth it, and he'll teach you MS.

the less you're exposed to spoilers the more you will enjoy, so be patient with it, learn along with Henry, be Henry, and enjoy one of the best RPGs. cheers \o/

[Vote Quimby]

Wow these walls of text.(usualy nobody reads them)

My simple list:
1) First quest after prologue is train with Bernard. Do it asap, and just train and train.
2)Tbh it's all about managing stamina. Hit while have armor and stamina = -stamina, Hit while armor and no stamina = -health. So keep stamina above your enemy.

[noxteryn]

Don't let all the naysayers scare you away. The combat is really not that hard, and it's actually a lot of fun if you pay attention to what the game tells you.

Here is my advice:

1. In the first 5-10 hours, focus on the main story. Don't play it like Skyrim where you leave the main quest for last. This isn't that type of game. Progressing the main story means unlocking new features and other important things that open up the world for you. A lot of the people you hear complaining about the combat make the mistake of not listening to what the game tells them and start adventuring on their own too early, and die immediately.

2. Always participate in the Tourney when it happens. Even if you lose, you gain valuable combat experience, both for you and your character.

3. Train. When teachers offer to teach you things, listen. Train with them repeatedly. It's not just a tutorial for show, it actually helps you learn in a safe environment. Yes, you gain XP even if you are training with wooden weapons. After a while, they will teach you more advanced techniques, like combos and masterstrikes.

4. Try to immerse yourself in the game. It's very heavy on the role-playing, so you get more out of the experience if you treat it like a proper RPG. For example, if it's getting late, try to find an inn to sleep.

5. Don't collect and hog quests. Do the quests as they come to you, it makes for a better experience.

As for looting, this game doesn't have a lot of dungeon-crawling, it's not really that type of game. There is plenty of looting, but it mostly comes from being ambushed by bandits while travelling. There are some bandit camps, but they are not infinite.

But be warned, this game is not really about fighting and looting. It's a very well-written character-driven experience in a historically accurate setting. The reason we love this game so much is because you really get to feel like you live in medieval times. That's its major selling point.

[tools guy-kun]

thank you everyone for the thoughtful responses. I appreciate all of this. if i reply to every single comment, there would be lots of clutter. just know that I'm thankful.

Originally posted by Vote Quimby:

Wow these walls of text.(usualy nobody reads them)

My simple list:
1) First quest after prologue is train with Bernard. Do it asap, and just train and train.
2)Tbh it's all about managing stamina. Hit while have armor and stamina = -stamina, Hit while armor and no stamina = -health. So keep stamina above your enemy.

I appreciate the walls of text. sure they could be condensed but they're still informational.

[EMPLOYER]

The combat is not difficult just don't go trying to take 1v5 fights when you're at the start of the game and make sure you literally train at the trainer. Teaches you essential parts of combat including a winbutton that I feel like most players just miss.

[jballar]

A little non combat advise.

The skills in this game are increased by use. So to increase in a skill, you have to do that skill. It will take some grinding, but not too bad.

In the prologue area, don't rush it. Spend time and pick every flower you find. When you are encombered, find a vendor and sell the flowers. Picking flowers helps in more than 1 skill.

Fight the urge to explore the world when you are done with the prologue and just do main quests for a while. You will eventually get a horse in a mission and that is where the game opens up. After you get the horse, then go nuts and explore.

This is a slow paced game, so slow down and enjoy it.

[REhorror]

For me:
1. Train your str, get swole.
2. Train with Bernard to get techniques.
3. Steal, buy, loot good equipment.

[Spark0]

After being off and on this game because of the combat this is how I feel more successful.
Fu$$ it, and just go into Hardcore mode. Im not kidding.


The UI for their combat system, for me at least, is more distracting. Im better at combat for it, just pay attention to how your enemy is holding their weapon. Avoid anything more than 1 guy in a fight for a long time until your stats are up. Actually, try to use the Bow a lot in your early combat. You can ride horse and use the bow, and if you get good at it your enemies all they can do is run.

The vets werent kidding with this game. You start out as a pleb with no experience (player- and in lore). You have no training or skills. You have to be more clever. You can pick your fights, and do side-quests. The main quest isn't going anywhere so don't worry about it.

If a side quest sounds like its timed (pay attention to the dialogue) then it probably is and you should deal with it.

Hardcore mode removes fast travel and use of the map too btw, so it forces you to learn things (when landmarks pop up, switch to you map and see where it showed up zoomed in and learn the map!).

Combat is always finicky in this game. Im hoping KCD2 will be better for it, but everything else is really fun. Just take your time. Play each day. Learn to craft potions. Loot, repair loot, sell it. Haggle everything you can. Take it day by day. This isn't meant as a 20 hr adventure. This is a slow burning long term game.

[tools guy-kun]

Originally posted by Spark0:

The main quest isn't going anywhere so don't worry about it.

If a side quest sounds like its timed (pay attention to the dialogue) then it probably is and you should deal with it.

I only have time to respond to this part of your comment. Just know I appreciate everything else you’ve typed, and everyone else above as well!

I’ve just started yesterday and left off at Bernard’s first training session, right before the archery segment.

Now that I know that timed quests exist, does the timer for said quests only start when the quest becomes active? Or are there side quests that I can miss without me knowing it? Thanks in advance.

[Ayahuasca]

train up your alchemy and use the potions they can help in the early game combat situations a great deal

[Joe]

Originally posted by tools guy-kun:

Originally posted by Spark0:

The main quest isn't going anywhere so don't worry about it.

If a side quest sounds like its timed (pay attention to the dialogue) then it probably is and you should deal with it.

I only have time to respond to this part of your comment. Just know I appreciate everything else you’ve typed, and everyone else above as well!

I’ve just started yesterday and left off at Bernard’s first training session, right before the archery segment.

Now that I know that timed quests exist, does the timer for said quests only start when the quest becomes active? Or are there side quests that I can miss without me knowing it? Thanks in advance.

Technically yes? Just look at quest keywords to avoid spoilers. If the quest says you have to administer the cure to someone, you have to do it fast. If the quest says look for the injured person, do it fast or they'll end up a corpse. If the quest giver says ride with them, don't wander off and ride with them already. There's only a few quests that'll actually fail as far as I remember. And technically, you can even still continue some quests even if you fail the subquest part of the main quest.

It might get slightly overwhelming at first since the earliest quests feel like they're all timed due to how "urgent" they sound.

Also, just a tip. If you get a bit of free time ingame, look for someone to teach Henry how to read.