Summary

  • Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 Hardcore Mode offers a realistic medieval experience by including more restrictions and challenges.
  • Carefully select negative perks and master core mechanics to survive this extremely difficult setting.
  • There won’t be any modern aids available to help players navigate the expansive game world in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2. 

Make it an extreme medieval experience with Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 Hardcore Mode. This newly introduced game mode brings players back into the brutally realistic difficult life during medieval Bohemia. Here’s your ultimate guide to navigating the new Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 hardcore mode.

What is Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 Hardcore Mode

Some players crave challenges and extreme difficulty in their game. Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 intends to serve this by adding a new feature, Hardcore mode, among game options. This significantly alters the gameplay experience of players by imposing restrictions such as:

  • Compass doesn’t show cardinal directions
  • Disabled fast travel and auto-save
  • No directional indicators for attacking and defending
  • No health or stamina bars
  • Player position is not marked on the map
  • Reduced UI both in and out of combat
  • Required selection of three negative perks as permanent penalties

It’ll let players experience the true hardships of medieval life, making every decision and action consequential. This can make or break players’ gameplay as it takes a longer and tougher route in the game.

Choosing Your Negative Perks Wisely

Once you start the Hardcore Mode, it’ll have you choose three negative perks among the pool of ten provided. This selection will significantly affect your playthrough, as it can either handicap you or worsen things. So, choose what will fit your preferred playstyle rather than what seems ideal. For beginners, they can select these negative perks to start with: 

  1. Menace – Makes crime penalties more severe, but only impacts those pursuing a criminal path
  2. Numbskull – Slows experience a gain by 40%, which can be countered with efficient XP farming
  3. Picky Eater – Food spoils 25% faster and you get fewer resources when hunting, but this can be mitigated by focusing on non-spoiling foods like honey

These are considerably manageable compared to other options in the fool. The remaining selection includes perks such as Bashful or Heavy-Footed. 

How to Improve Early Game in Hardcore Mode

Sometimes, your early game matters as it sets the pace and tone of your gameplay. It’ll be best to treat this as your learning ground in understanding the mechanics well. Here are some tips to improve your early game in hardcore mode:

  1. Play the Standard Mode first before jumping into Hardcore mode. It’ll be essential to learn the core mechanics first in the standard difficulty. Some systems like combat, brewing, and sneaking appear without helpful indicators, making them harder to understand.
  2. Talk to the locals to gather information for navigation. There won’t be any map markers showing your position. Instead, the NPCs will tell you your current location and the direction towards your objective.
  3. Prioritize getting better weapons and armor instantly. Seek guidance and equipment from Bara at Troskowitz then the Military Sword from a vagabond near Bozhena’s hut.
  4. There won’t be an auto-save function during this mode. Brew Savious Schnapps potions to help you manually save your game. The herbs are around Troskowitz then use the Alchemy Station to work on the potion.

Ensure Your Combat Prowess to Survive

With Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 Hardcore mode, expect the combat to get more intense. It’ll significantly increase the difficulty of your encounter, raising the stakes in every quest. So, these tips will help ensure your survival throughout the game:

  1. Master your combat training. Complete Tomcat’s training at the Nomad Camp to learn crucial sword combos and eventually the Master Strike technique, which is vital for winning difficult duels in Hardcore Mode.
  2. Avoid waging any unnecessary fights. Enemy AI in Hardcore Mode is more aggressive and tactical. They will attempt to flank you and attack simultaneously, making fights against multiple opponents extremely challenging. Go off-road to avoid bandits when possible.
  3. You should be prepared for combat. If combat is unavoidable, consume potions like Buck’s Blood and Painkiller Brew to boost your stamina and reduce health loss.
  4. Focus your attention on Alchemy. Investing in alchemy skills early allows you to create Saviour Schnapps for saving and healing potions to survive combat. Your character retains alchemy knowledge from the first game, making this an accessible early skill.

Navigation Without Modern Aids

You have to be more skilled when navigating Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 in Hardcore mode. Unlike in Standard play, there won’t be any position markers appearing on the map to help you find your way. Instead, you have to strategize carefully to travel across the regions.

  1. You should stay on the road. Without position markers, it’s easy for you to get lost in forests or off-path areas. Stick to the main roads until you’re familiar with the map layout.
  2. Use landmarks for navigation as much as you can. Learn to identify key landmarks like Trosky Castle that are visible from a distance.
  3. You can farm for Honey. Honey never spoils, unlike other food affected by the Picky Eater perk. Going to the beehives north of Lower Semine Mill will provide you with around 30 honey portions.
  4. Try getting Pebbles early into the game. Recovering your horse Pebbles from the stables in Semine should be your priority. Keep in mind that hardcore mode disabled the fast travel option. Pebbles also has a secret perk that improves its attributes over time.

Final Thoughts

It certainly won’t be an easy journey in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 hardcore mode. Even if the core gameplay remains the same, it takes you into a whole different experience with this path. You’ll find yourself struggling to navigate the rough world of medieval Bohemia as there won’t be any any tools like indicators to help you. So your best bet to accomplish this mode is by bringing in a lot of patience.