Kingdom Come: Deliverance II beginner guide: saving, combat, crime, how long to beat

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is a first-person story RPG set in a realistic Bohemia of the early 15th century. You play Henry again, this time in the regions of Trosky and Kuttenberg. There is no magic and there are no dragons: there are swords, armour, hunger, dirt and a world that remembers what you do.

The game does not hold your hand, and the first hours are what scare newcomers most: saving works differently from most games, combat is easy to lose, and a petty theft can put you on a wanted list. Below is how to avoid all that, and what to know before your first launch.

Account rental · SteamKingdom Come: Deliverance IIfrom 70 ₴Rent

How long it takes to beat

I could not pull exact numbers from HowLongToBeat, so these are estimates from several outlets. They vary: the game has no difficulty settings, so the time depends heavily on how well you fight and how much you explore.

According to Newsweek, the game has 31 main quests (11 in Trosky and 20 in Kuttenberg). The developers, as relayed from a GameStar interview, spoke of an average playthrough of 80–100 hours.

Saving: the usual source of lost hours

Saving is deliberately limited here, and that is exactly why newcomers lose progress.

• Saviour Schnapps is the only save on demand. Drink it from your inventory or pick "Save Game" in the pause menu (not during a fight). One bottle, one save.
• Sleeping in a bed saves, but only where the bed offers "Sleep and Save": your own, a rented one or a story bed. Ordinary sleep does not guarantee a save, and in someone else's bed you can be interrupted.
• Save & Exit saves when you quit and does not use Schnapps. There is only one such save: the next one overwrites the previous.
• Autosave triggers at story moments and transitions, and you do not decide when. If you did not see the save icon, assume your progress is not protected: quit mid-quest and you go back to the last save.

You get the Saviour Schnapps recipe early in the story: according to Shacknews and Fextralife, Pavlena gives it after you help Bozhena. Brewing needs wine, nettle, belladonna and an alchemy bench. Bottles also turn up in loot.

Combat: why beginners lose

The usual reasons for defeat are empty stamina, fighting two enemies at once, button mashing and worn gear (so say Method, GameRant and jeu.video).

• Block at the right moment. A perfect block comes at the instant of impact, when the icon flashes. The window is narrow, so it takes practice.
• Training. Combos and the Master Strike unlock after training with an instructor (Combat Training). According to Method, entry-level skill ranks cost around 100 groschen — spend that before you walk into your first serious fight.
• One at a time. Fall back and lead enemies in one by one; don't stand surrounded.
• Don't rush perks. Try several weapon types before putting everything into one (Method's advice).
• Layered armour. Clothing or gambeson, mail, plate. A lighter set is more comfortable early on; keep separate outfits for fighting, talking and stealth.

There are no difficulty settings. In April 2025 patch 1.2.4 added a Hardcore mode (no fast travel and no autosave), but you do not need it for a first run.

Crime and bounties

Theft, assault and murder lead to a wanted status. You can clear it three ways: wait it out, bribe, or surrender. Fines grow with each offence, and for serious crimes, according to GameGator, it can go as far as execution.

• Don't steal or attack in key towns early in the game: you can lose access to quests (GameRant and Gfinity both say so).
• Lockpicks are scarce and break on a failed attempt, so practise on simple locks (per GameRant).
• Pickpocketing and breaking in demand stealth: wear quiet clothing and take your time.

Traps of the first hours

• Hunger and sleep lower your effectiveness in combat, and spoiled food causes poisoning.
• Wear. Fully worn gear permanently loses quality. Sharpen weapons and repair armour before dangerous outings.
• Dirt and blood spoil how people treat you and hurt stealth, so wash and launder your clothes (per GameRant).
• Weight. Being overloaded blocks fast travel (per GameGator).
• Quests that lock. Some tasks are mutually exclusive and vanish after certain story events (kcd2.org). Keep a separate save before big branching points.
• Skills. Scholarship is often called one of the best early picks (Gamer Guides, Beebom): faster book reading and perks. Alchemy, linked to it, also brings income.

Early money comes from bandit loot and resale (repair an item before selling it), plus quests.

PC system requirements

Windows 10 64-bit or newer is required. 100 GB is a long download, so start it on the day you rent.

What to know before renting

• Ukrainian is supported, but as text only. The interface and subtitles are available in Ukrainian. Voice-over: English, French, German, Spanish, Czech and Japanese.
• The game is single-player, with no multiplayer, so offline rental limits no modes.
• There is no Denuvo: Steam lists no DRM, and PCGamesN and 80.lv report that the developers opted out of it. Still, launch the game once online and only then switch Steam to offline mode (see how it works).
• Scores: 89 on Metacritic (PC), "Very Positive" on Steam (about 94% positive). Players praise the combat, the world and the side quests; they criticise bugs and a slow start.

Sources

• Steam store page — requirements, languages, modes
• Metacritic: Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
• Newsweek: how long to beat and the main quest list
• Push Square: all quests and length
• Sportskeeda: how long to beat
• 3DNews: developer estimate (GameStar interview, in Russian)
• kcd2.org: saving
• Shacknews: how to save and Saviour Schnapps recipe
• Fextralife: Saviour Schnapps
• Method: 7 combat tips and trainers
• GameRant: beginner mistakes
• GameGator: 9 mistakes
• jeu.video: beginner guide
• Gfinity: beginner tips
• Beebom: tips
• Gamer Guides: Scholarship
• TheGamer: how to clear a wanted status
• PCGamesN: no Denuvo and 80.lv