Want to make the most hyper-realistic RPG even more realistic? Look no further than the hardcore difficulty mode, which not only takes away any semblance of KCD2 being a game but also stacks the entire deck against you.
Now it goes without saying that you should not attempt this as a first playthrough, as the learning curve of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is already quite steep. Add in the hardcore mode, and your chances of survival are even less than minuscule.
With no assistance from the UI on top of multiple debuffs weighing you down, I won’t blame you if you quit mid-way, but in case you are someone who doesn’t give up, allow me to give you some essential tips that will certainly aid you in your journey.
1 Be Familiar With The Game
Know What You Are Stepping Into
Allow me to elaborate a bit on what I was saying before. Only start the hardcore mode once you have ended the game at least once, because you will lose your compass and map location indicator.
You won’t be able to see your live location on the map, and the only way to figure out where you are is to compare landmarks or ask someone for directions.
You also need to be a master at KCD2’s combat mechanics, as the enemy AI is more refined, and if you have the Punchable Face debuff active, then enemies will also take more pleasure in hurting you, meaning more aggressive enemies and more damage to you.
The bottom line is that you need to be a master of KCD2 game mechanics and be familiar with the world itself if you wish to survive in hardcore mode.
2 Which Debuffs You Should Choose
Choose Your Poison, Literally
Now, if you are going for the Against All Odds achievement, then you have no choice but to select all ten debuffs, even the Bashful debuff, which makes your Henry a shy guy, meaning you can’t ask for directions, even though this mechanic was literally made for hardcore mode.
Nonetheless, if you just want a taste of the hardcore mode and don’t care about the achievement, then the game allows you to choose only three debuffs. While you can choose more if you want, if you want your playthrough to be as manageable as possible, the debuffs I would recommend choosing are:
|
Debuff Name |
Debuff Effects |
|---|---|
|
Heavy Footed |
The starting noise level is increased to 25. Your shoes also wear down twice as fast. |
|
Sweaty |
Your clothes get dirty 50% faster, allowing enemies to smell you more easily, making stealth tougher. |
|
Picky Eater |
Food will spoil 25% faster. You will also only get a quarter of the meat and other items when hunting animals. |
In case you want to keep one of these abilities, then I would recommend swapping them with either the Bashful debuff, in case you have done multiple playthroughs before and are very familiar with the map, or the Menace debuff, only if you don’t plan on doing a thief playthrough.
3 Get All The Help You Can Get
Two Of Man’s Best Friends
As you may have already guessed, as soon as free roam is unlocked for you in KCD2, looking for your two lost companions—Pebbles and Mutt should be your number one priority, as Mutt is a Godsend in the combat section, while Pebbles helps you get around more easily.
In terms of Groschens, one sly piece of advice I can give you is that while you and your party make camp at the very beginning of the game before being ambushed, if you look around, you can find a chest inside a small cave.
I would recommend putting all your Groschen in that chest before progressing further. Then, once the tutorial ends, go back to that location and retrieve them from the chest. Having 1000+ Groschen in the early games will certainly make your life a lot easier.
4 Prepare For The Worst
And Hope For The Best
Before leaving town for your journey, always visit the general store and prepare for the journey first. That means purchasing bandits, stockpiling some food, and selling the extra loot so you don’t get overencumbered during your journey.
I recommend using honey as your primary source of food, as it gives you a lot of nourishment, and just like in real life, it never spoils. Luckily, honey is also easy to obtain, as you can find beehives around towns that give free honey.
And be sure to hunt for food occasionally as well, so you can keep feeding your pet dog, Mutt.
5 Mind Your Surroundings
The Old Ways Of Traveling
Since you don’t have a compass, can’t locate yourself on the map, and to add insult to injury, you can’t even ask the NPCs for directions (if you have the Bashful debuff). This makes traversal a nightmare, so you need to learn the ways of the old.
Meaning that as you travel, you’ll need to compare landmarks to the map and determine your current location. One advice I can give you here is whenever you discover a new settlement, like a shrine or a camp, open the map and the settlement will appear on it, therefore, indicating your current location. And then determine accordingly where you need to go.
You can also need to observe the sun to get a sense of direction and determine where to go next, as the sun rises from the east and sets in the west.
6 Don’t Forget About Alchemy
Realistic Potions
If you are like me, who didn’t pay much attention to alchemy during your first playthrough, now is the time to change.
You want to stockpile on the Marigold Decoction whenever you are leaving town, as you never know when an encounter might leave you with low health.
Besides the Marigold Decoction, since autosave is disabled in hardcore mode, you will also need to stockpile as many Savior Schnapps potions as you can, since they are the only way to save besides sleeping on a bed that you own. And generally, stockpile the potions that you find useful.
7 Prioritise Stealth And Ranged Combat
Who Needs Swords?
Since enemies are more aggressive and powerful in hardcore mode, it will be easier and much more manageable for you if you opt for stealth kills.
Besides stealth, if you are entering a fighting sequence with allies of your own, then it is much better to let your allies go in and draw the attention of your enemies while you shoot them with your bow from a safe distance.
Ranged combat becomes more appealing when you consider that standard sword combat is even more complex in hardcore mode, since you have no UI to tell you which way you are blocking or swinging your sword and when to block to perform a parry. While it’s not a dealbreaker, it is certainly much more challenging.
8 No More Bunny UI For You
I Miss It Already
While it won’t affect your playthrough much, you’ll need to be extra careful when sneaking around and always keep an ear out for NPC comments, because you have no Bunny UI this time to tell you whether you have been detected, threatened, or are being chased.
So to make sure you don’t miss the cues or snarky comments by the NPCs, play at a high volume or use headphones.
If they are asking you to leave the premises, leave the premises. If they have had enough of your shenanigans and the situation has escalated, then unsheathe your sword and start fighting for your life.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
