Kingdom come Deliverance 1 Hardcore Mode

Kingdom Come Deliverance (1st chapter), originally released in 2018.

The version I am reviewing today is 1.9.6-404-504czj3 from GOG (including all the DLCs).

What Hardcore Mode Actually Changes

Kingdom Come Deliverance has a Hardcore mode... and frankly? It should be the standard 😍

The most important features of Hardcore mode: no compass! You never know if you're facing north or south, and when you open the map there's no marker showing your position either 😅 That means you literally have to rely on your own sense of direction! And I almost forgot... no fast travel! Want to go somewhere? Take your horse and ride!

Fast travel and all the various forms of hand-holding in video games often take away from the immersion! Without them, you have to rely on your own wayfinding skills — recognizing landmarks along the way, knowing you have to turn left after the burned-down house, or turn right once you reach the site of an accident. It's incredible how much more interesting a game becomes once you remove all the "let me guide you by the hand."

Hardcore mode also forces you to take 2 negative perks 😜 I chose Numbskull and Worm Eater, so I gained XP far slower than usual, and had to eat twice as much just to avoid starving! Honestly, these 2 perks were a big part of why I loved KCD so much. My skills were far from maxed even after 200 hours — my highest combat skill was 14 out of 20. I never turned into a killing machine; I stayed human right up to the end of the game.

Even my horseback riding skill wasn't maxed, and I used it constantly! 🤩

Speaking of realism — even your view of the battlefield gets reduced if your helmet has a visor!

That's why I mostly relied on open helmets, even though they offered a lot less protection... at least I could see what I was doing, especially when fighting a group of opponents! Because in Hardcore mode, your enemies won't hesitate to overwhelm you — they won't line up politely waiting to be killed one by one 😌

The difference between a full helmet and an open one — your vision, your choice! 😎

There's also a perk called "HeadCracker"! Whenever you land a hit on an opponent's head, you get a small chance to knock them out! This perk is extremely useful, especially in group fights, since it buys you time to deal with the others while one or more attackers are lying on the ground.

And if it's just one opponent against you, HeadCracker means a free kill! 😈

Still, in Hardcore mode, whoever you're facing will be actively trying to hit your head too! So it's a real trade-off: less vision or more protection, depending on how confident you are in your own defense, or whether you'd rather lean on the raw protection of a full visored helmet.

⚔ PLAYER BUFF AVAILABLE ⚔

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Immersion: Travel, Speech & Everyday Life

The immersion in KCD is genuinely one of the best I've ever experienced... (even more so in Hardcore!)

Riding under a shining sun, exploring new towns, finding your way through a dense forest. Once you depend on your horse instead of fast travel, you actually have to plan your trips!

Why? Because if it's getting late, night will fall — and you definitely don't want to be riding through forests at night... And there's always a forest between point A and point B. So when you've got several quests in your journal, it's smart to clear as many as you can in one area before moving on to the next town.

You'll need to plan how much food you'll need, and wake up early to travel during daylight 👍

There are plenty of dangers on the roads — random events like bandit ambushes can happen at any time. And as a reminder, there were no streetlights in medieval times! Even in towns, carrying a torch at night was mandatory 😅 So imagine crossing a dense forest lit only by your small torch... genuinely dangerous!

You can outrun bandits on the road thanks to your horse... but at night, even on a road you know well, you can easily get lost in the heat of the chase! And if you factor in that Hardcore mode gives you no compass at all, getting lost in the dark after a frantic escape is not something you want!

Another great touch of immersion: how the speech skill works!

Even with the perk that reveals the exact challenge level of the person you're talking to, it won't guarantee success! There are three ways to speak to someone: raise your voice, speak like a noble, or go with the rude approach. But if you check the second picture below, you'll notice all the choices belong to the same category 😁

That's because in KCD, your speech success also depends on the context of the conversation — it's not just about how you say things, it's also about whether it's relevant to the situation or not.

On the left, I tried to talk my way out of trouble, and on the right... well, it depended on the context 👍

And finally, still on the immersion front — you can enjoy all the good things in life 🥰

Having a beer! Drinking yourself into oblivion and waking up somewhere you've never seen before 🤣 Or, well... having a good time with a few women! These were different times, but girls still love a big, strong... man!

Were you expecting a different word? 😜 And don't worry, it's only eroticism — there's no porn in KCD.

Having a drink with the local nobility, and making sure Theresa remembers this night 😎

⚔ PLAYER BUFF AVAILABLE ⚔

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Crime, Stealth & Playing the Thief

There is a ton of excitement to be found in KCD!

Crime scene investigations, questioning villagers to unearth clues, following hints from a person or a scrap of parchment, sabotaging an execution to restore a local executioner's honor, delivering a sermon to rally a village, or acting as the lawyer and witness for a friend accused of heresy by the church!

Warhorse obviously doesn't have the same resources as CD Projekt Red, but they're clearly playing in the same league!

KCD is a realistic game — anyone can fall victim to bandits, men and women alike.

Public executions are a thing in these dark times, and so is public punishment by the church!

You can also choose to embrace a short but rewarding career as a thief 😏 Let's be honest — in this kind of RPG, especially on Hardcore, you start with nothing and everything is expensive! So a pair of lockpicks, some black clothes, and a bit of stealth skill will help you get off the ground 😈

KCD handles stealth really well, with several factors to take into account. Your clothes or armor can make noise, so you might be excellent at sneaking but still give yourself away to everyone nearby! You also need to think about the color of your clothes and whether they blend in with your surroundings.

Honestly, lockpicking and stealth are a must-have in any RPG out there...

Check your map, then travel to uncover a secret — sometimes stealth alone isn't enough to get what you want...

Remember, you're no hero, and if you break the law, you'll face the consequences if caught...

⚔ PLAYER BUFF AVAILABLE ⚔

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Combat Training & the Rattay Tournament

Medieval times also mean mass combat!

There are a few battles to take part in, though not quite enough for my taste.

On that note, if you play Hardcore mode, know that the game will try everything to kill you... but also the people you're supposed to be protecting! In the DLC Band of Bastards, for example, the challenge isn't just surviving — it's keeping your whole team alive.

Don't hesitate to charge ahead of your team and act as a temporary meat shield... 😅

You have several ways to train your weapon skills! You can practice with the local weapon master, or pay to improve your skills (I never did that... I'd rather grow through practice than money), and finally there's the Rattay Tourney every Friday 🥰 It's a DLC, but a genuinely good one — an excellent way to sharpen all your combat skills. Every time you win the tournament — a series of 3 fights — you get a piece of armor, then weapons.

To get better at real combat, like on the left, take part in the Rattay Tourney, on the right 👍

Ultimately, all of this is in service of avenging your dead father, and making him proud!

Follow in your Dad steps, and take the right decisions during your adventures!

⚔ PLAYER BUFF AVAILABLE ⚔

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The Path to Greatness (And Its Cost)

There will be many challenges on the road from a local blacksmith's son to a renowned hero!

But remember, even heroes can die if ambushed by a group of highwaymen!

Don't hesitate to drink potions before a fight if you're really struggling to survive, especially during the first dozen hours. Until you reach a skill level of at least 10 in your combat stats, you'll be a weakling! Even once you understand how the combat works, your skill level will always remind you that there's always someone better than you — and even if you press the button at exactly the right moment, you'll still fail to attack or defend.

This is why so many players complained... They're used to Dark Souls, where it's purely about your own mastery of the controller. In KCD, it's a combination of both — your mastery of the controller, and your character's skill level.

You'll rub shoulders with the nobility throughout your adventures, and might even become one of them if you play your cards right!

Then of course, there's plenty of fun stuff to do along the way! 😅

Like arm-wrestling an unusual monk, or brawling like it's Fight Club! 😉

But the road to greatness isn't always a clean one... you'll have to fight dirty and be brutal!

Killing, killing, and more killing! Even if the guy is on the ground begging for his life — no mercy!

The Church says to spare your opponent if you've bested him...

I say don't give him the chance to come back for you another day.

The path to greatness is often paved with shining armor and dark stories...

Kingdom Come Deliverance is a must-play for every fan of medieval settings. This is only the first chapter — a sequel came out in 2025, continuing the story of the first game. I installed it, and of course the sequel runs on an improved engine — the texture loading issues and low framerate from the first game are no longer a problem 👍

• It's not every day that I spend 200 hours on a game...
• Hardcore difficulty should be the new standard 😍
• Realism at its peak! You're no hero, just a peasant!
• Oh man, did I enjoy riding my horse for hours!
• Once you understand the combat system... and get good at it... you'll LOVE this game! But...

• ...At first, combat will be HIGHLY INFURIATING 😅 (only at first — then you'll accept you're no hero)
• You'll need a strong PC to run it with HD textures (and even then... you'll get slow texture load times)