Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 drops you into its open world after the prologue and doesn’t hold your hand much. Here’s an order that works well for the first hours: who to visit right after the prologue, where to find a bed and your first income, how saving and healing work, where to learn to fight and what to avoid early on. The tips apply to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S and reflect the game as of 19 October 2026.
After the prologue: find Bara in Troskowitz
You play as Henry of Skalitz. The game has two maps: the region around Trosky, where you start, and Kuttenberg, which you reach later. Right after the prologue, head to Troskowitz and look for the beggar Bara.
Bara gives you information about the area, a quest to visit Tomcat, who teaches you to fight, and, most importantly, your first lockpick. You get it by asking her about armour and clothes. How to use it without snapping it straight away is covered in our lockpicking guide.
A bed, a chest and income: blacksmith or miller
Next, find yourself a job. There are two routes, and both eventually lead to the wedding quest in Semine:
- Radovan the blacksmith in Tachov. He teaches you to forge, and after the first quest he offers you a bed and a chest. You can then sell him what you make, which gives you a steady source of groschen.
- Kreyzl the miller in Lower Semine. He teaches you how to steal. His barn has lockpicks and a very easy chest to practise on, and his farmhand Hensel teaches you pickpocketing and how to knock people out quietly.
Whichever you pick, you get a place to sleep, store your gear and earn money.
How saving works
Saving is limited in KCD2, and it’s what trips up new players most often. The game saves when you:
- drink Saviour Schnapps, a potion that saves the game,
- sleep in a bed,
- reach key moments in quests (autosave),
- use “Save and Quit” when you leave the game.
You get the Saviour Schnapps recipe automatically from Pavlena early in the game. Buy nettles and belladonna from the apothecary in Troskowitz and brew the potion at the alchemy table outside. The base is wine, plus one nettle and two belladonna. The step-by-step method is in our alchemy recipes guide. Brew a few to keep in stock, they’ll save you a lot of replaying.
Healing: buy the Marigold Decoction recipe
The second recipe worth buying early is Marigold Decoction, a healing brew. The apothecary in Troskowitz sells it for around 150 groschen, and haggling brings the price down. It heals gradually over roughly a minute, not instantly, so don’t wait until your last sliver of health to drink it.
Where to sleep and where not to
Sleeping in a bed saves your game, but sleeping in someone else’s bed can get you into trouble with the law. You get a bed by working (for the blacksmith or the miller), at an inn, or by paying for a room.
Combat: Tomcat and the Master Strike
Combat doesn’t come naturally, and your first scraps with bandits tend to hurt. You’ll find Tomcat in the Nomads’ Camp in the south-west of the first map. In Combat Training I he teaches you basic sword combos for free. In Combat Training II you have to beat him in a duel, and then he teaches you the Master Strike, a counter that only works with a sword.
Save before fighting Tomcat so you can retry. How to time the Master Strike and why you attack from the opposite side to your opponent is explained in our Master Strike guide.
Against several enemies, don’t let yourself get surrounded. Back off so they follow you in a line, and let your dog Mutt keep one of them busy. Mutt fights at your side, but the quest to find him is long and runs across the whole first region.
Money, haggling and a horse
Haggle at every shop, even when you’re selling. Successful haggling raises your Speech and your reputation. Smithing is a reliable early source of money.
The main story gives you a horse: in Semine you get Henry’s horse Pebbles. If you don’t want to wait, you can buy a horse.
Food, sleep, appearance and reputation
You have to eat and sleep, but it’s not demanding. Food spoils, so take dried meat and fruit on longer trips.
People react to how you look (blood, dirt), to what you do and to your crimes. Washing and clean clothes help in conversations. After crimes, merchants raise their prices and guards get stricter.
As your skills level up, you earn perk points. Don’t forget to spend them. Once you reach Kuttenberg, you can enter the weekly tournament, and you can do it repeatedly.
Fast travel
You can fast travel between settlements on the map. Random encounters can happen on the way, good or bad, so set off prepared.
What to avoid early on
- Don’t sleep in someone else’s bed until you have your own or a paid one.
- Don’t take on several enemies at once before you’ve trained with Tomcat.
- Don’t steal or attack people while your reputation matters. Higher prices and stricter guards hurt most at the start.
- Don’t head out without a stock of Saviour Schnapps and a healing brew.
- Don’t leave perk points unspent.
Once you know the game and want a bigger challenge, try Hardcore Mode.
How long is the game
According to reviewers, the main story takes roughly 40–50 hours, and a full completion takes over 100 hours.
Join our Discord to find players who know their way around 15th-century Bohemia and are happy to help when you get stuck: Discord GamersTogether.
How players and critics rate the game is summed up in our Kingdom Come: Deliverance II review (9/10).
FAQ
Go to Troskowitz and find the beggar Bara. She gives you information, a quest to visit Tomcat and your first lockpick. Then get a job with the blacksmith in Tachov or the miller in Lower Semine.
With Saviour Schnapps, by sleeping in a bed, through autosaves at key quest moments and with “Save and Quit”. You get the Saviour Schnapps recipe from Pavlena early in the game.
From Tomcat in the Nomads’ Camp in the south-west of the first map. Bara in Troskowitz gives you the quest. Combat Training I teaches combos, Combat Training II the Master Strike.
The main story gives you one: in Semine you get Henry’s horse Pebbles. You can also buy a horse.
In a bed you earn by working for the blacksmith or the miller, at an inn or in a paid room. Sleeping in someone else’s bed can get you into trouble with the law.
Information verified on 19 October 2026. More guides are in our KCD2 guides.