If there’s one thing we can all come to expect from Kingdom Come: Deliverance, it’s the way the game doesn’t hold our hand much. Sure, tutorials pop up during normal mode and there’s no shortage of explanations via the Help menu. But many explanations don’t get unlocked until the accompanying feature is first interacted with in some way in-game. Some vitally important stuff is just left for players to discover on their own entirely. While a couple entries on this list do have a loading screen description, the majority are either secret or only get tutorialized after finding out about it through trial and error. Note that controls are based on controller and not mouse and keyboard. With that, here are 13 things Kingdom Come: Deliverance II doesn’t tell you.
Photo Mode
One of the most pleasant secrets in the game is something the first game didn’t have: photo mode. There’s no tutorial or help section introducing this unassuming feature, so you’ll have to experiment with it yourself. To activate photo mode, press down the L3 and R3 thumbsticks on controllers and the F1 command on keyboard. It’s a very light photo mode without fancy filters or camera settings such as zoom and tilt, but it’s a nice inclusion nonetheless.
Saving the Game
Some things in KCD2 are vital to know about right from the start, and saving is one of them. The first time you’ll notice the game saving is after the first cutscene. The game autosaves after key story events and quests. Progress through the main quest gets autosaved frequently, while side quests autosave more semi-frequently. Thankfully, you don’t have to rely on autosaves to come back to a game though, since KCD2 includes an exit save slot as well. Every time you exit and save through the menu, it overwrites your previous exit save. Unfortunately, just like the last game, the only way to manually save is by consuming a Savior Schnapps drink. You can buy or craft these given you have the money or materials. You can also manually save with Savior Schnapps through the main menu. These are the only three ways to save the game in KCD2.
Using the Torch
Like other entries on this list, using the torch was something I had to learn the old-fashioned way. In fact, I was berated and threatened by guards while taking a stroll in town at night because being seen during moonlight hours without a torch is a crime in towns. If you have a torch in your inventory, you must equip it (it has its own slot) and then hold down on the D-pad while out of the menu. The torch replaces your left-hand equipment, such as a shield, but since it gets its own dedicate slot, you can always get your shield out by simply putting the torch away again. The game doesn’t tell you this either, but torches don’t lose their flame, meaning you can use one as much as you like without needing a new one.
Helmet Visors
KCD2’s helmets range from rusted up bowls to well-crafted knight’s wear. The latter tends to be fitted with a visor to protect the eyes during combat. Of course, visors make it difficult to see. To open helmet visors, simply hold up on the D-pad. You can close visors again by holding up D-pad once more.
Fast Travel
This one is obvious to KCD fans, but the sequel doesn’t tutorialize it so it’s well worth mentioning nonetheless. Fast travel is indeed featured in the game from the very start. As long as you’ve visited a town or important area with a blue banner icon on the map, it can be fast-travelled to. Just click on the blue banner of the area you wish to go on the map screen, and an action figure of Henry will move along the closest route to the location. Time and fatigue will be taken into account depending on the distance, and you may face random bandit or wolf encounters with a chance to flee. The encounter rate is dependent on how frequented the route is and if it’s a particularly hostile area, such as near woods in the night, for example.
Wearing Stolen Equipment
Like any dynamic open-world RPG, citizens react to your crimes. In KCD2, you will be threatened and perhaps even arrested or attacked if you wear a stolen item in front of the item’s previous owner. The random loading screen hints say this from time to time, but many unsuspecting players won’t know until it’s too late.
Quest Pins
The menus within KCD2 may look simple enough to navigate, but there’s some tricks to get where you want to go faster. Quests, in particular, often require you to head to a very specific location. You can find most quest objectives on the map by heading to the Journal tab and selecting the quest step. The objective’s location will show on the map if you have the Journal screen all the way to the right-hand of the screen with the map covering the center. You can even pin the objective location with a red flag by pressing Y button while selecting the specific quest objective.
Ladders Instead of Lockpicks
Need to get inside a locked building but don’t want to participate in that pesky lockpicking minigame? Well, thankfully there’s ways to do this. Many buildings have a ladder leading to an open room where you can get inside without having to lockpick the front door. Once inside, the trespassing alert still activates, but at least you didn’t waste lockpicks.
Troskowitz Laundry
Clothing accumulates dirt and blood as you adventure through Bohemia, lowering Henry’s charisma. Perks can reduce the rate which clothes get dirty, but you’ll still have to clean them at laundry sites or at a bathhouse. Laundry sites require soap for your clothes to clean. Troskowitz actually has one such laundry site on the eastern edge of the village. Most of the day this laundry site is occupied by a maiden washing clothes, which means it’s off-limits until after her shift is over. Come back to the site in the evening and you can use this laundry site with soap to clean all of your dirty clothes.
Early Game Cash
To get anywhere in KCD2, you need some initiative. Don’t be too scared to explore woods and trails early on. You can always sneak your way around bandit groups if you see them from afar. Even better are all the abandoned camps dotted across the Trosky region. Every road has a camp or two, and most are either empty or occupied by friendly travelers and dice players. These camps typically have stashes of groschen, food, equipment, and free beds to sleep in. Finding camps is a great way to find early-game loot to use as equipment or sell for cash.
Free Troskowitz Bed
But thankfully, camps aren’t the only place you’ll find a bed. Troskowitz has its own freely available bed located at the northwest corner of the town. Just head up a ways past the northwest stables and you’ll see a little hut atop a small hill – within city bounds no less. You can freely sleep in the bed here without any risk of crime or reputation decrease. The bed is essentially yours. This was a lifeline for me through the early portions of the game, saving me lots of money and time.
Bird Nests
Nests are rough and course and they get everywhere in Trosky. You can’t walk more than 20 paces without encountering a nest. That said, the game never tells you how exactly to interact with them. You need a ranged weapon like a longbow or crossbow to knock these nests down. Just aim and fire at the nest and you’ll receive eggs from the droppings, but use the egg soon since it has a short shelf life.
Unique Town Portraits
One of my favorite aspects of Kingdom Come: Deliverance is its rich and intricate period-specific artwork showcased through the many menus, books, and maps. The maps are especially well decorated, and nowhere is that more true than when zoomed-in. Every village region is adorned with a unique map portrait. Just zoom in three to four levels and you’ll see a border form around the region with artistic depictions of the various attractions and characteristics of the area.
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