Hardcore mode in Kingdom Come: Deliverance is an experience well-suited for players looking for an immersive and challenging playthrough. Combat becomes more difficult, goods are more expensive, and navigating the open world will be more dangerous.
However, after playing Kingdom Come: Deliverance for a hundred or more hours, hardcore mode can lose its appeal.
Veteran players will have mastered the combat system, making every fight trivial. They would have learned the best money-making methods and can earn thousands of Groschen a few hours after starting a new game. Quest progression will become routine more than problems to be solved.
For players wanting to experience more of Kingdom Come: Deliverance’s hardcore mode but have mastered most of the game’s mechanics, setting unique challenges can help spice up a playthrough.
We have compiled a few challenges to help players looking for a fresh experience in hardcore mode. Try some of them on your next run or simply use them as inspiration for your challenge!
1. Turn Henry Into a Specialist
Despite the many stats and skills available for Henry to focus on and improve, the game is generous enough to allow players to master them all.
For instance, players focusing on high Strength will have no issue leveling up Speech and Agility. Speech-oriented players will find that their Strength and Vitality stats progress over time without effort.
This eventually turns Henry into a master-of-all character who can wear any armor and use any weapon. Players will also gain access to most of the perks regardless of their preferred builds.
This allows a stealthy Henry to access perks like “Boar” or “Knight in Shining Armour” which are out-of-character perks. While ignoring the perks is an option, practical players may find it tempting to learn certain perks that can improve survival or make life easier.
The best way to avoid this is by turning Henry into a specialist and setting rules. Players should decide the type of character Henry will be for the duration of the playthrough. Based on this, they can set rules that they must follow.
Here are some character types and sample rules that players may find interesting:
Henry the Pious Knight
Uses plate armor and prefers the mace as a main weapon.
Rules
- Do not commit sinful acts (i.e. paying for wenches, murder, looting corpses).
- Choose dialogue options that a religious Henry would say.
- Always let a surrendering opponent go.
Bow-only Henry
Does not use any other weapon but the bow.
Rules
- Never wear plate armor.
- Limit the number of carried arrows to 25.
Savage Henry
A warrior who uses the axe and prefers the wilderness.
Rules
- Never sleep in an Inn.
- Eat only meat that Henry hunted.
Additionally, players should set limitations on the perks that Henry can learn. If you are playing as a fragile silver tongue, avoid getting the Thickblooded and Last Gasp perks. This will give you a reason to avoid combat and make the game more challenging.
2. Get Tapeworm and Be a Picky Eater
The Tapeworm negative perk requires Henry to eat more each day. It can be punishing in the early game when players have no money to buy food.
However, it does not take much until Henry can afford to eat for two. Players can get cooked horse meat or cabbages for less than two Groschen. For sneak thieves, they can rob houses and get enough food to last a week.
To make this bit more challenging, players can turn Henry into a picky eater. From the start of the game, only eat dishes fit for nobles. These involve venison, bacon, roast duck, boar meat, and more.
These dishes are expensive and cost 15 Groschen or more. This is a significant difference considering a 1 Groschen cabbage fills Henry more than a 9 Groschen hare meat. This will create a challenge in the early game as players try to balance their finances.
3. Go for Achievements
Playing hardcore mode and finishing the game allows players to get two achievements.
The first is “Hardcore Henry” which is a straightforward achievement. Simply finish the main quest in hardcore mode. The second, “‘Tis but a scratch” is a bit challenging. It requires players to choose all nine negative perks and finish the main quest.
However, these two achievements alone are not enough to make the mode more challenging. “‘Tis but a scratch” is easily manageable while “Hardcore Henry” is as simple as running through the game.
The best way to make it more challenging is by going for the other achievements players can get in normal mode. Doing so will give players an incentive to play hardcore mode in its entirety without feeling bored or without goal.
Below are some achievements players are likely to miss during their first playthrough (especially if they did not follow walkthroughs or guides). They are perfect since they may require additional effort from the player and unconventional ways of playing.
Virgin
Finish the game as a virgin. This means avoiding quests from Lady Stephanie and Theresa. There are also other instances, such as drinking with Godwin, paying for bath wenches, and an encounter with Adela in “A Woman’s Lot”.
Merciful
Do not kill anyone (except Runt) during the main quest. Players are likely to fail this achievement during the prologue as Henry travels back to Skalitz. This requires players to avoid fights and resolve the main quest without killing anyone.
Sniper
Kill 50 enemies with headshots. Archery in Kingdom Come: Deliverance is difficult because of the lack of a crosshair. Players have to get the feel of using the bow and it will require more than just leveling up Henry’s bow skill. With the more dangerous combat in hardcore mode, struggling to hit headshots will become more lethal.
Bailiff/ Perfectionist/ Trial-and-Error
These three achievements involve the renewal of Pribyslavitz. “Bailiff” requires the renewal of the village. “Trial-and-Error” has the same requirement as “Bailiff” except that Henry must be illiterate (does not know how to read). “Perfectionist” requires Pribyslavitz to earn 2000 Groschen a day.
For “Bailiff” and “Trial-and-Error”, the challenge will be earning the Groschen required for the construction. Players will need about 20,000-30,000 Groschen at the start of the construction. They would then need about 50,000 Groschen or more to completely renew the village and get the achievement.
Earning the required amount will take time, especially if players are not looting everything or stealing from merchants.
For “Perfectionist”, players will need to make the right decisions to maximize the income of Pribyslavitz. They will need to get the best prices for supplies, construct the best income-generating buildings, and hire efficient workers.
Players may also want to delay the construction of buildings that do not generate income, such as the Rathaus and the Church. The achievement pops once the ledger shows that Pribyslavitz is generating 2,000 Groschen a day.
4. Do Not Abuse Reloading
Repeatedly reloading saves or “save scumming” is a sin of many gamers. Whether trying to succeed in a skill check or regretting a dialogue choice, players have reloaded saves more than a couple of times.
In Kingdom Come: Deliverance, some may be tempted to reload a save when failing to pickpocket or getting caught while lockpicking.
However, the game has a mechanic that punishes players for committing a crime. Henry can go to jail and suffer a temporary debuff after getting out. Reloading a save rids the player of this experience while also making criminal acts risk-free.
Setting a rule against reloading saves to avoid jail time is one of the best ways to make hardcore mode challenging. Players will have to be cautious when sneaking inside houses and pickpocketing NPCs.
This will also incentivize players to decide whether to knock out someone or pick their pocket for items. The added risk of going to jail will require players (especially those with non-stealth-oriented characters) to be creative in completing certain quests.
Furthermore, the risk of jail time turns perks, such as Daring Debonair and Ordinary Mug, into useful abilities.
5. Pick Fashion Over Function
The punishing combat in hardcore mode can force players to prefer armor plates over fancy shirts and shoes. This turns Henry into a walking tin can by the mid and late game.
Alternatively, playing speech-oriented characters leads to choosing clothes with the highest charisma boost. Players then ignore a large variety of clothing options in the game for the best charisma-boosting attire.
Getting over this “meta gaming” mindset can give players a more challenging experience in Kingdom Come: Deliverance. Instead of wearing plate armor for max defense, pick armor and clothing pieces that fit your playstyle.
For players focusing on Agility and the bow, consider a Robin Hood-inspired outfit. Since this provides little-to-no defense, it will force them to play cautiously and make missed shots more lethal.
When playing a charismatic knight, opt for shiny and decorated armor. Some may not offer the best defense but they will guarantee a good-looking soldier. Players may also want to ditch closed helmets since a vain Henry wants everyone to see his face.
6. Play as an Alcoholic
Lastly, experiencing Kingdom Come: Deliverance’s world as an alcoholic Henry will provide a great challenge. The alcoholic debuff significantly punishes players with -3 in all stats. This will make the early game more difficult and put Henry at a constant disadvantage.
To turn Henry into an alcoholic, players will need to drink an excessive amount of alcohol. As such, players have to make preparations for this challenge. So once Henry arrives in Rattay, it is best to earn some money to purchase beer, wine, and spirits.
Fortunately, drinking alcohol increases Henry’s nourishment. This means that instead of food, players should drink alcohol to satisfy hunger.
Since money will be tight at first, consider buying a lot of beer and cheap wine first. However, remember that drinking spirits and moonshine may be a faster method.
Keep Henry in a state of drunkenness and drink alcohol until he hits max nourishment (120). Either wait until nourishment goes down or find more ways to make money and fund Henry’s alcoholism. Henry should eventually get the alcoholic debuff. The game then begins!
Final Words
Creating unique challenges to spice up hardcore mode is a great way to enjoy Kingdom Come: Deliverance. May this guide inspire you on your next playthrough!
