Kenshi is a squad-based open-world RPG with zero hand-holding set in a post-apocalyptic desert wasteland. You start as nobody — literally the weakest entity in the world. Your character can't fight, can't run fast, and will lose to a single starving bandit. Through getting beaten, captured, enslaved, and nearly killed repeatedly, your squad gets stronger. The game simulates an entire living world where factions war, caravans trade, and slavers hunt regardless of your involvement. Kenshi doesn't care about you — and that indifference is what makes every achievement feel earned. Building from nothing to a self-sufficient fortress with a trained army is one of gaming's most satisfying power fantasies.
These tips go beyond the basics. They're the strategies experienced players use to play more efficiently, the hidden mechanics most people miss, and the optimizations that compound over a full playthrough.
Essential Tips
1. Toughness is the most important stat — it determines how much damage you can take before going down and how fast you recover
Toughness is the most important stat — it determines how much damage you can take before going down and how fast you recover. Train it by getting beaten up (non-lethally). Hungry bandits are perfect training opponents.
2. Buy a building in The Hub for 3000 cats (currency) as your first base
Buy a building in The Hub for 3000 cats (currency) as your first base. Assign characters to mine copper outside, sell ore at the shop, and use profits to recruit more squad members.
3. Athletics trains fastest when sprinting with a heavy inventory
Athletics trains fastest when sprinting with a heavy inventory. Load a character with iron ore and have them run laps around a town. Higher Athletics = faster travel, which is life-saving when fleeing.
4. The Holy Nation will attack any squad containing non-humans in their territory
The Holy Nation will attack any squad containing non-humans in their territory. Either keep non-humans hidden or avoid HN territory entirely until you can fight their patrols.
5. Crossbow training is safest done from behind town walls
Crossbow training is safest done from behind town walls. Position a crossbow user on a roof and let town guards handle melee while your character shoots. This trains Crossbow and Perception safely.
6. Stealth and Assassination train best at night in enemy camps
Stealth and Assassination train best at night in enemy camps. Stealth-KO sleeping bandits, loot their gear, and sneak away. Failed attempts train Stealth faster than successful ones.
7. Research is gated by books (Engineering Research, Science Books, AI Cores)
Research is gated by books (Engineering Research, Science Books, AI Cores). Buy books from Tech Hunter shops and use them at Research Benches. Higher-tier research requires rarer books.
8. Limb damage matters — a destroyed arm reduces fighting ability and a destroyed leg prevents walking
Limb damage matters — a destroyed arm reduces fighting ability and a destroyed leg prevents walking. Carry Splints and First Aid Kits at all times. Robot Limbs (cybernetics) replace lost limbs with upgrades.
9. Don't build a base until your squad has 10+ members with combat stats above 20
Don't build a base until your squad has 10+ members with combat stats above 20. Bases attract raids from every nearby faction, and an unprepared squad gets destroyed.
10. The import game feature (Settings → Import) resets the world while keeping your characters and squad
The import game feature (Settings → Import) resets the world while keeping your characters and squad. Use this to refresh dead NPCs, reset faction relations, or fix broken game states.
Advanced Strategies
Build Optimization
The difference between an average build and an optimized one is massive:
For Hiver (A-Tier):
- Hivers are insectoid humanoids with weak limbs but fast movement. Hiver Workers are excellent at labor (mining, farming) with high dexterity. Hiver Soldiers have slightly better combat stats. Their main advantage is speed — a Hiver squad outruns most threats.
- Core gear: Katana (speed weapons match Hiver dexterity), light armor, thief gear
- Stat priority: Dexterity (natural bonus), Athletics, Toughness
For Shek (S-Tier):
- Shek are a warrior race with the highest combat stats. They start with bonus Strength and Toughness and take less damage from combat. Their weakness is slower skill training for non-combat tasks. A squad of trained Shek warriors is the strongest fighting force you can build.
- Core gear: Heavy weapons (Falling Sun, Fragment Axe), heavy armor, backpacks
- Stat priority: Strength (natural bonus), Melee Attack, Toughness
Mechanic Interactions
Understanding how Kenshi's systems interact is where the real optimization lives:
squad management + base building: You control a squad of up to 30 characters, each with individual stats, equipment, and jobs. Combined with base building, after researching building technology, you can construct a settlement anywhere on the map.
skill training + faction relations: Every stat trains through usage. When paired with faction relations, dozens of factions with individual relations toward you.
open world sandbox scaling: The entire world is accessible from the start with no level gates. A level 1 character can walk to the most dangerous zones — they'll just die immediately. The world simulates independently: factions war with each other, caravans travel routes, and wildlife hunts regardless of player presence.
Equipment Efficiency
| Equipment | Best Use Case | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Meitou Weapons | Shek | The highest quality weapon tier, held by faction leaders and elite NPCs. |
| Falling Sun | Shek | An enormous heavy weapon (blunt type) that deals devastating damage per hit. |
| Fragment Axe | Shek | A heavy cutting weapon with excellent damage against armored targets. |
| Plank | All races (training) | A blunt weapon that's literally a piece of wood. |
| Topper | Greenlander | A hacking weapon (hybrid between cutting and blunt) with balanced stats. |
Location Efficiency
The Hub (Starting area): The recommended starting location — a neutral town with a bar for recruitment, shops for supplies, and copper nodes nearby for income. The Hub is relatively safe with infrequent bandit attacks. Start here, buy a house, mine copper, and build your initial squad.
Squin (Early-mid game): A Shek Kingdom town with warriors and fighting tournaments. Squin has a bounty board for combat missions and Shek warriors available for recruitment. The proximity to the Shek Kingdom makes it ideal for building faction relations with them.
Black Desert City (Mid-game): Capital of the United Cities, the wealthiest faction. Excellent shops but high taxes and slavery. The Black Desert has the best weapon and armor merchants. The UC will enslave you for unpaid debts — carry money at all times.
Mongrel (Mid-game (dangerous approach)): A remote town in the Fog Islands, surrounded by Fogmen (zombie-like cannibals). Mongrel is extremely dangerous to reach but provides excellent combat training — Fogmen attack constantly but are individually weak. The town's bar has unique recruits.
World's End (Mid-late game): A Tech Hunter settlement in the far north with the best technology research materials. World's End sells rare blueprints and AI Cores. The journey there crosses dangerous territory but the shopping is worth it.
Mistakes Even Veterans Make
- Fighting anything in the first few hours — your starting character loses to literally everything. Mine copper, recruit, and train before picking fights.
- Building a base too early — bases attract raids that destroy unprepared squads. Wait until you have 10+ combat-ready characters.
- Ignoring Toughness training — a character with 60 Attack but 1 Toughness dies in one hit. Getting beaten up and recovering trains Toughness, which is essential for survival.
- Walking through the Holy Nation territory with non-human squad members — the HN will attack and enslave non-humans on sight. Use human diplomats or avoid HN zones.
- Not carrying food — characters who starve lose combat effectiveness and eventually collapse. Always carry 3+ days of food per character.
Efficiency Quick Reference
| Aspect | Optimal Choice | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Build | Hiver | A-tier, best overall |
| Starter | Shek | Most forgiving for learning |
| Equipment | Meitou Weapons | Best resource-to-power ratio |
| First area | The Hub | Safe recruitment, copper mining income, basic shop access |
| Priority mechanic | squad management | Everything else builds on this |
Pro Quick Tips
- Toughness is the most important stat — it determines how much damage you can take before going down and how fast you recover. Train it by getting beaten up (non-lethally). Hungry bandits are perfect training opponents.
- Buy a building in The Hub for 3000 cats (currency) as your first base. Assign characters to mine copper outside, sell ore at the shop, and use profits to recruit more squad members.
- Athletics trains fastest when sprinting with a heavy inventory. Load a character with iron ore and have them run laps around a town. Higher Athletics = faster travel, which is life-saving when fleeing.
- Start with Shek, switch to Hiver when ready
- Invest in Meitou Weapons above everything else
- Clear areas in order: The Hub → Squin → Black Desert City → Mongrel → World's End
- squad management + base building together are stronger than either alone
For full build details, check builds. For progression path, see the walkthrough.
