Kenshi Walkthrough — Start to Endgame

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.

This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. Follow this path to avoid common traps that stall most players.

Quick Progression Summary

Phase 1: Getting Started — The Hub

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.

Level/Difficulty: Starting area Key Rewards: Safe recruitment, copper mining income, basic shop access

What to Do in The Hub

1. Learn squad management. You control a squad of up to 30 characters, each with individual stats, equipment, and jobs. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
2. Pick Shek as your starting build. It's the most forgiving option.
3. 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.
4. Acquire your first equipment upgrade — Falling Sun or whatever's available.
5. Clear all main content before moving on.

Phase 1 Checklist

• Understand squad management fundamentals
• Shek selected and functional
• The Hub main content cleared
• Ready for Squin

Phase 2: Early Game — Squin

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.

Level/Difficulty: Early-mid game Key Rewards: Shek recruitment, bounty missions, combat training opportunities

What to Do in Squin

1. Work on base building. After researching building technology, you can construct a settlement anywhere on the map. This system becomes critical from here on.
2. Farm for Falling Sun if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
3. 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.
4. Complete all objectives before pushing to Black Desert City.
5. Consider whether Hiver might suit your playstyle better than Shek.

Phase 2 Checklist

• base building integrated into gameplay
• Falling Sun acquired
• Squin fully cleared
• Ready for Black Desert City

Phase 3: Mid Game — Black Desert City

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.

Level/Difficulty: Mid-game Key Rewards: Best shops in the game, UC faction quests, high-tier recruitment

What to Do in Black Desert City

1. Master skill training. Every stat trains through usage. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
2. Start working toward Meitou Weapons. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
3. 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. This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
5. Start investing in faction relations for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.

Phase 3 Checklist

• skill training mastered
• Meitou Weapons acquired or in progress
• Black Desert City fully cleared
• Ready for Mongrel

Phase 4: Late Game — Mongrel

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.

Level/Difficulty: Mid-game (dangerous approach) Key Rewards: Constant combat training, unique recruits, Fogmen loot

What to Do in Mongrel

1. Finalize your build. You should be running Hiver or Shek with optimized gear.
2. Meitou Weapons should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
3. 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.
4. open world sandbox optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
5. Farm this area for the resources needed to push into World's End.

Phase 4 Checklist

• Build fully optimized
• Meitou Weapons upgraded to max
• Mongrel fully cleared
• Ready for World's End

Phase 5: Endgame — World's End

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.

Level/Difficulty: Mid-late game Key Rewards: AI Cores, rare blueprints, advanced research materials

What to Do in World's End

1. World's End tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
2. 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.
3. The endgame loop: run World's End, optimize gear, push harder content.
4. Experiment with Scorchlander for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
5. This is where open world sandbox mastery separates good players from great ones.

Phase 5 Checklist

• Endgame content on farm
• Best-in-slot gear acquired
• World's End fully cleared
• Ready for challenge content

Common Progression Mistakes

• 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.

Key Tips for Smooth Progression

1. 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. 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. 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. 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. Position a crossbow user on a roof and let town guards handle melee while your character shoots. This trains Crossbow and Perception safely.

For detailed build optimization, see Kenshi builds. For quick wins, check tips & tricks.