Warhorse Studios released Kingdom Come: Deliverance on 13 February 2018, set in Bohemia in 1403 with no magic, no dragons and a map built from real places. You play Henry, a blacksmith's son from Skalitz, after Cuman raiders in Sigismund's pay burn the town and kill his parents. All 17 skills level only through use, and saving outside a bed normally costs a bottle of Saviour Schnapps.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Build | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Rattay | Skills level only through use basics | Archer | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Skalitz | Combat rose and Master Strikes mastery | Archer | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Sasau | Saviour Schnapps save system + gear | Swordsman or Archer | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Talmberg | Build optimization | Swordsman | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Ledetchko | Min-max | Swordsman or Alchemist | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Rattay)
The largest town and Henry's base for most of the game, seat of Lord Hanush of Leipa and Sir Radzig Kobyla. It holds the combat arena where Captain Bernard trains Master Strikes and combos, plus the mill where Miller Peshek fences stolen goods.
Level/Difficulty: From early game onward Key Rewards: Master Strike training, stolen goods fencing, main quest hub, tourney arena
What to Do in Rattay
- Learn Skills level only through use. Seven combat skills cover Sword, Mace, Axe, Bow, Unarmed, Defence and Warfare, while ten non combat skills cover Alchemy, Herbalism, Hunting, Horsemanship, Lockpicking, Maintenance, Pickpocketing, Reading, Stealth and Drinking. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Archer as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- Go to Captain Bernard at the Rattay arena before the main quest pushes you into real fights. He is the only character who teaches Master Strikes, combos and feints, and Master Strikes alone change the difficulty of the whole game.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Shortsword or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Skills level only through use fundamentals
- Archer selected and functional
- Rattay main content cleared
- Ready for Skalitz
Phase 2: Early Game (Skalitz)
The silver mining town burned in the prologue by Cuman raiders. Henry returns later in the story to bury his parents, finding it picked over by bandits and littered with the dead.
Level/Difficulty: Prologue and early story return Key Rewards: Henry's father's sword, the story's opening, high risk bandit loot
What to Do in Skalitz
- Work on Combat rose and Master Strikes. Attacks are aimed at directions on a combat rose, and blocking at the exact instant an opponent begins a swing triggers a Master Strike that counterattacks automatically. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Shortsword if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- Fight in doorways, on stairs or with your back to a wall. Multiple opponents in open ground will surround Henry, and the combat system genuinely does not let you beat three armoured men at once early on.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Sasau.
- Consider whether Swordsman might suit your playstyle better than Archer.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Combat rose and Master Strikes integrated into gameplay
- Shortsword acquired
- Skalitz fully cleared
- Ready for Sasau
Phase 3: Mid Game (Sasau)
A monastery town where the abbey is still under construction in 1403, and the setting for one of the game's longest quests, in which Henry enters as a novice to hunt a man hiding among the monks. The town below has traders, a tannery and one of the better armour markets.
Level/Difficulty: Mid game Key Rewards: Monastery quest line, scriptorium and reading practice, armour and weapon traders
What to Do in Sasau
- Master Saviour Schnapps save system. Sleeping in a bed you own saves, and quitting saves, but a mid quest save requires drinking Saviour Schnapps. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Longsword. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- Learn Alchemy early purely for Saviour Schnapps. Buying them drains money you need for armour, and brewing a batch of twenty removes the anxiety that makes people avoid experimenting.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Hands on alchemy brewing for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Saviour Schnapps save system mastered
- Longsword acquired or in progress
- Sasau fully cleared
- Ready for Talmberg
Phase 4: Late Game (Talmberg)
The castle of Sir Divish and Lady Stephanie, where Henry wakes after fleeing Skalitz and where the early escape sequence takes place. It is defensible, small and useful mainly for its quarry and its quest ties.
Level/Difficulty: Prologue and early game Key Rewards: Early story progression, armour from the guard captain, quarry access
What to Do in Talmberg
- Finalize your build. You should be running Swordsman or Archer with optimized gear.
- Longsword should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- Blunt damage beats plate. A Ceremonial Mace against an armoured knight does what a longsword edge cannot, so carry both and switch based on what the enemy is wearing.
- Reputation, speech and charisma optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Ledetchko.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Longsword upgraded to max
- Talmberg fully cleared
- Ready for Ledetchko
Phase 5: Endgame (Ledetchko)
A village on a tight bend of the Sasau river inside Divish of Talmberg's demesne, northwest of Rattay and east of Sasau. It has a mill, a tavern, a bathhouse next door, a blacksmith and an archery range, and it hosts one of the game's better remembered murder mysteries.
Level/Difficulty: Early to mid game Key Rewards: Archery practice, bathhouse charisma boost, side quest chain including the revenant
What to Do in Ledetchko
- Ledetchko tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- Bathe and change into clean clothes before any conversation with a noble or a quest giver. Appearance feeds Charisma directly, and speech checks you fail dirty will pass clean.
- The endgame loop: run Ledetchko, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Alchemist for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Reputation, speech and charisma mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Ledetchko fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Fighting more than one armoured opponent in open ground before Master Strikes are trained.
- Rationing Saviour Schnapps by buying them instead of levelling Alchemy and brewing your own.
- Bringing a longsword against fully plated knights where a mace would get through the armour.
- Selling stolen goods to normal town traders and picking up a criminal reputation across the settlement.
- Ignoring Reading, then being unable to use the recipe books and lore texts the game hands you constantly.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Go to Captain Bernard at the Rattay arena before the main quest pushes you into real fights. He is the only character who teaches Master Strikes, combos and feints, and Master Strikes alone change the difficulty of the whole game.
- Fight in doorways, on stairs or with your back to a wall. Multiple opponents in open ground will surround Henry, and the combat system genuinely does not let you beat three armoured men at once early on.
- Learn Alchemy early purely for Saviour Schnapps. Buying them drains money you need for armour, and brewing a batch of twenty removes the anxiety that makes people avoid experimenting.
- Blunt damage beats plate. A Ceremonial Mace against an armoured knight does what a longsword edge cannot, so carry both and switch based on what the enemy is wearing.
- Bathe and change into clean clothes before any conversation with a noble or a quest giver. Appearance feeds Charisma directly, and speech checks you fail dirty will pass clean.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More Kingdom Come: Deliverance Guides
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance Kingdom Come: Deliverance Overview
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance Best Builds
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance Tier List
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance Beginner's Guide
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance Tips & Tricks
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance Weapons Guide
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance Combat Guide
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance Boss Guide
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance Maps & Locations
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance Crafting Guide
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance Classes & Characters
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