Summary
Since its release,Kingdom Come: Deliverancehas been lauded as one of themost immersive and historically accurate gamesever created. However, while the game does a fantastic job of this and provides players with plenty of great tools for roleplay, there are certain ways for players to make their own playthrough even more immersive.
The key to enhancing roleplay and immersion inKCDis to not treat it like a game, and players should instead try and put themselves in Henry’s shoes, going about a medieval day and making choices based on what makes sense for him.
1Wear Different Outfits Depending On The Situation
Medieval Knights Did Not Walk Around In Armor All Day
Kingdom Come: Deliverancehasone of the best outfit systems, as players can not only choose between individual layers of clothing or armor, but what Henry wears actually matters. Beyond the expected defensive benefits, armor and clothes have values for charisma, which affects what people think of Henry, meaning wearing fancier outfits can help convince people to agree with him or do his bidding. Armor in particular also has values for conspicuousness and noise, meaning if players want to go sneaking around, they should wear something dark and not made of noisy metal.
With all this in mind, players are already encouraged to think about what they wear, but by properly role-playing, it is possible to take this further. For example, if players are planning to go to the market and walk around one of the towns, they could consider taking their armor off and instead wear a pair of hose with a nice pourpoint and chaperon. Players looking to take immersion to the next level can even consider undressing Henry at night before bed to put on some simple nightclothes.
2Don’t Run Through Towns & Villages
Real People Don’t Run Around Constantly In Everyday Life
One of the easiest ways to increase immersion in any game is to mostly avoid running and instead walk. In real life, people only run if necessary, perhaps because they are late or to get away from some kind of danger. Of course, if there is a random interaction with a thief in the game, players should absolutely chase after them. Alternatively, if players themselves are role-playing as a vagabond, running to avoid being caught is certainly the best option.
Beyond fitting in with the rest of the villagers and burghers, by walking inKCDor even riding at a reasonably safe gait, players will also be able to take in more of the world. There are so many small details that can easily be missed, this being justanother reason whyKingdom Come: Deliveranceholds up in 2024.
3Follow A Daily Routine
Rise With The Sun, Wash, & Sit Down To Enjoy A Hearty Meal
Kingdom Come: Deliveranceis agame where NPCs have realistic daily routines. Each character has their own bed which they will sleep in at night, and come morning they will rise to go about some tasks before heading to work. However, even though the game also features a full day cycle and clock, and on top of the fact that Henry gets tired and hungry, players don’t need to follow a schedule. Therefore, the most common gameplay pattern revolves around simply sleeping and eating whenever the need arises.
To increase immersion and fully roleplay as Henry, players can instead rise with the sun, wash their face, and then find somewhere nice to sit down to break their fast. Players could even attempt to go to church every so often given how important this was in the medieval period. Of course, if players are planning some skulduggery in the night, they can plan their day around this, treating it like a night shift.
4Take Perks That Lean Into Your Version Of Henry
Perks In KCD Relate To All Aspects Of Life, Even How Well One Can Handle A Drink
Kingdom Come: Deliverancehas a whole host of Perks, and many of these are incredibly niche and even just the categories will surprise new players. For example, Henry has levels and Perks for skills such as speech, reading, and horsemanship. While it can be tempting to try and min-max,KCDis an RPG that is at its best when players instead build Henry more cohesively.
Perhaps their version of Henry is more in touch with his humble beginnings and they could take Lowborn Perk to increase his speech when talking to fellow commoners. The Leg Day Perk could go nicely with this too, with Henry developing his strength while bending down to collect herbs. On the other end of things, players could instead opt fora darker or more troubled Henry, who has perhaps turned to heavy drinking to cope with the loss of his parents. A Perk such as Drinking Habit would be perfect for this, making Henry a better archer while under the influence, but while sober, his hand shakes more when trying to aim.
5Play On Hardcore Mode
Beyond Making The Game Harder, This Mode Improves Immersion By Removing The HUD & Functionality Of The Map
Hardcore mode is not for the weakhearted, and it is only recommended for players coming back for successive playthroughs. Beyond making the game harder in a plethora of ways, such as forcing the player to take at least two negative perks, it also manages to create a more realistic experience. For example, the HUD is mostly removed, so players can’t see their health or stamina.
Objective markers also won’t show up until players are close, which encourages them to pay attention to their surroundings and to what NPCs say. To this end, while players still have access to the map, which slowly reveals itself, they won’t be able to see their current position, which is more realistic for someone without a GPS. Furthermore, seeing as Henry starts as an untrained and lazy son of a blacksmith, it makes sense that he’d have a difficult time.
6Use The Czech Voiceover
This Is More Immersive For A Game Set In Medieval Bohemia
One of the last-ever updates toKingdom Come: Deliverancewas the addition of a Czech dub, which, seeing as the game is set in what is today the Czech Republic, helps make the game more realistic. Walking around the market and hearing merchants call out their wares is an absolute treat, even if players don’t understand what is being said.
Of course, this option won’t be for everyone, particularly those who don’t like having to read subtitles. However, it is perfect for second or third playthroughs when players already know what is what, and have already experienced the wonderful voice acting of stars such as Brian Blessed.
