In Kingdom Come: Deliverance there are a large number of locations to discover and non-playable characters to interact with. NPCs may be key characters in some quests, random encounters on the map, simple bandits, battle buddies, but the important thing will always be to understand how to deal with them and what dialogue choices to select so you don't have problems with them.
In this guide we're going to see how to interact with the game map and NPCs so you don't find yourself disoriented in a living and sometimes cruel world.
Discovering places and traveling fast
At first, the whole map is covered by "fog of war". That means you have to find out all the locations from you. The initial advice is to stick to the main road when you visit a new region for the first time. Thanks to this you will be able to quickly reach villages, fields, forts, castles and other important locations. You should also remember that not all places are full of friendly NPCs. You should always be very careful because, for example, you can be surrounded by enemies right after reaching a previously unknown location.
Near most of the great locations you have discovered, there are fast travel points. You can select them from the world map and move faster in the direction of the selected points. You can only do this, however, if you are within reach of the selected fast travel point. Time will flow as Henry's figure moves through the world map. This means that you can reach the target after a few hours. The journey can be suddenly interrupted, for example when you are being chased by guards who have managed to reach you.
Start secondary quests
Icons representing the important characters of the mission are added to your map by exploring the world.
They are divided into three groups:
- Characters with information about side missions - talk to them to determine where you can start new missions.
- NPCs who assign you secondary quests - meeting them will automatically add a new secondary quest to the diary.
- NPCs that assign secondary tasks - these are not real NPCs, but these NPCs give small tasks, for example related to hunting a specific animal.
Open your diary and check your currently active quests. Selecting a quest will mark the location and characters connected to that quest on your map. The descriptions of the secondary quests available are in a separate chapter.
Note: some side quests may have a time limit, for example when you have to help an injured person or hunt someone down quickly. Don't postpone completion because it may cause additional problems or, in some cases, even cancel the quest.
Random Encounters
Random encounters can happen when you travel from one place to another. These events can have positive or negative results. The main hero may, for example, meet a friendly merchant or be attacked by a group of bandits. Try to save the game every time you see a person or group of people in the distance. Thanks to this you can avoid problems if you have done something wrong or if your hero is attacked and receives serious or fatal injuries.
Comrades
There are no comrades in Kingdom Come: Deliverance. You can only get temporary allies when you're doing certain missions but they won't accompany you throughout the game. Try to avoid attacking characters who have joined you (or a whole group, which can happen on some missions where you have to take part in more chaotic battles) and try to keep these characters alive. Their death is not the same as the end of the game, but it can cause a quest to fail or worsen your relationship with a certain group or even an entire village.
Unique dialog options
In some conversations you can use unique dialogue options. If you successfully complete the tests for them, you may be able to activate various types of results, such as avoiding combat, getting additional information, or receiving a better reward. The dialog options are divided into four groups (in special cases additional groups may appear):
- Persuasion: it is related to your ability to convince the NPCs.
- Impression: it is related to Charisma.
- Intimidation: It is related to the Force.
- Corruption: not related to any parameter.
The chance of success when selecting a single dialog option depends on several factors:
- How high is the parameter for this option?
- What is the NPC's attitude towards the protagonist? The attitude can be influenced by Henry's reputation in the area, his clothes and appearance (for example, if he is bleeding or if his clothes are dirty, NPCs will be suspicious).
- What are the parameters of the person you are talking to? Interlocutors also have parameters like those of the main character. They are shown in the lower right corner of the screen. They may be hidden at first, but you can guess: it will be harder to intimidate a guard because he has more Strengths. If Henry has a higher level than his opponent (e.g. Impressiona), it doesn't necessarily mean that he will complete the dialogue challenge, but it will only increase the likelihood of success.
- What are the circumstances of the encounter? For example, it will be easier to intimidate a criminal when he or she is not accompanied by friends (unity is strength, after all).
A failed attempt to use one of the unique dialogue options usually has no negative consequences, but in some situations it may worsen the relationship with the person you are talking to or make it impossible to talk to them again. If possible, you should create automatic or manual saves before each important conversation.
Charisma
Charisma is one of the most important additional parameters in the game. It determines how the protagonist will be considered by non-playable characters. A character with high charisma has a higher chance of persuasion and is more likely to succeed during a conversation. The most important factors that affect the level of charisma are:
- The appearance of the character - the more expensive the clothes Henry wears, the more they can impress other characters. You can also get charisma by wearing expensive rings and necklaces.
- The quality of weapons and clothes - all weapons and clothes should be repaired frequently. Severely damaged armor could reduce charisma.
- Hygiene - when the protagonist is dirty or bloody, he could be considered as a bad person. You can wash yourself quickly by interacting with one of the water tanks, although regular visits to the toilets (not free of charge) provide better effects. Don't forget to wash your weapons frequently if there are signs of blood on them after a battle.
Reputation
The reputation system in Kingdom Come: Deliverance has some pretty simple principles to assimilate. Reputation has an impact on how your character is perceived by other NPCs. What sets this game apart from others in the same genre is that each of the larger locations has its own reputation system. Being thought of as good in one village does not automatically lead to being accepted in all locations.
Also, the reputation may be different depending on the social group (if you're good people for merchants, it doesn't mean you're good for guards too).
Making your relationship with one village worse doesn't mean you will have problems with NPCs all over the country. You can gain reputation by completing missions provided by NPCs. Killing someone, getting caught stealing or committing other crimes will bring it down.
Trading
Traders can be found in almost all major locations. They can sell you various goods or, for example, they can specialise in selling weapons or herbs. Visit them regularly and sell unnecessary items (especially heavy ones). Be careful not to offer them stolen items (they are marked with a special icon in your inventory). Always try to bargain a bit before completing a transaction to get a better price.
Valuable tips: During the main plot you will meet Miller Peshek (he lives near the town of Rattay). You can sell him the goods you stole. Keep in mind that you won't get very high profits.
