February isn’t even here yet, but it’s looking like an absolute bloodbath for game releases, especially with big names like Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. It launches on February 4th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, continuing the journey of Henry of Skalitz in 15th-century Bohemia.
For all the criticism the first game received, it sold over eight million units since launching in February 2018. Fortunately, the development team has received a lot of feedback, resulting in numerous changes and improvements. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is also much bigger in scope, promising a 100-hour role-playing experience. What are some of the more significant changes over the previous game? Let’s go over 15 of them here.
Scale and Size
The biggest difference between Kingdom Come: Deliverance 1 and 2 is the world size that is way bigger than the first game. Global PR manager Tobias Stolz-Zwilling confirmed to IGN that there are now two maps with the overall scale of each being in line with the first game’s. Players will explore new locations like the mining city of Kuttenberg, which is big.
More Quests, Cutscenes, and Random Encounters
Of course, when you hear a larger scale, does that only apply to the world size? According to Stolz-Zwilling in the same interview, it’s a “bit of everything.” Players will discover more quests, random encounters and cutscenes (which total five hours in length) to go with the new story, characters, and locations. However, there’s still that commitment to ensuring it’s all high-quality. “If you know how we handle our features, then you can be sure everything we added is based on our desire to create deep and engaging mechanics,” said Stolz-Zwilling.
More Dynamic Quests
Having lots of engaging content is good, but quests are also more dynamic, thus providing more replay value. GameSpot cited one example that involved stealing a sword from an opposing sword-fighting school to challenge them to a duel. If you take it without raising any alarm or being noticed, the duel will be straightforward and even on both sides.
However, getting spotted will result in the opposing side gaining advantages. It’s one of the smaller twists but this is how the game is approaching all of its quests, thus ensuring your actions feel much more meaningful (while also making you think twice about when and where to save).
More Reactive World
The reactivity of the world is all the more intriguing because it also makes NPCs more significant. If you commit a crime, several things like your appearance, reputation, etc. next to theirs will determine the reaction. As a result, some may fight you while others will run away to call for help. Escaping the scene of the crime is prudent, but the area will remain on high alert. Given the number of new random encounters, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 has even added a quick answer option to respond to NPCs as you pass by.
Blacksmithing
Cut from the original game, blacksmithing is thankfully available in Deliverance 2. As Henry dones the blacksmith’s apron and gloves, you can transform metal pieces into full-fledged weapons (perhaps even armor). Of course, heating the metal and rhythmically striking it is paramount. Though we await further details, the developer says the sequel’s blacksmithing mini-game will “take you as close to a medieval forge as you can get.”
Horse Improvement
Henry’s faithful horse from the first game, Pebbles, returns. And while he probably hasn’t forgotten how you abandoned him in favor of superior options, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 will now see him passively improve with more usage. It’s unknown if any other horses get this benefit but it provides more incentive to stick with Pebbles, perhaps even up till the end.
Scholarship
Henry is undergoing some resets when the sequel begins but skills like reading remain. Interestingly, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 is expanding on this with Scholarship, a new stat which can influence interactions and skills alike. Level it up enough and you can eloquently employ new dialogue options in conversations. Some skills will also gain more XP, thus speeding up your progress.
Outfit Swapping
Swapping outfits or even separate items of clothing wasn’t super-intuitive before but thankfully, the sequel addresses with a pseudo-loadout feature. You can set up to three outfits and quickly swap between them depending on the situation. Since Henry’s clothing influences the reactions of other characters, being able to go from snazzy to battle-ready at the drop of a hat is great.
Combat Improvements
Combat is one of the more awkward elements of Kingdom Come: Deliverance took great strides to improve it in the sequel. There’s more room for simply waylaying into enemies with blunt weapons and it’s “slightly easier” to parry and block attacks. If you want to master combos, they provide a lot more “utility” than before.
New Ranged Weapons
While the usual swords, shields, axes, and whatnot return from the original, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 provides more ranged options to play with. There’s a new crossbow and even firearms, though it’s more of a “rare super weapon” instead of commonplace.
Unique Styles With Weapons
Of course, the existing weapon types are getting some much-needed attention by way of separate move sets and combos. Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 has also implemented historically accurate styles, quirks and all, with the help of weapon masters. If the melee combat’s improvements shine through, then trying out different weapons and leveraging their movesets should be a blast.
Battle Cries
A new combat element, as revealed by IGN, is the ability to taunt and execute battle cries. These will throw enemies off, though it’s often better to do so after jumping into the fray and dealing some damage. You can also unlock perks to make them more potent.
CryEngine (But Different)
While more and more developers opt for Unreal Engine 5, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is sticking with CryEngine, much like the first game. PR manager Tobias Stolz-Zwilling explained to Wccftech that its internal pipelines are “built around it,” which makes sense. However, much like the first game, it’s been adjusted heavily to fit the Kingdome Come Deliverance 2’s needs, with the result being something that wouldn’t necessarily be classified as CryEngine.
Easier to Save Progress (Sort of)
One of the more controversial gameplay elements – drinking a potion called “Remedium Savegameum” to save your progress – unfortunately returns in Deliverance 2. However, the developer recognizes the friction it can cause and confirmed to GameSpot last August that it’s “somewhat” easier to acquire. How common will it be? We don’t know, but its implementation is still about living with the consequences of your actions.
Avoiding a Buggy Launch
If there’s anything that most players of Kingdom Come: Deliverance will remember about its launch, it’s the bugs. The developer took several weeks to ultimately patch it into a playable state – a scenario it wants to avoid with Deliverance 2. Stolz-Zwilling told GameSpot that performance-wise, he thinks it’s “absolutely rock-solid,” but there are bugs to resolve, hence the delay. You can’t launch a 100-hour RPG like this without some, but the fact that the developer wants to avoid a repeat of the original’s launch is commendable.
