Overview
Or how to beat the Tourney with the bare minimum character stats.General Combat guide focusing on those struggling to win the Tourney.
Introduction
There are two kinds of KCD players: Those who think combat is hard and those that haven’t learned Master Strikes yet.
Combat can be frustrating if you’re outnumbered. In that case, poison some arrows and learn to shoot your bow from horseback.
Here we’ll be focusing on One-on-one combat, especially the Tourney which has the hardest foes in the game. One on one combat is somewhat rare outside of the Arenas. But indeed when you’re facing only one foe in the “real world”, that guy is usually a though SOB. Overall, this guide helps if you’re struggling with Combat, but it is really aimed at winning the tourney and doing it as early in the game as you can, withouth potions or buffs, for some quality gear and money. In theory, you can pull it off being lvl 1 on everything. In practice you’ll need to level up a bit, especially if you’re new to the the game. The more you level up, the easier it will get. Some player skill involved.
- Three Score Groschen.
- Patience.
- Captain Bernard’s Master Strike Training.
- Antidote Potion (trust me…)
If you’re so low on Money you don’t have 60 groschen for the Entry Fee (Seriously, just kill a cuman by the side of the road and loot his stuff), Lord Capon can cover it for you if you if you befriend him after that little hot tub adventure. That triggers a quest were Sir Hans asks you to enroll in the tourney as his trainee.
Miller Peshek also offers to bet on the tourney. Unfortunatelly, you can only bet on yourself.
There’s also a grieving blacksmith in Samopesh looking for some answers.
Master Strikes
The essential technique to surviving in KCD, especially in Hardcore mode, is the Master Strike, taught to you by Sir Bernard of Oleshna, Captain of Rattay’s City Guard. Captain Bernard for short.
To do this, you must first learn the basics from him, which can be done as soon as you get to Rattay and report to Sir Radzig. He’ll teach you some combat basics, then you can ask him to teach you Combos. Finally, you get to ask him to teach you Master Strikes. But there’s a catch. You must “beat” him in combat. That means you’ll have to hit him a couple of times before you bleed to death. Do this (you can ask as many times you like, provided you haven’t died from the beatdowns) and he’ll deem you worthy of learning something.
Bernard is a beast at that point in the game and beating him can be a challenge for a freshly started game. Get some armor, get it fixed (armor protection degrades with damage to the point it is literally useless) and maybe practice a bit of fighting. Can be with Bernard Himself, the goal is to level up your skill (most likely Sword) enough so you can actually defend and hit Bernard in that fight.
If you’re concerned about the rapair costs while practicing (it does degrade your armor), strip down all your armor and clothes and fight in your underwear. Bernard doesn’t mind. You’ll take more damage, but it’ll save you a pretty penny early on in the game. You can then heal up immersivelly by sleeping or using healing items. Or you can cheat by asking Bernard to train you in Combos again. You’ll magically get fixed up instantly (not your armor though).
By that point in the game you’ll probably be level 3-5 in Defence and wathever weapon you chose, plus some stats. I do not mean for you to literally enroll in the tourney all stats at level 1. You’ll probably level up too doing quests while the Tourney does not become available. But it is theoretically possible to win the toruney at level 1. Only it’s quite hard to be level 1 when the Tourney becomes available.
Ignore everything else. Getting Master Strikes will make the game’s combat much easier, even if engaging multiple foes.
Ancillary Quests
There are a few quests related to the Tourney, opening the opportunity for some rewards or quests. One of them is repeatable and allows you to get a little extra money, provided you can win the tourney.
Miller Peshek offers to place a bet on who will win the Rattay Tourney. Which he will remind you. Every. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. Time you walk by him to visit Waifu Theresa or stash the loot you couldn’t offload. Though you can only bet on yourself. And Peshek says you’ll get double your bet, but you’ll actually get 5x back.
Peshek never leaves the Rattay Mill.
If you completed Next to Godliness (that quest where Henry gets in a hot tub with Sir Hans. G A A A A A A Y), Sir Hans Capon (who’s made to be an ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ early in the game, but is really a good lad) asks you for cover for a lie he told to his uncle, Sir Hanush of Leipa, about training a page in the knightly arts. You are to enroll in the Torney in Sir Hans’s name (the Herald will not make any mention of it) to show off the skills he was supposed to teach someone.
Not repeatable. Sir Hans will give you the 60 groshen to pay for the entry fee.
If you did Next to Godliness, you proably already know how to find Sir Hans. But if you do not, he’s usually on the top floor of Rattay’s Small Castle or walking between his room and the Taverns.
This quest is available ever since you arrive in Rattay. Svatopluk, the son of a humble blacksmith who dreamed big about being a sword fighter, was found half dead the day after he won the Tourney and passed away later that night. His father asks you to investigate what happened.
This Quest never expires. You can only find out what happened to Svatopluk if you win the Tourney. However, you can lose the tourney and try again later as many times as you like. The quest is always marked on the map until you take it. It’s given by Svatopluck’s father, the blacksmith at Samopesh.
The Tourney
From the moment Henry wakes up in waifu Theresa’s bed, a timer starts for the first Torney you can enroll. There are no other world conditions that have to be met for the Tourney to be held other than waiting about a week in in-game days to pass. You can do something else in the meantime, like playing the rest of the game. Or you can go to the Herald in the Tourney Arena and ask to be lodged in the castle untill the tourney starts, skiping time untill it’s peasants-poking-eachother-with-metal-sticks day. That will cost you though.
Just be aware that if you take too long to complete certain main quests, some people may die. They’re side characters you get to interact only once and don’t matter in the grand scheme of things, but if you just want to minimize the death toll in the medieval world (or do things slightly different in a subsequent playthrough), you may want to stick to the main quest untill you raid a big bandit camp.
In the afternoon of the previous day, you get a prompt that a Tourney will be held tomorrow. You have from 8:00ish untill 14:59 of the next day to sign up with the Herald at the Big Castle of Rattay (The quest is permanently marked. Can’t miss it). If you want, imbibe some potions before you talk to the Herald, as you will not get another chance once the tourney starts. Not necessary as it’s very unlikely they will last the whole thing, but they’ll make the first fights easier. The Herald guy will then charge you the entry fee and ask what weapon you choose to fight with. You’ll then be immediatelly teleported to the inside of the arena and get to fight.
There are three opponents to fight, each getting harder than the last. You have to defeat each twice in a best-of-three rounds basis. First round is always with the weapon you chose. Second is always a random weapon (Can never be the same of the first round), chosen by your opponent (the computer) if you go the lore-friendly base. Third one, if there is a third round, is also random (cannot be the same as the previous rounds). Lore-wise, the weapons are picked by Sir Hanush (who’s controlled by the computer).
Winning
All three fights can be won the same way with relatively low effort.
Again, it is theoretically possible to win at level one, but it doesn’t mean it’s easy. The more leveled you are, the easier it gets. So if you’re struggling, train a bit and try again.
The trick to winning the Tourney are Master Strikes. Your skill levels don’t matter. Your equipment doesn’t matter (everyone gets the same). The potions you drank don’t matter. All it matters is that you can defend for ordinary strikes and time the Master Strike right so you do damage while defending. Really speaks volumes about how overpowered they are. Though be aware that the enemy will gladly use them on you, to devastating effect, and the bigger is the skill gap, the more likely they are to pull one on you.
So how can you defend aghainst the enemy using your main weapon against you?
Simple.
Bid your time and Master Strike when THEY attack. Can make fights take a LOOOOOONG time (Headcracker perk helps a lot).
Do not give them the opportunity to Master Strike you. Because at high level gaps, THEY WILL ♥♥♥♥ YOU UP. Seriously, a single Master Strike by Black Peter, the last contestant you have to face, can immediatelly make you bleed. And at that point, the fight is already over unless your opponent is already on his last legs and you can land the final strike before your health goes to 0 (you can’t actually die in the Tourney).
You may be able to sneak a hit or two if you know how to feint. But seriously, don’t risk it.
I myself was able to defeat Black Peter being level 1 in Axes on Hardcore difficulty, first attempt in the first time I played the toruney in over a year, though I was level 11 in Defense (started the tourney level 9), Warfare 8, Strenght 11, Agility 8.
And for the people playing on Hardcore, you can gauge your enemiy’s health and how well you are doing by looking at the blood on the weapons. You’ll know when you see it.
Rewards and Prizes
The prize for winning the Turney is 400 Groschen and a piece of the Lords of Leipa unique armor set, really high quality endgame gear you most likely won’t change untill you can afford something slightly better.
You win one for each win in the Tourney, meaning to complete the set, you’ll have to win the Tourney five times.
- Gauntlets (2nd best in the game)[kingdom-come-deliverance.fandom.com]
- Pauldrons (5th best) [kingdom-come-deliverance.fandom.com]
- Helmet (4th best)[kingdom-come-deliverance.fandom.com]
- Chausses (4th best)[kingdom-come-deliverance.fandom.com]
- Cuirass (2nd best)[kingdom-come-deliverance.fandom.com]
After the 5th Win, you’re awarded a random high level item, be it armor or weapon.
And the best kit in the game is the House of Zoul kit. You get it at the end of the Band of Bastards DLC
Capon’s Champion
If you lose, Sir Hans pays you 100 Groschen and tells you he at least has an excuse to tell Sir Hanush that he’s working on your fighting prowess.
If you win, Sir Hans is ecstatic and gives you 100g and a pair of non-unique golden spurs.
Who Do You Like
Five times your bet if you win. Dialogue says two, but it’s actually five.
Dead Men Tell No Tales
If you get to the bottom of the mistery and avenge Svatopluk:
85 Groschen and a huge reputation boost in the Samopesh area
What about the Antidote?
If you win the Tourney and ride your horse on the road to Ledetchko, passing behind Waifu Theresa/Peshek’s mill, you’ll most likely need it.