Weapons and combat mechanics in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
Unlike many action RPGs that rely on simplified combat systems, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II continues the first game’s tradition of placing weapon mastery entirely in the player’s hands. It is your mastery of a weapon’s specialised techniques that determines your success - or failure - in combat, rather than an unseen roll of the dice!
That success comes from delicately teasing out each opponent’s weaknesses, and mastering an intricate world of parries and ripostes. With sword in hand, it’s a case of carefully angling your swings and pulling together combos to bring your targets down with ruthless precision.
Each fighting style in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II provides you with the freedom to make Henry’s journey your own. If you favour brute force over delicate flourishes, it’s enough to master the axe or the mace and see out the journey in a frenzy of heavy-handed destruction - deeply satisfying in its own right, if a little blunt.
If you wish to go deeper into the intricacies of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II’s combat system, however, there’s a world of finessed swordsmanship to master. New combat techniques are out there just waiting to be discovered, giving you the opportunity to advance your mastery and achieve the status of a true legend.
As with the first game - and its commitment to historical accuracy - the sequel returns with weapons typical of the Bohemian age - the sword, the axe, the mace, the bow. These are the common tools of combat that will serve you well whether raiding a bandit camp, surviving a skirmish, or ripping a rider from horseback with the business end of a halberd.
New to Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, however, are the crossbows. Building on the first game’s arsenal of bows and arrows, these immensely powerful weapons offer yet another opportunity for ranged devastation.
This was also a time in history where primitive firearms were making their slow transition from novelty status to a reliably deadly force, one poised to change the course of warfare forever. With one well-aimed shot you’ll be able to topple your target, the horse they ride on, and perhaps even the rider behind them.
As with all weapons in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II though, you’ll need to carefully maintain your firearm to prevent a catastrophic break on the battlefield. A sword that breaks is gone for good, but a poorly maintained firearm that fails will not just take your offensive power away from you, it’ll also explode in your hands and cause a self-inflicted injury.
As well as broadening the scope of weapons available in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, blunt and edged weapons have been made more distinct in both look and feel, deepening the immersion offered in each case. Combat animations have also been improved across the board, thanks to a diverse roster of motion capture actors selected for their suitability to wield each weapon type.
If you prefer to take a more hands-on approach to dispatching your opponents, you’ll be able to immerse yourself in the blocks and counter-attacks of a ruthlessly raw hand-to-hand combat system. Meaty, intuitive locks, grips and throws can now be employed, allowing you to grapple your opponents into submission in ways never before seen in action RPGs.
This deepened melee combat provides another opportunity for the tactically-minded too. Enter combat unarmed and you’ll have the chance to deftly disarm your opponent. With your opponent exposed, will you break them into submission with your bare hands, or dispatch them with a swiftly-drawn sword of your own?
As with all things in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, combat is deeply immersive, historically accurate and designed to give you the freedom to achieve victory your way - and through the dedication and mastery you yourself bring to the adventure.
