Kingdom Come Deliverance - Complete Combat Tutorial

TIMESTAMPS to help you navigate to your subject of interest:
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0:00 - Longest intro ever
1:35 - BEGINNER LEVEL
2:05 - Blocking and Stamina
3:37 - Chaining Attacks
4:12 - Overcoming an opponent's defense.
5:09 - Unarmed
6:23 - ADVANCED LEVEL
6:45 - Parrying
7:30 - Dance of Death (also illustrated at 1:08)
8:08 - Dodging
8:50 - Executing Combos
11:11 - MASTER LEVEL
11:27 - Master Strike
12:25 - Different weapons
13:13 - Feint
14:00 - Important Perks
14:49 - Maintain your gear
15:16 - Making money from combat
15:50 - Preparation is key
16:04 - Escaping on horseback
16:33 - Wound Treatment
16:46 - Mounted Combat
17:22 - Additional tips and tricks
19:30 - Ending the video (rightly)
I hope calling it a masterclass in the thumbnail doesn't sound too pretentious. After all, watching the complete video teaches you ALL the concepts that are even slightly related to combat.
If you found this video enjoyable and helpful, here's some newer guides:
A stealth archer build for The Outer Worlds: • The Operative // SUPER...
And a playlist for X4: Foundation: • Halcylion's X4: Founda...

[@Halcylion]

After many years of making videos, and many comments suggesting that I should launch a Patreon page, I finally did, and since this video is still one of my most popular, I'll be shamelessly linking it here: www.patreon.com/halcylion . You don't have to pitch in, but if you do, I'd appreciate it. :)

[@andrewmettler2228]

"The combat is optimized for duels." Which is great considering 95% of the time you're fighting more than one person.

[@EpicGamerMan]

fr

[@mappy-5934]

Bro this games combat is so ass, don't let them tell you any excuses

[@Iberium]

@@mappy-5934 It's great if you know what you're doing and actually train.

[@archpenn7842]

@@Iberium yeah you train for duels not being ganged on by 4 people, combat's very retarded, i admit its very advanced and fun in duels but as soon as someone else joins the frey its a different story, it turns very clunky and shitty so quickly

[@naufalmuhammad1271]

@@mappy-5934 I really like the combat system, one of the things that makes this game addictive.

[@darkwolf9637]

My least favorite thing is when you try to switch your guard position and Henry decides " what if i just look away from my opponent for a bit"

[@Halcylion]

I absolutely hate that. This could have been fixed with 2 keybinds: one for locking and unlocking from enemies, one for cycling through targets. And this simple lock/unlock mechanic can be balanced by removing your ability to attack when you're not locked in. (because spamming stab when not locked is OP)

[@Lyrantes]

Well I'm probably too late to tell you this but if you play with KB+M you can literally press Tab to lock your sight on the enemies, if you want to switch through enemies simply press Tab, it's a bit wonky at the start but you'll get the feel for it.

[@pixelmaster9964]

Halcylion I may be late as well, but if you use the full lock on console, you can simply press L3 to switch target

[@shekelboob]

just press z to lock the target?

[@Wargsy]

@@Lyrantes The Tab thing is still very glitchy. Sometimes doesnt even want to change target no matter how many times I bash the button

[@adlay4181]

0:32 that transition was sick

[@Halcylion]

Thank you! It's pretty easy to do, actually, just takes a bit of patience. :)

[@nusretabi7222]

yeah that looks good

[@yipperdeyip]

Thanks, I'll use this the next time I meet a transginger person

[@jupiterrising887]

"But it's best to kill him. He chose a life of crime, he chose to rob and murder, and he knew the risks involved in his job. You're just an instrument of divine justice and you will use the bandit's gear to finance your righteous crusade through the lands of Bohemia." WHOLESOME. 🖐🤚

[@DennisBLee]

I'm a bit late to the party, but this is literally the only combat tutorial i've watched that properly explains the actual combat mechanics of the game rather than 'this is how you win'. Well done and thank you!

[@qmarkp98]

same, really good

[@tommyking6777]

You don't have to get all the way to the Ginger Pickle quest to unlock master strikes. As soon as you finish soldier training and you are told to see the bailiff go talk to the bailiff. Then, instead of getting your kit or seeing Nightingale, go back to Bernard and all of his training options will be open.

[@Halcylion]

That is good to know!

[@BlackLegion12621]

For me, I had to get my kit for Bernard's training to open up.

[@johnnymac8843]

Ginger pickle gets you your free horse though so it’s good to get to that point at least

[@dylanhughes6418]

I honestly had non idea that you had to match your opponents stance in order to trigger master strikes. I've always just assumed it was insane timing. Thank you for the guide.

[@christopherrivera9827]

Same it all makes sense now im a dummy

[@tambade1]

I'm in the exact same boat

[@geraltofrivia7251]

yeah me too

[@jaxteller5665]

Thank you you just saved me 20 minutes

[@SoyPhoenix]

Maybe someone else can correct me, but it's not really necessary, you can pull master strikes at any stance. I do think it makes the master strike easier and more efficient, like the difference between the move where you push the enemy with the shield that does no damage and the one where you just swing to his face after blocking that deals a ton of damage.

[@natedavis4588]

I learned the "Master Stroke". Now I'm a proud one-pump-chump.

[@Halcylion]

Sometimes, all you need is one good stroke.

[@goldenknight578]

@@Halcylion Isn't that what Theresa's for?

[@supasf]

Lmfao

[@SomerandomShmuck]

NO! 💀

[@ahadpezeshkpoor1042]

I wanted to make an advanced tutorial for hardcore mode myself but you did a far better job here. Its the best tutorial I have seen. Good job man. I also want to add one more comment: look at your enemy gear. Some combos are especially designed to hit weak spot like wrist, face or nose!

[@Halcylion]

That little piece of information completely went under my radar, so I pinned your comment for more people see it. That's what I meant in the intro when I said: ''let me know whether I've overlooked something''.

[@ahadpezeshkpoor1042]

@@Halcylion dont worry brother. Your guide was so complete I learned a thing or two myself. Good job. I am looking for multiplayer arena for this game. It would be glorious to fight players like you!

[@AlhazredTheMad]

In regards to clinching: if you left click, you shove the opponent far, if you right click, you shove them less far, enabling more reliable follow ups.

[@AlphaCompRepair]

I killed Runt in the first 4 seconds of the fight with a master strike that triggered headcracker.

[@Chu8rock]

I slashed his face with a combo.

[@Max1990Power]

On hardcore mode? Cause he usually wears an italien bascinet then.

[@nickrocha4485]

See if he had worn a helmet, he wouldve lasted longer than 4 secs

[@Stein871]

@@Max1990Power i switch weapons to maces when fighting armored opponents

[@Max1990Power]

@@Stein871 me too. Otherwise fights with swords goes on forever:)

[@someone1431]

“Everyone was harmed in this video” Damn righ they are

[@brybryvr3769]

Ok so here’s a tip for everyone if you practice with practice weapons with Bernard and choose mace just know even if it’s a practice weapon it still does real damage and if you get Bernard health low enough it will quit the practice and he will actually go rest to Heal his wounds if you planed to practice with him youl have to wake him up yourself just walk over to his bed he will get up and head for the combat arena

[@CurtisDurden]

I'm still early in my first play through, but this video helped me realize that the guys in the Tourney are Knight-level combatants, while I'm still only able to perfect block. They're always performing the master stroke when I go in and it's infuriating lol, I see now that I need to come do this later.

[@2kmichaeljordan438]

I was able to win the tournament only with master stroke and level 6 sword level, only problem was that the 2nd and last round took a fuck ton of time

[@liquidclear3988]

I have to say this was one of the best tip guides I have watched. Information sprinkled with humor, nice thank you sir for your time.

[@Halcylion]

I am glad you enjoyed it!

[@lumbearjack7372]

This is by far the most in-depth and comprehensive combat tutorial I've ever seen. Great job.

[@rollingo8678]

“Remember that famous line?” The one that Richard III most likely never actually said but people believe he said it because that’s what the Tudors said he did

[@JezaGaia]

Regarding master strikes, I don't know if it's something knew from one of the latest updates or if it was always like this and nobody ever noticed but you can actually have Bernard teach you master strikes way earlier. You need to start the main quest, go with him for basic training and learn the basic defense (perfect parry and dodge), then once that quest is finished you go see the Bailiff to take your orders and are asked to go on patrol the next day with Nightingale. As soon as that new quest has started you can go see Bernard at the fighting arena for training. The only requirement is that it's during the day outside his lunch hour, as always. So go see sir Radzig as early as possible in the morning so that you have time to go get your gear for the patrol the next day and go see Bernard before nightfall. It doesn't matter if you don't have much time left, just that you can ask him for the training before he goes back to the castle at the end of the day, as soon as you both are inside the combat arena the time stops.

[@spicydeath82]

it's been in since launch. once i found out i never go without master strikes now.

[@louper3002]

Very good tutorial, literally the best out there. You sound like you'd be a great streamer!

[@chapers6719]

Best simple melee tactic is to position your sword upwards to the head and then stab. You can then stab them in the head which deals crazy damage and their face is often unprotected. For this use the best short sword which I think is called the piercer (best stab damage) and use shield for help. Most opponents I one hit. When I first started I didn’t know you could aim your stab to be for either the head or centre of body.

[@anonymouskellog6157]

This whole video is something I needed, which about 1/3 i already knew but everything else now makes more sense on how to fight properly. Thanks my man 🤙🏼

[@MadLemon]

That shot about thieving with the shadow over the walls is fucking genius. Oh and thanks for the tut. I've been trying to figure out the combat system for a few hours already :')

[@andythumb4722]

You got have a penchant for tutorial vids. Very detailed and insightful. I saw plenty of vids of combat but nothing like this. You point out subtle details no one ever mentions. The Thief vid was at the same caliber like this one. Keep it up man!

[@Halcylion]

I only hope to be able to provide tbe same quality for the next videos. Unfortunately, there's no hidden layers in the concepts I'll approach next, and everything I will ''teach'' will be surface level information.

[@skafsgaardhjorth]

Thanks for this guide - this was extremely useful and will improve my experience in Kingdom Come significantly. Thanks again!

[@tig215pr]

oh dude... i've got 296h in game and this really teaches me the stuff i was missing. bless your kind soul with thousands of facelicks from cute fluffy puppies

[@dimonwhite02]

Great vid, you explain everything thoroughly and in great detail!

[@getbrutal4388]

omg your clinch tip just changed my life

[@Halcylion]

glad to be of service

[@gab9433]

timestamp PLEASE

[@meganobgutzkraka2398]

i may be finally playing this game later than most but i am very thankful i found your videos after i wanted to look for some help with master strikes in my first playthrough thanks for the help man! and a thank you to everyone in the comments with advice to tack on to yours as well.

[@_-Naz-_]

I started my first playthrough 2 days ago im getting my ass handed to me what about u mate?

[@meganobgutzkraka2398]

@@_-Naz-_ oh yeah definetly get my ass pummeled here and there, still miss shots with the bow and still fall for masterstrikes and counterattacks but im having fun

[@_-Naz-_]

@@meganobgutzkraka2398 is there a way to counter master strikes i dont know of?

[@meganobgutzkraka2398]

@@_-Naz-_ i would say most of the time no, if you ecnounter an enemy that can get you with it, the ai in my experience it too good to let just regular attacks get past, so you either want to fight very defensively OR grapple them and win the toss up (9-10 strength with the grapple perk should let you win most of them) and then hit them, hits after grapple are the only ones an enemy has a hard time defending

[@uncletimo6059]

Very well done, perhaps best tut series on this game.

[@DreamsAreLies]

A great, comprehensive guide. Thanks!

[@cookreviews]

This this is still needed today. Thanks for keeping your detailed combat instruction guide up. The tutorials etc in the game suck on a super level

[@ScrubbyGames]

I'm very late to giving this game a shot, very much enjoying it so far, this video has been top notch thank you!

[@vapewilder8938]

Very nice tutorial. I'm new and still learning so these videos are helping a lot. Thank you for doing these videos.

[@Halcylion]

And I thank you for the nice comment. By the way, next video is about hunting and alchemy, and after that I have no idea what concepts to cover. Let me know what you, as a new player, would like to learn. If you have no suggestions, the 5th video will be about potential ''classes'' and random tips'n'tricks that didn't fit into the subjects of the first 4.

[@HATECELL]

A useful strategy against bandids, though kinda cheaty, is to kite them away from their spot and then increase distance until they stop their pursuit. After that you can run up to them and they need some time to become hostile again, giving you time for a few hits

[@jalma9643]

Bow seem like a good choices for this strategy (best to use low requirement bow like Hans Capon Bow so that it will take less time to reload)

[@jacksonfev]

You're right, that is cheaty.

[@Kelkschiz]

Very comprehensive guide, job welldone!

[@danbada]

Multumesc! Prima data ti-am urmarit ghidurile The Outer Worlds, acum vazandu-ti canalul, am cumparat si am devenit addicted de acest joc. Ghidurile tale sunt foarte faine si explicite! La mai multe!

[@KingZando]

Very helpful, I have a lot to learn here. Thanks!

[@saarl]

Gotta leave a like cuz i finally found an answer on how to perform combos and master strikes continuously. Thank you so so much for the explanations.

[@SwedishLatino]

Great video man! Thanks! Definitely subbed and looking forward for your upcoming videos.

[@Halcylion]

And I'm looking forward to making more!

[@marcuswalters8093]

I keep watching videos for this game and get tempted to try and do it again. It always ends in utter frustration.

[@MozzaBurger88]

So many useless videos that don't break down moves and timing and key presses out there. Yours is a gem. Excellent and complete.

[@Halcylion]

I'm glad you found it helpful! :)

[@amadeupiperez256]

15:35 - 15:49 Damn that hyped me up Great tutorial! I needed it. Thanks!!

[@CoBrAToRcHStream]

Excellent tutorial. Thank you very much.

[@geraltgrey-mane695]

thanks for this :) been gone from the game for some time now and was so rusty :D

[@schmid1.079]

I remember meeting a traveling knight just after unlocking headcracker. I thought this would be a hard duel, but I riposted his first attack and knocked him out immediately. :P

[@mutualdecline2174]

The traveling knight that you're referring to is actually a noble with little combat experience. Yes he has knight armour(because he's a noble) but his skills are lackluster.

[@ozdemir6702]

I didn't play Kingdom Come Deliverance back then. It is good thing my favourite tutorial youtuber made one for my futureself

[@danhelsing5131]

This has been very helpful. Thank you!

[@matrix7418]

Thank you so much for your guide. It has helped me greatly

[@Halcylion]

The next video I'm working on is a nightmare. The core of the video is done, but I keep finding out things and I keep trying to fit them in without deleting what I've already done. And it's been more than 2 weeks since I posted this one, so I'm getting a bit annoyed. Once the next video is posted, I'll start uploading the improvised "annex" videos, to demonstrate these tutorials in a video format that isn't heavily edited. And I also might do a let's play or stream of the full game. I was planning to play Fallout 76 after November 14th, but that game is shaping up to be a total disappointment, and as such, I have some free time in my schedule to play KCD instead.

[@DogofLilith]

You know a game is good when there are half hour long tutorials on how the combat works

[@nigailemon]

Just started playing KCD recently, thank you for your guide! Will try to practice more. I am still unable to pull off my combos reliably

[@davidigleniec2483]

Very good commentary and info. Ty.

[@posseslayer280]

Thank you for this tutorial, helps a lot.

[@posseslayer280]

Maybe tips on archery next, if you haven't already?

[@Halcylion]

@@posseslayer280 I do talk about archery in the next video, as well as herbalism and alchemy, but I wouldn't exactly call those tips "ground breaking". Also, I hope this one helps you on your knight playthrough. Of course, I don't know when this next video will come out. Most of the work on it is done, but it still needs to be edited.

[@brokentoes6721]

HOLY SHIT, THIS VIDEO IS THE MOST HELPFUL IVE SEEN!! gotta come back when im not drunk :/

[@immersivegamer7640]

Hey mate, wanted to thank you for a GREAT video! Learned a lot, understood a lot - awesome, you have my thanks! Subscribed and liked this one - its a must when you are just starting your adventure in Bohemia! ;)

[@cb-hz6dm]

*sees his character swing fast and kill cuman after cuman* Meanwhile my Character : ohh no, Peasent too strong

[@grahamhill676]

I'm always getting fucked up by a gang of peasants with dogs and/or halberds. 1 v 1 against knight? No problem. 2 v 1 against soldiers, ok. Angry villagers with animals and pitchforks. Noope

[@2cents894]

@@grahamhill676 well the game is realistic, and in real life even 2v1 is extremely deadly

[@grahamhill676]

@@2cents894 Sure. But it's not fun. Why should I be put in an unwinnable situation just because of RNG that forces me to reload a save.

[@toine0002]

amazing tutorial thank you!

[@masso392]

The combat in this game is just beutiful

[@yusufshaikh9768]

More like a thorn in the side. But yeah it’s pretty unique and cool.

[@OneInTheMosh]

I find it E X C E P T I O N A L L Y frustrating

[@kryzzan7039]

2 years later and i can now easily kill all the guards in rattay

[@saintlucius687]

There’s this one technique I use to get an easy master strike, what I do is win a clinch and step back for a bit which will force your opponent to sprint at you and when they do sprint at you they’ll always attack giving you an easy master strike (in case clinch don’t work then sprint away then immediately face them back)

[@t.b.prestes5612]

Good quality video, thank you!

[@kodojow22]

Here’s a tip if your fighting in a town and there’s a lot of ppl on you you can ussally glitch them out by jumping into weird places where only 1 person can attack you at a time and so you can technically kill 100+ ppl by yourself

[@guilhermedom2228]

Here a tip, if you do a UP stab, in this case you look up but not slash, stab, it's gonna stab in the head and it's can't be master strike, only perfect block, so you can just spam it until your enemy die, also work with captan Benard when you gonna learn the master strike, instead of attack him in any direction, you do the UP stab, he will never block and you can easily level up you weapon level, it's don't work with longsword, only with shortswords, axe and maces :)

[@wileywilson]

Brilliant guide, thanks man. Between X4 and KCD, you are one of my fav YTer!

[@Halcylion]

I appreciate the comment, lad! People like you make me wanna do my best when it comes to videos. :)

[@kj12351]

Tip: You can stab you enemy in the face when ever you want, this is usefull if the enemy has an open face helmet. All you have to do is move you weapon above your head and stab right after, 10:45 he does it there but don't know it.

[@thecheeseslayer2748]

A nice tip for when your a beginner is to rob the hunter nicholas in talmberg. He has a piercer in his inventory and early game where you may be facing enemies without very good head armor going for stabs to the head is good way to end fights and the piercer does really good head damage. Also simply hunting the deer and doe in the nearby forest and then selling the hunted goods to the hunter is a good way to 1.gain experience in speech with haggling 2. get groschen 3. up your archery and hunting skills. Also thieving in the talmberg castle is pretty lucrative early game. You can get your pickpocketing and lockpicking skills up and get gear that will sell decently. Also the hunter in rattay keeps all his goods(bows and arrows and etc.) locked up behind a very easy lockpick so robbing him and then selling to the millers is good for gold early game. Just don't do it to many times and anger the guards making them search you all the time. Also (just one more tip I swear I'm pretty sure all the wikis I've seen have missed this fact) When you get to the camp which sir radzig stays in at merhojed after you progress a little in the investigation at nuehof there's a box with Herod's sword, which is one of the best swords in the game, and at night when sir radzig and all the guards go to sleep you can find it and take it.

[@zimatv2381]

wow thanx!

[@whitebloodism]

Awesome video mate thanks 🙏

[@jimmyjams5038]

You don't have to have your weapon in the same direction to perform a master strike you just have to perform a block at the beginning of their attack animation.

[@antoniiocostaa]

im watching this 6 yrs later and still the best combat guide i can found thx

[@Halcylion]

I hope you've become the Grand Champion of Rattay by now. :)

This is the best tutorial out of all the others this vid even tells how to do a master strike

[@Halcylion]

Thank you, glad you found it helpful!

[@EpicSmileyMan64]

12:00 ah that makes sense, I always read that you need to block right before the green shield appears in order to master strike, I didn't get told about the weapon alignment, that's gotta make a huge difference. Thanks! Also didn't know that you can execute combo's occasionally with needing to manually switching your stance, and you can just chain your attack's, also super useful to know.

[@inikans123]

It’s helpful also to use switch focus button to change your current opponent

[@alexanderruoff5208]

Best guide over all for kcd

[@barackyobama6139]

The best tactic for anyone without a helmet, or those with open face helmets, is to right click to stab and then move your sword to aim to their face, make sure to stagger first so they cannot block it, it is almost guaranteed to win a fight in one or two stabs.

[@MSMNBC]

I made it to the nest of vipers without combat; before I restarted. Now a month later and I can take on multiple opponents. The trick was learning when to start a block and what angle I was holding my sword at. Still haven't got a grasp on combos. Running backwards with a bow has saved me many times.

[@shane5923]

I've found that your comment at 13:45 is the best strategy. Successfully bashing your opponent's noggin is always a good combat technique :)

[@shane5923]

Also as an aside, when you're performing the stab strike you can adjust your aim a bit and send the pointy end towards your opponent's face, if they're not wearing a visor this is a seriously OP attack. In the game similar to reality I would guess, stabbing an enemy in his face hole has a significant pacifying effect.

[@johnclarke7626]

Watching your videos is almost as good as playing the game. Huzzah!

[@Halcylion]

Thank you. Seems like I should make more videos, eh?

[@Thechamp_morchid4]

Thats transition at the begining was smoooooooth

[@stromming90]

Thanks, very helpful!

[@lloydalexander3738]

Thankyou for making this video, I feel better equipped for fighting. Like Homer Simpson learning to beat Bart at that boxing game.

[@AdoteAzhar]

Great tips bro!

[@wathekhalloul1530]

spoken like a true Teacher!

[@GabyHannaheavenseeker]

good job, so it's not just me who spends hours bludgeoning Bernad :P , i would say that the $ you pay for this game is repaid alone with that NPC (that is when he doesn't glitch)

[@dafunkester]

Thank you very much for these guides, I picture you as Syrio Forel the sword master in game of thrones.

[@Halcylion]

Funny coincidence: I'm about as tall as he is.

[@patrickwantstodie4894]

Great video!

[@varunsingh9211]

Tried following this while repeatedly getting owned by runt. Better alternative, use arrows at point blank range. You'll never miss (mostly)

[@spicydeath82]

you can learn master strikes before the neuhof thing. you can learn it after you get the quest to patrol with nightingale. so complete your training, talk to bailiff, get your kit and go back to bernard and you can learn masterstrikes. i always do that since it's pretty much essential, especially since one of the more recent updates broke combat and made even peasants with pitchforks deadly.

[@Halcylion]

Yeah, so I've noticed in my recent playthrough.

[@josephrafferty6763]

It's wild. A game that was clearly supposed to simulate what it would actually be like makes it hard to fight more than 1 person at a time. You know, like it really would be.

[@maximilianmullner9370]

Thank you now combos make more sense to me

[@addicted2myworld]

Thank you! I was about to give up on the combat system, but your guide gave me a second wind. I went back to Bernhard to train...and found I hadn't learned the master strike skill. I guess I died after I learned it the first time and forgot to go back. So, all these hours thinking I could do it and not winning fights... Bro... Oh well lol

[@addicted2myworld]

Oh yes, and now you only have to learn the master strike with 1 weapon class, not each individually

[@mrnoodles5871]

Awesome video.

[@Thedog-1-]

Tip: if you perform a stab attack on the enemy there is a high chance you can perform an overhead strike afterwards

[@donteprice8859]

Also when an enemy is about to perform an overhead strike you can stab and cancel their attack.

[@jameshardy6277]

Just bought the Royal Edition on PSN. Thanks for the tips.

[@Halcylion]

Glad to be of service to you, sir Knight!

[@IraFuse_422]

You can counter after a dodge (I've side-stepped/jabbed before), I think it just requires timing, the correct attack for the situation and skill stats (defense, warfare, speed, agility, weapon(sword, mace), etc.). I believe your skill stats vs enemy's stats determine how large the window is for counter attacks, requiring the timing to be more or less precise.

[@creaturefood6526]

Very well done. 👍🏻

[@AlexSteez2523]

Class tutorial mate new sub 🤟

[@9unner22]

Great presentation.

[@liquidkameleon]

Very interesting stuff, even though I finished the game, I was kinda baffled by some things in the combat, like what the point of different positions was for defense, but now I understand why I accidentally performed those ripostes seemingly randomly when blocking late in the game.

[@ChicoAzevedo]

Thank you! without it i willI never discover by myself that winning a clint moving is just spam the attack.