Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 Hardcore mode details and release date

The promised Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 Hardcore mode will be added to KCD2 as part of a free update, with new perks, challenges, and penalties built into an already not-so-friendly experience. Hardcore mode in KCD2 has been a thing of mods for a while, with many players having found it in the files and unlocking it unofficially, but now there'll be a built-in way to play it straight off the bat.

Warhorse Studios haven't given a full account of what Hardcore mode is going to include yet, but they have released some details to get players salivating for the suffering to come. We've collated all the available details just below for those who want to know more, with info on Hardcore mode's new perks and changes to KCD2.

Hardcore mode in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 explained

Hardcore mode in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 is going to be released between April 14 and 20, owing to the above reveal Tweet that simply states it to be coming at some point "next week", though Warhorse Studios was clear about it being part of the Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 roadmap from the beginning.

A version of Hardcore mode was already present in the PC version of Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, accessible through the Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 console commands. It's hard to say how much this developer version will be reflective of the final released product, but when accessed this way, Hardcore mode has the following effects on gameplay:

• Reduced UI in and out of combat, including no visible health and stamina bar.
• Fast travel is disabled.
• Auto-save is disabled.
• Your position on the Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 map is not marked.
• The compass does not show cardinal directions.
• Players pick three of the negative perks laid out below when starting the game. They are permanent penalties that cannot be removed throughout the entire playthrough.

All KCD2 Hardcore mode perks

Assuming that the new negative perks in KCD2 are the same as those you have to pick in the version accessible through console commands on PC (and the marketing reveal makes it look like they would be), we've got them all laid out below, so you can make an informed choice about how you want to unimprove Henry.

• Bad Back: You can generally carry less, and whenever you bend to pick up a herb or mushroom, there's a small chance you'll strain your back and be left hobbling for a while.
• Bashful: You can't ask people for directions, so it's more difficult to find your way around. Besides that, you're too shy to speak to the girls at the bathhouse, so you can't request all of their services. Since you're not much of a talker, gaining Speech skill is also slower.
• Hangry Henry: In addition to the usual effects of hunger, starving also reduces your Speech, Charisma, and Intimidation. Moreover, all food will fill you 20% less, and your digestion rate increases by 50%.
• Heavy-Footed: Your shoes wear down faster, and you generally make more noise.
• Menace: Once you're branded for a crime, the effect is permanent, and getting caught for any other serious crime will lead to your execution. What's more, guards will punish you more severely, and the consequences of these punishments will be more intense.
• Numbskull: All your experience gain is 20% slower.
• Picky Eater: Your pickiness causes all food in your inventory to spoil 25% faster. When gutting animals, you're also pickier and get only half the meat and other items from animals.
• Punchable Face: Coming across travellers on the road is more dangerous, as is getting into a fight. Besides that, enemies never surrender and are more confident, making fights more difficult.
• Somnabulant: You lose energy faster and every time you sleep, there's a chance your sleepwalking legs will take you somewhere else.
• Sweaty: You get dirty faster, meaning you start to smell faster. And when you do, you can be smelled from twice as far away, making you easier to detect. Plus, perfume doesn't give you any positive effects. You just can't hide this stench.

If you're going to take on this major challenge of chivalric prowess, you'll need help. Check out all the best Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 weapons here, or find out all the ways to thrive in Bohemia in our Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 tips page!

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.