Want to heal in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2? You need a healing potion, which is specifically called a Marigold Decoction, the recipe of which isn't too hard to find if you know how. There are other ways to heal in KCD2, but the main two come down to either drinking Marigold Decoctions or finding a bed to rest in, both of which can be a little tricky in the early hours of the game. If you need help working it out, we'll explain how to make Marigold Decoctions in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, all the ways you can easily heal, and how health restoration works as a system.
How to heal in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2
To heal yourself in KCD2, there are two main methods you can use:
- Drink a Marigold Decoction (healing potion) to gain health regeneration for 1 Minute. You can drink this via the inventory menu but you will need a belt and pouch to equip (and therefore use) consumables during combat.
- Sleep in a bed to restore a certain amount of health dependent on how long you sleep. Drinking a Chamomile Brew potion speeds up this process. This is also one of the ways of how to save in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2.
There are other ways that health can be restored. Certain abilities and perks can provide passive restoration, and certain foods can provide very small health regeneration when eaten, but those above are the main ones - Decoctions for emergencies, and bed rest for full restoration.
Keep in mind that healing in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 is supposed to be challenging on some level, something that's hard to immediately undo without preparation. That doesn't mean it's impossible, but as a rule it's smarter to avoid being hurt in the first place rather than trying to heal.
How you avoid damage is up to you though. It might mean equipping yourself with heavy armor for combat, drinking an Aqua Vitalis potion for health reduction, fighting at range, using stealth to take down foes or succeeding on speech checks to avoid combat altogether. If you're in trouble you can always try to run away, or shout that you surrender to negotiate a peaceful ending (though if you've killed several already it might not work).
How to get healing potions and Marigold Decoctions
Marigold Decoctions, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2's equivalent of healing potions, are generally sold by all apothecaries, herbalists and some traders, as they are fairly common stock (there's an Apothecary in the starting town of Troskowitz if you need a point of reference for where to buy them). You can also occasionally find them as loot on enemies, but this is rare enough that you shouldn't depend on it as a method.
The best way to get Marigold Decoctions is by brewing your own on an Alchemy Table, though this requires a recipe and the ingredients.
Marigold Decoction recipe location
Player can find a recipe for the Marigold Decoction potion early in the game by going to Troskowitz and speaking to Apothecary Emmerich on the South side of town. He sells you a recipe for the Marigold Decoction for around 150 Groschen, though you can get it cheaper by improving your reputation and haggling. It’s a big investment early on, but one that's definitely worth it, as once you use the recipe in your inventory, you'll be able to make Marigold Decoctions at any Alchemy Table with the ingredients.
Brewing a Marigold Decoction specifically requires the following:
- 1x Nettle
- 2x Marigold
Both of these are almost guaranteed to be sold at any of the same shops that sell potions, but you can also find them in the following terrains:
- Nettles (Green, with pointed leaves): Next to water, at the edges of woods, and in the furrows of fields.
- Marigold (Small, with yellow flowers): Rubble piles, dung and pastures.
How to use Marigold Decoctions in combat
You can't drink a potion or consumable of any kind from your inventory during combat unless you have a belt and a pouch, which can be bought at Tailors and certain other merchants. These are separate pieces of equipment - a belt to wear, and a pouch to equip off that. The better the pouch, the more consumable slots you'll have access to during combat. Equip what consumables and potions you want, then during combat you can pick that consumable with the right D-Pad. Incidentally, this is also how you can have more Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 weapons equipped at once!
Remember that a Marigold Decoction is not an instant heal - it's a passive regeneration over the next minute, with how much health you restore depending on the quality of the potion.
Want to know more about KCD2? Find out all the hidden Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 Brunswick armor locations as part of The Lion's Crest here, or find out which is the best Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 playstyle to choose here!
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