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KCD2 fans looking for a serious challenge will love this mode.
Following up on March's Patch 1.2 update that brought over 1,000 important fixes to Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, developer Warhorse Studios is back with Patch 1.2.4 for its best-selling, critically acclaimed medieval RPG. The update was released on Tuesday morning, and is available to download and install now on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5.
This patch implemented some balance tweaks and bugfixes I'll list in the patch notes section below, but far, far more interesting is the addition of Hardcore Mode — a new way to play Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 that spikes the difficulty significantly. At its core, Hardcore Mode hides your map position, removes direction indicators from the HUD compass, and gets rid of the option to fast travel, while also disabling the combat HUD (including perfect block and riposte indicators) and tuning enemy AI to be more aggressive when they outnumber you.
That alone makes Henry's journey through medieval Bohemia a lot tougher, but Hardcore Mode also makes you take at least three special negative perks (taking them all and beating the game will give you a prestigious achievement). These can permanently debuff you by slowing experience gains, making it difficult to stay clean (and subsequently affecting your reputation in the game world), reducing your carrying capacity, and more; a few of these perks have returned from the original Kingdom Come's Hardcore Mode, but Warhorse says most of them are entirely new.
Using big landmarks to orient yourself in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's world will be crucial without map markers or directional indicators.
(Image credit: Windows Central)
The developers also noted that while making the game harder is the main goal of Hardcore Mode, it's also intended to make the overall experience more immersive, too. To help you navigate around the map in it, you have the option of asking NPCs you encounter on the road for directions, with KCD2's reputation and presentation mechanics determining how much help you'll get (if any at all). You'll also be naturally driven to pay attention to things like identifiable landmarks out in the wilderness.
"We were really happy with how Hardcore Mode turned out in the first game, but we didn’t want to make it exactly the same. We only kept a couple of the first game’s perks, and then we made new ones to provide a completely new challenge. It’s not just about making the game harder either, it’s about making it more immersive, too," said Warhorse senior game designer Karel Kolmann in a blog post.
"In the first game’s Hardcore Mode, we did things like disabling your map position and removing the compass but we’ve gone further this time. We’ve added the option to ask different NPCs about your location in the world, which is something more immersive. You can run into travellers on the road and ask for directions."
In the event that you still want more of a challenge, though? You can take another perk that disables that roadside pleading entirely. And if you really want to suffer, Kolmann says you can pair it with the "Somnambulant" sleepwalking one to occasionally wake up in the middle of nowhere completely lost after a good night's sleep. Every bed, a teleporter.
While in a Hardcore Mode playthrough, enemies will attack more aggressively when they outnumber you.
(Image credit: Deep Silver)
I'm probably not going to take things that far myself, but I am looking forward to starting a new playthrough with Hardcore Mode at some point. KCD2 honestly gets a little easy in the mid-to-late game once you're kitted out with high-end weapons and plate armor, so I'm excited to go through the game again with more of a consistently difficult challenge.
Overall, the mode is a great addition, and it's good to have ahead of the release of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's DLC expansions later this year (they were teased in the game's roadmap trailer). All in all, the RPG is in a great state in general, as last month's big update fixed the majority of noteworthy bugs and implemented official mod support on PC through Steamworks and the Steam Workshop.
Indeed, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is arguably one of 2025's Game of the Year frontrunners, as it reviewed extremely well with critics and fans alike while also hitting huge sales milestones mere days after release.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is out now on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC (via Steam, the Epic Games Store, and GOG), and PS5. It's a stellar RPG, so if you enjoy that genre, definitely consider picking it up (it's just $50.39 at CDKeys, which is a great deal).
KCD2 Update 1.2.4: Patch notes
KCD2 protagonist Henry blacksmithing, which one of the more lucrative ways to make money in the RPG.
(Image credit: Deep Silver)
Here are the official patch notes for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's Patch 1.2.4 update, taken directly from Warhorse Studios' official website.
Patch 1.2.4 is live! This update brings several key fixes, quality-of-life improvements, and the long-awaited addition of Hardcore Mode. Read on for the full list of changes.
New
Hardcore Mode
- Introduced the option to start a new playthrough in hardcore mode. More on Hardcore Mode here.
Features
Balance
- Rebalanced shop prices for herbs, so that they never sell for a higher price than their buying price.
Barber
- Added the bald hairstyle option for Henry.
- Fixed shadow flickering under certain weather conditions.
Dice
- Fixed a crash caused by getting hit while choosing dice.
Items
- Fixed the broken wreath model.
Mods
- Fixed issues with saving when having too many mods installed.
Skills & Perks
- Fixed Sagittarius, On the Road, Salva, and Wildrider perks not working properly when taken while playing on 1.1.X and after loading on 1.2.X.
Stability
- Fixed several most frequent crashes.
Platform-Specific Fixes - Xbox
- Fixed some saves not being available to load due to Gold edition / Season pass licensing issues.
Quests
-
Judgment Day
-
Fixed incorrect NPC behavior after completing the final quest.
- Fixed the victory overlay sometimes not displaying correctly.
-
Fixed incorrect NPC behavior after completing the final quest.
-
The Jaunt
- Fixed Lord Semine sometimes getting stuck after the practice fight on the way from Semine.
This patch, based on your feedback, continues to refine and improve the in-game experience of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. Thanks for sticking with us—we’re just getting started!
Hope you enjoyed this news post.
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