Kingdom Come: Deliverance is a historical RPG from Warhorse Studios, with an engaging leveling system filled with excellent perks to choose from. However, the true value of certain perks may not be apparent to new players. Some of the improvements may at first glance seem great but are actually terrible. And others that may seem useless can possess some hidden value.
The progression system in the game works through repetition. The more Henry (the protagonist of Kingdom Come) does something, the better he becomes at it. As Henry gains levels he gains passive benefits but also a perk point every once in a while. These points can be spent on special perks that enhance and modify the game in various ways.
Kingdom Come has been praised for its immersion. Part of that is due to the various mechanics and skills in the game. Yet, certain perks are so "good" that they outright break game mechanics. "Human dustbin" for example, is a feat that allows Henry to safely eat spoiled food and kills the need to have to maintain healthy rations. Although these perks have a lot of mechanical value, they also hurt the immersion the game provides and as such will not be considered to be the best.
The Best Utility Perks in Kingdom Come: Deliverance
These best Kingdom Come perks are widely applicable and are the ones players should get first.
- Mule (you can carry 15 pounds more): this perk will allow players to gather more loot before having to sell it off and is also very important to equip heavier armor which there is plenty of later in the game.
- Lasting lockpicks (lockpicks will be more durable and last twice as long): this will make lockpicking a lot more forgiving as it allows many more mistakes before the lockpick breaks.
- Luck of the drunk (it'll be 30% easier but also 30% noisier to open locks when drunk): a great example of a perk that is much better than the tooltip might lead to believe. This perk actually lowers the difficulty of any lock Henry attempts to open, which allows players to try and lockpick the very hardest locks in Kingdom Come: Deliverance from very early on in the game.
- Troubadour (50% higher Reputation when you talk to women, and you can avail of bathhouse services for free): having free access to Bathhouses is very good by itself, but adding 50% reputation when talking to women makes "Troubadour" one of the best perks to get early.
- Friendly Neighbour (if anyone who likes you at least a little catches you pickpocketing, they won't call the guard on you): due to how unpredictable pickpocketing can be in Kingdom Come, having a free chance to fail without consequences is a great way to spend a perk point with "Friendly Neighbor".
- Magistrate (get a +1 Speech bonus when trying to persuade a guard): if players do get in trouble with the guards, yet another great to handle it is to talk your way out of it, and having "Magistrate" to help will feel very impactful.
The Best Combat Perks in Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Almost all of Kingdom Come's best combat perks are worth getting at some point in the game but these might not seem the best for players that don't know what Henry is going to be facing.
- Clinch Master (gives you one third higher chance of overpowering your opponent in a clinch): a clinch happens when players walk into an enemy in a fight. Increasing the chance to win these with "Clinch master" often means getting a free hit in as enemies recoil from the impact and likewise may save Henry from getting hit himself.
- Against all odds (you'll have 20% greater Strength, Agility, Warfare, and Defence in a fight where you're outnumbered): in the great majority of fights in Kingdom Come, Henry will find himself outnumbered. Feats that exploit this fact such as "Against all odds" are thus great assets to help players deal with groups of enemies.
- Tight grip (your Stamina regeneration will not slow down in combat, even on the weapon backswing): "Tight grip" is a talent that looks "ok" but is actually great. Not losing stamina regeneration on the backswing means that Henry's attack costs go down dramatically. Having a faster refilling pool of stamina also means that players can properly block enemies in Kingdom Come: Deliverance.
- Revenant (your Health will regenerate gradually): Henry does not heal automatically and even potions take minutes to work. To players that might often find themselves with low health and without access to a bed or healing potions, "Revenant" brings great value by slowly but constantly healing Henry. However, in Hardcore mode, this perk is only mildly useful as it merely speeds up health regeneration when sleeping, and should be avoided in favor of better options.
- Stronghold: This strength perk requires 2 points and reduces stamina consumption by 30%. For players who are looking for an advantage in combat should acquire this perk as soon as they can. Since Kingdom Come’s combat involves a lot of blocking, players will want a perk that lets them conserve their stamina.
- Firm Grip: This Defence perk uses up four points, making enemies lose 15% more stamina each time they block a player’s attack with a shield. This perk is extremely useful in the early stages of Kingdom Come.
The Best Enjoyable Perks in Kingdom Come: Deliverance
These Kingdom Come perks will be considered by some players as the most essential as they unlock new interactions in the game. How much they are valued depends on the playstyle of each player.
- Stealth kill (allows you to kill from stealth. You have to have a dagger): "Stealth kill" allows Henry to stealthily handle enemies without engaging in active combat. Keep in mind that to perform a stealth kill, players need only have a dagger in the inventory as it cannot be equipped.
- First aid (bandages are 25% more effective. You can also apply your healing skill in dialogues): the bleeding condition in Kingdom Come can be very dangerous. As such, "First aid" can be very useful in the early game when players have the least access to bandages. Yet, its true value lies in the fact that it is the only perk in the game that unlocks dialogue choices, therefore, giving Henry more options during quests.
- Tanner (you're able to skin dead animals): "Tanner" is a perk that is invaluable as it is required to complete many side quests. Players should save the skins in Kingdom Come: Deliverance in the early game, as they don't degrade and can be delivered as soon as said quests are available.
- Witcher: This Alchemy perk requires three points, and it reduces the effects of alcohol. This perk will let players drink more and reduce the risk of getting addicted to alcohol. While this may sound fun, it also benefits players who tend to drink a lot of potions for various situations.
- Easy Way Out: This perk lets players speed up time when examining an NPC’s inventory. This perk will let players reduce the chances of being caught when pickpocketing and increase the number of items that can be stolen in the same time frame.
The Best "Choice" Perks in Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Many of the best perks in Kingdom Come have tradeoffs or force you to choose between two variants. In some cases, there is a clear winner and in others, it is a toss-up.
- Highborn/Lowborn (increases your Speech level by +3 when talking to nobles and wealthy people / when talking to commoners): "Highborn/Lowborn" is one of the latter cases. Although players spend the majority of the game dealing with commoners, the most difficult speech checks will most often occur with nobility. Therefore, although "Lowborn" might be used more often, "Highborn" may help Henry when he needs it the most.
- Sprinter/Marathon man (sprinting is 20% faster, but costs 20% more Stamina / sprinting is 20% slower but demands 20% less Stamina): When it comes to choosing between "Sprinter" and "Marathon Man" however, the choice is clear as "Sprinter" is superior in any situation. Whether chasing or escaping enemies or simply sprinting through town, players will get much more value out of this perk. Even though "Marathon Man" might seem appealing to cover long distances before Henry gets a horse, "Sprinter" is still better as it is able to cover the same distance, faster.
- Savage/Burgher (gain a +1 bonus to Strength, Agility, Vitality, and Speech when out in the wilds / in towns and villages and their immediate vicinity): "Savage"/"Burgher" gives a great buff to Henry and is another perk where either option is good. The bonus to "Speech" is very worthwhile around cities, where most NPCs are located but it is in the wilds where most of the fighting in Kingdom Come will take place. Therefore, players focusing on speech checks should most likely choose "Burgher" and players aiming to become better in combat benefit the most from "Savage".
- Racehorse/Heavy Duty Pony (your horse is faster, but carries less weight. / your horse can carry more but is slower): "Racehorse"/"Heavy-duty Pony" highly depends on the difficulty the players chose. Without fast travel enabled, "Racehorse" is vastly superior due to the sheer amount of travel time players will save over the course of the game. But, if players plan to use fast travel frequently, "Heavy Duty Pony" might provide better value as it helps with hoarding larger quantities of loot before having to sell it, which is one of the fastest ways to make money in Kingdom Come: Deliverance.
- Scout I: This perk requires 2 points and increases the range of where players can fast travel. In addition, this perk also improves the character’s dodges by 10%, which comes in handy during combat.
The Worst Perks in Kingdom Come: Deliverance
When it comes to being the very worst, some of these might not be at the very bottom. However, these Kingdom Come perks are the most misleading, and might trick new players into wasting valuable perk points.
- Boar (deplete an opponent's Health and Stamina by bumping into him at a sprint. The effect is increased if your armor is heavier than his): "Boar" seems like a great feat, but, in practice, it is very unreliable and rarely works as intended.
- Sixth sense (your sixth sense will warn you if someone is about to catch you in the act of lockpicking, so you'll have more time to escape): unlike "Friendly Neighbour", "Sixth Sense" does not actually help Henry not get caught. Whenever this perk activates it will warn the player that Henry has been spotted. This does indeed give the player more time to escape the scene but it does not prevent Henry from being caught in the act. So in practice, it does little more than provide a few extra seconds to escape the crime scene.
- Four-hit combos (weapons combos that require four hits to trigger): as Henry gains levels in weapons, players will most likely notice that some perk combos are longer than others. While four-hit combos might look powerful, even veteran players will struggle to use them in combat. This is not due to a lack of skill but instead to how combos in Kingdom Come work. A single dodge or riposte from the enemy, both of which are fairly common, will instantly break the combo. For this reason, players should instead focus on learning three-hit combos.
- Drinking habit (under the influence of alcohol, your hand will shake 25% less and your Bow skill is higher by +2, but when sober your hand will shake 25% more): "Drinking habit" although useful if you can maintain the balance of drinking without getting drunk, can easily get out of hand as trying to shoot a bow while inebriated is not worth the bonus it gives.
- Dreadful (foes will be more likely to flee from combat with you. The ones who do fight you will be less determined): the most unfortunate of these perks is "Dreadful". It is a very useful ability when handling many enemies as they will be less eager to attack and much more likely to run away. However, that also means Henry will be getting less loot each fight, as chasing down enemies is not quite as easy as it may seem. More aggravating is the fact that "Dreadful" might simply bug certain encounters that will never properly start because enemies will begin running away before the player even sees them. If players are willing to ignore this, then this perk is not bad at all as it may even save players a lot of time and unnecessary fighting in Kingdom Come: Deliverance.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance is available on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Amazon Luna, and Xbox One.