Best Things About The Scout Playstyle In KCD2

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has received glowing praise since its release, and it’s safe to assume that many new players are diving into Warhorse’s medieval RPG sequel. These players might not be aware of just how much this game wants to offer a simulation experience, and that the early game can be tough going. Without going too heavily into spoilers, it doesn’t take long for KCD2 to leave Henry as broke and gearless as the first game’s introduction.

Before they even get to that point, though, players have to make an early gameplay choice they might not fully understand. The game asks players to choose a “playstyle” in the intro, offering the choice between Soldier, Adviser, and Scout. Choosing to start as a Scout doesn’t permanently lock players into anything, but does give an advantage with bows, stealth, and other sneaky skills.

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This choice gives players an early level in the related skills, and skill points to spend. In comparison, Soldiers get Warfare-based levels and Advisers get Charisma-based points. It’s arguably harder to start as a Scout, but players can even that out by training other skills. They don’t get locked out of other weapons and skill leveling. Despite the disadvantages, there are some good reasons to start as a Scout.

1

Difficult Beginnings, Bigger Power Spike

Throw Henry In At The Deep End

While starting as a Scout can make combat a little bit harder in the early game, having those advantages in Marksmanship and Stealth will come into its own as players get further into the game. There are a lot of tasks and side missions in the game where being able to do things quietly, whether that’s thievery or quiet assassination, can be a big advantage.

Being detected can carry all sorts of risks in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, depending on the context, and characters without the advantages of Stealth and other dubious skills like Lockpicking will find themselves at much greater risk with certain tasks. High-level Stealth characters can take out enemies quietly and without a fight in many circumstances, which leads to a lot less hassle for the player.

2

Marksman Is The Easiest Skill To Level Up

Just Shoot Some Targets

It might not seem like it at first, but the Marksman skill is probably the easiest and cheapest skill category to level when it comes to combat skills. That’s because players can level their marksman skills just by visiting an archery range. Stand behind the wooden boards that denote the start of the range and players can fire at the targets to get experience, with more experience if players stand behind the further backboard.

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This will cost some durability with the bow or crossbow, and players will lose arrows or bolts from shots that they miss. Even with that considered, this method is a lot easier than seeking out bandits to sword fight within the medieval countryside. Players can also pay a small wager to join archery competitions by speaking to the Huntsman’s son Vivek in Trosky. These are basically free Marksman experience as players can win more than their money back if they do well.

3

Sneaking, Lockpicking And Pickpocketing

Tough Skills To Level Up From Scratch

The consequences of being caught committing a crime in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 can be severe. From minor reputation loss to being hanged from the gallows, crime and punishment are taken seriously in the game. That can make it very risky for characters that don’t have any initial investment in nefarious skills like Lockpicking, Stealth, and Pickpocketing to get started with leveling them without turning Henry into an outcast.

Having an advantage in Stealth makes it much easier to not get caught when performing Thievery skills. This is true even if players want to practice Thievery only on risk-free targets like bandits and their locked chests. Robbing bandits blind won’t affect Henry’s reputation or standing with the law, so this is the least risky way to get Thievery experience early on. Stealthy Scouts will have the advantage of training these skills early.

4

Bows Can Make Melee Fights Easier

Soften Up Enemies From Afar

While players are at the earlier levels of Marksman, it’s difficult to kill a human opponent with a bow, as it takes several shots. However, one of the earliest perks in the Marksman skill tree is Crippling Shot, which can be used to make enemies less effective in melee combat. This skill causes enemies hit with a ranged weapon to recover stamina more slowly and have lowered combat effectiveness.

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Scouts can use their first Marksman point to grab this skill and make the many mandatory melee encounters in the game that much easier. That makes it a useful skill both for players who want to focus on Stealth, Agility, and ranged combat, as well as those who want to dip into these skills to augment their other combat abilities.

5

Guns Are An Option

If You Have A Spare Afternoon To Reload

Being able to bring a gun to a sword fight sounds like a powerful advantage. Players who invest in marksmanship will have the easiest time getting access to firearms and using them later in the game. Unfortunately, given the incredibly cumbersome nature of medieval guns, they’re not quite as much of an advantage as players might imagine.

While a single shot from a gun is deadly, a medieval reload takes roughly the same amount of time as it takes a group of armored men to cross a battlefield. That means after that first shot, players had better have another means to defend themselves, or an army in front of them. Guns are in the game as much for historical accuracy as to provide a practical combat option for the player, but the feeling of one-shotting a knight can be worth the risk.

6

Be Inconspicuous

Drawn Little Attention, Blend Into The Shadows

As well as Henry’s Stealth skill affecting his ability to sneak around in the shadows, the “Conspicuousness” stat in the game determines a lot about how NPCs will spot and react to the player. This can be affected by the clothing the player wears, as well as Henry’s general notoriety in an area. For example, if Henry has been punished with the stocks for a crime, his conspicuousness will rise, with people around more likely to recognize him as a troublemaker.

Wearing darker clothing with less metal and armored parts will decrease conspicuousness, and lower conspicuousness in turn makes it easier to be stealthy. These are two systems that feed into each other. Being more stealthy helps players go undetected, which helps keep conspicuousness down. Scouts definitely have the advantage when it comes to remaining unseen.

Game

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RPG

Action-Adventure

Open-World

Systems

Released

February 4, 2025

ESRB

Mature 17+ // Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity

Developer(s)

Warhorse Studios