Often, there are multiple ways to tackle a situation in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and if violence and crime are out of the question, then the simple act of talking will have to suffice. Henry isn’t the smoothest talker out there, but with enough effort and know-how, he can be.
Succeeding in a speech check is often the easiest and most painless way of progressing through KCD2 quests like Into the Underworld. However, the game handles this system a little differently compared to other RPGs, so you’ll want to know how to increase your odds of passing speech checks before attempting to talk your way out of a situation.

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Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 – Taking French Leave Quest Walkthrough
In the Taking French Leave main story quest for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Henry is tasked with sneaking into Maleshov Castle to rescue Sir Hans.
How Do Speech Checks Work in KCD2?
First, it’s important to know that Speech checks in this game are not percentage-based — you either pass or fail. Your skill and/or dialogue stat levels must meet or exceed that of the Speech check. The former includes actionable skills like Stealth and Scholarship, while the latter refers to the likes of Intimidation, Persuasion, Domination, and Coercion.
Unlike skills, dialogue stats cannot be improved through practice. Instead, they depend on a variety of factors:
- Intimidation increases based on the quality of your equipment and how bad your reputation is.
- Domination scales mostly from your Charisma. It also rises based on your Speech level and how bad your reputation is.
- Persuasion is affected by your reputation, Charisma, and Speech levels.
- Coercion is derived primarily from your Speech skill, but it also scales with Charisma to a lesser extent.
- Impression scales mostly on Charisma, then Speech. Having a high reputation with your conversation partner is also important.
- Presence is affected by equipment quality and how good your reputation is.
Your physical appearance also matters when doing a Speech check. For example, if you’re wearing clothes befitting a nobleman, you’ll have an easier time passing Domination and Persuasion. If you’re wearing bloody weapons and armor, you’ll gain a bonus to Intimidation, so try not to always clean your stuff in KCD2.
Context also plays a big role in all Speech checks. Intimidation generally won’t work on someone who looks as dangerous as you, and Domination won’t be as useful against someone of a higher social standing. Picking the highest number during a Speech check isn’t always the answer — you’ll also need to consider who you’re talking to and how your words might resonate with them.
Useful Skills
There are some skills that can increase your odds of passing a skill check. These include:
Skill |
Category |
Effect |
---|---|---|
Jack of All Trades |
Speech |
+2 to all skill checks |
Ladies’ Man |
Speech |
+2 to all skill checks when speaking with women |
Liberal Arts |
Scholarship |
You’ll be able to see your odds of succeeding in a Speech check |
Dark Arts Apprentice |
Alchemy |
+2 Coercion, Intimidation, and Domination when speaking to commoners |
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