Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s Hardcore Mode Is a Brutal Return to Old-School RPG Challenge

No fast travel. No compass. No mercy.

Developer Warhorse Studios is once again leaning into its signature brand of muddy medieval realism with the reveal of Hardcore Mode for Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. The new difficulty setting doesn’t just make the game harder—it strips away modern comforts, forces you to live with debilitating character flaws, and plunges you into the brutal life of a 15th-century peasant with no GPS and an unhealthy obsession with stew.

If you're someone who thought the original Kingdom Come was already unforgiving, buckle up. Speaking of new sensations, we recently described a combat mechanic cut from the game that could be a big breakthrough for FPS RPGs. Hardcore Mode in the sequel goes several steps further—not just removing fast travel and your position on the map, but also the in-game compass entirely. That’s right: if you want to know where you are, you’ll have to stop and ask NPCs for directions, including travelers on the road who may or may not be helpful.

Karel Kolmann, senior game designer at Warhorse, said it best:

“It’s not just about making the game harder either, it’s about making it more immersive too.”

A New Layer of Pain: Random Debuffs at Character Creation

In addition to the stripped-down UI and travel limitations, players starting a Hardcore Mode run must select negative traits, which are permanent throughout the playthrough. These aren't your usual “deal slightly less damage” kind of handicaps—these are real personality quirks that actively get in your way.

Here’s a sample of what you’re dealing with:

• Bad back. You can carry significantly less weight.
• Somnambulant. You sleepwalk and wake up in random locations.
• Hangry Henry. You need to eat constantly, or you suffer stat penalties.

Warhorse isn’t recycling old tricks, either. Kolmann notes that while a few perks from the first game return, most are brand-new, designed specifically to mess with players in different ways and break their reliance on modern RPG crutches. It’s like playing D&D with a DM who really wants you to fail—and we kind of love that.

Hardcore Modes: A Badge of Honor in Gaming

Hardcore modes have a long, painful legacy in gaming. For some players, they’re the ultimate test of skill. For others, they’re the gateway to trauma. But whatever your take, they’ve always offered a deeply personal way to engage with a game—and often, some of the most memorable experiences.

Think back to Diablo II’s Hardcore Mode, where death was permanent. Or Fallout: New Vegas, which introduced Hardcore Mode that made you manage dehydration, hunger, and limb damage in a way that made every trip through the Mojave feel like a survival horror game.

Even more mainstream titles like Skyrim have seen Hardcore-style overhauls through mods like Frostfall or Survival Mode, removing fast travel, adding temperature mechanics, and forcing players to eat, sleep, and craft intelligently. In Red Dead Redemption 2, hardcore players took to turning off the HUD entirely, using only the sun and stars to navigate.

So it makes perfect sense for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2—a game that’s always prided itself on realism and immersion—to bring Hardcore Mode back in such an evolved and immersive way. This isn’t just difficulty for the sake of difficulty; it’s a commitment to roleplaying in a world that actively resists you.

Realism as a Feature, Not a Gimmick

What makes Kingdom Come: Deliverance different from other RPGs is that it’s not trying to be heroic. It’s trying to be real—or at least real enough to make you forget you’re playing a game. There’s no magic, no chosen one prophecy. Just mud, blood, and politics in Bohemia circa 1403.

Hardcore Mode leans fully into that vision. By removing things like fast travel and automated navigation, the game forces players to pay attention to their surroundings, ask questions, and engage with the world as a real person would. Want to find the nearest town? Follow a dirt road, and hope you don’t get jumped by bandits. Need to rest? Better find a bed before you collapse from exhaustion, unless your sleep disorder teleports you halfway across the countryside first.

And now, with the Gallant Huntsman Kit—a cosmetic DLC originally exclusive to the Gold Edition—available for purchase separately, players can suffer in style.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s Hardcore Mode strips away the convenience and comfort of modern RPG design in favor of something raw, immersive, and punishing. With no map position, no fast travel, and custom negative traits like sleepwalking and food obsession, it’s a mode designed for players who want the most immersive and brutal medieval experience possible. In a long line of iconic Hardcore Modes—from Diablo II to Fallout: New Vegas—Warhorse’s latest entry proudly claims its place as one of the most punishing and personal of them all. And if that sounds like your kind of adventure… You might need help. Or at least a map.