Skills in KC:D build Henry’s ability to better perform all of the various tasks and skills he will need to succeed and survive during his adventure. Just like Stats the more you practice each skill the better it will get. In addition, each skill has its own perks that allow you to modify Henry’s ability in unique ways. Unlike other RPGs, you do not need to specialize in just a few skills. If you have the time and willpower to grind you can make Henry a true Jack of All Trades by mastering each skill. There are two main types of skills: (1) Combat Skills and (2) Non-Combat Skills.

If you are looking for how to increase your Skills in KC:D check out our guide on leveling up Skills.

Combat Skills & Perks

In Kingdom Come Combat Skills allow you to build Henry into the deadliest fighter in all of Bohemia – and maybe even Hungary. Leveling up your Combat Skills is essential to your success.

Overarching Combat Skills

There are two overarching combat skills in KC:D – Warfare and Defense. Each of these plays a major role in how effective Henry is at surviving combat. Both of these stats level up as you engage in combat and have their own perk pools.

Warfare

Warfare is basically KC:D’s catch-all offensive stat. In essence, it represents how skillful of a fighter you are and determines how capable on the battlefield you can be. As you increase your Warfare your ability in fights with ALL weapons (even bows and unarmed) is increased.

Increasing your Warfare has three primary impacts on your fighting: (1) it increases the speed of your attacks, (2) it makes it harder for your opponent to defend against your attacks, and (3) your weapons will take less damage while you are in combat.

Perk Name	Minimum Level	Description
Bailman	0	You are able to unhorse opponents
Feint	Train with Captain Bernard	Unlocks the ability to perform feints in combat
Bloodletter	4	You have a greater chance of drawing your opponent’s blood.
Rusty Edge	4	The more damaged your sword, the greater chance of poisoning your opponent when you hit them, even without poison applied to your weapon. If you do have poison on a damaged weapon, the chances of administering it are increased by half.
Furious	8	The less your maximum Stamina, the greater injury you cause.
Sadist	8	When you draw an opponent’s blood, it gives you a +1 Strength bonus.
Against All Odds	12	You’ll have 20% greater Strength, Agility, Warfare, and Defence in a fight where you’re outnumbered.
Chain Strike	12	Each blow in an uninterrupted chain will hurt your opponent more than the previous one. Any interruption will cancel the bonus.

Defense

Your Defense determines Henry’s ability to protect himself in combat. As it increases, Henry slowly becomes tankier and can take more hits in combat. With how hard many of the enemies in KC:D can hit, and with how punishing the subsequent wounds can be, raising your defense stat goes a long way to keeping Henry alive.

Increasing Defense raises the defense stat of weapons and shields. In addition, it provides you with more time to hold a perfect block or dodge.

Perk Name	Minimum Level	Description
Perfect Block	Train with Captain Bernard	You’ve learned to fend off the opponent’s blow with a well-timed block. You’ll know exactly when to block from the appearance of a green shield in the middle of the combat rose. Costs no Stamina.
Firm Grip	4	Blocking your opponent’s strikes with your shield will cost him 15% more Stamina.
Weapon-Cruncher	4	If you beat your opponent in a clinch, you’ll damage his weapon 15% more. A damaged weapon will cause much less damage, as well as its price being greatly reduced.
Golem	8	Your armor is one-third more frightening than usual.
Knight in Shining Armour	12	In sunny weather, the glint of your armor will dazzle everyone so much, you’ll be taken for a noble knight and have a +4 Charisma bonus.
Well Worn	12	You’re able to equip your armor, weapons, and other items so cleverly that are one-third lighter than they actually weigh in the inventory.

Weapon Based Skills

Weapon Skills are those that are related to the weapons of war Henry employs in battle. For the main combat hand-to-hand combat weapons (Axe, Sword, Mace), skills work pretty similarly. As your skill increases, your proficiency with the weapon goes up – raising the stats of the correlating weapons when equipped. Perks for these skills will provide unique combos that you can perform allowing you to be much more deadly in combat.

Both Bows and Unarmed skills work a little differently as they have no perks.

Axe

Increases Henry’s skill with an Axe. New Perks at 7/14/20.

Perk Name	Minimum Level	Rhythm	Description
Blunt Strike	7	Stab Slash Slash	Instead of a started strike from the right, strike unexpectedly at the opponent’s face. Turn your weapon around his and strike him quickly with the blunt end. If you have a shield, use its edge for striking.
Drei Wunder: Forearm	7	Slash Slash Slash Slash	The ‘third wonder’ of sword fighting is the ‘Schnitt’ or cut, which doesn’t defeat the opponent, but makes it difficult for him to continue fighting. After several feints, slash unexpectedly at the opponent’s forearm.
Fehler: Blinding Starke	14	Slash Slash Slash Slash	Attack repeatedly from various sides to confuse the opponent. If you have a shield, cover your final strike behind it. If not, get past the opponent’s cover with a quick strike.

Sword

Increases Henry’s skill with a Sword. New Perks at 3/5/8/10/13/15/18/20.

Note: Sword perks are separated into two categories (1) Swortsword and (2) Longsword. Perks will only work with their specific type of sword.

Perk Name	Minimum Level	Sword Type	Rhythm	Description
Blunt Strike	3	Shortsword Hunting Sword Sabre	Stab Slash Slash	Instead of a started strike from the right, strike unexpectedly at the opponent’s face. Turn your weapon around his and strike him quickly with the blunt end. If you have a shield, use its edge for striking.
Zorn ort: Wrath Strike	3	Longsword	Slash Slash Stab	With a rapid Zornhau from the Ox stance, parry the opponent’s strike to the side from your left shoulder and thrust the point straight to his chest.
Double Stab	5	Shortsword Hunting Sword Sabre	Slash Slash Stab Stab	After a flurry of quick thrusts twist the point forward, guide the opponent’s weapon sideways with twin quick stabs and strike the exposed chest.
Fehler: Scarmaker	5	Longsword	Slash Stab Stab	By means of rapid attacks, put the opponent on the defensive, then feint a stab, but instead of carrying it through, execute a Mittlehau around the opponent’s blade straight to the face.
Fehler: Blinding Strike	8	Shortsword Hunting Sword Sabre	Slash Slash Slash Slash	Attack repeatedly from various sides to confuse the opponent. If you have a shield, cover your final strike behind it. If not, get past the opponent’s cover with a quick strike.
Drei Wunder: Wrist	8	Longsword	Slash Slash Stab Stab	The ‘third wonder’ of sword fighting is a slash that will not defeat your opponent but will make it difficult for him to continue. After a few misleading strikes, suddenly slash at the wrist.
Halbschwert: Half Sword	10	Shortsword Hunting Sword Sabre	Slash Stab Stab	After deflecting a deceptive thrust, don’t pull back, but instead lunge forward, grasp the middle of your blade with your free hand, and will the full force of both arms, drive the point into the opponent’s chest.
Durchlauffen: Run Through	10	Longsword	Stab Slash Slash	Following a feint from the right, you run through the opponent’s defense and strike him with the pommel of the sword. The technique is often used when passing into a clinch.
Duplieren: Doubling	13	Longsword	Slash Slash Slash Slash	After several strikes from unexpected sides, evade the opponent’s blade by turning the short edge and striking with a slash to the unguarded face. If executed correctly, a very powerful technique.

Mace

Increases Henry’s skill with a Mace. New Perks at 7/14/20.

Perk Name	Minimum Level	Rhythm	Description
Blunt Strike	8	Stab Slash Slash	Instead of a started strike from the right, strike unexpectedly at the opponent’s face. Turn your weapon around his and strike him quickly with the blunt end. If you have a shield, use its edge for striking.
Fehler: Blinding Starke	9	Slash Slash Slash Slash	Attack repeatedly from various sides to confuse the opponent. If you have a shield, cover your final strike behind it. If not, get past the opponent’s cover with a quick strike.
Drei Wunder: Forearm	14	Slash Slash Slash Slash	The ‘third wonder’ of sword fighting is the ‘Schnitt’ or cut, which doesn’t defeat the opponent, but makes it difficult for him to continue fighting. After several feints, slash unexpectedly at the opponent’s forearm.

Bow

Bows function differently than the other weapon stats. While you still gain proficiency with every skill level up which raises the stats of your bows when you equip them, you do not gain any perks. Instead, there are some level-related milestones that you reach to make using bows easier.

Level Cap	Effect
5	Allows you to hold a bow correctly. Without this, you will damage yourself every time you fire without vambraces.
10	Will allow you to zoom.
15	Increases zoom.
20	Increases zoom.

Unarmed

The unarmed skill is the simplest one in the game. Each level-up raises the damage you do with your fist. Nothing fancy to it – just more power behind each punch.

Non Combat Skills

Non Combat skills provide significant depth and character-building opportunities to the everyday things that Henry needs to do during his journey. After all, Henry certainly has lots of room for improvement. As you play the game you can increase his skills simply by using them – even his ability to read and drink alcohol. Like combat skills, these skills have their own Perk pools that allow you to add unique bonuses to each skill.

Alchemy

While Henry might not look like a master alchemist when you first meet him, he can slowly build his skills and become a prolific potion maker. As you increase Henry’s Alchemy stat, you decrease the likelihood that he will make minor mistakes and ruin a batch.

New Perk points at 3/5/8/10/13/15/18/20

Perk Name	Minimum Level	Description
Salted and Smoked	3	Cured or cooked food in your inventory will spoil 20% more slowly.
Water of Life	3	Healing potions will heal you 50% more, but will also intoxicate you 50% more.
Witcher	3	Potions will fill you up 30% less, which means you can drink more of them and more often.
Trial and Error	5	When brewing you can make one extra mistake without affecting the results.
Venomous Blade	5	Poison applied to a weapon will remain on the blade longer.
Snake oil Salesman	8	Potions you brew yourself have a 20% higher selling price.
Bundle Alchemist	10	When you successfully brew a potion you get one extra. Doesn’t apply to autobrew.
Routine I	10	You can now aut0brew potions you have brewed once before, but you can only brew one.
Routine II	13	Autobewing will produce 3 potions for the price of one.

Drinking

What kind of adventure needs a hangover? After all, in Kingdom Come hangovers can have adverse effects that linger and can give you a real-life headache. Luckily, you can make Henry a drinking game pro by simply having him drink more. As you level up his Drinking stat he will be more resistant to hangovers and can drink more alcohol.

New Perk points at 4/6/10/14/17/20

Perk Name	Minimum Level	Description
Beer Bibber	4	The beer you get is 50% weaker, so you can drink more, but wine is twice as strong and will make you drunk faster. Can’t be combined with the Wine Bibber perk.
Drinking Habit	4	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.
Wine Bibber	4	The wine you get is 50% weaker, so you can drink more, but beer is twice as strong and will make you drunk faster. Can’t be combined with the Beer Bibber perk.
Drunk	7	The benefits of alcohol last twice as long, and unless you drink yourself into oblivion, you suffer no negative effects. But once sober, your hangover will also last twice as long.
Loose Tongue	7	When drunk, you get a 50% bonus on Speech and Charisma, when hungover, these stats drop by 50%.
True Slav	7	You get drunk on 50% less alcohol, saving your hard-earned Groschen, and your hangover the next day lasts only half as long. But bear in mind that getting drunk quickly brings both the positive and negative effects of alcohol.
Bacchus	10	You’ll never drink yourself to oblivion, but the negative effects of your hangover will be 30% stronger. Can’t be combined with the Safe Passage perk.
Safe Passage	10	When you drink yourself to oblivion, you’ll wake up at home in bed and none of your inventory items will be gone. Can’t be combined with the Bacchus perk.
Top Shelf	10	Spirits are 50% weaker for you, so you can drink more.

Herbalism

Collecting herbs is a vital part of Henry’s adventure. They are everywhere and collecting as many as possible can either make you a world-class alchemist or line your pockets with gold. Increasing Henry’s Herbalism will allow him to be more efficient while gathering herbs. Meaning, that you will yield more herbs with each action.

New Perk points at 5/10/15/20

Perk Name	Minimum Level	Description
Flower Power	5	If you’ve got enough fragrant herbs in your inventory, you get a +2 Charisma bonus.
Horsenip	5	If your horse has enough fragrant herbs in its saddlebag, it will shy less.
Botanist	10	The herbs you sell have a 15% higher price.
Leg Day	10	Herb-picking activity will add experience to your Strength stat too.
Resistance	100 Nettle Gathered	You’ve collected such a quantity of poisonous herbs or nettles that your Vitality is permanently increased by +2.

Horsemanship

The KC:D map is BIG. Getting around quickly requires a trusty steed – even with fast traveling. Leveling up Henry’s Horsemanship skill will allow his horse to have more stamina and be less likely to shy around enemies.

New Perk points at 4/7/10/14/17/20

Perk Name	Minimum Level	Description
Heavy Pony Duty	4	Your horse can carry more but is slower. Can’t be combined with the Racehorse perk.
Racehorse	4	Your horse is faster but can carry less weight. Can’t be combined with the Heavy Duty Pony perk.
Dread Steed	7	If your horse is wounded, it will run faster.
Rider on the Storm	7	Your horse will be extremely skittish in storms but will shy less in any other weather.
Stronger Thighs	7	Increases your chances of staying in the saddle if an opponent tries to unhorse you.
Knight	10	You get a 15% damage bonus in mounted combat with both range and melee weapons.
Warhorse	10	Your horse won’t shy at nearby foes, at least as long as no one hits him.
Jockey	14	A horse will never throw you outside of combat.

Hunting

Hunting is one of the most efficient ways in KC:D to make money and find food. While the skill won’t make you better with a bow, it will increase how much food and animal products you can harvest after a kill. Just do not get caught poaching if you can avoid it.

New Perk points at 3/5/8/10/13/15/18/20

Perk Name	Minimum Level	Description
Gamekeeper Rules the Woods	Quest reward in Cherchez la Femme	You’ve been given permission to hunt in the woods, so any meat you get from game won’t be identified as stolen.
Antlers	3	Enable you to get antlers from hunted animals.
Dread Tusks	3	You’re able to remove tusks from some animals.
Butcher	5	You’re able to get offal from hunted game.
Tanner	5	You’re able to skin dead animals.
Huntsman	8	You’ll cause wild animals 20% more damage.
Wild at Heart	8	Wild animals will be less skittish when you’re close.
Forrester	10	Your conspicuousness and visibility fall sharply when in the woods, so you can be stealthier. Useful, especially when stalking people.
Salty	10	Raw foods in your inventory won’t spoil so fast.
Steak Tartare	13	You can get raw meat.

Lockpicking

Leveling up your skill not only gives you access to higher-level locks to attempt, but it also opens up the potential for you to capitalize on one of the many perks available to aspiring burglars.

Check out our full Lockpicking Guide!

Maintenance

Constant battles with Cumans, bandits, and looters take their toll on Henry’s gear. Increasing his Maintenance skill will allow Henry to better repair his gear using repair kits and grindstones. As the level increases Henry can work on more damaged gear, repair gear faster, and have his repair kits last longer.

New Perk points at 3/6/9/12/15/18/20

Perk Name	Minimum Level	Description
Fragrance	3	When freshly launder clothes on, you have +! Higher Charisma for one day.
Seven Mile Boots	3	If you’re wearing boots you repaired yourself, sprinting will cost you 20% less Stamina, so you can run longer.
Saville Row	6	Every item of clothing that you’re wearing that you’ve repaired yourself adds 0.5 to Charisma, up to a maximum bonus of +2.
Stuffing	6	When you repair your own armor you’re able to pad it so it doesn’t jangle as much and lower your stealth ability.
Serrated Edge	9	A weapon you’ve sharpened yourself has a 15% greater chance of causing bleeding.
Tin Opener	9	A weapon you’ve sharpened yourself will cause 15% greater damage to your opponent’s armor and equipment.
Blacksmith’s Son	12	Weapons you repair with a repair kit have a 10% stronger attack, until they get too damaged.
Well Groomed	12	The attire you have on will suffer 15% less wear and tear.

Pickpocketing

Like any good pickpocket, Henry would prefer that the victims of his robings do not notice their coin purse getting lighter. Leveling up his Pickpocketing allows you to do just that by making it less likely that either your victim or a witness will notice Henry’s crime.

New Perk points at 2/4/6/8/10/12/14/16/18/20

Perk Name	Minimum Level	Description
Comrade	2	Increases your chance of pickpocketing someone with the same Charisma level as you have. Such people are usually dressed similarly to you.
Secret Pockets	2	When looting corpses, you’ll find more money.
Crowd Control	4	Reduces your chance of being discovered when there’s a lot of people around.
Easy Way Out	4	The movement of the cursor in a pickpocketing victim’s inventory will be twice as fast.
Item Expert I	6	Reveals stats for half the items in a pickpocketing victim’s purse.
Pocket Sight I	6	Immediately reveals one of the items in a pickpocketing victim’s inventory.
Friendly Neighbour	8	If anyone who likes you at least a little catches you pickpocketing, they won’t call the guard on you. Your reputation will still fall though.
Hidden Pockets	8	When arrested and searched, you’ll keep some of the stolen items in your inventory.
Item Expert II	10	Reveals the stats of all items in a pickpocketing victim’s purse.
Pocket Sight II	10	Immediately reveals three of the items in a pickpocketing victim’s inventory.
Pocket Sight III	14	Immediately reveals all the items in a pickpocketing victim’s inventory.

Reading

Kingdom Come takes nothing for granted – not even the main character’s literacy. Henry needs to gain more experience with reading in order to do it efficiently and get the most out of it. A higher Reading skill reduced the amount of time needed for Henry to comprehend a book.

New perk points at 3/5/7/9/12/14/16/18/20

Perk Name	Minimum Level	Description
Colleague	3	All books are cheaper in shops.
In the Flow	3	When reading, you will get tired and hungry twice as slow.
Art Connoisseur	5	The first time you look at a fresco, cross or wayside shrine, your Charisma will increase temporarily by +2.
Magistrate I	5	Being well-learned, you make a better impression on people and get a +1 Speech bonus when trying to persuade a guard.
Avid REader	7	Your level of study of the book you’ve read most will advance automatically while sleeping or skipping time.
Cushion	7	If you’re sitting comfortably, you get a double reading bonus.
Magistrate II	9	Your Speech Bonus when trying to persuade guards rises to +2.
Swot	9	It doesn’t matter to you where you read, you get a learning bonus anywhere you read.
Magistrate III	12	Your Speech bonus when trying to persuade guards rises to +3.
Cartographer	14	The whole map is revealed to you, showing all settlements, hunting spots, and caves.

Stealth

Growing Henry’s stealth skill makes it much easier to carry out sneak attacks, avoid confrontation, and steal to your heart’s content. As your Stealth skill increases the distance at which you will be seen by the enemy and the time it takes them to see you both increase. Making Henry less likely to be caught when stealthing around enemies.

New Perk points at levels 3/5/8/10/13/15/18/20

Perk Name	Minimum Level	Description
Takedown	3	Let’s you knock people out from a crouching position.
Daring Debonair	3	After committing a crime, you get a +1 bonus to Strength and Vitality until you’re caught or leave the scene of the crime.
Rain Man	3	You move almost silently in the rain. The noise of your footsteps is reduced by 70%.
Crouching Chameleon	5	When crouching without movement you get a 30% Stealth bonus.
Stealth Kill	5	Allows you to kill from stealth. You have to have a dagger.
Ordinary Mug	8	When you’re wanted, people are less likely to recognize your face and soon stop looking for you.
Slim Fit	8	Lowers the noise of armor and other equipment by 20%.
Dog Person	10	Dogs won’t bark at you.
Et Tu, Brute	10	Your attacks from behind will be one-third stronger.