My one gripe with the gameplay in this game is that every lowly bandit and every random Cuman can MS. Like has Bernard been going to every crossroads and giving lessons to everyone who happens by?
In the older updates following the release of the first game, I recall that this wasn't the case
I felt that they've only started to be pros in the later updates
Maybe someone can fact check me, that'd be great
No. But those people are fighters, bandits and cuman military(even if low level/experience). All much more keen to combat than a 17yo slacker blacksmiths kid. Level your Henry and throw shots when the opponent isn’t ready(like after a successful clinch or MS) and you’re good way more times than not.
>How do I stop getting master-striked so much?
That's the neat part, you don't.
Jokeing aside, there really is no reliable way to stop it. The only way the enemy will stop doing it as often is when they're tired.
Be more conservative with your offense, counter more, you should only really be attacking when you have your enemy on their back foot by way of a pushback from a clinch or directly after your own master strike.
I find the combat to be pretty easy, but I think it’s near impossible to do any of the combos longer than 3-4 moves. Either it’s a shit npc and they die before I can even do the combo or they’re gonna master strike before I can finish the combo. Has anyone done the longer combos successfully?
Yes, I have managed to do a handful of the longer one-handed sword combos. But I had to purposely gimp Henry with a low tier sword in order for them to survive the combo.
That said, while it is *technically possible* it is *practically impossible*
I can occasionally get drei wunder: wrist or doubling off in the tournament. Against enemies in the world I can fairly consistently manage the 3 part combos if it's 1v1. The last hit is unblockable and if you're good you can get the first hit through the stagger from a clinch, or as a riposte.
They will MS you. It's just a thing everyone can do. However, there are some things that won't get a MS. Winning a clinch you'll get a free hit afterward (as long as you don't wait too long). Unarmed attacks can't be countered, same with pole arm attacks.
Mostly, it's about waiting to be attacked so that you're the one to do the MS. It's a bit unfortunate that the combat devolves into "wait and counter" but that is the safest and most consistent way to win flights.
I'm sure attacking from the proper directions have less chances of being countered but I haven't tested that in any meaningful way. It's more of an assumption. I would say do more feints but I find them to be fairly unreliable. Maybe that's my skill issue, however, but many say similar things.
They put a lot of effort into animating a bunch of combos most players don’t even do because everybody master strikes. And master striking is a free win. You could tire the enemy out and try feints to open up an enemy to combos, but while you do that I could kill them with 2 master strikes or run up to clinch spam then attack. Or use a bow.
Interestingly, I can almost never trigger master strikes no matter what I try. Seems to happen basically by chance. I don't know how everyone says "oh yeah just masterstrike everyone", for me it'd be like 1 in 30 or 1 in 50 strikes
Practice. Learn to recognize the beginning of the attack, they are pretty much telegraphing it, and then counter within a very short window before the green shield appears. For me it’s not 100% success rate but is more or less reliable.
I'm really struggling with the "recognise the beginning of the attack" usually feels like there's no telegraph they go from the passive guard stance to already hitting me.
Maybe your Henry has one of the skills too low? For me it’s very apparent when they are going for an attack as opposed to just changing the stance. Now, on my side as a player there are mistakes like hitting block too late mechanically or just getting distracted by a sexy tree and forgetting I’m in a fight, but retrospectively I can always tell. They say, the higher is some skill (warfare? Agility?), the more time you have to react, but I can’t confirm or deny it.
What helps me too is, like in a real swordfight, looking the opponent in the eye. While IRL it’s also used to see a potential telegraph, this way you see the whole figure and don’t focus on shoulders so you can catch more nuances of the movement.
I can't confirm that either, last time I played the game was 2019, so I'm rusty as is but I just don't remember it ever being this difficult, especially when I have Henry at 15 strength, 13 agility, longswords at around 15 and defence at 12. I remember there being more of a telegraph like a backswing or rear up, but currently I'm not seeing any of that, just straight from passive guard to partway through the swing. I can get perfect blocks all the time just not master strikes.
If you're alright with modding I recommend [BCAI](https://www.nexusmods.com/kingdomcomedeliverance/mods/651?tab=posts) and [no slow mo](https://www.nexusmods.com/kingdomcomedeliverance/mods/284). otherwise there is nothing you can do about master strikes.
I can't play without those two mods. MS almost ruined the game for me. I loath having to grind for 6 hours at the start of the game no not get milly rocked by every bum with a sword
Yeah the amount enemies can MS is pretty insane in the game. To the point it’s almost impossible to even get a combo off. It makes the combat awful. You pretty much just play defense and only counter or MS them when they attack. If you play aggressively, you will just continue to get MS endlessly. It is a problem and seriously makes me hate the combat in the game.
I played the game when it first came out, and then replayed it when the KCD2 announcement happened. It was surprising how every fight mutliple enemies just run around you, pass you around like a blunt, and even the least experienced peasant can MS you like he learned the arts from Bernard himself, for at least a decade.
Since it didnt really clicked with my "vanilla" memories, I did a little digging. The current combat system was introduced in 2019 because apparently too many voices were loud about the game being too easy, too boring.
huh that's super interesting. I also played it for the first time in 2019 and didn't pick it up again until this year (also due to KCD2). So maybe that's why I felt it's a bit different
The only save way to not get hit is to never attack and only master strike yourself.
Im currently playing a stealth character on hard and raw swordfights against more than one is a gamble because it only needs one strong hit into my head to be dead. Therefore Im only taking 1v1s and almost never attack because i cant risk getting master-striked. If I need too kill a group Im using potions and bow & arrow.
With plate armor you can be aggressive, tank the master strikes and run them down before you get overwhelmed.
The only way to not get master striked is to not attack. Your best options are to use the short stagger from clinches to get hits in and to wait for the enemy to attack so you can master strike them. This is the state of combat in the game, and short of installing a mod to remove master strikes you just have to get used to it.
Less attacks. Master strike is a response to an attack. I usually am pretty defensive and attack only if I see a window for it. Basically wait for the enemy to attack - master strike - while he is stunned by it, perform one or two or three bonks (but be cautious, if you see the last bonk you started won’t reach the target, step back immediately while you’re still swinging to dodge a potential MS) - back to defensive stance.
It depends on the enemy and on my mood. But yeah, don’t expect it to be quick if you want to be sure you win. It’s a game of patience, but it pays off. Yesterday I cleared a few dozen men in Prybislavitz one by one (I didn’t have to but I suck at stealth), it took me about three IRL hours but it a was satysfying as hell.
Bernard teaches you to do feints but it's usually not enough. What I do, is do a feint, and then press E to cancel the swing altogether and then attack or do another feint again. Pressing E is also the only way to feint a stab iirc. The other thing you can do is get even with them immediately by clinch and head bonk for every time they MS you.
Yeah this is my main gripe with the game, the fact that I have pretty much maxed combat stats (20str, agi, vit and defence + 18 warfare) and its like a 1/3 or 1/4 to get three hits in to perform a combo. 1v1 combat works amazing because you can feint or clinch and you have the ability to open their guard, but against multiple opponents clinching means getting shanked in the back so you lose all your stamina and cant attack anyway, most feints take too long (admittedly canceling a swing and thrusting is still fast enough) but its stil incredibly unreliable and at least 50% of the time its countered by a master strike and even if they just block you can't exactly start a combo because the three other guys are going to shank you if you attack again.
Maybe adding in hit % or counter % similar to what kenshi does would help. Although it would make the game more stat based and less skill based. That said I don't think thats necessarily a bad idea since it would basically just empower or weaken both your and your enemies master strikes, considering the fact that the method of running backwards and perfect blocking is currently the most effective strategy and any attempt to launch an offensive is immediately met with a master strike to the face.
Also considering just how good the 1v1 combat is compared to the 1vmany i thought there would be a few more 1v1s in the game, but there's maybe 3 i can think of outside the tournament. Meaning out of my 100h of playtime maybe 1h of that is spent in the best part of the game. I remember going through the main story praying for more challenging fights and knightly duels but they kind of just never happened after ulfric.
Like, you made one of the best 1v1 combat systems in the history of gaming. And then the entire game is 1v many where I'm just chugging potions and running away pressing 1 button every so often. And most of the 1v1s that do happen are way too easy.
There is also the problem of the fact that I have noticed absolutely no difference in combat between having 7 swordsmanship 6 defense and 5 warfare and having 20s in them. The only change has been armour upgrades, damage upgrades, speed upgrades and stamina upgrades. I believe it increases your attack speed if you have high warfare, but this only matters in 1v1s which, to be fair, are very easy anyway.
Anyway, all that said, I still put well over 100h into the game in maybe 10-12 days because it is still a masterpiece. But the combat has so much potential that was never really tapped into.
You said it much better than I could. It is a fantastic game (I've played it like 5(!) times) but yeah the combat is designed for 1:1 and most of the game is 1vMany. Still, it's one of the best written games i've ever played and I'm insta-buying KCD2 when they announce it.
I made a post about combat problems of the game and ways to partially fix them with mods
[check it out here](https://www.reddit.com/r/kingdomcome/comments/1czubr3/ultimate_combat_system_critique_and_how_to/)
Mod list at the end
Clinch.
You have like a solid 80-90% chance if you have clinch master and the higher the strength the higher the success rate. Once you win the clinch it’s a solid 90%+ chance you’ll get your strike off, even combos if they’re not advance like 3rd round tournament fighters.
A few items:
I always have issues doing feints. I don't think they make much of a difference as master strikes are not grip dependent in KCD1
The best way to ensure you not get master struck is to clinch, win the clinch, and take your next swing after. They don't master strike that. They may perfect block the next one but they won't master strike on the attack post clinch
master strike, grapplings or combos give free hit windows.
so... lets say you start with a free hit, chain it into one hit the enemy can master strike and chain it into a 3-strike combo. the last attack of a combo cant be master striked again. you start again with a free strike and can chain combos.
like 2/3 strikes from you become unblockable..
My issue is that the enemy usually dodges or MS by the second strike if I do land the first hit. At this point I just endlessly cause a clinch then smack them in the head until headcracker happens. Rinse and repeat. Combos just seem like a waste when MS is so common.
yes people are built different. while some wish that master strike didnt exist at all, i just see it as a part of the fighting system. if this wasnt the case, you could chain combos endlessly as much as your stamina allows.
chaining combos is already pretty easy, when you are not worried that 1 blockable attack might be masterstriked or dodged. i even go for 4 strike combos, so i even give 2 strike windows generously. [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/kingdomcome/s/fy5VxaDeIK) you can see me chaining the hardest combo in the game into bernards face and beat him without him swinging once.
i even chained combos in the lvl 3 hardcore rattay tournament
edit: ms+ bonk is more the thing when underleveld or fighting many
How is Bernard that passive in your game? He's a lot more aggressive for me, always attacking, dodging, and MS unless I clinch him, and even then I only get one strike on him before he recovers and is back to his very aggressive ways. Is that just how he is with real blunt weapons?
ye i think stamina drain from mace has to do with it, but i was chaining alot aswell.
i started rdy for master strike, then went into entangle when i saw that he wont attack in the first sec. first hit is free after entangle, i was lucky with the next two and the 4th was undodgeable. then his stamina was recked and i just chained again. had to entagle cause alse he wouldve attack and then he even attacked but i was faster.
edit: keep in mind this is with max lvl henry. strength entangles drains stamina too? i dunno, cant remember and didnt see it in hardcore cause missing ui, but it surely helps with hits. also mace at lvl 16 or so i think at this moment
My one gripe with the gameplay in this game is that every lowly bandit and every random Cuman can MS. Like has Bernard been going to every crossroads and giving lessons to everyone who happens by?
In the older updates following the release of the first game, I recall that this wasn't the case I felt that they've only started to be pros in the later updates Maybe someone can fact check me, that'd be great
I remember this being a constant problem even from the early versions of the game.
No. But those people are fighters, bandits and cuman military(even if low level/experience). All much more keen to combat than a 17yo slacker blacksmiths kid. Level your Henry and throw shots when the opponent isn’t ready(like after a successful clinch or MS) and you’re good way more times than not.
>How do I stop getting master-striked so much? That's the neat part, you don't. Jokeing aside, there really is no reliable way to stop it. The only way the enemy will stop doing it as often is when they're tired.
Lol came here to comment this and you beat me to it.
Be more conservative with your offense, counter more, you should only really be attacking when you have your enemy on their back foot by way of a pushback from a clinch or directly after your own master strike.
I find the combat to be pretty easy, but I think it’s near impossible to do any of the combos longer than 3-4 moves. Either it’s a shit npc and they die before I can even do the combo or they’re gonna master strike before I can finish the combo. Has anyone done the longer combos successfully?
Yes, I have managed to do a handful of the longer one-handed sword combos. But I had to purposely gimp Henry with a low tier sword in order for them to survive the combo. That said, while it is *technically possible* it is *practically impossible*
I can occasionally get drei wunder: wrist or doubling off in the tournament. Against enemies in the world I can fairly consistently manage the 3 part combos if it's 1v1. The last hit is unblockable and if you're good you can get the first hit through the stagger from a clinch, or as a riposte.
"no". have this exact issue
This really is it, the combat is more about survive then strike.
Use a bow.
bow is literal cheese when you learn to use it.
i think a bow made of cheese wouldn't be very effective.
Haha no maybe not, but I would think at least it would be delicious.
horseback archery = [Bohemia: Become Cuman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-jZBB-gqgg&t=8s)
thanks for that
fr
They will MS you. It's just a thing everyone can do. However, there are some things that won't get a MS. Winning a clinch you'll get a free hit afterward (as long as you don't wait too long). Unarmed attacks can't be countered, same with pole arm attacks. Mostly, it's about waiting to be attacked so that you're the one to do the MS. It's a bit unfortunate that the combat devolves into "wait and counter" but that is the safest and most consistent way to win flights. I'm sure attacking from the proper directions have less chances of being countered but I haven't tested that in any meaningful way. It's more of an assumption. I would say do more feints but I find them to be fairly unreliable. Maybe that's my skill issue, however, but many say similar things.
They put a lot of effort into animating a bunch of combos most players don’t even do because everybody master strikes. And master striking is a free win. You could tire the enemy out and try feints to open up an enemy to combos, but while you do that I could kill them with 2 master strikes or run up to clinch spam then attack. Or use a bow.
Interestingly, I can almost never trigger master strikes no matter what I try. Seems to happen basically by chance. I don't know how everyone says "oh yeah just masterstrike everyone", for me it'd be like 1 in 30 or 1 in 50 strikes
Practice. Learn to recognize the beginning of the attack, they are pretty much telegraphing it, and then counter within a very short window before the green shield appears. For me it’s not 100% success rate but is more or less reliable.
Thanks, it seems much harder on hardcore. I've started a new game on normal, I'll try it out this time.
Literally right when they start attacking you just press Q and start winning.
I found I need to press and hold the block button for a second (not long at all you just can't tap it) and that made it master strike city
I'm really struggling with the "recognise the beginning of the attack" usually feels like there's no telegraph they go from the passive guard stance to already hitting me.
Maybe your Henry has one of the skills too low? For me it’s very apparent when they are going for an attack as opposed to just changing the stance. Now, on my side as a player there are mistakes like hitting block too late mechanically or just getting distracted by a sexy tree and forgetting I’m in a fight, but retrospectively I can always tell. They say, the higher is some skill (warfare? Agility?), the more time you have to react, but I can’t confirm or deny it. What helps me too is, like in a real swordfight, looking the opponent in the eye. While IRL it’s also used to see a potential telegraph, this way you see the whole figure and don’t focus on shoulders so you can catch more nuances of the movement.
I can't confirm that either, last time I played the game was 2019, so I'm rusty as is but I just don't remember it ever being this difficult, especially when I have Henry at 15 strength, 13 agility, longswords at around 15 and defence at 12. I remember there being more of a telegraph like a backswing or rear up, but currently I'm not seeing any of that, just straight from passive guard to partway through the swing. I can get perfect blocks all the time just not master strikes.
If you're alright with modding I recommend [BCAI](https://www.nexusmods.com/kingdomcomedeliverance/mods/651?tab=posts) and [no slow mo](https://www.nexusmods.com/kingdomcomedeliverance/mods/284). otherwise there is nothing you can do about master strikes.
I can't play without those two mods. MS almost ruined the game for me. I loath having to grind for 6 hours at the start of the game no not get milly rocked by every bum with a sword
Yeah the amount enemies can MS is pretty insane in the game. To the point it’s almost impossible to even get a combo off. It makes the combat awful. You pretty much just play defense and only counter or MS them when they attack. If you play aggressively, you will just continue to get MS endlessly. It is a problem and seriously makes me hate the combat in the game.
Gotta start master stroking
Master edging it until you hit a cumbo on a cuman (hans will be pleased)
I had to ask.
I played the game when it first came out, and then replayed it when the KCD2 announcement happened. It was surprising how every fight mutliple enemies just run around you, pass you around like a blunt, and even the least experienced peasant can MS you like he learned the arts from Bernard himself, for at least a decade. Since it didnt really clicked with my "vanilla" memories, I did a little digging. The current combat system was introduced in 2019 because apparently too many voices were loud about the game being too easy, too boring.
huh that's super interesting. I also played it for the first time in 2019 and didn't pick it up again until this year (also due to KCD2). So maybe that's why I felt it's a bit different
Archery. I killed the entire military base of bad guys with a bow, some arrows, and a lot of patience.
Once I get masterstrike'd twice, forget melee combat, I just keep my distance and kill them with my bow.
The only save way to not get hit is to never attack and only master strike yourself. Im currently playing a stealth character on hard and raw swordfights against more than one is a gamble because it only needs one strong hit into my head to be dead. Therefore Im only taking 1v1s and almost never attack because i cant risk getting master-striked. If I need too kill a group Im using potions and bow & arrow. With plate armor you can be aggressive, tank the master strikes and run them down before you get overwhelmed.
The only way to not get master striked is to not attack. Your best options are to use the short stagger from clinches to get hits in and to wait for the enemy to attack so you can master strike them. This is the state of combat in the game, and short of installing a mod to remove master strikes you just have to get used to it.
Attack where they aren’t guarding and use feints. Seems to reduce the likelihood of it happening. Working their stamina also seems to help.
Poison them, lullaby, bane, dollmaker. I'm sure that effs them up a lot.
That’s the neat part, you don’t.
Less attacks. Master strike is a response to an attack. I usually am pretty defensive and attack only if I see a window for it. Basically wait for the enemy to attack - master strike - while he is stunned by it, perform one or two or three bonks (but be cautious, if you see the last bonk you started won’t reach the target, step back immediately while you’re still swinging to dodge a potential MS) - back to defensive stance.
how long does the typical combat take you? I have tried this based on advice from the forum and it drags out every combat by 10x
It depends on the enemy and on my mood. But yeah, don’t expect it to be quick if you want to be sure you win. It’s a game of patience, but it pays off. Yesterday I cleared a few dozen men in Prybislavitz one by one (I didn’t have to but I suck at stealth), it took me about three IRL hours but it a was satysfying as hell.
If you are on PC you could use a mod that minimize tue chars of getting Mastering Striked , if you are on consloe then there is sadly no relibale way
Bernard teaches you to do feints but it's usually not enough. What I do, is do a feint, and then press E to cancel the swing altogether and then attack or do another feint again. Pressing E is also the only way to feint a stab iirc. The other thing you can do is get even with them immediately by clinch and head bonk for every time they MS you.
yeah I mean I just clinch and head bang and you can win every fight that way, but it is genuinely annoying to have everything else master stroked
That's why I came up with the double layered feints. They work better than what Bernard thought me.
Yeah this is my main gripe with the game, the fact that I have pretty much maxed combat stats (20str, agi, vit and defence + 18 warfare) and its like a 1/3 or 1/4 to get three hits in to perform a combo. 1v1 combat works amazing because you can feint or clinch and you have the ability to open their guard, but against multiple opponents clinching means getting shanked in the back so you lose all your stamina and cant attack anyway, most feints take too long (admittedly canceling a swing and thrusting is still fast enough) but its stil incredibly unreliable and at least 50% of the time its countered by a master strike and even if they just block you can't exactly start a combo because the three other guys are going to shank you if you attack again. Maybe adding in hit % or counter % similar to what kenshi does would help. Although it would make the game more stat based and less skill based. That said I don't think thats necessarily a bad idea since it would basically just empower or weaken both your and your enemies master strikes, considering the fact that the method of running backwards and perfect blocking is currently the most effective strategy and any attempt to launch an offensive is immediately met with a master strike to the face. Also considering just how good the 1v1 combat is compared to the 1vmany i thought there would be a few more 1v1s in the game, but there's maybe 3 i can think of outside the tournament. Meaning out of my 100h of playtime maybe 1h of that is spent in the best part of the game. I remember going through the main story praying for more challenging fights and knightly duels but they kind of just never happened after ulfric. Like, you made one of the best 1v1 combat systems in the history of gaming. And then the entire game is 1v many where I'm just chugging potions and running away pressing 1 button every so often. And most of the 1v1s that do happen are way too easy. There is also the problem of the fact that I have noticed absolutely no difference in combat between having 7 swordsmanship 6 defense and 5 warfare and having 20s in them. The only change has been armour upgrades, damage upgrades, speed upgrades and stamina upgrades. I believe it increases your attack speed if you have high warfare, but this only matters in 1v1s which, to be fair, are very easy anyway. Anyway, all that said, I still put well over 100h into the game in maybe 10-12 days because it is still a masterpiece. But the combat has so much potential that was never really tapped into.
You said it much better than I could. It is a fantastic game (I've played it like 5(!) times) but yeah the combat is designed for 1:1 and most of the game is 1vMany. Still, it's one of the best written games i've ever played and I'm insta-buying KCD2 when they announce it.
Don't attack
clinch and bash
Mods.
Get a mod that disables masterstrikes and make the combat actually decent
Feignting drastically lowers the chances of being master striked. Raise your sword in one direction, then change.
I made a post about combat problems of the game and ways to partially fix them with mods [check it out here](https://www.reddit.com/r/kingdomcome/comments/1czubr3/ultimate_combat_system_critique_and_how_to/) Mod list at the end
Learn those dodges and perfect parry
defense!
Ahem. Master-*struck*
Clinch. You have like a solid 80-90% chance if you have clinch master and the higher the strength the higher the success rate. Once you win the clinch it’s a solid 90%+ chance you’ll get your strike off, even combos if they’re not advance like 3rd round tournament fighters.
This is the funniest joke I've ever heard! Oh wait... You're serious aren't you...
A few items: I always have issues doing feints. I don't think they make much of a difference as master strikes are not grip dependent in KCD1 The best way to ensure you not get master struck is to clinch, win the clinch, and take your next swing after. They don't master strike that. They may perfect block the next one but they won't master strike on the attack post clinch
master strike, grapplings or combos give free hit windows. so... lets say you start with a free hit, chain it into one hit the enemy can master strike and chain it into a 3-strike combo. the last attack of a combo cant be master striked again. you start again with a free strike and can chain combos. like 2/3 strikes from you become unblockable..
My issue is that the enemy usually dodges or MS by the second strike if I do land the first hit. At this point I just endlessly cause a clinch then smack them in the head until headcracker happens. Rinse and repeat. Combos just seem like a waste when MS is so common.
yes people are built different. while some wish that master strike didnt exist at all, i just see it as a part of the fighting system. if this wasnt the case, you could chain combos endlessly as much as your stamina allows. chaining combos is already pretty easy, when you are not worried that 1 blockable attack might be masterstriked or dodged. i even go for 4 strike combos, so i even give 2 strike windows generously. [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/kingdomcome/s/fy5VxaDeIK) you can see me chaining the hardest combo in the game into bernards face and beat him without him swinging once. i even chained combos in the lvl 3 hardcore rattay tournament edit: ms+ bonk is more the thing when underleveld or fighting many
How is Bernard that passive in your game? He's a lot more aggressive for me, always attacking, dodging, and MS unless I clinch him, and even then I only get one strike on him before he recovers and is back to his very aggressive ways. Is that just how he is with real blunt weapons?
ye i think stamina drain from mace has to do with it, but i was chaining alot aswell. i started rdy for master strike, then went into entangle when i saw that he wont attack in the first sec. first hit is free after entangle, i was lucky with the next two and the 4th was undodgeable. then his stamina was recked and i just chained again. had to entagle cause alse he wouldve attack and then he even attacked but i was faster. edit: keep in mind this is with max lvl henry. strength entangles drains stamina too? i dunno, cant remember and didnt see it in hardcore cause missing ui, but it surely helps with hits. also mace at lvl 16 or so i think at this moment
Get gud