Summary
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2may be more of a remake of the first game than anything else, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. What that means is thatKingdom Come: Deliverance 2simply honors the core principles of its predecessor while refining them for a more accessible experience. This ultimately applies most prominently toKingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s progression system, which continues to utilize a “learning by doing” approach,similar toThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2is actually a lot likeThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, sharing similarities in its NPC interactions and its open-world approach, but its progression system is chief among those similarities. This is a progression system that was largely lost inThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimin exchange for increased accessibility and more natural playstyles. Ironically, however, this is whereKingdom Come: Deliverance 2improvesOblivion’s progression system, as it manages to maintain the mechanics while also adding the adjustments thatSkyrimwas intended to implement.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Improves Oblivion’s Progression System
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Improves Oblivion’s System of Skill Development Through Practice
One of thebiggest issues withOblivion’s progression system is that it led players to use skills artificially rather than naturally. A great example of this wasOblivion’s Acrobatics skill, which could be upgraded very easily by jumping around the map constantly. Inevitably, this led to unnatural gameplay, as players could enhance their Acrobatics skill by running around a single area and jumping at every chance they could before moving on to more important matters.Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2takes this “learning by doing” approach and incorporates it into gameplay more naturally.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s Speech skill is probably one of the best reflections of these adjustments in action, as players can increase it by speaking with NPCs and participating in Speech skill checks. In other words, progression of the Speech skill inKingdom Come: Deliverance 2comes about more naturally than something likeOblivion’s Acrobatics skill, since players are not only encouraged to speak with NPCs inKCD2for gameplay reasons, but it also serves the game’s worldbuilding as well by creating a more immersive experience.
Other examples of this system are inKingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s combat proficiency, which increases through actual combat encounters, and alchemy skills, which are developed by actively creating potions.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Offers More Comprehensive Skill Integration
Another area thatThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion’s progression systemfailed to impress in was its ability to comprehensively integrate skills into gameplay. For the most part, players could neglect certain skills inOblivionwithout consequence, and while that could be chalked up to the emphasis on player freedom thatKingdom Come: Deliverance 2shares with it, it might have been a more fulfilling experience overall if it had found a way to incorporate every skill into its gameplay.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2improves that part ofOblivion’s progression system by ensuring that almost no skills are ignored — apart from perhaps the game’s weapons, as that really does come down to player preference more than anything else. Each skill inKingdom Come: Deliverance 2progresses through its relevant activities, which, in turn, promotes a more well-rounded character development. Bringing upOblivion’s Acrobatics skill again, players could easily create a very acrobaticcharacter inOblivionbefore dipping even slightly into the game’s other skills.
One of the biggest issues withOblivion’s progression system is that it led players to use skills artificially rather than naturally.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2refines the “learning by doing” progression system ofThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivionin a way that feels both immersive and rewarding. By ensuring that skills progress naturally through organic gameplay rather than repetition,Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2offers a progression system that encourages players to engage with the world on its terms. This not only makes character progression feel more authentic but also strengthensKingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s commitment to realism.
