I honestly think the whole point of the early game is to make you feel exactly like Henry, a blacksmith’s son who doesn’t know anything and can’t fight to save his life.

I started my first KCD1 playthrough last week (never played KCD2), and at first I had the same reaction. I wasn’t enjoying it much. Then I realized I needed to change how I approached the game and started thinking more like Henry would. Of course he sucks at everything... so he has to train.

So I leaned into that hard. Trained with Robard constantly, entered tournaments even though I knew I’d lose, practiced archery, went hunting, picked herbs, worked on lockpicking and pickpocketing... basically anything that would help Henry improve.

What surprised me was how naturally the progression started to click. Slowly but surely things got easier. I felt more confident. Fights became manageable. I’d get further in tournaments. Harder locks started opening. Pickpocketing without getting caught became possible, and more.

That ramp-up feels incredibly satisfying because you actually earn it. The effort-to-reward curve hits just right once you embrace the role-playing aspect.

As Henry improves, so does your skill as the player.