Stealth, Thievery and Crime System in KC Deliverance

Updated January 2025

Kingdom Come: Deliverance offers a gritty and realistic portrayal of medieval life, and that includes the darker side of society. Whether you're a budding thief, a seasoned rogue, or simply want to navigate restricted areas unnoticed, mastering stealth and thievery is essential. This guide covers everything you need to know about sneaking, lockpicking, pickpocketing, and managing the consequences of your criminal activities.

The Art of Stealth

Stealth is the foundation of any successful thievery operation. It's about moving unseen and unheard, blending into the shadows, and avoiding detection. Here's how to become a master of stealth in KCD:

• Movement is Key: Crouching (by pressing the crouch key/button) is the most basic yet crucial stealth technique. It significantly reduces your noise and visibility. Avoid sprinting unless absolutely necessary, especially in populated or guarded areas. Consider the time of day: sneaking across a bustling marketplace at noon is far riskier than moving through quiet streets at night.
• Dress for the Occasion: Your clothing plays a vital role in your stealth capabilities. Darker clothing blends better with shadows, especially at night, while lighter colors are more suitable for daytime. Avoid wearing noisy materials like metal armor. The "Noise" stat displayed in your character's inventory screen is a crucial indicator of how much sound you generate while moving. Minimize your Visibility and Conspicuity stats as well. Often, the best approach is to wear light, quiet clothing or even strip down to minimal attire for maximum stealth.
• The Power of Disguise: Disguises, such as guard uniforms, can grant you access to restricted areas. However, they are not foolproof. A full helmet with a visor or other face coverings is essential for maintaining anonymity. Even with a disguise, suspicious behavior, like lingering in one spot for too long or entering restricted areas without proper authorization, will attract attention.
• Environmental Awareness: Pay close attention to your surroundings. Loudly breaking locks, bumping into objects, or disturbing animals (especially dogs) can alert nearby guards. Carrying meat to distract dogs remains a useful tactic.
• Potions: The Thief's Elixir: The "Padfoot Potion" is a valuable tool for any aspiring thief. It provides a temporary boost to Stealth, Lockpicking, and Pickpocketing, making it a worthwhile investment.

Honing Your Stealth Skills:

• Practice Makes Perfect: Consistent use of stealth will naturally increase your Stealth skill.
• Seek Expert Training: Millers Simon and Woyzeck offer training services that can further enhance your stealth abilities.

The Art of Lockpicking

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Lockpicking is a crucial skill for accessing locked chests, doors, and other containers. Here's how it works:

• Tools of the Trade: You'll need lockpicks to attempt lockpicking. These can be purchased from various merchants or found throughout the world.
• The Minigame: Approaching a locked container and interacting with it initiates the lockpicking minigame. The minigame involves finding the "sweet spot" within the lock mechanism, indicated by a golden ball. You must then carefully turn the lock while keeping the pick within that sweet spot.
• Difficulty and Risk: Locks have varying degrees of difficulty, requiring a higher Lockpicking skill to successfully pick them. Attempting to turn the lock with the pick in the wrong position can damage or even break your lockpicks.

Improving Your Lockpicking Prowess:

• Practice, Practice, Practice: The more locks you pick, the better you'll become.
• Learn from the Master: Miller Peshek offers lockpicking training that can significantly improve your skills.
• Knowledge is Power: Reading books like "Who Needs A Key" can provide valuable insights and further enhance your lockpicking abilities (after you learn to read, of course).
• Invest in Perks: Investing skill points into Lockpicking perks like "Stable Lockpicks" (reduces lockpick breakage), "Clever Hand" (widens the sweet spot), "Silent Locksmith" (reduces noise), and "Master of Castles" (makes lockpicking easier) is highly recommended.
• Potion Power: The Padfoot Potion also provides a temporary boost to your Lockpicking skill.

The Art of Pickpocketing

Pickpocketing allows you to discreetly acquire items directly from unsuspecting individuals. Here's how it works:

• Approach with Caution: Approaching your target undetected is crucial. Crouching and moving slowly are essential. Sleeping or drunken targets are significantly easier to pickpocket.
• Initiating the Theft: Interacting with your target initiates the pickpocketing attempt. Holding the interaction button initiates the pickpocketing minigame. A circular meter will appear, indicating your progress and the risk of detection. The longer you hold the button, the more time you have to search the target's pockets, but the higher the risk of being caught.
• Selecting Your Loot: Once the initial phase is complete, a new interface appears, allowing you to choose which items to steal. You have a limited time to make your selections.

Improving Your Pickpocketing Skills:

• Experience is the Best Teacher: Successfully pickpocketing increases your skill.
• Seek Guidance: Miller Peshek also offers pickpocketing training.
• Study the Classics: Reading books like "The Rules of St. Nicholas" can further enhance your pickpocketing abilities.
• Perks for the Pickpocket: Prioritize perks that reduce the chance of detection.
• Potion Assistance: The Padfoot Potion also provides a temporary boost to your Pickpocketing skill.

Dealing with Stolen Goods

Millers (Peshek, Simon, and Woyzeck) are your primary contacts for selling stolen goods. They have limited funds that replenish over time. If they don't have enough money to buy all your loot, you can store it in your personal chest and return later.

Crime and Punishment

Committing crimes in KCD has consequences:

• Detection and Consequences: Being witnessed committing a crime will alert guards. Punishments vary depending on the severity of the offense. Theft usually results in fines and confiscation of stolen goods, while more serious crimes like murder can lead to imprisonment. Bribing guards is also an option.
• Wanted Status: If you escape after being witnessed committing a crime, you will become wanted in the area. A "wanted" symbol will appear on the map and next to the compass.
• Reputation Matters: Even after your wanted status expires, NPCs may remember your actions and have a lower opinion of you. This can affect interactions, such as training opportunities and shop prices. Improving your reputation through completing quests and performing good deeds can help restore their trust.
• Hot Goods: Stolen items are initially marked as such (indicated by a red hand icon). Over time or if you travel far enough from the location of the theft, these items can lose their "stolen" status.

Embrace the Shadows

Mastering stealth, thievery, and the consequences of crime is a crucial part of the Kingdom Come: Deliverance experience. By understanding the mechanics and utilizing the tips outlined in this guide, you can successfully navigate the criminal underworld of medieval Bohemia and become a true master of the shadows.