I recommend hiring body guards early on if you can, depending on where you're starting off and which Game Start scenario. At least if you plan on travelling into unknown areas, as you may need someone to bandage you up if you get knocked unconscious. Once you get a decent enough Party, you can rely less on hired guards (which can save a lot of money over time).

There's a good amount of different companions you can find around in most cities or along your travels. Some are hidden behind quests, some may just be lonely travellers you can meet. You can get a pretty good party of friends early on, which can help you out in the early game with survival. I don't recommend the usual advice of mining for copper, etc. as it can be pretty boring (in my opinion lol).

Throughout the map, there will almost always be a challenge all the way up to the end game levels, so it's good to be prepared for anything as you may need to run away, if you're not strong enough for a fight. There's quite a few changes implemented in this collection, mostly for "Roleplaying", but it's good to understand that almost every location can still pose some dangers, so you shouldn't feel discouraged if you get beat up a few times.

You can almost always get out of a bad situation, even if you end up getting taken prisoner by the gangs or Holy Nation, or lose a few limbs. Just go with whatever the story is throwing at you, I don't recommend save scumming (besides the technical issues it can cause) just because you may find yourself in an entirely new scenario than what you may have planned. The unfolding story should help guide you in the right directions.

There's also a lot of ways to make money for pretty much any play style. Feel free to experiment with different methods, or just roam around and enjoy the atmosphere, as you can find all sorts of thing as you explore.

I suppose I'll sticky this thread, as it can be a good resource for new Players. Anyone else can feel free to add to the discussion, as there's almost limitless ways for your story to unfold.

Hey thanks for the advice. I was doing that "save scumming" a lot maybe i should try to go with flow a little bit. Also i never tried to hire bodyguards that might carry me early game thanks.^^

Yeah give it a try. There is a technical problem that can occur from save scumming with Kenshi, mostly causing weird issues (and worst case causing a save error / crashing).

Body Guards can be hired for different durations, so even for a single day (or a few hours) they can help you from town to town or assist with you fighting. I recommend turning on the various "Help AI" features on the AI tab in the Squad Menu, this will let your character help respond to friendly attacks, healing, etc. (ie. if a guard is attacking someone, you can automatically attack the same person, or go heal them automatically if they're downed).

I have spent countless hours playing Kenshi, the first hundred hours I've explored, searched for people, looted everything to fulfill simple purposes such as "I've unblocked this or finished building that." So now, what to do? Adding a few new mods, rinse and repeat.

Since I've found this mod collection, I'm playing using optional harder mods and self-imposed rules:

- No fast travel available.
- No zoom out as far as the stealth icon can be seen, except on top of a mountain (full zoom out) or hills (half zoom out).
- Look at the map only in bars or safe places.
- Economic mod (everything is multiplied by ~10 and you sell at ~10).
- Regional resources are scarce (now it is a real desert, and if you want to make a cozy home, you have to establish commercial trade routes; harder biomes are richer).
- Nights are really darker, and I've quickly learned to prepare my travels. Long journeys need to be well planned because there are things in the dark I prefer not to encounter, even in a blessed full moon.
- No reload except if all members are dead and some games in Iron mode.
- Technology needs resources like books/gears/motors, which are now only found in ruins.
- No UI except in town or during battle/action/interaction.

I've gotten lost so many times in those gorges and ravines, turning around in the desert, praying for a waystation and hoping the sun rises fast so I can find the East. With this perspective, my death or fortune could be right behind that dune, and both are more valuable. Time flows differently because you naturally play at normal speed to scout around you.

You may see this as masochism, but now the story writes itself, and every decision I take impacts my gameplay in many ways.

Originally posted by Glind:

-snip to save space-

That's amazing bro, I'm glad you're enjoying the collection. I also play in a similar "hardcore" style with a bit of roleplaying and such. I agree, when playing without the HUD it's definitely a different game, I wish you could play entirely HUDless all the time (how I play other games), but roaming around with it disabled is very nice and way more immersive. It also forces you to slow down and considering where you're going and the surrounding area immediately around you. Bind the hide UI key to something easy like Numberpad Enter (what I use) so you can quickly tab it on/off whenever you want.

I do wonder if there is a way to limit the total zoom out distance, like you can in Project Zomboid, etc.. I think it would be a cool mod, although just a self imposed restriction is fine as well (and you *do* need to be able to zoom out in very mountainous/hilly areas otherwise the camera gets janky lol).

I think Ironman mode is pretty much the only way to play Kenshi to the fullest, as some of the best story moments I've had arose from occasions when it looked Most bleak. Nearing a total party wipe when everyone is bleeding out in some desert; only for some lone traveller I helped out previously emerges from a sandstorm and bandages everyone up. If you would've reloaded a save, you'd miss those types of moments.

Thanks for the tips, I'm glad everything is working out how you'd want. If you have any suggestions for some mods, I'm always open to any kind of feedback

you may want to try Enhanced Survival Challenged 2.61 (increased difficulty)
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1619600173&searchtext=survival+

And actualy you can """fix""" the height but i'm not a fan
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2926728062

Hey, I'm new and gonna play my first playthrough with his collection. However, I don't want it to be too hard. Which mods shouldn't I use? For example, while I was looking some mods in this collection, I saw a mod like "not seeing yourself at map" These kind of mods make the game more difficult than others for me.

Originally posted by sisou:

Hey, -snip-

Feel free to disable any mods you may not want. The Hidden Player icon is located in the Optional section located at the bottom of the Load Order.

The collection isn't too difficult, although in the very beginning you might have some difficulties with getting beaten up by random bandits around the Hub area. I created the Combat Tweaks mod for the collection, which mainly changes bleeding rates and such to be slightly more deadly than the vanilla experience.

The idea is to encourage Players to be more careful in the early "Toughness" levels (0-30ish). You can hire various Bodyguards (like we discussed above), some companions, or generally being more careful and observant when moving around solo.

You will more than likely get beat up early on, maybe knocked unconscious, but for the most part you may survive most encounters (starving bandits don't tend to hit too hard lol). If you do end up bleeding out, I wanted to make it more "dramatic" where you're on the edge of your seat waiting for the results. You may get lucky and a random Drifter you helped earlier may just bandage you up.

The idea is to encourage playing as an "Ironman" save, so I recommend not reloading if things look bleak, there's quite a lot out in the deserts that may just save you

Originally posted by sisou:

Hey, I'm new and gonna play my first playthrough with his collection. However, I don't want it to be too hard. Which mods shouldn't I use? For example, while I was looking some mods in this collection, I saw a mod like "not seeing yourself at map" These kind of mods make the game more difficult than others for me.

The difficulty is more related to the start you choose.

Some region starts are cruel. For a fresh start, I recommend going with one where you are allied to a faction, like "The Unknown Odyssey" or "Animal Herder." Both give you an alliance with the Nomads, who wander all over the world, allowing you to be paid to escort or travel with them. They can help and heal you if needed.

You might be tempted to venture out as soon as possible, but it’s important to take your time to explore close to their sight. There is a building in the "Camping Folder" called "Small Shack." You can build it really close to some towns, enough for the city to assign two guardmen to your front porch.

Having a dog by your side is a good idea because they react to enemies by growling at sight and barking if you are attacked. Do some minor jobs like mining to build yourself up and loot everything you can more easily. Upgrade your gear, observe battles from a safe place, and loot the losers like all the fancy vultures we are.

Then, try not to stay alone; a simple ally can save your entire team, gang, or civilization. And last but certainly not least, the best advice I can give: FLY, YOU FOOL! If you have the slightest doubt about the outcome of a battle, just run for your life. It’s better to be down near a town or on a busy road than in the middle of nowhere.

Great points @Glind!

You can find various animals at the "Farm Stores" in the larger cities, or from random Nomad herders. If you end up wanting to be a sort of trader or explorer, you can find a "Pack Garru" and their backpacks which can *greatly* expand your exploring capabilities from being able to store a lot of food and loot you find. I recommend the backpack with the lanterns, but keep in mind it might break your stealth if you're trying to sneak around at night. The Garrus eat meat, so you can have a mobile camping setup with building supplies, etc. in the backpacks along with some food you gather from hunting or nearby towns before an expedition.

The packs hold a *lot* of materials, so I tend to just get a handful of building supplies and a row of various foods (I like giving the characters a varied diet of food lol). Get a Bonedog to "Guard" (one of the commands) the Garru

And yes, don't be afraid of running from a fight.