Kenshi - open-ended sandbox RPG set in a desert world

[Jacob]

I don't know what kind of autism that compels the dev to create a complex damage system with limb damages only for the combat to be a simple click and watch (or kite) your little men murder other little men.

Dwarf Fortress laughs at you puny mortal.

Isn't that game turn-based? And you don't even get to choose the body parts you're aiming?

 

[RoBoBOBR]

Isn't that game turn-based? And you don't even get to choose the body parts you're aiming?

It is. You do get to target stuff, teeth, nails, eyes, even guts after you disembowel your enemy.

 

[Galdred]

I don't know what kind of autism that compels the dev to create a complex damage system with limb damages only for the combat to be a simple click and watch (or kite) your little men murder other little men.

Dwarf Fortress laughs at you puny mortal.

Isn't that game turn-based? And you don't even get to choose the body parts you're aiming?

Nope it is RTwP.
As with everything in this game, limp damage is more of a strategic/economic decision: the decision is not what to aim for, but whether to run the risk of your own harpoon shooters to friendly fire their comrade in order to defend the town (harpoon damage has a very high chance to take a limb in a single hit), or whether to avoid firing into melee but run the risk of not repelling the enemy raid at all.
Or whether to prioritize manufacturing replacement limbs (which requires precious research artifacts to be researched, unless you are happy using the crappu ones), or mineral automation, or turret power.
Also the armors with the best limb protection usually don't protect the torso as well as the best breastplates, so you are trading a lower chance to lose a limb (or get unable to swing your weapon effectively); for a higher chance to be out of the fight or dead.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

I don't know what kind of autism that compels the dev to create a complex damage system with limb damages only for the combat to be a simple click and watch (or kite) your little men murder other little men.

Dwarf Fortress laughs at you puny mortal.

Isn't that game turn-based? And you don't even get to choose the body parts you're aiming?

Nope it is RTwP.
As with everything in this game, limp damage is more of a strategic/economic decision: the decision is not what to aim for, but whether to run the risk of your own harpoon shooters to friendly fire their comrade in order to defend the town (harpoon damage has a very high chance to take a limb in a single hit), or whether to avoid firing into melee but run the risk of not repelling the enemy raid at all.
Or whether to prioritize manufacturing replacement limbs (which requires precious research artifacts to be researched, unless you are happy using the crappu ones), or mineral automation, or turret power.
Also the armors with the best limb protection usually don't protect the torso as well as the best breastplates, so you are trading a lower chance to lose a limb (or get unable to swing your weapon effectively); for a higher chance to be out of the fight or dead.

Isn't adventure mode turn-based with more detailed controls for combat?

 

[RoBoBOBR]

Isn't adventure mode turn-based with more detailed controls for combat?

DF adventure mode is turn-based, and you are correct about combat, however he's talking about Kenshi. Yes, it confused me as well for a second.

 

[Zanzoken]

I don't know what kind of autism that compels the dev to create a complex damage system with limb damages only for the combat to be a simple click and watch (or kite) your little men murder other little men.

Well, the localized damage is a way to make the combat more interesting without requiring more inputs from the player, which is an important consideration in a game designed for you to control up to 30 PCs at a time.

 

[DarkUnderlord]

You know, this game becomes piss easy once you've got a solid crew. I established the Monastery, mining copper for sale and fighting Fogmen until I learned the ways of wheat farming and started making my own bread.

Eventually, no Fogmen could stand before me. Also the heads of their Princes' were good trading cash. I found a nice large flat mountain top just North-East of Mongrel and established an outpost, which turned into a Fort.

Before long I had most farms up and running and was regularly sending a squad out to do a round of Fog Prince head hunting. That turned into larger adventures up North, exploring ancient ruins and opening up more tech.

One escape servant who joined me lost both his legs, replaced by some I found both with +30% athletics. He's now the fastest man alive and can leg it away carrying someone on his back and never get caught.

Now I'm pretty sure I've built the largest city in the game with about 30 buildings (only explored East side of the map but I'm pretty confident it's the biggest looking at every other place).

Nothing stands before me. After selling the Dust Bandit King to the Holy Nation, a nice statue caught my eye. My thievery resulted in my main squad of 8 (plus 2 bulls and a dog) getting captured. They unlocked themselves one by one as running man came in, grabbed them, and legged it. A full scale assault ended badly with my second crew mostly knocked out. They too had to be legged out.

I got them all though. And soon the Holy Nation were sending raiding parties. Worried at first, I was surprised how easily I took them down with everyone on deck.

We're now at war with the Holy Nation, with plans of a full assault once my armourer and weapons makers have full specialist grade kits ready to go. And my main squad has now vanquished the bug master and the fish king whilst out exploring for tech. I've had to build additional prison cells to hold the 24 Holy Nation Paladins and one Inquisitor I have, for training purposes. An additional 5 cages hold skeletons captured from Obedience (bonus, they don't need feeding and after a quick repair are ready for round 2).

Food is abundant, with meat wraps, food cubes and dustwiches overloading about 5 food crates spread around town. I have chests full of armour.

Additional outposts built on the road are used as quick resting spota for any crews out hunting. I'll send out a team with the pack bulls, carrying just 10 building materials and 15 iron plates. I find a resource spot, drop a stone mine and an iron refinery and make the rest from what I gather. Then throw down some beds for faster healing using fabrics I've either brought along or bought along the way.

With full reserves of everything, my crew at town spend time training while my roaming crew hunt for tech. I've crushed one Holy Nation outpost as a test. One of their main towns is next.

 

[Galdred]

DarkUnderlord I ran into the same issue (and am roughly at the same spot: I used HN high paladins for target practice, before moving out near Crab city).
The game gets too easy once you have a great A-team indeed (getting my team of 10 out of Bugmaster land was real hard, though, and I was glad I had built a small defense outpost nearby to fend of the hordes of spiders on the way back), as you have little incentive to relocate to a more dangerous place, and regular raids don't become harder.

Half of the raids don't even make it to my base (and I refused paying taxes to both the merchant guild and the United cities).
I let my gates open so that my guys can get some training out of wandering beak things.

 

[Replicante]

I am considering getting into this game, but the learning curve seems a bit daunting.
Can you do grindy stuff semi afk as in say Ultima Online style?
Are there any good guides around to ease the learning curve?
Thanks

 

[Joined on the 4th of July]

I am considering getting into this game, but the learning curve seems a bit daunting.
Can you do grindy stuff semi afk as in say Ultima Online style?
Are there any good guides around to ease the learning curve?
Thanks

I'd really recommend going in blind.

 

[Galdred]

I am considering getting into this game, but the learning curve seems a bit daunting.
Can you do grindy stuff semi afk as in say Ultima Online style?
Are there any good guides around to ease the learning curve?
Thanks

I didn't find it that daunting actually:
Everything can easily kill you in the beginning, but guards can take care of most of the early game threats:

Just find a city with sufficient guards at the beginning (either Squin or Stack if starting at the hub), and search for bandits to draw the guards, then assist them in taking the bandits out.
You can also mine while waiting for bandits to come.
It should be relatively safe, and bring fast XP (as your character will be much weaker than the bandits), and the guards will let you loot everything you want from the bandits.

 

[Saduj]

I still think the best early game spot to gain combat XP and cash is the hive village north of Squin. Just hang out with all the hivers by the acid pond and wait for gorillos and beak things to show up. With the hiver's help, there is no danger of being eaten and they will even heal you if you go down. The skins from these animals can be sold to the hive shops for over 1,400, which is way more than you're going to get from starving bandits or dust bandits. And the beak things drop meat too. And the bodies from the stuff you kill attract more animals so there is a bit of a snowball effect. If a new character gets caught by a beak thing before reaching the village, it will be eaten but the payout is well worth the risk.

 

[DarkUnderlord]

I am considering getting into this game, but the learning curve seems a bit daunting.

I never had trouble with the learning curve. Other than understanding that EVERYWHERE IS FULL OF ENDLESS ROAMING BANDITS. Once you understand that, and the need to deal with them, and how to deal with them when you're weak (hint: don't, just run), the rest is pretty easy. There are some interface quirks to get used to, and understanding the game isn't really like anything else I've played (it's not like Elder Scrolls, or an RTS, or a City Builder but a bit of a mix of all). Making money, all the rest is easy once you've tried one or two things, you'll easily pick an option you can stick with for a while.

It just depends on how you want to play. You could be a sole traveller if you wanted to play insane difficulty. Obviously getting a sizeable crew together (the max is 30) means you can handle pretty much everything.

Can you do grindy stuff semi afk as in say Ultima Online style?

Once you can handle the bandit situation, your guys will pretty much take care of themselves (including running out to assault passing bandits, or defending each other if they come under attack - this can be changed if you'd prefer they "Hold" or just "Block" with simple command settings for each squad member). You can even set lists of jobs for them to do and they will run around doing them, getting supplies from certain storage containers, using machines to turn things into other things, and continuing until your stores are full. At which point you either build more stores for stuff, or get them onto other things.

 

[JDR13]

Is the early-game more about establishing an outpost first before you start exploring, or vice versa?

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

Although it's possible to establish a base at the beginning of a playthrough, and Kenshi even offers one starting option aimed at this, it makes far more sense, especially for a first-time player, to gradually improve a select squad of characters while learning the game mechanics, exploring the world, and acquiring resources, until the situation is ripe to finally establish and expand a base.

Personally, I found base-building to be an amusing diversion for a time but ultimately a distraction from the exploration that is the heart and soul of Kenshi.

 

[Replicante]

Thanks, You have convinced me! Any QoL mods that I should be installing from the get - go?

 

[toro]

Thanks, You have convinced me! Any QoL mods that I should be installing from the get - go?

https://www.thegamer.com/best-kenshi-mods/

The essential ones are:
Reactive World Living World
256 Squad Limit
Dark UI
Biome Map

 

[curry]

Thanks, You have convinced me! Any QoL mods that I should be installing from the get - go?

Get Living World instead of Reactive World

 

[Mud']

Get Living World instead of Reactive World

Why? Dont they do the same thing?

 

[Joined on the 4th of July]

Completely unmodded is fine as well (I like beige)

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

Why? Dont they do the same thing?

Reactive World and Living World have similar aims, but the latter is newer and supposedly better (I only have experience with the former).

 

[luj1]

This game reminds me of Morrowind

 

[toro]

Thanks, You have convinced me! Any QoL mods that I should be installing from the get - go?

Get Living World instead of Reactive World

You are correct. I forgot about which one was the best.

Edit: It looks like they are compatible.

 

[luj1]

The essential ones are:
Reactive World Living World
256 Squad Limit
Dark UI
Biome Map

Anything for performance?
EDIT: this looks good
https://www.nexusmods.com/kenshi/mods/54

 

[urmom]

https://www.thegamer.com/best-kenshi-mods/

Install most of those and watch CPU usage skyrocket LOL.