TL;DR
- Speech checks rely on your core stat plus temporary buffs from perks and rare equipment
- Charisma depends entirely on visible gear condition and appearance, unaffected by base attributes
- Reputation varies regionally and by social class, influencing all dialogue outcomes
- Liberal Arts perk reveals hidden difficulty levels but reduces intuitive gameplay
- Alcohol provides unique dual buffs to both Speech and Charisma simultaneously
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Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 presents players with what initially appears to be a straightforward dialogue interface, yet the underlying mechanics governing conversation outcomes involve sophisticated statistical calculations. Many players experience confusion when their displayed skill values don’t match the numbers appearing during actual conversations. This comprehensive analysis will deconstruct the system’s complexities and provide actionable strategies for maximizing your conversational effectiveness throughout the game.
Your dialogue capabilities are tracked within the Secondary statistics tab accessible through the Player menu interface. These derived values are computed from multiple underlying attributes using intricate formulas. The system’s uniqueness often leads to misinterpretation, especially given the constant fluctuations from numerous temporary modifiers and situational adjustments. Understanding these mechanics requires recognizing how different elements interact dynamically.

Core Stat Mechanics
- Speech checks — Derived from your base Speech attribute enhanced by potential bonuses from selected perks and occasionally specific consumables or specialized attire. The base value represents your character’s natural conversational ability.
- Charisma — Calculated exclusively from your currently equipped visible items, their physical condition (absence of damage, cleanliness status, blood stains), and permanent perk enhancements. Fundamental character statistics have zero impact: Naked Henry without buffs has Charisma of 0, emphasizing its complete dependence on appearance.
- Reputation — Generated almost entirely from your completed actions and decisions throughout the game world. This metric demonstrates significant geographical variation and responds differently across social hierarchies.
Persuasion vs Coercion
- Persuasion checks — Constructed from your foundational Speech capability combined with positive Reputation standing. Receives minor supplementary influence from Charisma presentation.
- Coercion checks — Formulated using your essential Speech proficiency alongside negative Reputation status. Moderately augmented by Charisma factors.
- Impression checks — Developed through your Charisma presentation and favorable Reputation. Gently modified by Speech capability.
- Domination checks — Established based on your Charisma display and unfavorable Reputation. Slightly adjusted by Speech proficiency.
- Presence checks — Generated from the excellence of armor and weaponry combined with positive Reputation. Minimally influenced by physical attributes.
- Intimidation checks — Created using the quality of protective gear and armaments alongside poor Reputation. Slightly affected by bodily statistics.
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What’s in its pocketses?
A critical ability for comprehending your optimal choices during NPC interactions is the Liberal Arts perk available in the Scholarship skill tree at level 10. This enhancement reveals the concealed difficulty rating for each available dialogue selection. However, this transparency comes with a gameplay trade-off, as it eliminates the instinct-based estimation aspect and can diminish engagement. Despite this limitation, experimenting with Liberal Arts temporarily then resetting your perks using Lethean Water potion provides flexibility for different playstyles.
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Virtually every approach can prove effective in specific conversational contexts. Occasionally, the game presents skill check alternatives alongside standard dialogue options. As an illustration, selecting Fundamentals of Law II enables Scholarship utilization during guard interactions. Importantly, alcoholic consumption represents an uncommon modifier that simultaneously enhances both Speech and Charisma, making advancement in the Drinking skill strategically valuable since it extends beneficial duration while mitigating certain negative effects.

The following compilation details perks that directly influence dialogue possibilities. This inventory excludes abilities that modify reputation indirectly. For comprehensive character development, consider our Class Guide to understand how different specializations interact with conversation systems.
- Burgher (Main, Lv 10) +1 to Speech and other primary attributes within settlement boundaries.
- Good Natured (Main, Lv 12) +2 enhancement to Persuasion, Impression and Presence metrics (Mutually exclusive with Criminal Element selection)
- Criminal Element (Main, Lv 12) +2 advantage to Coerce, Dominate, and Dread when appropriately marked.
- Pacifist (Main, Lv 14) +2 to all capabilities, +3 Speech improvement.
- Apprentice of Dark Arts (Alchemy, Lv 16) +2 to Coercion, Domination, and Intimidation
- Menacing Presence (Heavy Weapons, Lv 12) Increased success probability for Presence and Dread verifications.
- Silver Tongue (Speech, Lv 8) +4 Speech during negotiation sequences
- Jack of All Trades (Speech, Lv 10) +2 to all skill assessments, additional experience from skill validations.
- Ladies Men (Speech, Lv 12) +2 to all skill examinations when interacting with female characters.
- Liberal Arts (Scholarship, Lv 10) Displays the challenge rating of dialogue evaluations.
- Fundamentals of Law I, II (Scholarship, Lv 16) +2 to Charisma and Speech during law enforcement encounters Introduces skill verification to surrender conversations.
- Knight in Shining Armor (Warfare, Lv 14) +1 to +4 charisma enhancement when equipped with plate armor.
- Charming Companion (Houndmaster, Lv 10) +3 Charisma when accompanied by Mutt.
- Hellhound (Houndmaster, Lv 10) Benefit to Domination and Presence measurements.
- Flower Power (Survival, Lv 8) +2 Charisma while carrying 30+ botanical specimens in inventory.
- Heracles (Strength, Lv 18) +3-6 Charisma augmentation (1 point per 5 Strength units).
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Action Checklist
- Regularly inspect your Secondary stats tab to monitor current dialogue capability values and identify improvement opportunities
- Maintain clean, undamaged visible equipment to maximize Charisma potential
- Experiment with Liberal Arts perk for 2-3 hours of gameplay to understand hidden difficulty mechanics
- Strategic alcohol consumption before critical conversations requiring both Speech and Charisma checks
- Coordinate perk selections with reputation strategy—choose Good Natured for positive reputation builds or Criminal Element for intimidation-focused approaches
No reproduction without permission:SeeYouSoon Game Club » How Speech, Charisma, and Persuasion stats work in KCD2. Guide to dialogue and talking in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Master Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's dialogue system with advanced strategies for speech, charisma, and persuasion checks
