According to series creator Daniel Vavra, Kingdom Come: Deliverance is set during a very specific period in European history to ensure there is enough weapon variety without having to add weapons.
When creating a fictional medieval world, there are usually no problems with the technology and weapons you add to the game, as they are not tied to anything specific in the real world; You don't hear anyone complaining about the lack of muskets in Elden Ring. after all. For Kingdom Come: Deliverance, however, its real-life setting meant it had to take place at a very specific time in history.
“The first half of the 15th century is the most interesting because a lot of things happened during that time,” explains Vavra in an interview with PC Gamer. Since the game focuses on history, its setting was of great importance to the story, as the early 15th century marked a period of relative turmoil in Bohemia, what is now Czechia.
But beyond simply being a good setting for the game, time marks what is, for Vavra, the most interesting period when it comes to medieval armor and weaponry. Set in the early 15th century, Vavra notes that it is a time when technology has advanced enough to have enough variety of weapons for the game. “100 years ago, it would be a lot less diverse in terms of options for interesting things like armor and weapons,” he explains.
But perhaps more important to him than the variety of weapons this period offers is that it is also early enough in history that the weapons have not found their way into the arsenals of a Europe at war. “Fifty years later, there would be gunpowder weapons, which is too much,” he begins. “It would make armor obsolete.”
“This type of Gothic period is the most interesting in terms of knights and so on,” Vavra concludes, and he is absolutely right. KCD's historically accurate medieval combat has been a major selling point for the game, and it's hard to feel like the combat would have been as impactful if you could have simply fought your way through every noble knight you came across. And with Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 arriving as a direct sequel, thankfully it looks like things aren't going to change anytime soon.
With or without weapons, be sure to check out our list of best role playing games.