Proving Grounds — Arenas, Tournaments and Gladiator Combat in Kenshi

Proving Grounds is a major gameplay modification for Kenshi that introduces organized arena combat, fighter progression, tournaments, betting, and a new settlement dedicated to gladiatorial battles.

Originally designed to let players arrange sparring matches between their own characters, the mod has evolved into a much larger system. With update 1.3, Proving Grounds introduces Scratch, a fully developed arena town where fighters compete, spectators gather, and battles take place even without player participation.

Players can challenge professional gladiators, build arenas at their own bases, train squad members through actual combat, earn exclusive rewards, and even give captured prisoners a chance to fight for their freedom.

Scratch — A Town Built Around the Arena

The main addition in version 1.3 is Scratch, a custom settlement with its own inhabitants, history, merchants, recruits, and organized fighting circuit.

Unlike ordinary Kenshi settlements, Scratch revolves around competitive combat. Its residents maintain an arena where fighters compete for reputation, money, and survival.

The town features several unique characters, including an arena organizer, local enforcers, and a weaponsmith operating from the Blind Anvil.

Players can explore Scratch, interact with its residents, learn about the settlement's background, and participate in organized matches.

A Living Arena

One of the most interesting features is that Scratch operates independently of the player.

NPCs regularly organize their own arena fights, creating the impression of a functioning gladiatorial settlement.

During these events:

• Fighters gather and prepare for scheduled matches.
• Spectators move toward the arena to watch the competition.
• NPC teams fight each other without player involvement.
• An announcer accompanies player challenge matches.
• Medical personnel treat injured participants and transport unconscious fighters to appropriate beds.
• Town workers remove fallen combatants from the arena.
• Fighters who lose limbs may visit a mechanic to receive prosthetic replacements.

The arena continues operating even when the player chooses not to participate.

The Scratch Fighting Circuit

Players can register for official arena challenges through the Town Registry.

To participate, select between one and three recovered squad members, choose a difficulty level, and pick an available challenge card.

Three difficulty settings are available:

• Easy — less demanding matchups suitable for developing fighters.
• Medium — more challenging encounters requiring stronger combat skills.
• Hard — dangerous battles intended for experienced combatants.

Challenges are divided into four rarity categories: Common, Uncommon, Rare, and Legendary.

Higher-tier cards generally feature stronger opponents and more valuable rewards.

Dynamic Matchmaking

Proving Grounds uses a matchmaking system that evaluates the selected fighters before generating an encounter.

It considers their current combat abilities, equipment, and arena performance to determine the difficulty of the matchup.

Available formats include regular team battles and Teams 1v1 challenges featuring different combinations of one, two, or three combatants.

Each challenge also includes an entry fee and potential payout calculated according to the relative strength of the participants.

Challenge cards refresh twice per in-game day, at 06:00 and 18:00. Simply reopening the Registry does not generate another set of opponents.

The circuit also includes special battles against named legendary fighters and an ultimate challenge unlocked through progression.

Betting on Arena Matches

Scratch offers more than direct participation in combat.

Players can also place bets on upcoming NPC battles through the local bookmaker.

The betting system includes adjustable wagers, information about participating fighters, and a dedicated interface for reviewing results.

Before placing a bet, players can examine fighter cards containing useful information such as:

• Character portraits.
• Combat characteristics.
• Town MMR ratings.
• Previous arena results and performance records.

After a match ends, the betting interface displays the outcome and settlement of the wager.

This creates an additional way to interact with Scratch without risking members of the player's own squad.

Build Your Own Arena

The original Proving Grounds functionality remains available and has been significantly improved.

Players can construct their own fighting facilities at a base and organize battles between squad members and nearby prisoners.

To create an arena, build a Registry and one of the supported arena structures:

• Full Arena — a larger dedicated combat area.
• Small Arena — a compact alternative.
• Banner — an additional option for organizing local fights.

The redesigned Arena interface uses visual elements consistent with Kenshi's original user interface.

Available Battle Modes

Custom arenas support several combat formats:

Team Battles

Divide participants into teams and arrange organized fights to compare their combat effectiveness.

Winner Stays On

Two fighters face each other, and the winner continues fighting successive opponents.

Free-for-All

Multiple participants enter the arena, where the battle continues until only one fighter remains standing.

All fights use Kenshi's actual combat mechanics. Characters take real damage and gain normal combat experience.

Participants remain members of their original faction, allowing players to organize training matches without permanently turning their squad members against one another.

Results are recorded, making it possible to compare fighters and track their development over time.

Arena Marks and Exclusive Rewards

Proving Grounds introduces Arena Marks, a personal reward currency earned through rated arena combat.

The amount received depends on several factors, including opponent strength, arena division, and challenge rarity.

Marks can be exchanged for equipment and unlockable content through the Arena Rewards catalogue, accessible at the Blind Anvil.

Available rewards include weapons, armour, arena construction blueprints, and increasingly valuable equipment grades.

New Equipment in Version 1.3

The update expands the selection of combat equipment with:

• Reworked Warlord armour, including a new cloak.
• Leather Retainer armour.
• Plate Enforcer armour.
• Cloth Pitfighter armour.
• New hacker, blunt, and polearm weapons.
• One-handed katanas and longswords.
• Additional splint kits, medical supplies, and Skeleton repair kits.

The reward system provides an additional incentive to develop experienced fighters and progress through increasingly difficult arena challenges.

Prisoner Combat and Recruitment

Captured prisoners can also participate in arena battles.

Instead of remaining permanently locked inside cages, prisoners can compete, gain combat experience, and earn their own Arena Marks.

Accumulated Marks can eventually be spent on a freedom contract through a dedicated recruitment interface.

This allows prisoners to earn a place in the player's squad through combat.

When recruited, former prisoners retain the arena records they established during captivity.

The system creates new opportunities for developing characters and building a squad of experienced gladiators.

What's New in Version 1.3?

Besides the introduction of Scratch and its combat circuit, update 1.3 significantly improves the modification's original systems.

Major technical and gameplay changes include:

• A new full-size arena model with eight lighting attachment points.
• Redesigned Registry and Leaderboard structures.
• New interfaces for challenge cards, rewards, recruitment, betting, and match results.
• A reworked player arena interface based on Kenshi's native UI elements.
• Separate leaderboards for player-controlled fighters and Scratch competitors.
• Improved progression tracking and save-specific data storage.
• More reliable handling of prisoners after arena battles.
• Fixes for matches failing to start in smaller arenas.
• Corrections to weapon models and interaction cursor behavior.

These improvements make the arena system more complete while addressing issues found in previous versions.

Configuration and Settings

Proving Grounds includes an in-game configuration menu.

To access it, open:

Options → Mods → PG Config

The menu provides adjustable parameters with descriptions explaining their effects.

Some changes take effect immediately, while others require restarting the game.

For example, the F8 debugging menu option applies immediately, whereas crowd performance settings take effect during the next arena battle.

Advanced Configuration

Additional parameters can be modified through the pg_config.json file located in the Proving Grounds mod directory.

These settings include:

• Arena Rewards prices.
• Prisoner recruitment costs.
• Bookmaker wager values.
• Challenge entry fees.
• Other arena balancing parameters.

Since the configuration file is loaded when the plugin starts, Kenshi must be restarted after editing it.

Important: Arena Battles Are Real Combat

Proving Grounds does not simulate harmless sparring.

Every arena fight uses Kenshi's normal combat mechanics, meaning that participants can suffer serious injuries, lose limbs, or die.

Combat skills, equipment quality, Toughness, and overall character development directly influence the outcome.

Even an experienced fighter can be defeated by a dangerous opponent.

Saving the game before particularly difficult challenges is recommended, especially when using valuable squad members.

Installation and Requirements

The modification requires RE_Kenshi to function.

Installation Instructions

1. Install RE_Kenshi.
2. Download and enable Proving Grounds in Kenshi's mod manager.
3. Launch the game through RE_Kenshi.
4. Visit Scratch to access the fighting circuit, or construct an arena at your own base.

For additional instructions and troubleshooting, refer to the modification's official Steam Workshop discussions.