You’re riding through the muddy outskirts of a Bohemian forest, your armor is clanking, and you’ve just finished a messy skirmish involving a stolen cart. If you’re playing Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, you know this vibe well. It’s gritty, it’s a bit jank in that charming medieval way, and it’s full of secrets that the game refuses to hold your hand through. One of those secrets is a scrap of parchment known as the hired hand ventzas map.
Honestly, most players walk right past it. You’re probably focused on finishing the quest "The Jaunt" or dealing with the immediate threat of a mace to the face. But if you take a second to loot the right body, you stumble upon a treasure hunt that’s surprisingly rewarding for the early-to-mid game.
It’s not some grand, world-shaking quest. It’s a small, personal moment of discovery that defines what makes KCD2 so immersive. Here is the lowdown on how to actually find this thing and, more importantly, where the loot is hiding.
How to get the hired hand ventzas map without breaking the quest
The map belongs to a guy named Ventza. He’s one of the blacksmith’s hands who basically made a run for it after a bit of a disaster with a cart. Your job in "The Jaunt" is technically to track him down.
Depending on how you play your Henry, this can go a few different ways. If you’re the diplomatic type, you might talk him into surrendering. If you’re playing a Henry who has zero patience for thieves and deserters, you might just end him right there.
Here is the thing: to get the hired hand ventzas map, you usually need to loot him.
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Some players have reported finding his body already hanging from a tree outside the fortress in Semine. Others find him alive at an enemy camp in Appallonia. If you’ve already finished the quest and realize you missed it, don't panic. He often lingers at the northern camp or near the location of the second skirmish. If you find him, kill him or pickpocket him—the map is usually sitting right in his inventory.
It’s a simple drawing. It looks like a child’s doodle of some rocks and a skull, which is typical for the treasure maps in this series. It doesn’t give you GPS coordinates. It just gives you a "vibe" of where to look.
Tracking the treasure to the Appallonia cliffs
Once you have the map, your journey takes you to the far right-hand side of the world map, specifically the area of Appallonia. You’re looking for a very specific geographical feature that the map identifies with a skull.
The spot is located north of the main road, nestled in a rocky area often referred to by the community as the "Tunnel in the Rocks" or the "Cliffs."
- Start at the road in eastern Appallonia.
- Head north into the wooded, stony hills.
- Look for a path that feels like a natural gap between the rock formations.
- You’ll eventually hit a point where the path splits or opens into a small clearing with skeletons.
There’s a bit of environmental storytelling here. You’ll find two skeletons near a cave-like entrance. It’s a grim little scene, suggesting that whoever tried to find or hide this treasure before didn't have a great time. One of the skeletons is the key. Right next to it, or sometimes inside a sack nearby, is your reward.
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What’s actually in the loot pile?
Is the hired hand ventzas map worth the trek? If you’re a fan of ranged combat, absolutely.
The sack usually contains:
- A Hunting Crossbow (solid stats for early game).
- Around 27-28 Fine Bolts.
- Strong Bowman’s Brew (very helpful if your stats are still low).
- A Marksman Kit for maintaining your gear.
But wait, there is more. If you look around the immediate area of the skeletons—specifically to the left of the main loot sack—you can often find a Bearded Axe and a Bullhook Spear just leaning against the rocks or lying on the ground. It’s a massive gear boost if you’re still rocking the basic stuff you started with.
The "Map on the Wall" mystery
KCD2 loves to hide maps in weird places. While you’re in that rocky tunnel area looking for Ventza’s treasure, keep your eyes on the actual stone walls.
Several players have noticed a second map carved directly into the rock face. This isn't an item you can put in your inventory. It’s a visual clue for another treasure hunt. This is the kind of detail that makes people obsessed with this game. You go for a crossbow and end up staring at a wall for ten minutes trying to figure out which mountain the etching is pointing toward.
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Common bugs and weirdness to watch out for
Let’s be real: this is a Warhorse game. It has quirks.
Sometimes Ventza just... disappears. If you’re doing "The Jaunt" and the quest marker is leading you in circles, he might be stuck behind a tent or a rock formation at the second camp. There is also a known issue where, if you let him live and he rides back with you, he might later spawn at a different camp and turn hostile for no reason.
If he’s missing and you really want that map, try reloading a save from before the final confrontation in the quest. If that’s not an option, check the fortress trees in Semine. Sometimes the game "cleans up" quest NPCs by placing their bodies in scripted locations if they died off-screen.
Actionable next steps for your playthrough
If you’re currently looking at the hired hand ventzas map in your inventory and feeling confused, don't overthink it.
Head to the eastern edge of Appallonia. Stay off the main road and hug the base of the cliffs. Look for the "Tunnel in the Rocks" point of interest. Even if you don't have the map, the treasure exists in the world and can be looted if you find the right skeletons.
Before you head out, make sure you have enough inventory space. Between the crossbow, the bolts, and the polearms lying around, you’re going to get heavy fast. Also, bring a torch. Those rocky gaps get dark, and it’s easy to step right over the loot sack if the lighting is bad.
Once you’ve grabbed the gear, take a look at the wall carvings nearby. That’s your next lead. The game won't give you a quest marker for it, but that’s exactly why finding it feels so much better than following a dotted line on a mini-map.