You’re back in the mud. If you played the first game, you know the drill: Henry isn't a superhero, and in the sequel, he’s still remarkably good at catching a mace with his face if you aren't careful. When you finally hit the Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 The King's Gambit walkthrough phase of your journey, the stakes shift from simple survival to high-level political maneuvering. It's messy. It’s dense. And honestly, it’s one of the best examples of Warhorse Studios’ "consequences first" design philosophy.
This isn't just a quest about swinging a sword. It’s about who you trust when everyone has a dagger behind their back.
The Setup: Why You’re Even Here
The King's Gambit kicks off after the dust settles from your initial arrival in Kuttenberg. By now, you've realized that the city is a powder keg. Sigismund’s shadow is everywhere, and the local nobility is vibrating with anxiety. You're tasked with navigating a delicate diplomatic meeting that, predictably, goes sideways faster than a drunk villager on a Friday night.
You aren't just Henry the blacksmith’s boy anymore. You’re an envoy. That means your clothes matter. If you show up to these high-stakes negotiations covered in dried blood and smelling like a pigsty, the NPCs will treat you like garbage.
Seriously. Wash yourself.
The First Hurdle: Information Gathering
Before the actual "gambit" happens, you have to talk. A lot. You’ll be sent to gather intel from a few key players around the tavern and the upper districts. Here is where most players mess up: they rush the dialogue.
In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, the "King's Gambit" quest relies heavily on your Speech and Charisma stats. If you haven't been leveling these up by haggling with traders or talking your way out of trouble with guards, you're going to have a rough time. There is a specific interaction with a merchant named Tobias where you can actually fail the entire secondary objective just by being too aggressive.
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Basically, keep your ego in check.
The goal here is to identify the traitor within the inner circle before the meeting at the Rathaus begins. If you find the letter hidden in the clerk’s quarters—which requires a decent Lockpicking skill—you gain a massive advantage. If you don't? Well, you're walking into the room blind.
Navigating the Rathaus Confrontation
This is the meat of the Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 The King's Gambit walkthrough. You enter the chamber, the air is thick with tension, and the dialogue choices start flying.
There are three main ways this plays out:
- The Diplomat’s Path: If you found the evidence earlier, you can call out the discrepancy in the ledgers. This forces a confession without a drop of blood being spilled in the room. It’s the "clean" way, and it earns you the most favor with Sir Hans Capon.
- The Warrior’s Blunder: You accuse the wrong person. This happens if you didn't do your homework. The meeting dissolves into chaos, and you’ll find yourself fighting your way out of the building. It’s fun, sure, but you lose out on several follow-up quests.
- The Silent Observer: You say nothing and let the scene play out. This is actually a viable choice if your stats are low, though it leads to a much harder stealth mission later in the night.
Warhorse has made the AI much sharper this time around. If you start sweating or stammering (indicated by the UI icons during timed responses), the Lords will pick up on it.
Violence is a Choice (Usually)
If things go south—and let’s be real, for most of us, they do—you’ll be forced into a skirmish. The combat in the sequel feels weightier. Henry is stronger, but the enemies in Kuttenberg are better armored than the bandits you fought in the woods.
Use the environment. The Rathaus is cramped. If you’re using a longsword, you’re going to hit the walls and lose your momentum. This is the perfect time to whip out a mace or a shortsword. Blunt damage is king here because almost everyone is wearing some form of gambeson or plate.
The Midnight Hunt: Tracking the Fugitive
Once the meeting concludes (violently or otherwise), the "Gambit" shifts. You have to track a specific individual through the darkened streets of the city. This is where the game’s lighting engine really shines.
You’ll need to rely on your ears.
The target isn't stupid. They won't just run in a straight line. They’ll duck into alleys and hide behind market stalls. If you lose them, you have to rely on questioning the night watchmen. Pro tip: carrying a torch makes you easy to see, but going pitch black makes it impossible to find the tracks. It’s a constant trade-off.
Dealing with the Aftermath
Whether you capture the target alive or leave them in a ditch determines your standing with the local factions. The King’s Gambit isn't just a self-contained story; it’s a pivot point for the mid-game.
Capture them alive, and you get a lengthy interrogation scene that reveals the location of a hidden camp near the silver mines. Kill them, and you have to find that camp yourself by wandering around the hills like a lost dog.
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Honesty time: it’s almost always better to take them alive. The rewards are just objectively better.
Avoiding Common Pitfalls
I’ve seen people complain that this quest is "bugged" because they can't find the evidence. It’s not bugged. It’s just hidden well. Look for the floorboard that looks slightly askew in the back office.
Also, watch your stamina. The chase sequence at the end of the quest is a marathon, not a sprint. If you've been eating nothing but dried meat and haven't slept in two days, Henry will collapse halfway through the street, and you’ll get a "Quest Failed" screen faster than you can say "Jesus Christ be praised."
- Check your gear: Is your armor repaired? Damaged armor lowers your Charisma significantly.
- Save often: The game still uses "Saviour Schnapps," so don't waste them, but definitely pop one before entering the Rathaus.
- Listen to the background chatter: The NPCs in the tavern earlier in the quest literally tell you what the traitor is planning if you sit close enough to them.
Practical Steps for Success
To get the "Best" outcome in the Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 The King's Gambit walkthrough, follow these specific beats. First, hit the bathhouse. You need that "Alpha Male" or "Flower Power" buff to help with the persuasion checks. It sounds silly, but a clean Henry is a persuasive Henry.
Next, prioritize the Lockpicking minigame. If you haven't practiced on easy chests, the Rathaus office will be your nightmare. You need to be at least Level 6 in Lockpicking to handle the chests in this quest without snapping every pick you own.
Finally, when the final confrontation happens, don't just mash the attack button. The parry windows are tighter in this quest than in the early game. Wait for the "Master Strike" opportunity. If you can't land a Master Strike yet, go back to the combat arena and train with the Captain. You’ll need it for what comes next in the main story.
The King's Gambit is a test of everything you've learned. It tests your patience, your build, and your ability to read between the lines of 15th-century political drivel. Take it slow, keep your sword sharp, and maybe, just maybe, you'll make it out of Kuttenberg with your head still attached to your shoulders.