Henry of Skalitz usually spends his time digging through herb gardens or getting beaten up by town guards because he forgot to carry a torch at night. But then there's the Kingdom Come Deliverance Band of Bastards DLC. It’s different. It’s gritty, even by the standards of a game where you can die from a rusty spoon wound. Honestly, if you haven’t played it, you’re missing the most cohesive bit of storytelling Warhorse Studios ever put out.
Radzig Kobyla is stressed. His lands are being raided, his people are terrified, and he’s short on men. So, he calls in an old "friend," Sir Kuno of Rychvald. Kuno leads a ragtag group of mercenaries—basically a bunch of criminals and outcasts who happen to be very good at killing people. You, as Henry, are sent along to keep them on a leash. It’s a babysitting job, except the babies have longswords and a serious drinking problem.
The vibe is immaculate. It feels like a medieval The Dirty Dozen. You aren't just a knight-in-training anymore; you're the moral compass for a group of men who barely have one.
The Reality of Sir Kuno and His Merry Men
Let’s talk about Kuno. He’s not a hero. He’s a nobleman who lost everything and turned to the sword to stay relevant. He’s cynical, tired, and deeply pragmatic. When you first meet the group, they don't like you. Why would they? You’re Radzig’s golden boy, the blacksmith’s son with clean armor and a conscience.
The squad itself is a weird mix of personalities. You’ve got the Stone, who literally doesn't speak. Then there’s Jan Bearman and his brother Petr, who are essentially the muscle. But the standout is the Bearman brothers' dynamic and the constant bickering over loot. It feels real. These aren't polished knights from a storybook; they’re guys who smell like horse sweat and stale ale.
One thing the Kingdom Come Deliverance Band of Bastards expansion nails is the "patrol" mechanic. You don’t just fast-travel to a quest marker. You ride with them. You listen to their banter. You see the Bohemian countryside from the perspective of men who know they might die in the next ditch they cross.
Combat is the Heart of the Chaos
The skirmishes here are brutal. If you’ve played the base game, you know the combat is clunky until it clicks. In this DLC, the stakes feel higher because you aren't just fighting one-on-one in a tournament. You’re in the middle of chaotic, multi-man brawls.
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It’s messy.
Horses are screaming, shields are splintering, and you’re trying to find an opening while making sure Kuno doesn't get himself killed. The mission "Bad Blood" is a perfect example of this. You track down a raided farm, and the aftermath is grim. It’s not just about winning the fight; it’s about the cost of the conflict. You see the charred remains of homes and realize that while Kuno’s men are joking about the next tavern, the peasants are losing everything.
The gear you get is top-tier, too. The House of Zoul armor is arguably the best-looking and most protective set in the entire game. But earning it? That’s a headache. You have to face Hagen Zoul, a man who has a legitimate, albeit bloody, grudge against Radzig.
Why Hagen Zoul is a Great Antagonist
Hagen isn't a cartoon villain. In the world of Kingdom Come: Deliverance, everything is about land, titles, and old blood feuds. Zoul believes he was wronged by the Kobyla family. When you finally face him, it’s not just a boss fight. It’s a clash of ideologies.
Do you pay him off? Do you fight him one-on-one? Or do you let the whole thing descend into a bloodbath?
Most players go for the duel. It’s the "honorable" way. But Kuno? Kuno is a mercenary. He doesn't care about honor; he cares about getting paid and keeping his men alive. There’s a specific moment where Hagen tries to bribe Kuno to walk away. This is where your relationship with the band actually matters. If you haven't been a "good" comrade, if you haven't done the side activities like the "Ring of Bacchus" game, Kuno might just take the money and leave you to die.
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That’s a brilliant bit of game design. It turns a silly fetch-quest game (the Ring of Bacchus) into a prerequisite for loyalty.
The Ring of Bacchus: More Than a Drinking Game
You’ll spend a lot of time in camp trying to steal a ring from sleeping mercenaries. It sounds tedious. It kind of is, at first. But this is how you bond with the "Bastards."
The game doesn't give you a "Loyalty Meter" like a BioWare RPG. It’s more subtle. By participating in their drinking games and their petty thefts, you become one of them. You start to understand their backstories. You find out why the Stone is silent. You realize that the "Bastards" are just products of a broken feudal system.
They are the dark mirror of Henry’s potential future. If Henry didn't have Radzig or Hanush looking out for him, he’d be a Kuno. He’d be selling his sword to the highest bidder just to keep his belly full.
Technical Nuances and the 2026 Perspective
Looking back at this DLC now, especially with the sequel on the horizon, the Kingdom Come Deliverance Band of Bastards stands out because it fixed the "lonely Henry" problem. The base game can feel very solitary. You spend hours wandering the woods. Having a squad—even a temporary one—changes the game's rhythm.
The AI can still be a bit janky. Sometimes the mercenaries get stuck on a bush during a charge, or they block your path in a narrow corridor. It’s frustrating. You’ll probably reload a save at least once because a horse glitched into a fence. But the atmosphere carries it through those technical hiccups.
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The lighting in the camp at night, with the fire crackling and the men singing, is peak immersion. Warhorse Studios used their proprietary version of CryEngine to great effect here. The mud looks wet. The blood looks thick. The armor clanks with a weight you can almost feel in your own shoulders.
What You Need to Do Before Starting
Don’t jump into this the moment it unlocks. You’ll get crushed.
- Level your Warfare and Defense. You’re going to be outnumbered often. If you can’t master the Master Strike (the perfect parry), Hagen Zoul will turn you into a human kebab in about six seconds.
- Bring Repair Kits. There are no blacksmiths in the middle of a raid. Your armor will take a beating, and fighting in broken plate is a death sentence.
- Check your Horse. You need a horse with high courage. If your mount throws you in the middle of a group of bandits because a dog barked, it’s game over. Warhorse or Jenda are your best bets.
- Talk to everyone. Don't just rush the main markers. The dialogue options with Kuno provide some of the best lore regarding the internal politics of Bohemia.
The DLC is short—maybe three to five hours depending on how much you lollygag—but it’s dense. There’s no filler. Every mission serves to build the tension between the mercenaries and the law they are supposed to uphold.
The Final Confrontation
The ending is where the weight of your choices hits. If you managed to keep Kuno's loyalty, the final battle is an epic, large-scale clash that feels like a movie. If you failed, it’s a desperate struggle for survival.
The aftermath isn't a "happily ever after." It’s a quiet realization that the cycle of violence in Bohemia isn't going anywhere. Radzig gets his peace for a moment, the Bastards get their coin, and Henry gets more scars.
It’s the most honest depiction of mercenary life in any modern RPG. It’s not about glory; it’s about surviving the day and hoping the next guy you fight is slower than you.
Actionable Steps for Your Playthrough
- Prioritize the "Ring of Bacchus" questline as soon as it becomes available in camp; it’s the only way to truly "unlock" the full personality of the band.
- Invest in the "Headcracker" perk. Since many enemies in this DLC wear heavy bascinets and plate, a lucky blunt strike to the head is often your only way to thin the crowd quickly.
- Keep a save file right before the mission "The Price of Blood." The ending has three distinct outcomes based on your speech checks and previous actions, and you'll want to see them all.
- Loot the Zoul armor immediately after the final fight. If you leave the area, the body might despawn, and you’ll lose the best-in-slot plate armor in the game.