Under the Straw Hat KCD2: Why Everyone Fails Jerome’s Vineyard Task

You're standing in the sun, sweating like a pig, hauling sacks of grain across a dusty vineyard for a measly handful of groschen. Welcome to the life of a peasant. Specifically, welcome to the Under the Straw Hat KCD2 quest—an activity that has driven more players to digital homicide than actually difficult boss fights. It sounds simple on paper. Go to the vineyard north of Kuttenberg, talk to Administrator Jerome, and put in a hard day's work. Easy, right? Well, not exactly.

Honestly, the "Under the Straw Hat" task is a notorious trap. Most players approach it like any other RPG quest: they do the bare minimum, wait for the clock to tick down, and then get chewed out by Jerome for being a "lazy scoundrel." If you want to actually pass this without ending up with a failed quest marker in your log—or worse, murdering Jerome in his sleep out of pure spite—you have to understand the weird, hidden math the game uses to track your productivity.

How to Find the Vineyard and Start Under the Straw Hat

You won't just stumble upon this by accident usually. Typically, you pick this up as a side activity while working through the In Vino Veritas questline. You need to head to the vineyard located just north of the massive city of Kuttenberg. Look for a recruiter standing near the front gate. He’ll point you toward Administrator Jerome, the man who’s about to make your life miserable for the next twelve in-game hours.

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Timing is Everything

Don't show up at noon. If you talk to Jerome halfway through the day, you’re basically setting yourself up for failure. The work day starts at 6:00 AM sharp. If it's already late in the afternoon, just find a spot to sleep or wait until the next morning. You want to be there right as the sun comes up to ensure you have the maximum amount of time to hit your "work quotas."

The Sack and Weed Trap: What Actually Counts?

Here’s where everyone gets it wrong. Jerome tells you to do two things: pull weeds (nettles, thistles, dandelions) and carry heavy sacks to the yard. Naturally, most people spend all day frantically plucking every yellow flower they see. They end up with 400 dandelions in their inventory and a very angry boss.

The weeds are mostly a distraction.

While you should definitely pull a few weeds every hour just to show "effort," the real progress in Under the Straw Hat KCD2 comes from the sacks. There are usually five sacks scattered around the vineyard. You need to pick them up and carry them to the wooden pallet in the central yard.

• Priority 1: The Sacks. These respawn roughly every two hours.
• Priority 2: Consistency. You can't just do 10 sacks in the morning and then go to the tavern.
• Priority 3: The Weeds. Use these to fill the gaps while waiting for sacks to respawn.

One of the best strategies is to carry at least one or two sacks and pull a handful of weeds every single hour. If you skip a three-hour block by just using the "Wait" function, Jerome will notice you've been slacking. The game tracks activity per hour, so staying busy is more important than the total volume of weeds.

Getting the Best Rewards (and the Cellar Key)

Most people finish this quest, get their 10 groschen, and leave feeling insulted. Ten groschen is practically nothing in the Kuttenberg economy. However, if you actually impress Jerome—meaning you hauled somewhere around 12 to 15 sacks and cleared a significant amount of brush—the reward changes.

Jerome won't just give you coins; he'll give you his Cellar Key.

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This is a massive deal if you're trying to complete In Vino Veritas properly. Having the key allows you to walk right into the wine cellar without having to lockpick your way in or risk getting caught by the guards. It turns a stressful stealth mission into a casual stroll. Some players have reported that if you do an absolutely legendary job (we're talking 20+ sacks), Jerome becomes one of the few NPCs who genuinely respects Henry's work ethic.

Why Jerome Still Fails You

If you feel like you worked your tail off and Jerome still called you a "public nuisance," it’s likely because of the 5:00 PM rule.

The work day officially "updates" its objectives around 5:00 PM or 6:00 PM. If you are in the middle of a "Time Skip" or "Wait" when that clock hits, you might miss the window to talk to him. He expects you to be standing there, ready to report, right as the shift ends. If you make him wait even thirty minutes for his report, he’ll often default to his "you're fired" dialogue.

Hidden Secrets and Tips for Success

If you're struggling to find the weeds or the sacks, remember that Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 relies heavily on visual identification. Sacks are large, tan bundles usually tucked near the ends of the vine rows. Weeds are things like nettles (pointy leaves) and dandelions (yellow flowers).

• Don't Over-Encumber Yourself: If you're carrying a full suit of plate armor, hauling those sacks is going to drain your stamina fast. Strip down to your shirt and hose. It’s a vineyard, not a battlefield.
• The Mutt Factor: If you have Mutt with you, he can sometimes get in the way or pull aggro from the local guards if he starts barking. Some players prefer to tell him to "Stay" outside the vineyard walls so he doesn't count as a "nuisance" to Jerome.
• The "In Vino Veritas" Shortcut: If you absolutely hate this quest, you can technically bypass the manual labor by sneaking into the cellar at night. But you'll miss out on the official quest completion and the "honest worker" reputation boost.

Actionable Next Steps

To conquer Under the Straw Hat KCD2 without losing your mind, follow this exact workflow:

1. Arrive at 5:45 AM: Be at the vineyard gates before the sun is fully up.
2. Talk to Jerome at 6:00 AM: Start the clock immediately.
3. The "One Sack, Five Weeds" Rule: Every hour, carry one sack to the pallet and pull five weeds.
4. Wait One Hour: Use the "T" key to skip exactly one hour.
5. Repeat until 5:00 PM: Do not skip the final hour. Walk up to Jerome and wait for the "Objective Updated" prompt.
6. Claim the Key: If you've been consistent, he'll hand over the cellar key and your pay.

Once you have that key, you can head straight into the cellar to grab the wine supplies for Casper. This effectively completes two birds with one stone, giving you the best possible outcome for the Kuttenberg vineyard storyline.