You're standing in the middle of a muddy field in Kuttenberg, looking at a quest log that demands pig skin, and honestly, it’s frustrating. In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Henry—or rather, the older, slightly more grizzled version of our favorite blacksmith’s son—still needs basic materials to keep his gear from falling apart. Pig skin isn't just some random inventory filler this time around. It is a core component for high-tier leatherworking and specific armor repairs that you’ll be doing a lot of if you're playing on Hardcore mode.
Finding it? That's the tricky part.
Most players make the mistake of thinking they can just find a wild boar in the woods and call it a day. Wrong. That gets you boar hide. In the hyper-realistic logic of Warhorse Studios, a farm pig and a forest boar are two entirely different beasts with different utility. If a recipe asks for kcd 2 pig skin, you need to look toward civilization, not the deep timber.
The Struggle of the Medieval Tanner
Henry isn't exactly a master skiller at the start of the sequel, even with his experience from the first game. You've got to understand how the economy of Kuttenberg works. Pig skin is a byproduct of the food industry. Unlike red deer or roe deer, which you hunt for sport and survival, pigs are property.
If you see a pig wandering around a village and pull out your bow, the local bailiff is going to have a very bad day, and you’re going to end up in the stocks. Stealing pig skin is a crime. People forget that. They see an animal, they think "loot," and suddenly they’re wondering why the guards are chasing them through the town square.
Basically, you have three ways to get your hands on this stuff:
- The Honest Way: Buying it from a Tanner. This is the least headache-inducing method. Tanners are usually located on the outskirts of major hubs because, frankly, tanning smells like death and chemicals. Look for the drying racks.
- The Bloody Way: Slaughtering domestic pigs. You can do this at night. It’s risky. You need a sharp knife and a lack of conscience.
- The Scavenger Way: Looting it from bandit camps. Occasionally, those messy brigands will have stolen hides in their easy-to-pick chests.
Why Pig Skin Matters for Your Build
It’s about the padding. While cow hide is thick and heavy, and deer skin is supple but weak, pig skin hits a sweet spot for internal gambeson repairs. If you're focusing on a high-mobility build where you want to keep your noise levels low, you’ll be using leather-heavy armor sets.
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I’ve found that keeping a stack of processed pig skin in my horse’s saddlebags is a lifesaver. Nothing ruins a stealth mission faster than your boots wearing out and making a rhythmic "thud-crunch" every time you step on a twig. You need that leather to patch them up at a cobbler’s bench.
Where the Tanners Hide
In the sprawl of Kuttenberg, finding the right shop is a nightmare. There's a tanner located near the southern gates, just past the butcher’s row. He almost always has pig skin in stock, though the price fluctuates based on your reputation. If you've been a "good Christian soul," he might give it to you for a few Groschen. If you’ve been brawling in the taverns? Get ready to overpay.
Another reliable spot is the smaller village of Suchdol. The merchants there are less high-and-mighty than the city folk. They deal in raw goods more frequently. Honestly, I prefer traveling there just to avoid the crowded streets of the city. It’s quieter, and the guards are less likely to breathe down your neck if you happen to be carrying "borrowed" goods.
The Ethics of the Hunt
Let’s talk about the poaching mechanic for a second. Kingdom Come 2 has doubled down on the "property" aspect of animals. Every pig in a pen belongs to someone. If you kill a pig, you aren't just getting meat and skin; you are committing a felony.
The game tracks this. If you’re seen, your reputation in that specific hamlet will tank. Even if you aren't seen, "mysteriously" appearing at a trader with ten fresh pig skins when the local farmer just lost his livestock is a great way to trigger an investigation. The AI is smarter this time. They notice when things go missing.
If you absolutely must poach, do it in the rain. Sound travels less, and visibility is low. Use a dagger, not a bow. A bow is loud—the thrum of the string and the squeal of the pig will alert anyone within fifty yards. A quick stab? Much cleaner.
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Processing the Hide
You can’t just slap a raw, bloody hide onto your armor. Well, you can, but it’ll rot, and Henry will start to smell so bad that nobles won't talk to him. You have to use the tanning vats or find a craftsperson to do it for you. This is a detail a lot of people overlook.
The "raw" version of the item has a freshness meter. Once that hits zero, it turns into "ruined skin," which is basically useless except for selling to a very desperate merchant for pennies.
- Kill or buy the hide.
- Keep it in a cooled container or move fast.
- Take it to a Tanner to have it "cured."
- Use the cured pig skin at a workbench for your gear.
It’s a multi-step process that rewards players who actually plan their day-to-night cycle. You can't just go on a killing spree and expect to have a full set of leather armor by sunset. It takes time.
Comparing Pig Skin to Other Materials
Is it better than cow hide? Not for protection. A cow hide breastplate will stop a directional arrow way better than pig skin ever could. But pig skin is lighter. If you're trying to keep your stamina regen high during a long duel, every pound counts.
I spent about four hours testing the weight-to-protection ratio near the Rattay ruins (yes, some old locations return or are referenced), and the pig skin inserts in the gloves and boots provided the best balance for a "Knight Errant" playstyle. You get the protection of a soldier but the speed of a thief.
Common Misconceptions
People think you can find pig skin on boars. You can't. I've seen countless forum posts of people complaining that they killed twenty boars and didn't get the "pig skin" required for their quest. Boars give "Boar Hide." It is thicker, coarser, and used for heavy-duty straps and shields.
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Another weird one: people think you can "scavenge" it from dead horses. No. Horse hide is its own category. If the recipe says pig, go find a pig. The game is literal. It doesn't forgive "close enough."
Steps to Secure Your Supply
If you're serious about mastering the crafting system in KCD 2, stop treating pig skin as an afterthought. You need a reliable loop.
Start by hitting the Tanners in the early morning when their inventory resets. If they’re out, check the local farms around Kuttenberg. There's a specific farmstead to the east that has a massive surplus. Sometimes, you can find hides just sitting in the barn. If the door is unlocked, is it really stealing? (The game says yes, but your wallet might say no).
Build your "Maintenance" skill early. This is the secret. As your skill increases, you'll use less material to fix your gear. A single piece of pig skin will go much further at level 10 than it does at level 2. It’s the difference between needing a whole pig to fix your boots or just a small scrap.
Stock up when the prices are low. War also affects the economy in this game. If a region is under siege or has been recently raided, the price of leather skyrockets because the army is requisitioning it all for saddles and tents. Buy your leather in peaceful times. Store it in your chest at the inn.
When you're out in the world, keep an eye on the "General Merchants" in smaller villages like Malešov. They don't specialize in leather, but they often have miscellaneous goods that players overlook. You can sometimes find pig skin priced incorrectly because the merchant doesn't know its value for high-end crafting. Take advantage of that.
The goal is to never be in a position where you're forced to poach a village pig right before a major story mission. That’s how you end up in a jail cell while the world burns around you. Stay prepared, keep your knife sharp, and remember that the best leather is the kind you actually paid for—or at least, the kind you didn't get caught taking.
Check your inventory now. If you have less than five cured skins, you're one tough fight away from having broken boots and a noisy gait. Head to the Kuttenberg outskirts and find that Tanner. It’s worth the trip.