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Warhorse Studios has delivered a substantial update to their medieval RPG with the release of patch 1.3 for Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, alongside the game’s first paid DLC, “Brushes with Death.” The update, weighing in at a massive 65.9GB on some platforms, essentially reinstalls much of the game while adding significant new content and hundreds of fixes.
New Paid and Free DLC Released Simultaneously
“Brushes with Death,” the first of three planned story DLCs for Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, is now available for $5.99 or included with the Expansion Pass and Gold Edition. This narrative expansion introduces a mysterious artist character who draws protagonist Henry into what the developers describe as “a web of intricate plans, pushing his skills to their limits in finding solutions”. The story takes players across both maps of the game world as they help this enigmatic painter complete “the most important painting of his life”.
Alongside this paid content, Warhorse has released the final free DLC, “Horse Racing,” as part of the 1.3 update. This new activity allows players to visit the Nomads’ camp in the Trosky region to participate in cross-country races and mounted archery competitions. Three new quests accompany this feature: “Horses for Courses,” “Racing Horseshoes,” and “The Executioner’s Edge”.
Shield Painting: Customize Your Defense
A highlight of the “Brushes with Death” DLC is the new shield painting feature, which allows players to visually modify their shields by choosing from over 100 unique designs and color combinations. Some of these designs must be unlocked by completing specific quests and achievements throughout the game.
Extensive Balance Changes and Improvements
The 1.3 update brings a host of balancing changes to make the game more challenging and immersive. Enemy difficulty has been rebalanced to make the Kuttenberg region more challenging, while the diversity of goods at shops has been improved. The slowing effect of the Bane poison has been removed, and there are now fewer intoxicated individuals wandering the towns.
“Added a tutorial to warn about the consequences of sleeping in someone else’s bed. This should solve half of this sub’s questions,” notes one humorous addition in the patch notes.
Quest Fixes and Performance Improvements
According to the patch notes, hundreds of quest-specific fixes have been implemented, addressing issues across both main story missions and side quests. Notable improvements include fixing freezes during cutscenes, improving NPC behaviors during quests, and resolving issues with various quest-specific bugs.
The update also includes performance optimizations with improved LOD (Level of Detail) distances at various locations and collision fixes to make combat more enjoyable in certain areas. Environment improvements range from fixing missing collision on railings to polishing visual elements across both game regions.
Looking Ahead
With this first DLC now released, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II players can look forward to two more story expansions planned for release later in 2025. According to the official roadmap, “Legacy of the Forge” is targeting an Autumn release window, while the third and final DLC, “Mysteria Ecclesia,” is scheduled for Winter.
The combination of this substantial free update and the first paid DLC showcases Warhorse Studios’ continued commitment to expanding and refining the medieval RPG experience that has already sold over 3 million copies since its February 2025 release.
