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I hadn’t gone back to the world of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 since mid-February, when I wrapped up a few side quests after finishing the main story. I missed the barber feature entirely, didn’t have time to commit to a hardcore playthrough, and my Henry was last seen in Trosky long before the game’s end when he had gone back to loot and don Istvan Toth’s chaperon.
So when Brushes with Death, the first of three major DLCs for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, dropped earlier this week, it gave me a perfect excuse to hop back onto my trusty steed Erdel and jump back in.
Starting the DLC quest is straightforward, and it becomes available quite early on in the game, after you enter Trosky Castle and complete the For Whom the Bell Tolls quest. You can play Brushes with Death alongside the main story, or as a standalone post-main story adventure, which felt especially fitting given my own ''what's next'' endgame dialogue choice to continue adventuring rather than settling down or opening a business.
Brushes with Death story and gameplay
This DLC centres around a completely new character and his storyline, so don't expect a continuation of Henry's tale as such. Brushes with Death opens with a painter tied to a tree, left for dead, and talking to a painted human skull he claims can see things he can’t and is his muse of sorts. A charming and promising start. After rescuing him, you embark on a compelling six to nine-hour journey through both the Trosky and Kuttenberg regions - and it feels good to be back.
Magister Voitecus ex Aridis - or Master Voyta for short - quickly reveals himself as a mysterious, eccentric artist whose past life and motivations you’re now trying to make sense of. His lifetime ambition, as you learn, is to create one exceptional painting that will outlive him and secure his place as one of the greats.
Voyta’s story is a little odd and quirky at first, but death plays a key part in it and it grows surprisingly heartfelt the more you get into it. The overall storytelling and the tempo just feel right. It’s mostly linear, with from what I’ve seen two possible endings, and of course some player choice on how to complete certain quests. True to form, there’s a good dose of humour and banter to lighten the mood, and one pretty funny quest that easily ranks as one of my favourite shorter quests in the game so far.
Gameplay and quest-wise, Brushes with Death is still classic KCD. It doesn’t do anything that isn’t already in the base game, and the quest design is largely a mix of fetch quests - find a spot on the map, clear out a bandit camp, brew a potion, steal a thing - with a story twist. But the point is it doesn’t have to do gameplay somersaults to be good, it knows what it is: a well-written side story on top of an already fantastic base. No fancy gameplay bloat, just solid, character-driven content. Plus, the DLC launched alongside Patch 1.3, which brought new mounted archery and horse racing activities.
What the DLC specifically brings new for Henry is shield painting. When interacting with Voyta, there will be an option to customise your shield where you can choose from a variety of different patterns, colours of those patterns, and symbols. New cosmetics unlock as you progress through the DLC quests and the overall story.
It’s purely cosmetic, and a feature I would have probably appreciated more if my Henry wasn’t a peasant-turned-silver-tongued-aristocrat by day, loot-hoarding-thief by night, but the customisation options are plenty enough that even I started carrying a shield just to give my Henry a bit more flair. Also bundled in is some new silly armour and a unique dagger, small bonuses rather than anything transformative, but appreciated all the same.
Is it worth buying?
Brushes with Death is only €5.99, and it gives you a great questline, six to nine hours of new content, plus a fun new cosmetic feature. It’s not super expansive, but it doesn’t waste your time either.
On top of some already amazing side quests in the base game, this is Warhorse in their playing field and shows really strong potential for what’s to come in future DLCs that are slated for release sometime in autumn and winter this year. If you’ve already wrapped up your Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 adventure, Brushes with Death is a good excuse to return. And if you’re mid-playthrough, even better. It’s easily weaved into the main story that it can be a nice change of pace from the political drama of Kuttenberg.
The Good
Fair price for great content- Great story true to classic KCD
- New shield painting feature
The Bad
Some might wish for more new gameplay mechanics- Some fetch quests feel familiar
