Kingdom Come: Deliverance II’s first story expansion is here, in Brushes with Death

The first of three planned paid story expansions for Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, Brushes with Death has arrived.

Artistic endeavors

Released earlier this year, Warhorse Studios and Deep Silver’s massive medieval RPG Kingdom Come: Deliverance II has been a smash. Selling some three million copies, the sequel picks up from the close of the first game and places fans back in the boots of Henry, in 15th Century Bohemia. But his quest doesn’t have to end when the main game does, as there are a total of three paid expansions planned out for it, the first of which has just arrived.

Entitled Brush with Death, the downloadable-content pack sounds like it might play on some themes that aren’t present in that base title. It centers on a “mysterious artist” who happens to carry around a skull and is looking to complete a painting. From the press release too, he might be just a bit more than he appears to be.

Delve into a new storyline in Brushes with Death, where Henry must help a mysterious artist uncover his enigmatic past. In a series of quests spanning both maps of the Kingdom Come: Deliverance II world, Henry must find, persuade, and sometimes eliminate a host of familiar and unfamiliar characters to help his new friend complete the most important painting of his life. Discover the answers to the many questions that surround this eclectic character. Who and what is he? How does he know so much? And why does he carry around a painted human skull?  

In addition to new quests, Brushes with Death features a brand-new and unique feature to visually modify your shield, choosing from a variety of patterns and colors to reflect your personal style with Shield Painting.  

Deep Silver press release

Along with the above, which again is paid DLC, there’s a free bit of new content that’s dropped for Kingdom Come: Deliverance II as well. That comes in the way of both horse racing and mounted archery, delivered as a part of update 1.3.

In those events, players can race against three opponents, across “a series of routes and difficulties designed to push your horse-handling skills to the limit.” Just make sure to stay on your toes if you engage, as Deep Silver says the happenings will put your “observation skills, accuracy, and intuition” to the test, as you fire at targets from horseback.

Both the paid Brushes with Death and the free Horse Racing DLC’s should be out as you read this, for all versions of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II.