Warhorse Studios has released Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 – Legacy of the Forge, a new expansion launching alongside Patch 1.4. The update arrives with fresh narrative content and gameplay additions, paired with a round of stability improvements, balance adjustments, and bug fixes.
The rollout signals continued post-launch support for the historically grounded RPG, with the expansion and patch now live and aimed at deepening immersion while smoothing overall performance.
What the Expansion Adds and How to Access It in an Existing Save
Legacy of the Forge arrives alongside Patch 1.4 with a steel-tinged story arc that threads through blacksmith guild politics, smuggling routes, and frontier skirmishes. Expect a mid-length campaign that leans into craftsmanship and consequence, plus fresh tools for your arsenal and new ways to earn coin between battles. The update also folds in quality-of-life refinements and broad stability tuning so the new content slots cleanly into ongoing playthroughs.
- New questline centered on smithing rivalries, featuring branching choices and multiple endings.
- Smithing activities that expand metalworking and repair, with unique commissions and timed contracts.
- Weapons and gear forged for heavy and agile builds, including a signature longsword and war hammer set.
- Side encounters tied to supply caravans, ore shipments, and fortified bandit camps.
- Patch 1.4 upgrades such as performance optimizations, UI/inventory filters, and controller/input tweaks.
Jumping in from an existing save is quick: once the game updates to 1.4 and the DLC is installed, the hook triggers via your journal and regional blacksmiths. If you don’t see the prompt immediately, give the world a moment to refresh by waiting or sleeping in-game; the starting objective will place a new map marker and a messenger event may fire in town.
- Install/enable the DLC on your platform (Store/Library → Add-ons) and verify you’re on Patch 1.4.
- Load your current save, then wait 1-2 in-game hours; look for a new side quest entry in the Journal.
- Visit a master blacksmith in a major settlement to manually start the chain if the courier event is missed.
- Set the quest as active to reveal the first contact and fast-travel marker; bring repair kits and space in inventory.
- Using mods? Reorder or temporarily disable script-heavy mods until they’re updated for 1.4 to avoid quest triggers failing.
Source: Warhorse Studios
The Latest Patch Brings Performance Improvements Bug Fixes and Stability Gains
Patch 1.4 prioritizes smoother play and steadier delivery, dialing in more consistent frame pacing, faster transitions, and fewer interruptions during high-action moments. Expect leaner background processes that reduce hitching while riding across the countryside and improved asset streaming in busy hubs, resulting in cleaner traversal and more reliable camera motion. The update also tightens memory management to sustain long sessions and trims loading times so you’re back in the saddle faster after deaths, fast travel, or major scene changes.
- Reduced traversal stutter via streamlined streaming and background I/O scheduling
- More stable frame pacing in dense settlements and large skirmishes
- Lower memory footprint to cut down on mid-session hitching
- Quicker boot and save-load thanks to improved cache handling
- LOD and foliage tuning to minimize pop-in while preserving detail
- Crash-rate reductions after cinematics and during extended play
On the reliability front, the patch resolves a wide spread of quest blockers and rare progression snags tied to new mission chains, while refining NPC pathfinding and daily schedules to prevent standstills at choke points. Combat feels cleaner with fixes to edge-case input buffering and lock-on behavior; physics and collision anomalies around workshops and town gates have been ironed out; and persistent UI quirks-such as inconsistent inventory scrolling and remapped control prompts-now behave as expected. Audio sync is more dependable across cutscenes, ragdoll pops are toned down, and several low-frequency crashes related to heavy streaming or back-to-back fast travels have been addressed, collectively pushing overall stability to a more dependable baseline.
Source: Warhorse Studios
Recommended Settings Combat Tips and Resource Management for a Smooth Start
Start by taming the tech before the battlefield. On PC, favor a balanced preset and a quality upscaler (DLSS/FSR/XeSS) to stabilize frame-times; a modest framerate cap (60-90) smooths animation timing for parries and ripostes. Reduce visual clutter-disable motion blur and heavy film grain, and ease depth of field during fights-then widen your FOV slightly to better read flanks. Keep tutorials and contextual hints enabled for the opening hours, and bump subtitle size/contrast for clarity. Fine-tune camera sensitivity and controller dead zones, lower head-bob, and remap frequently used actions like block, feint, clinch, and quick items to comfortable inputs. If you’re on a mid-range GPU, set textures to high but streaming to medium to prevent hitching in towns and forest line-of-sight transitions.
- Video: Quality upscaler on; modest framerate cap; motion blur off; film grain low/off; FOV +5-10; depth of field reduced in combat.
- Controls: Medium assist where available; tight dead zones; remap block/feint/clinch; separate aim and look sensitivities.
- HUD/Accessibility: Tutorials on; readable subtitles; clearer stamina/health bars; minimal clutter; color options for readability.
- Audio: Prioritize dialogue clarity; tweak effects to hear footsteps, armor clatter, and bow draw cues in fights.
- Performance: Texture streaming on medium for 8 GB GPUs; keep background apps closed; prefer borderless fullscreen for quick tabbing.
Early victories hinge on pacing, not bravado. Guard first, strike second: learn the rhythm for perfect blocks and counterattacks, and use footwork to deny encirclement-backstep to reset, then cut angles to isolate targets. Light armor preserves stamina and keeps you nimble, while a maintained blade or well-waxed bow string can decide close duels. Carry bandages and basic decoctions for bleeding and vitality; repair kits save coin versus smith fees. Build a cash cushion without courting the gallows: harvest legal game and herbs, craft simple potions, fix and sell lightly worn gear, and stash valuables safely before roaming. Spend early groschen on training, a sturdy gambeson, and a helmet; avoid multi-enemy brawls until your perks, weapon skills, and confidence catch up.
- Defense first: Perfect blocks and ripostes conserve stamina; clinch to make space against aggressive foes.
- Footwork matters: Circle to an opponent’s weapon-off side; don’t spam attacks-recover between strikes.
- Upkeep: Hone blades and clean armor regularly to maintain damage and defense bonuses.
- Essentials: Bandages and marigold decoctions; a small repair kit; torches and lockpicks only if you can handle the heat.
- Low-risk income: Herb gathering and alchemy, legal small-game hunting, basic gear repairs for resale.
- Spending priorities: Training sessions, durable light armor, helmet protection; arrows and whetstone over flashy upgrades.
- Travel smart: Move by day early on, save/rest often, and avoid prolonged night ops until stealth and vision perks improve.
Source: Warhorse Studios – Kingdom Come
Buying Guide Editions Upgrade Options and Whether to Jump In Now or Wait
If you’re eyeing the new content, the smart move is to match the package to your play style and platform. Storefronts typically offer a few clear paths: keep your existing save and buy the add-on on its own, grab a bundle that folds the base game and expansion together at a discount, or spring for a premium tier that layers on cosmetics and audio/visual extras. To avoid buyer’s remorse, confirm what’s actually included on your platform’s listing and whether there’s a price-smart upgrade path from your current edition. Also check the small print on save compatibility, performance targets, and any platform-specific features tied to Patch 1.4 (controller profiles, haptics, FSR/DLSS toggles), as these can meaningfully change the experience.
- Standalone add-on: Best if you already own the base game and want only the new story arc and systems.
- Bundle/Complete set: Good value for newcomers; usually consolidates previous content with the expansion.
- Deluxe/Premium tiers: For collectors; often include cosmetics, soundtrack/artbook, and occasional early access missions.
- Physical/Collector’s: Prioritize tangible extras but verify if codes and discs include Patch 1.4 or require a sizable day-one update.
As for timing, Patch 1.4 aims to stabilize early teething issues, but outcomes can vary by rig and console. If you’re sensitive to frame pacing or scripting bugs, give it a few days for hotfix telemetry to settle, scan community notes, and confirm that the patch addresses your pain points. Price-wise, expansions often see modest discounts within the first seasonal sale window; if you’re backlog-heavy, waiting can be sensible. On the other hand, if you want to embed in the economy early, dodge spoilers, and benefit from a fresh player-driven meta, jumping in now gives you that momentum-especially if your platform is already reporting solid performance metrics with 1.4.
- Jump in now if: you want day-one access, stable reports on your platform, and the bundle pricing works in your region.
- Consider waiting if: you need ironclad performance, are price-sensitive, or rely on mods and are awaiting post-1.4 updates.
Source: Warhorse Studios
With Legacy of the Forge now live alongside Patch 1.4, Warhorse Studios pairs new content with continued refinements to Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. Players can update today and should consult the official patch notes for the full list of changes, fixes, and known issues before diving in.
We’ll continue to monitor rollout stability, hotfix plans, and community feedback in the coming days. If you’re jumping back into Bohemia, back up your saves, give yourself time for the download, and check settings after the update. We’ll update this story as more details emerge.
