Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's Legacy of the Forge DLC is an excellent expansion, if not for the simple fact that it finally openly embraces the cozy side of the franchise it has only flirted with up to this point. At long last, players can slow down with a DLC that lets them rebuild and manage a forge alongside customizing their very own personal quarters for Henry, as well as the area surrounding the forge. There are dozens of hours worth of content in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's Legacy of the Forge DLC, depending on how players approach it, including a main story that is as heartwarming as it is poignant.
However, with all that the DLC adds to Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, it fails to acknowledge one of the most important parts of Henry's journey. Sure, Legacy of the Forge does go over a significant part of Henry's history, particularly that of his adoptive father, Martin. But one of the biggest personal choices players can make for Henry during Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's story is glazed over in the DLC, leaving the next expansion with the tall task of ensuring that doesn't happen again.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's Final Expansion Must Deliver on Henry's Relationships
Legacy of the Forge Left Henry's Love Interests Out of the Picture
It's not entirely crucial that players pursue a love interest for Henry in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, but it can add a lot of emotional weight to the overall experience if players put in the extra effort it takes and make the right choices. While there are numerous individuals players can interact with in a romantic way throughout the story, only a handful of them produce sustained relationships, and only a couple of them are exclusive. Specifically, whereas players can romance characters like Lady Rosa, Katherine, Hans Capon, Margaret, and Klara, should they commit to either Katherine or Hans, they will be locked out of the other.
However, despite the effort and time it takes to woo said individuals, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's Legacy of the Forge DLC never bats an eye at them. It would have been nice to see Henry's chosen love interest visit him at the forge, but that never happens. There are multiple potential reasons for this, though, all of which would make sense as to why they aren't featured in the expansion. The most likely reason has to do with timeline and consistency constraints, since the DLC can be played at various points in the main story, and making sure that characters' locations, states, and relationships line up for all player save states would be exceedingly complex. There's also the fact that the DLC is somewhat self-contained, treated more as a modular rather than post-game expansion.
The Next Expansion Is the Last Chance for Meaningful Closure
Now, with Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's third and final DLC ahead, it has a chance to rectify that shortcoming and fulfill the requests of many fans in the process. With it presumably closing out Henry's story for good, after Tom McKay was confirmed to have done his last ever motion cap session for the series, it would make sense for it to pick up in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's post-game, as attempting to conclude Henry's story in the middle of the main narrative would no doubt create consistency issues.
As such, it is the perfect setup for Henry's chosen love interest to play some part in the story for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's next DLC. With it most likely picking up after the conclusion of the game's main narrative, consistency wouldn't be an issue. Plus, there's more potential for it to not be as self-contained as Legacy of the Forge, especially considering it may be crucial to Henry's character development and personal journey. In any case, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 shouldn't miss its last chance to reunite Henry with his lover, whomever players may have chosen.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 89 /100 Critics Rec: 95%
- Released
- February 4, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity
- Developer(s)
- Warhorse Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Deep Silver
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Action-Adventure, Open-World
