The following contains spoilers for Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.
It has now been over six months since Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 helped kick off an exciting year for video games, even to the point that it solidified itself as a front-runner for 2025's Game of the Year award. Since then, it has made occasional steps toward a bigger and brighter future, with regular updates throughout the year and the launch of its Brushes With Death DLC in May. Looking ahead now, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's Legacy of the Forge expansion is just around the corner, and expectations for it to be one of the game's biggest additions are already high and continue to grow.
Not much is currently known about Legacy of the Forge and what all it may bring to the base game, but it is expected to tell an emotionally-charged narrative as Henry explores the history of his adoptive father, Martin, who was killed during the raid on Skalitz in the first game's prologue. Given how much the franchise has emphasized Henry's father and their relationship, then, a core element of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's Legacy of the Forge DLC will likely be its story. However, if it hopes to make a lasting impression, it will need to avoid one of Brushes With Death's biggest mistakes.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's Legacy of the Forge DLC Must Avoid Brushes With Death's Abrupt Ending
Why Brushes With Death Left Players Wanting More
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's Brushes With Death DLC gave players a glimpse into the artistic world of Sasau's wandering painter, Voyta, and offered a lighter, more character-driven story unlike the game's often heavier beats. While the expansion's story was worth the small price point, and it was even well-acted to boot, its ending felt like the story simply stopped, with no real conclusion and several questions left unanswered. Even with multiple endings and its numerous additions to gameplay, Brushes With Death ended up lacking the same depth that defines Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.
In some ways, Brushes With Death felt like a really long side quest, with just enough of a story to justify being a part of the game, but perhaps not the DLC label attached to it. It could also be argued that Brushes With Death perhaps thought that the new gameplay features it was bringing to Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 would be enough to mask what eventually proved to be an underwhelming narrative. After all, a story is often only as good as its ending.
How Legacy of the Forge Can Deliver a Better Finale
Needless to say, this is an unfortunate end that Legacy of the Forge can't afford to succumb to. There is already a lot riding on it, not because Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 needs it in order to succeed, but because it has so much potential. And with that potential comes a lot of expectation for it to add value to the base game rather than just being something extra. The Kingdom Come: Deliverance's A Woman's Lot DLC, for example, really enriched the base game's prologue by allowing players to witness it from Theresa's perspective and even make choices that would alter her relationship with Henry, despite the expansion's release taking place after the game had already been out for some time.
In the same way, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's Legacy of the Forge DLC can outshine Brushes With Death, not just by having exciting new gameplay features, but primarily by having a narrative that really sticks with players once it's concluded. For this to happen, however, it will need to ensure that there are no loose threads by the time the story comes to an end, to the point that players will even feel like they can put down the controller or keyboard for good and be satisfied with the time they poured into Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.
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
- Engine
- CryEngine
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Action-Adventure, Open-World
