KCD2 All Endings Guide — Every Outcome, Requirements & Best Path

How endings work in KCD2

KCD2's ending system is more layered than KCD1's. There is no single 'choose your ending' menu at the finale. Instead, your final cinematic and epilogue scenes are stitched together from variables tracked across the entire game: which faction you supported, who survived, which companions you cultivated friendships with, and a few key dialogue choices in the last 10 hours.

Functionally, you have four 'main' endings driven by the political endgame (the succession question between King Sigismund and the Bohemian nobles) and six independent epilogue scenes for each major companion. A single playthrough sees one main ending + 3-5 companion epilogues depending on quest completion.

Critically, several ending-locking choices happen 20-40 hours before the finale. If you want a specific ending, you cannot wait until the last quest to set it up — by then the relevant variables are locked.

The 4 main endings at a glance

Verdict: Diplomatic Peace is the canonical 'best' ending — it preserves the most NPCs, gives Henry a knighthood, and unlocks every companion epilogue. The other three are valid story endings, not bad endings.

Ending 1 — Diplomatic Peace (the canonical best)

Diplomatic Peace is the ending Warhorse appears to consider the canonical good outcome. Henry mediates between the warring factions, Hans Capon survives and gains a noble title, Markvart is captured but not killed, and most companions get happy epilogue scenes.

Setup begins in early Act 1. You need to keep both Trosky and Kuttenberg reputations above 50 (don't burn townspeople), build Hans Capon's friendship via the 'Brothers in Arms' side quest chain, and complete both Voices of the Dead and Forging the Future without using extreme violence on the optional NPCs.

The deciding moment is the 'Markvart in the chapel' scene late in Act 2. You'll be given three options: kill Markvart, spare him for trial, or accept his surrender personally. Choose 'spare for trial' — this is the only choice that opens the Diplomatic Peace branch. Then in the council scene, pick 'Diplomacy' rather than 'Justice' or 'Coin'.

Diplomatic Peace — every checkpoint

Ending 2 — Sigismund's Crown (the royalist path)

Sigismund's Crown is the ending where you back the controversial king. Sigismund of Hungary is the historical claimant and KCD2 paints him as ambitious but stabilizing. This path produces a coherent epilogue: Bohemia is unified under Sigismund's rule, Henry receives a royal commission, and the succession question is settled by force.

The trigger sequence: in Wedding Crashers, support the Hungarian envoy faction (not the peasant rebels). In Suchdol's diplomatic scene, vote 'Royal authority'. In the chapel scene, kill Markvart (the 'Justice for the King' option). Final council: pick 'Royal Service'.

Cost of this path: Voyt dies in the Forging the Future questline, Pavlena leaves the region in protest, and Bohemian reputation drops permanently. Hans Capon remains friendly but conflicted in epilogue.

Ending 3 — Bohemian Revolt (the nationalist path)

Bohemian Revolt is the rebellious ending where peasants and lesser nobles rise against foreign rule. This is the most chaotic ending — the epilogue shows civil war continuing, no faction wins decisively, but Henry is celebrated as a folk hero.

The setup: support peasant interests in Wedding Crashers (refuse Hungarian bribes), back Voyt's faction in Forging the Future, kill the Hungarian commissioners during the Suchdol arc, and choose 'Free Bohemia' in the final council.

Cost: Sigismund declares Henry an outlaw. Multiple companion epilogues are darker (Katherine joins the revolt; Yorrick disappears). Kuttenberg reputation tanks. Trosky becomes a rebel stronghold but isolated. This ending is satisfying for players who want a peasant-rebellion underdog story but locks you out of any noble-friendly content.

Ending 4 — Mercenary's Path (the bad ending)

Mercenary's Path is the cynical low-reputation ending. Henry takes coin from every faction without committing, betrays late allies, and gets exiled with a heavy purse. It's the closest KCD2 has to a 'bad' ending — not because the player did something morally wrong (the moral system is gray throughout) but because Henry ends alone and unmoored.

Triggers: keep reputation below 30 in both regions, accept all 'take the gold' dialogue options, kill key NPCs (Markvart and either Voyt or Hans in optional confrontation scenes), and choose 'Take the gold' in the final council.

Epilogue shows Henry riding away from Bohemia with a sack of coin and no companions. Most companion epilogues are absent or negative. This ending is interesting as a roleplay choice but locks out almost every positive consequence the previous 60 hours built toward.

Missable moments that lock endings

• The Brothers in Arms drinking quest with Hans Capon — only available before the 'All That Glisters' midpoint. Skip it and Hans friendship caps at ~60, locking Diplomatic Peace.
• Katherine's personal questline ('Letters Home') — autoresolves negatively after Voices of the Dead if not started.
• Yorrick's tavern songs — must visit Sasau inn at night during Act 1 to unlock his loyalty arc.
• Pavlena's rescue side quest — failure here removes her from the Forging the Future endgame entirely.
• Voyt's ambush warning — visit him during Trosky's market day in Act 2 or his suspicion of Hungarian agents goes unspoken.
• Sparring with Bernard 10+ times across the game — unlocks the 'Old Friend' epilogue scene.

Companion arc cheat sheet

Can you change ending mid-playthrough?

Partially. Reputation and skills can be raised at any time — even late Act 2 — through quests and donations. But companion friendship and the early-to-mid quest decisions (Wedding Crashers faction, Brothers in Arms completion, Letters Home start) cannot be retroactively rolled back without an older save.

Practical recommendation: keep a manual hard-save at the start of each major Act so you have rollback points. Save slot at the Trosky arrival, Suchdol arc start, and Kuttenberg arrival. If you discover you've locked an unwanted ending, load the most recent appropriate slot.

New Game+ does carry over skills (but not gear or reputation), making second-playthrough ending hunts faster. The combat-mastery curve flattens dramatically in NG+ since master-strike is already at high skill.