KCD2 All That Glisters Walkthrough — Every Choice & Best Reward

Quest context

All That Glisters is the first major detective quest in KCD2's Act 1, triggered when Henry visits the Trosky market and merchants complain about a flood of counterfeit groschen coins. Captain Bernard recruits Henry to investigate because the city guard is overwhelmed. The quest is the first true 'investigate-then-decide' branching design — there is no combat-only path through the detective phase.

The structure: Henry collects four counterfeit coins from four NPC holders, identifies the supplier through dialogue tells, and presents findings to Captain Bernard. Each NPC has multiple dialogue paths depending on how Henry approaches (intimidation, charm, bribery). The detective phase is roughly 60% of the quest playtime — combat is minimal until the final ending choice.

All That Glisters affects three downstream quests: Speak of the Devil (Devil's Coin counterfeit thread), Forging the Future (uses the same blacksmith apprentice if exonerated), and the Reichersdorf merchant arc (a multi-quest series in Act 2 about the counterfeit source town). Choosing the right ending opens 4-6 hours of downstream content; wrong endings lock most of it.

Quest prerequisites

1. Complete the Trosky introduction sequence (Captain Bernard's first conversation).
2. Reach Trosky village center on a market day (Monday or Thursday in-game).
3. Speech 6+ recommended for the first investigation conversation.
4. Lockpicking 3+ for the blacksmith's strongbox investigation lead.
5. Reading 2+ for the Reichersdorf merchant ledger interpretation.
6. Bring 100 groschen for potential bribery dialogue (optional, opens shortcut leads).

Phase 1 — Collect the four counterfeit coins

Speak with Captain Bernard at the Trosky guard post. He explains the situation and provides a writ that authorizes Henry to demand the counterfeit coins from any Trosky merchant. Four merchants currently hold counterfeit coins: the innkeeper (Tomas), two market merchants (Magdalena the cloth seller and Vit the spice trader), and the blacksmith (Radek).

Speak with each merchant in any order. Each conversation reveals one NPC tell about the coin's origin. Speech checks during this phase: Tomas (Speech 6), Magdalena (Speech 8), Vit (Speech 6 or bribe 50g), Radek (Speech 8 or Strength 6 intimidate).

Coin examination: each coin can be inspected in inventory. Reading 2+ reveals two coin properties: the mint mark (R for Reichersdorf) and the lead-tin composition tell (slightly lighter than real groschen). These properties point to Reichersdorf as the source but do not identify which Trosky NPC distributes them.

Merchant tell summary

Phase 2 — Confront the apprentice

After collecting all four merchant tells and ideally lockpicking Radek's strongbox, return to the blacksmith workshop and confront Radek's apprentice, Karel. He is at the forge from 06:00 to 18:00 in-game.

Initial confrontation dialogue: Karel denies everything. Three branches: present the coins (no skill check, default lead), present the merchant tells (Speech 8, stronger lead), present the strongbox ledger (Reading 2 + lockpick success, decisive evidence).

Karel's confession depends on evidence quality. With weak evidence (coins only), he claims he was paid to distribute and does not know the source. With strong evidence (tells + ledger), he names Jaromir as the Reichersdorf forger and confesses he is being blackmailed by Jaromir (Jaromir knows about Karel's father's debt). The blackmail context unlocks the exoneration ending.

Recommended loadout for the investigation

Ending comparison

Verdict: Exonerate Karel via Speech 12 + ledger evidence is the canonical 'best' ending. It unlocks the Reichersdorf chain (4-6 hours of downstream content), gives Karel as an ally in Forging the Future, and rewards 700g + a crafting recipe over the long term. Arrest Karel is the default for builds without Speech 12. Killing Jaromir is functional but locks all Reichersdorf merchant content.

Exoneration ending step-by-step

1. Collect all four merchant coins and tells (Speech checks vary).
2. Lockpick Radek's strongbox (Lockpicking 3) for the Reichersdorf ledger and Jaromir letter.
3. Confront Karel at the forge. Present the ledger (Reading 2 + lockpick success).
4. Karel confesses Jaromir blackmail context. New dialogue option appears: 'Help Karel against Jaromir' (Speech 12).
5. Travel to Captain Bernard. Present findings: 'Karel is a victim, the real forger is in Reichersdorf'.
6. Speech 12 check — convince Bernard to spare Karel and authorize the Reichersdorf investigation.
7. Reward: 200 groschen + Karel joins Forging the Future as ally + Reichersdorf chain unlocks (4-6 hours of downstream quests).

Phase 3 — Optional Jaromir combat (kill ending)

If you chose the kill-Jaromir ending, the quest extends with a Reichersdorf travel sequence. Jaromir hides in a forge workshop on the outskirts of Reichersdorf. He has 180 HP, a noble sword (50 slash), trained Defense 6, and two AI guards (60 HP each).

Combat strategy: kill the guards first with quick combos, then duel Jaromir. He uses a defensive style — heavy on perfect blocks, light on offense. Apply Bardo Potion before engaging for the +25% damage offset. Average kill time on Defense 8 Henry: ~4 minutes.

After the kill, loot Jaromir's body for his noble sword (50 slash damage, sellable for 600g) and the 'Jaromir's Ring' quest item. Return to Captain Bernard in Trosky for the 500 groschen reward and Reichersdorf rep -20 (locks Reichersdorf merchant arc).

Common mistakes that ruin All That Glisters

• Skipping merchant Speech checks because they seem optional. Each tell is required for the strong exoneration ending.
• Confronting Karel without lockpicking the strongbox. The ledger evidence is decisive; without it, Speech 12 check at Bernard gets -2 penalty.
• Accepting Karel's bribe (250g) thinking it's just a money option. Trosky rep -15 and Bernard arc shrinks — long-term cost much higher than 250g.
• Killing Jaromir without exoneration first. Direct combat ending awards Reichersdorf rep -20 and locks Reichersdorf merchant arc entirely.
• Wearing noble outfit for the merchant investigation. Triggers different dialogue branches (noble prompts), which make some Speech checks harder.
• Selling counterfeit coins to merchants. The coins are quest-flagged and triggering them as currency immediately fails the quest with theft alert.
• Forgetting Captain Bernard's writ. Without it, Magdalena and Vit refuse to share tells regardless of Speech check.