KCD2 Brushes with Death is the first story expansion: ten quests with painter Master Voyta across Trosky and later Kuttenberg. KCD2 Brushes with Death does not start at game launch. Finish For Whom the Bell Tolls, leave the Trosky Castle lock, then ride to the purple marker southeast of the castle, west of Apollonia. Voyta is tied to a tree and talking to a skull. Wolves hit as soon as you approach.
Quick answer: Start KCD2 Brushes with Death as soon as the marker appears if you want shield painting during Trosky. After A Sketchy Situation, Voyta paints shields for free in Trosky Castle and later in Kuttenberg; you can restore the original design. Pause when the journal asks for the second region. Keep branch saves before Burkhard, Libor, the real grave, Root of Evil, and Unveiling.
How to Start KCD2 Brushes with Death
IGN, GamesRadar, and GameRant all use the same KCD2 Brushes with Death gate: For Whom the Bell Tolls, then the purple painter marker between Trosky Castle and Apollonia. Confirm the add-on with the KCD2 DLC ownership checks if the icon never appears.
If you already live in Kuttenberg, travel back to Trosky. KCD2 Brushes with Death will not start on the second map. The KCD2 wedding guide shows the castle lock that hides the marker until Thomas is resolved.
Bring a weapon and a fresh save. After the wolves, untie Voyta. He wants his brushes back; the three stolen dice are optional. The thieves sit southeast of Troskowitz. Skill checks work; violence also works. Return to Voyta in the left wing, top floor of Trosky Castle. That finishes A Sketchy Situation and unlocks the permanent KCD2 Brushes with Death workshop feature.
KCD2 Brushes with Death is not broken when the journal later goes quiet. Quests 5–10 wait on normal Kuttenberg access. A Kuttenberg-only save that never returns to Trosky will never see the opening tree.
Source: PowerPyx
How Shield Painting Works
KCD2 Brushes with Death adds shield painting, not armour painting. GamePressure and GameRant agree: after A Sketchy Situation, ask Voyta How does shield painting work? or Paint a shield for me. The KCD2 Brushes with Death service is free. You can restore the original design later.
During KCD2 Brushes with Death, Voyta stays in Trosky Castle through the first four quests, then moves to a western Kuttenberg workshop with a purple brush icon. KCD2 Brushes with Death painting still works after the story. New patterns and symbols unlock as chapters finish; if a trophy pattern is missing, finish the DLC first.
For KCD2 Brushes with Death, PowerPyx's trophy route needs four shapes: pavese, knight, heater, and a Cuman round shield. Seasonal-pass summer shields count as round. Store extras on the horse or in a chest so you are not farming Cumans at the last minute.
Test a design during the Trosky chapters. Do not rush the next KCD2 Brushes with Death objective just because the paint menu is new. One changed pattern, colour, or symbol is enough for the basic paint trophy.
Source: Gamepressure
KCD2 Brushes with Death Quest Order
The first four KCD2 Brushes with Death quests are Trosky. The rest of KCD2 Brushes with Death needs Kuttenberg.
| Order | Quest | Before you finish it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Sketchy Situation | Rescue Voyta, recover brushes, optional dice. The KCD2 dice guide identifies the stolen set. |
| 2 | Source of Inspiration | Save this KCD2 Brushes with Death branch before Kvyetoslava's dress. Poet's Gut is missable here. |
| 3 | Chiaroscuro | Finish the investigation and keep a manual KCD2 Brushes with Death save before you report. |
| 4 | Portrait in Red | Save before Burkhard's camp. Killing him and stealing his helmet are different KCD2 Brushes with Death trophies. |
| 5 | The Night-Mare | Enter Kuttenberg ready for investigation and hostile forks. |
| 6 | Man Proposes | Exhaust Libor's KCD2 Brushes with Death dialogue. Do not rush the confrontation. |
| 7 | God Disposes | Inspect the real Voyta's grave, then ask every follow-up. |
| 8 | Stained Honour | Save before the bailiff and its honour checks. |
| 9 | Root of Evil | Brew the requested potion at Henry quality. The KCD2 recipes guide is the alchemy index. |
| 10 | Unveiling | Branch-save this last KCD2 Brushes with Death chapter before the painting and character endings. |
KCD2 Brushes with Death rewards keeping named people alive until the quest says otherwise. A missing later marker is usually the region gate, not a lost Voyta.
Missables in KCD2 Brushes with Death
- Vengeance Solves Nothing: steal Burkhard's Helmet of a Murderer. Do not kill him. Save this KCD2 Brushes with Death camp first. A lawful night approach helps; the KCD2 torch guide is for visibility, not a murder alibi.
- Libor and the grave: investigate. Inspect remains if the KCD2 Brushes with Death objective allows it. A prayer-only visit can skip evidence.
- Voyta's skull: not an automatic mid-chain gift. He can hand it over after the final KCD2 Brushes with Death work if you uncovered the history; burying it at the real grave is a separate action.
- Root of Evil: Henry-quality brew for the missable KCD2 Brushes with Death achievement.
- Unveiling: do not overwrite the last art-and-character save.
Community threads often call a missing skull a bug. Skipped grave evidence or unasked white dialogue can close the same path. Exhaust questions in KCD2 Brushes with Death before a timed answer.
Source: PowerPyx
When to Play KCD2 Brushes with Death
| Situation | Timing | Tradeoff |
|---|---|---|
| First run | Start after the castle, pause at Kuttenberg | Natural pacing, two-region wait |
| Post-game Henry | Run all ten quests in one sitting | No gate delay, easier fights |
| Trophy hunter | Branch saves at Burkhard, Libor, grave, potion, Unveiling | More save work, fewer replays |
| Diplomatic Henry | Evidence and Speech before steel | Keeps people alive, needs reputation |
| Combat Henry | Prepare for camps, delay named kills | Fast, but trophies close |
KCD2 Brushes with Death can sit beside the main Trosky journey. It should not sit on a save that still cannot reach Kuttenberg if you hate a mid-story pause.
Mistakes That Cost Rewards or Time
- Searching for KCD2 Brushes with Death before For Whom the Bell Tolls.
- Looking for the start marker on the Kuttenberg map.
- Treating the later region gate as a broken KCD2 Brushes with Death install.
- Killing Burkhard or rushing Libor before you know which trophy you want.
- Assuming Voyta paints armour. He paints shields, and he can restore the original.
- Leaving the real grave after a prayer only.
- Overwriting the Unveiling save.
If progress stops after a Trosky chapter, check whether the next KCD2 Brushes with Death objective names Kuttenberg before you ride back to Voyta again.
If Voyta Goes Missing
Search the last workshop, not the opening tree. After A Sketchy Situation he lives in Trosky Castle. After Portrait in Red he lives in western Kuttenberg. A purple brush icon is the reliable KCD2 Brushes with Death pin; the first tree marker does not stay active.
If the journal names Kuttenberg and you still stand in Trosky, the DLC is waiting on the region gate. Ride west when the base story allows it. If you already live in Kuttenberg and never started KCD2 Brushes with Death, return to Trosky Castle first. The painter will not appear on the second map until that rescue exists on the save.
Community reports of a vanished Voyta usually mix three different failures: the story never started, the workshop moved, or the next chapter is gated. Check those three before treating KCD2 Brushes with Death as a broken install.
KCD2 Brushes with Death FAQ
When can I start the expansion?
KCD2 Brushes with Death starts after For Whom the Bell Tolls and free movement around Trosky Castle. Its purple marker southeast of the castle.
Where does Voyta go?
In KCD2 Brushes with Death, Voyta stays at Trosky Castle after the introduction and moves to western Kuttenberg after Portrait in Red. Shield painting follows him.
How many quests are in the chain?
KCD2 Brushes with Death has ten quests: four in Trosky and six after Kuttenberg opens.
Why does Voyta send me to Kuttenberg?
The later KCD2 Brushes with Death story is written for the second region. KCD2 Brushes with Death resumes after the base game unlocks normal access.
Why did Voyta not give me the skull?
For the KCD2 Brushes with Death skull handover, inspect the real grave, exhaust Voyta’s history dialogue, and keep an earlier save. Missed investigation can change the handover.
