The short answer
Start KCD2 Ransom after Speak of the Devil by meeting wounded Jan of Suchotlesky during the road ambush east of Kuttenberg, or by finding him at the Old Kutna wagoners' inn. Treat him, enter Sigismund's camp, learn what happened to Peter, then confront Laszlo. Recruit every ally your save still makes eligible before choosing Jan or Laszlo at the final meeting. Make a manual save before the choice: guides and player reports disagree on some reward totals, and quest outcomes can remove reinforcement groups. KCD2 Ransom is save-sensitive.
Cover disclosure: original KCD2.org conceptual illustration, not an in-game screenshot or an exact quest scene.
Start KCD2 Ransom and Treat Jan
KCD2 Ransom becomes available after the main quest Speak of the Devil. Multiple walkthroughs document a road encounter east of Kuttenberg, near Danemark, where Jan's group is attacked. If the KCD2 Ransom event has already passed, guides also place wounded Jan at the Old Kutna wagoners' inn. Track KCD2 Ransom instead of forcing the encounter.
Source: ActuGaming Rançon walkthrough
Follow the steps
- Finish Speak of the Devil and make a manual save before starting KCD2 Ransom.
- Travel the road east of Kuttenberg toward Danemark; if no ambush appears, check the KCD2 Ransom fallback at the Old Kutna wagoners' inn.
- Speak to Jan of Suchotlesky and inspect his wounds.
- Use a bandage for the bleeding and give the treatment item requested by the live dialogue. Published KCD2 Ransom routes mention alcohol and embrocation, but the exact prompts and skill checks can vary.
- Read Jan's letter and track the KCD2 Ransom objective into Sigismund's camp.
Find Peter and Negotiate with Laszlo
The KCD2 Ransom camp is a restricted military area, but KCD2 Ransom gives Henry a legitimate investigation route. During KCD2 Ransom, follow the letter and marker, speak with camp contacts, and avoid a general fight. Father Bohumil, Musa or bathhouse worker Milada can move the search forward when the active objective names them.
At the KCD2 Ransom prisoner area, look for the guarded tent rather than a freestanding prison building. The guards and nearby canvas lanes are the useful landmark.
Source: ActuGaming Rançon walkthrough
Follow the steps
- Enter Sigismund's camp and follow the current KCD2 Ransom investigation marker.
- Ask the available KCD2 Ransom witnesses where Peter and Laszlo were taken.
- Find Laszlo Farkas at his red command tent and hear his proposal.
- Locate the prisoner tent and question the captured soldier.
- Inspect Peter's body on the cart when the KCD2 Ransom objective updates.
- Return to Laszlo, then report the truth to Jan before KCD2 Ransom recruitment.
Source: ActuGaming Rançon walkthrough
Source: ActuGaming Rançon walkthrough
Use the KCD2 Kuttenberg guide for regional services before returning to the KCD2 Ransom camp. Do not loot Peter's belongings early: ownership markers still apply and may change the later reward.
Recruit KCD2 Ransom Reinforcements
Jan asks Henry to recruit help before the final KCD2 Ransom meeting. There is no reliable one-size-fits-all KCD2 Ransom roster. Guides commonly identify six groups, while another published route includes Emmeram and Linhart as additional possibilities. Eligibility depends on whether those people survived, whether their quests were completed, and which outcome Henry chose.
Compare your options
| Possible group | Earlier state to check | If dialogue is missing |
|---|---|---|
| Kubyenka and Adder | Their prior quest outcome and survival | Re-read the KCD2 Ransom journal; dead or hostile allies cannot join |
| Mikesh and Kozliek | Their camp-related quest state | Patch 1.4 fixed one known reinforcement issue; update the game |
| Goliath and Hog | Earlier encounters completed without hostility | Visit during normal waking hours |
| Menhard and Arne | Ars Dimicatoria outcome | Patch 1.4 addressed Arne and tavern behavior |
| Zimburg brothers | Skeleton in the Closet outcome | Patch 1.3 fixed a known unavailable-dialogue bug |
| Mesoles mercenaries | Relevant Kuttenberg jobs and survival | Check their normal location and active KCD2 Ransom objective |
| Emmeram or Linhart | Listed by some guides, not all | Treat them as optional save-dependent checks, not guaranteed recruits |
The official Patch 1.3 and Patch 1.4 notes confirm that several missing-reinforcement states were bugs, but a patch cannot revive a character killed by Henry's decisions. Update first, then check the journal, time of day and prior quest outcome. If an NPC has no KCD2 Ransom topic after those KCD2 Ransom checks, continue with the allies your save supports.
Choose Jan or Laszlo in KCD2 Ransom
Return to the KCD2 Ransom meeting only after recruitment and a manual save. The KCD2 Ransom choice is not a clean moral toggle: siding with Jan follows his revenge plan and normally leads to combat with Laszlo's force; accepting Laszlo's deal turns Henry against Jan's side. The exact bodies, loot and dialogue depend on who arrived and who survives.
Source: ActuGaming Rançon walkthrough
Choices and consequences
| Choice | Immediate result | Reward boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Support Jan | Fight Laszlo's group with the allies Henry recruited | Walkthroughs commonly report 125 groschen plus Peter's sword; verify the actual inventory notification |
| Accept Laszlo's offer | Fight Jan's side and keep access to battlefield loot | Published routes report Peter's equipment and about 500 groschen from Jan, but totals vary with survival, ownership and what is taken |
If your priority is the quest narrative and Peter's sword, Jan's route is the clearer published path. If your priority is loot, Laszlo's route can expose more equipment, but it also requires betraying Jan and fighting people Henry recruited. Published walkthroughs such as the PowerPyx Ransom route provide useful reward baselines, not guarantees for every save. After the result screen, inspect the weapon and ownership icon before comparing it with the KCD2 weapons guide.
Fix Missing Jan, Laszlo or Reinforcement Dialogue
Find the cause
| Symptom | Likely boundary | Safe recovery |
|---|---|---|
| No road ambush | Random start already missed or delayed | Check Jan at the Old Kutna wagoners' inn after Speak of the Devil |
| Jan is missing after the camp investigation | Active objective or location state has not resolved | Track KCD2 Ransom, check the upstairs room at the Old Kutna wagoners' inn, then reload before this stage if the marker still fails |
| Jan is present but cannot talk | Schedule, combat state or historical quest bug | Leave combat, wait to daylight, update, reload before his stage |
| Prisoner or Peter is missing | Investigation objective not advanced | Speak to Laszlo and available witnesses, then follow the new marker |
| Menhard, Arne or Zimburg brothers refuse | Prior outcome or old patch bug | Install current patches and verify their prerequisite quests |
| Mikesh or Kozliek has no topic | Save state or issue addressed in Patch 1.4 | Update, revisit during daylight, continue if still ineligible |
| Final meeting does not advance | A recruit dialogue or report-to-Jan step is open | Read every KCD2 Ransom objective and speak to Jan again |
Avoid console quest flags: they can display the next prompt without restoring the missing prerequisite. A clean save before Jan, before recruitment and before the final KCD2 Ransom choice gives three useful recovery points.
Before the final choice
0/10 completedKCD2 Ransom FAQ
Where does KCD2 Ransom start?
After Speak of the Devil, look for Jan's ambush east of Kuttenberg near Danemark. If it does not fire, check the KCD2 Ransom start at the Old Kutna wagoners' inn.
How many allies can join KCD2 Ransom?
There is no safe universal number. Published guides disagree, and deaths plus prior outcomes remove groups. Ask every eligible contact the KCD2 Ransom journal exposes rather than using another save's count as a requirement.
Should I side with Jan or Laszlo in KCD2 Ransom?
For KCD2 Ransom, choose Jan for the revenge route and the commonly reported Peter's-sword reward. Choose Laszlo for the betrayal route and its loot opportunities. Save first because reward totals and survivors vary.
Why is a reinforcement missing?
Update the game, check the prerequisite quest outcome and visit during waking hours. Official patches fixed specific KCD2 Ransom dialogue for the Zimburg brothers, Mikesh and Kozliek, but story deaths remain permanent.
Can I finish KCD2 Ransom after the camp story?
The linked thread is anecdotal and does not establish a cutoff. If Jan is missing, track the active objective and check the upstairs room at the Old Kutna wagoners' inn before reloading. Because the boundary is unclear, finish KCD2 Ransom before late camp objectives.
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