Crime and Reputation

In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 a crime that someone sees, or works out later, gets Henry confronted by the victim or a guard, and he chooses to pay a fine, talk his way out, run or fight, or accept punishment, as Game Rant's crime guide explains. Punishments climb from the stocks to caning, then branding on the neck, and a serious crime committed while still branded ends in hanging and a game over. Crime also costs reputation, which the game tracks per town, per region and per person, and Warhorse says repeated crime makes "the now-fearful locals" arm themselves, guards watch harder and shopkeepers raise prices.

Quick facts

What counts as a crime

1:30 Most things a medieval villager would object to are crimes. TheGamer's guide lists killing innocents, stealing, breaking into houses, trespassing, harming people or domestic animals, and disrupting people's lives. Sleeping in a bed that is not Henry's counts as trespassing (Gamer Guides).

Crimes come in three weights. Game Rant groups trespassing, brawling and theft as minor, a fistfight with a guard as middling, and murder as serious. The weight, and Henry's record, decide the punishment.

Looting the dead is risky. TheGamer's beginner tips say looting a body is a crime unless guards saw the fight. Patch 1.4 changed that for one group: "Looting or killing bandits no longer counts as a crime", say the patch notes.

Witnesses, searches and guards

8:46 Someone has to notice. People who catch Henry may report him to the guards or confront him themselves, TheGamer says. A villager who sees him leaving a house may check for missing items and call a guard if something is gone, Game Rant adds. Patch 1.2 sharpened people's hearing for violent or criminal situations, the notes say.

1:18:28 Guards search people. A random guard may stop Henry and search him, and stolen goods found on him get him caught (TheGamer). Guards can also stop him after fast travel into a town, Game Rant notes. The Thievery perk Hidden Pockets gives a 33% chance to avoid a search (PCGamesN).

1:00 Stolen items carry a mark. Game Rant's money guide says a small red hand icon marks them and they are harder to sell. Fences buy them, and perks such as Totally Legit and Trafficker make the stolen status fade faster; the Money Making Guide and Stealth, Lockpicking and Pickpocketing cover the details.

Running only delays things. Henry is attacked on sight by guards and some civilians if he flees, and people recognize him "sooner or later" unless he redeems himself, TheGamer says. Warhorse adds that someone looking for him over a crime will even wake him while he sleeps to pay a fine or be arrested.

Getting caught: fines and choices

A confrontation offers four answers. Game Rant lists them:

1. Pay a fine (an indulgence). The amount depends on the crime.
2. Persuade with Speech, Henry's standing, or intimidation.
3. Leave or fight, which only postpones the reckoning until he returns.
4. Accept punishment, which the bailiff picks from the crime's severity and Henry's past offenses.

Fines have no fixed table. Neither Game Rant nor TheGamer prints amounts, and they grow: a GamesRadar+ writer's fine passed 2,000 groschen after fleeing. The Drinking perk Drunken Fool lets Henry excuse himself from minor crimes while drunk (PCGamesN).

Punishments: stocks, caning, branding and hanging

The punishments escalate with each offense. The effects below are Game Rant's:

Source: Game Rant's crime guide.

The brand is on the neck. The executioner marks Henry's neck as a criminal's, and people despise him, TheGamer says. It fades with time, and a penitential pilgrimage lessens its effects.

Neither guide describes jail time as a punishment Henry serves. The four above are the ones both list; TheGamer calls the stocks "a few days of humiliation".

24:34 Hardcore Mode is harsher. With the negative perk Menace, a punishment also leaves a neck tattoo and guards across Bohemia treat Henry more harshly, PCGamesN reports. See Hardcore Mode.

Reputation

44:38 Reputation is local. TheGamer explains that it is tracked per town, per region and per person, and is helped by saying the right things, paying fairly, not stealing and looking presentable. Disliked, Henry may be refused service or ignored; liked, he gets kinder treatment, trade and discounts (TheGamer).

A crime wave changes the town. Warhorse says locals arm themselves, guards grow more vigilant and shopkeepers raise their prices (Warhorse), and Game Rant adds that guards also become more numerous. Patch 1.2 rebalanced how angry a place gets from thefts and violence (patch notes).

6:46 Looks count. Clothes, dirt and blood shape how people react; Warhorse wrote that if Henry arrives "bloodied and bruised from battle" people judge him accordingly. Washing and dress are on Food, Sleep and Health and Speech and Charisma.

Reputation also opens doors in Hardcore Mode. Without map markers, people may give directions depending on Henry's reputation and appearance, Deep Silver says.

How to clear your name

Pay or talk at the moment you are caught. Paying the fine or passing a Speech check settles it, and accepting the punishment is the fallback when Henry cannot pay (TheGamer).

Rebuild reputation afterward. Game Rant lists small side quests and tasks, friendly conversation, paying into the indulgence boxes in a rathaus or church, and a penitential pilgrimage begun by talking to a priest, which also lessens the brand's effects. Troskowitz has an Indulgence Chest, Game Rant's town guide notes.

Keep a save first. Because the outcome of a theft can be a brand or worse, drinking a Savior Schnapps before a risky job is the usual advice; see Saving and Savior Schnapps.

Frequently asked questions

What happens when you get caught in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2? In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 the victim or a guard confronts Henry, and he can pay a fine, persuade them, flee or fight, or accept punishment chosen by the bailiff, Game Rant explains. Fleeing only postpones it.

What does branding do in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2? In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 branding, the punishment for a first serious crime, marks Henry's neck, halves his positive reputation gains and makes most merchants refuse to trade until it heals, per Game Rant. Another serious crime while branded means hanging.

Can you be executed in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2? Yes. In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 a serious crime committed while Henry is still branded leads to hanging, which ends the game and sends you back to your last save, Game Rant says.

How do you fix your reputation in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2? In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 do small tasks, talk kindly, pay into an indulgence box in a rathaus or church, or begin a penitential pilgrimage with a priest, according to Game Rant.

Is looting bodies a crime in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2? In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 looting the dead is a crime unless guards saw the fight, TheGamer warns, but since Patch 1.4 (Sep 9, 2025) looting or killing bandits no longer counts as a crime.

How much are fines in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2? Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has no fixed fine table: the amount depends on the crime and grows if Henry flees, and one GamesRadar+ writer faced over 2,000 groschen.

What does the stocks punishment do in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2? In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 the stocks leave Henry "Disgraced", with Charisma lowered by 4 and conspicuousness raised by 20 for a while, and time passes, which can fail quests, Game Rant says.

Sources

• Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 - Crime & Punishment, Explained, Game Rant (Joe Grantham), Feb 6, 2025
• How Do Crimes Work in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2?, TheGamer (Mohamed El Ouardighi), Feb 6, 2025
• Shape and evolve Henry your way, Warhorse Studios on Steam, Oct 4, 2024
• Survival Instincts: Cooking, Hunting and Staying Alive in KCD II, Warhorse Studios on Steam, Nov 1, 2024
• Beginner Tips For Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, TheGamer (Tom Hopkins), Feb 4, 2025
• Beds and Sleeping - Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Gamer Guides, Feb 3, 2025 (updated Sep 17, 2026)
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Patch 1.4 notes, Deep Silver, Sep 9, 2025
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Patch 1.2 notes, Deep Silver, Mar 13, 2025
• How To Fast Travel In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Game Rant (Joshua Leeds), Feb 4, 2025
• Best Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 perks, PCGamesN (Lowell Bell), May 16, 2025
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 - How to Get Money Fast, Game Rant (Taylor Pittman), Feb 10, 2025
• I underestimated Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and now I've got to find 2,000 groschen or live as a criminal forever, all because of a stupid lute, GamesRadar+, date not shown
• Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 hardcore mode arrives, PCGamesN (Ed Smith), Apr 15, 2025
• This is Hardcore: Adventuring inside a brutal new Bohemia, Deep Silver, undated
• Everything To Do In Troskowitz, Game Rant (Joshua Leeds), Feb 19, 2025
• Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 - 10 Early Game Mistakes to Avoid, IGN, Feb 4, 2025 (video)
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Official Game Reveal, Warhorse Studios, Apr 18, 2024 (video)
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Dev Livestream #7, Warhorse Studios, Apr 26, 2025 (video)
• Get rich in 10 minutes in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Taureor, Feb 6, 2025 (video)
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Dev Livestream #6, Warhorse Studios, Feb 28, 2025 (video)
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Dev Livestream #2, Warhorse Studios, Nov 20, 2024 (video)
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Official Gameplay Showcase, Warhorse Studios, Aug 21, 2024 (video)