Baptism of Fire is the fourteenth main quest in Kingdom Come: Deliverance. It starts when Henry talks with Sir Divish about the attack on the bandits and Cumans at Pribyslavitz, beginning the battle.
You should be well armed in preparation for the attack; drink any useful potions before you begin.
Synopsis[]
A raiding party led by Captain Robard of Talmberg is preparing to attack the bandit camp and I'm to go with them. It will be my baptism of fire.
Objectives[]
- Fight your way into the camp.
- Fight through to the Cuman camp.
- (Optional) Deal with the archers.
- Kill the Cuman commander.
- Fight through to the church.
- Defend the position.
- Kill the bandit commander in the steeple.
- Defend the position.
- Fight through to the church.
- Fight through to the Cuman camp.
Walkthrough[]
Henry listens to the battle plan
The battle plan has been decided: along with Sir Radzig and Captain Robard, you will attempt to cross the bridge into Pribyslavitz and engage the bandit and Cuman fighters in the clearing. If you race ahead of your allies, you might be able to take out some of the enemy archers. A wave of enemies will attempt to stop you at the bridge. Slaughter them all, and proceed toward the camps.
Don't bother trying to kill the archers behind the fence; you won't be able to hit them, so leave them to your allies. Instead, accompany the men to fight the second wave of enemy fighters. If too many of your men die, you will be killed as well, so don't hang back.
Sir Radzig's men remove the blockade to the Cuman camp
Once the fight outside has been won, your men will move aside the cart blocking entry to the Cuman camp. There are about half a dozen archers to the left of the gate on the wooden stairs; you'll help the cause if you can take them out. If you sabotaged the arrow caches during the previous quest, the archers will quickly run out of ammunition and be forced to enter the fray. Eventually your men will overpower the Cumans and kill their commander, at which point it's time to fight through to the church.
Head to the other camp, where the bandits make their stand. Three archers are on the palisade, so take them out if you can. Two of your men will take up a log and begin to batter the church gates as another group of bandits races up the hill to engage you; defeat the new arrivals.
The church gate will be destroyed, and your troops will pour into the church yard. Runt orders his remaining forces to push the Skalitz and Talmberg troops back while he retreats into the church with you in pursuit. Runt doesn't recognize you until you ask where your sword is. He begins to taunt you, enraging you as you demand to know the location of the sword.
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Runt taunts Henry for the final time
This is finally your chance to get revenge on Runt. He's a formidable opponent, heavily armored and highly skilled. The easiest way to defeat him is to arm yourself with a powerful bow and arrows and shoot him from a distance; a well-placed headshot from even a semi-skilled archer using a good bow can finish him in one hit before he gets close. (However, this won't be possible on Hardcore difficulty, when he will be wearing an Italian bascinet.) Otherwise, before starting this quest, train in your preferred fighting style with Captain Bernard, select all the relevant perks, and arm yourself with a strong weapon.
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Runt is defeated
When you defeat him, you will throw him to the ground and disarm him. Even with your knife at this throat, Runt continues to laugh, calling you a peasant brat and promising to see you in hell as you beat his head into the floor. You are interrupted by Sir Radzig and Robard, who calmly congratulate you on killing the bandit commander. They tell you they found a large chest of gold hidden in the church, indicating someone very wealthy and powerful was funding the bandits.
A familiar figure watches the battle
The three men look out of the crumbling steeple as the remaining bandits are killed below. This sight, together with the realization that Runt is finally dead but the sword remains lost, makes you vomit. Robard tells you not to dwell on the carnage, but you disagree: it is important to remember what happened this day. Sir Radzig tells you to rest and meet him later at the Upper Castle of Rattay, praising you for your accomplishments. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the group, a suspicious yet familiar figure is also surveying the scene. He ominously states he will make you pay for what you've done, and orders his attendant to put the next part of their plan into action.
Notes[]
- Like any other enemy, Runt can be knocked out with the Headcracker perk, but the cutscene won't trigger unless you actually kill him. This is a good opportunity to loot his belongings, as he will otherwise despawn by the time you return to Pribyslavitz after the cutscene.
- The "next part of our plan" the mysterious figure orders in the final cutscene seems to be the raid on Merhojed, as the bandit accepting the order appears to be the same one you later encounter as Melichar's captive during Questions and Answers.
Bugs[]
- If playing on a game console, the game may crash during the loading screen before the first battle at the bridge. This is more likely to occur if the game has been running for several hours. Though simply reloading will suffice, to prevent this issue, hard reset the console before speaking to Sir Divish to begin the quest.
- If you skip the cutscene after fighting Runt, you may encounter a bug where you remain at the top of the church with Runt still alive. However, he will immediately die after one strike. To resolve this issue, reload a prior save and let the cutscene play out.