Back in the Saddle Quest Walkthrough

After the harrowing events at Trosky Castle where Hans faced execution, you find yourself liberated and ready to move forward. Back in the Saddle serves as the seventh main quest in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, tasking you with gathering intelligence while Hans attends a crucial meeting at Nebakov Fortress. This quest introduces players to espionage mechanics and presents several optional objectives that can significantly influence future story developments. Understanding the quest structure and available options is essential for progressing smoothly through the narrative.

Understanding the Quest Framework

Upon arriving at Nebakov Fortress, you’ll discover that Hans requires time to conduct private negotiations. Rather than sit idle, you’re given the opportunity to explore the fortress and complete various tasks. The quest structure divides into mandatory requirements and discretionary objectives, each with distinct consequences and rewards. Your approach to these tasks—particularly which information you gather and how you acquire it—will shape the outcome of subsequent quests.

The primary framework consists of two essential information-gathering tasks that must be completed before Hans concludes his meeting. Beyond these requirements, multiple optional activities await, ranging from simple conversations to more complex infiltration scenarios. The time available for these activities is substantial, allowing players to methodically work through their chosen objectives without rushing.

Primary Mandatory Objectives

Engaging Michael in Combat and Conversation

Michael serves as your initial guide through the fortress, providing a tour that yields various benefits. During this interaction, you’ll receive complimentary food and beverages, and more importantly, access to crucial information about the fortress inhabitants and resources. The tour culminates with Michael proposing a duel, which you should accept regardless of your combat confidence level.

The duel itself carries no consequence regarding victory or defeat—the outcome is irrelevant to quest progression. What matters is that you engage in the combat encounter and conclude it successfully. Following the duel, Michael directs you toward Klara for medical attention and begins discussing other fortress residents. This is your opportunity to inquire about the fortress horses.

Direct your conversation toward the equine resources available at the fortress. Michael will initially provide limited information, but persistent inquiry is necessary. Pressing him on the topic will eventually elicit the revelation that Jaromier inherited the horses. This specific detail becomes one of two critical pieces of information required for Hans’s meeting assessment.

Racing with Groom Peltzel and Extracting Information

The second mandatory task involves locating and engaging with Groom Peltzel, the fortress’s equine specialist. Upon initial contact, Peltzel exhibits reluctance to discuss the horses directly, instead challenging you to participate in a mounted race. Accepting this challenge is mandatory—declining will prevent quest progression toward its resolution.

Similar to the Michael duel, the race outcome holds no significance for quest advancement. Whether you triumph or suffer defeat, the race completion remains the critical factor. After concluding the race, return to Peltzel for conversation. Now that the racing challenge is complete, he becomes considerably more forthcoming about the fortress’s equine collection.

Question Peltzel persistently about the horse acquisition. He will eventually disclose that the fortress obtained its horses after soldiers successfully defeated nearby bandits. This constitutes the second crucial information piece that Hans requires before concluding his private meeting. With both Michael’s revelation about inheritance and Peltzel’s information regarding bandit conflict, you possess the fundamental intelligence needed for the quest’s primary requirements.

Strategic Optional Investigations

Infiltrating the Prison Facility

Among the available optional tasks, infiltrating the fortress prison ranks as particularly valuable. Within the prison cells, you’ll discover that Nebak remains incarcerated, an important revelation suggesting underlying fortress politics and possible conspiracies. Reaching this discovery requires careful navigation and strategic decision-making regarding your approach method.

Two distinct methods exist for accessing the prison area. The first approach involves locating the guard stationed at the prison entrance and utilizing speech mechanics to convince him that Jaromier has summoned him elsewhere. This requires adequate speech ability and appropriate dialogue selection. Alternatively, if speech-based solutions prove unsuccessful, you can employ stealth tactics to circumvent the guard by knocking him unconscious and acquiring his keys through pickpocketing.

Should you choose the pickpocketing method, positioning yourself behind the guard and carefully extracting his keys requires both patience and precision. Guards maintain their awareness of surroundings, so timing your theft between their attention lapses is essential. Once you’ve obtained the keys or convinced the guard to depart, entering the prison becomes feasible, allowing you to discover Nebak’s confinement.

Exploring Additional Fortress Locations

Beyond the prison investigation, the fortress contains numerous locations worth exploring. Various conversations with fortress residents can provide additional context regarding the political situation, though many interactions yield information of marginal importance to immediate quest objectives. The fortress layout includes residential areas, service quarters, and administrative spaces, each offering opportunities for discovery and optional dialogue.

Some locations are more restricted than others. Certain areas may have guards present or require careful timing to access without detection. Players interested in maximizing their exploration should remain aware of their current visibility status and adjust their movement patterns accordingly to avoid unnecessary conflict with fortress security personnel.

Critical Information Gathering and Narrative Impact

The Semine Situation and Future Consequences

Among the optional information you might uncover during your fortress investigation is a particular detail about Semine’s unusual absence from his wedding. This seemingly minor detail carries disproportionate narrative weight, as mentioning this observation during your report to Hans creates significant consequences for the subsequent quest, Necessary Evil.

Sharing information about Semine’s early wedding departure can result in substantial complications during future events, potentially leading to numerous deaths among fortress inhabitants. Conversely, withholding this information prevents these cascading negative outcomes. This choice exemplifies how Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 integrates player agency into storytelling, where seemingly trivial observations can reshape narrative trajectories.

Understanding this connection empowers players to make informed decisions about which information to report and which details to keep confidential. The game rewards observant players who carefully consider the implications of their intelligence gathering and reporting choices.

Quest Completion and Fortress Departure

Waiting for the Meeting Conclusion

Once you’ve completed your preferred objectives and gathered desired information, you must wait for Hans’s meeting to conclude. Six in-game hours must pass before your objectives automatically update to reflect the meeting’s end. During this waiting period, you can continue exploring, engaging in conversations, or simply passing time through various fortress activities.

When the six-hour duration expires, the fortress interior transitions to restricted access, and all residents will insist you depart. This automatic transition eliminates the possibility of extended fortress exploration beyond this timeframe, making advance planning important for completionists interested in discovering all available optional content.

Reporting and Final Steps

Return to Hans upon the meeting’s conclusion. If you successfully uncovered truth regarding the fortress leadership and identified the authentic lord, Henry will briefly explain the situation and emphasize the urgency of departure. Regardless of your investigation depth, you’ll immediately proceed back toward Trosky Castle to report your findings to Otto von Bergow, concluding the Back in the Saddle quest and advancing the main narrative.

Strategic Recommendations and Tips

• Complete both mandatory tasks early—securing information from Michael and Peltzel should be prioritized to ensure you meet fundamental quest requirements
• Manage your speech ability—certain dialogue options require specific speech proficiency levels, so gauge your character’s capabilities before committing to speech-based solutions
• Consider prison infiltration—discovering Nebak’s confinement provides valuable intelligence that enhances your understanding of fortress politics
• Document location layouts—mental notes about fortress geography can improve navigation efficiency and help identify optimal movement paths
• Exercise discretion with sensitive information—carefully evaluate which details deserve inclusion in your final report to Hans
• Save before sensitive interactions—backing up your progress before attempting risky actions like pickpocketing or prison infiltration provides security against unintended consequences

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it necessary to win the duel against Michael?

No. The duel outcome carries no significance for quest progression. Participating and completing the combat encounter is the only requirement, regardless of victory or defeat.

Can I avoid the horse race with Peltzel?

The race is mandatory for progressing past Peltzel’s initial reluctance to discuss the horses. Declining the challenge will prevent him from sharing necessary information about horse acquisition.

What happens if I don’t discover Nebak’s imprisonment?

Missing this optional discovery doesn’t prevent quest completion, but it reduces your overall intelligence gathering and may affect your understanding of fortress political dynamics.

How long can I spend exploring the fortress?

You have approximately six in-game hours before the meeting concludes and the fortress becomes restricted. This timeframe provides sufficient opportunity to complete both mandatory tasks and several optional investigations.

Does mentioning Semine’s wedding absence lock me out of anything?

Reporting this information doesn’t lock you out of content, but it triggers significant consequences during the Necessary Evil quest, potentially resulting in multiple casualties among fortress inhabitants.