KCD2 For Whom The Bell Tolls walkthrough
How to save Sir Hans from execution in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2
Wondering how to save Sir Hans in the Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 main story quest, "For Whom The Bell Tolls"? This quest is the sixth main story quest in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and it's one of the most interesting and complex quests in the whole game.
Built more like a mystery or puzzle game, this KCD2 quest sees you trapped as a prisoner inside Tachov Castle, with none of your gear at hand. You're tasked with manual labour, and with only limited access to the castle, you must find a way to set things right purely by talking, sneaking, and piecing together what's happening bit by bit.
But despite Henry's circumstances, Hans is far worse off. There's a time limit to this quest; your aim is to find a way to save Hans from execution before twelve hours are up - hence the quest's ominous name.
"For Whom The Bell Tolls" is a very open-ended quest, and there's a huge amount of optional tasks, secrets, and choices buried in nearly every region of Tachov Castle. In this definitive walkthrough, we'll explain every part of the KCD2 quest, including the fastest way to save Sir Hans, how to gain access to the two towers, how to cure Sir Thomas, and much more besides.
KCD2 For Whom The Bell Tolls walkthrough
You'll begin "For Whom The Bell Tolls" inside a cell with Hans, and after some tense discussion between the two of you, you're let out to work off your debt, while Hans - who has been discovered to have been poaching - is sentenced to be executed in 12 hours' time.
Next up is a conversation outside between Henry and Guardian Kroupa, who tells Henry to start hauling sacks of charcoal up to the shed. You can take this opportunity to ask various questions of Kroupa to help understand what's what. Once that's done, the main portion of this very unique and complex KCD2 quest begins.
Since "For Whom The Bell Tolls" is such an open-ended quest, I've divided this walkthrough into several sections. Use the links below to navigate through the Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 guide:
- KCD2 For Whom The Bell Tolls quest steps
- Fastest way to save Sir Hans from execution
- How to access the Crone (Alchemy Tower)
- How to access the Maiden (Chapel Tower)
- How to get Fever Tonic Potion for Sir Thomas
- How to get Feverfew
- How to get Ginger
- How to get Elderberry Leaves
- How to get Lockpicks
- How to get Groschen
- Other things to do in For Whom The Bell Tolls quest
- Final step: Bring the Fever Tonic to Sir Thomas

KCD2 For Whom The Bell Tolls quest steps
You have none of your gear in this Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 quest, so you have to rely on your skills of speaking, sneaking, and understanding that a lot of the information you're dripfed over the course of the quest is actually very important.
I'll go over the fastest way to complete the "For Whom The Bell Tolls" quest further into this guide, but if you're looking for the fullest walkthrough of this fascinating quest, then follow the below steps. There are lots of different ways to complete this quest, so a lot of these steps are entirely optional. But if you want the fullest experience of this KCD2 quest, here's what to do.
- Haul the three Charcoal Sacks to the shed.
- Speak to Hired Hand Kolda at the gallows about more work.
- Retrieve Kolda's Axe and sharpen it.
- Talk to Kolda again for info on Ulrich and the well.
- Sneak into the house opposite the gallows.
- Loot the bedroom dressed for 48.2 Groschen.
- Pick Feverfew from behind the barn.
- Speak to the Blacksmith about more work.
- Go to the Smithy and take materials from the chest.
- Craft a Farmer's Horseshoe and present it to the Blacksmith.
- Take the Horseshoe to Hired Hand Kabat.
- Ask Kabat what he did previously, and about tools.
- Speak to Father Nicodemus about Kabat's rosary.
- Play the Father at Dice for the rosary (or steal it).
- Return the rosary to Hired Hand Kabat to obtain 3x Lockpicks.
- Pickpocket Kabat for even more Lockpicks if desired.
- Speak to Jarek outside the Smithy and tell him about the rosary.
- Follow Jarek up the Maiden to reach Sir Thomas.
- Speak with Adela, Sir Thomas's sister.
- Loot the room next to Sir Thomas for valuables.
- Head back to the Smithy and speak to Cook Fanka.
- Speak to the Blacksmith about Cook Fanka.
- Open the red pot in the Smithy for another Lockpick.
- Speak to Cook Fanka and follow her to the kitchen.
- Pick the lock on Fanka's chest for her.
- Steal the Ginger from Fanka's chest.
- Steal Elderberry Leaves from the Carpenter's house.
- Speak to Chamberlain Ulrich in the kitchen.
- Convince Ulrich to let you diagnose him.
- Successfully diagnose Ulrich to gain access to the Crone tower.
- Loot Weak Digestive Potion from the house near Father Nicodemus.
- Give Chamberlain Ulrich the Weak Digestive Potion.
- Take food from the Bathhouse by the Smithy.
- Give food to the hungry guard above the Bathhouse.
- Climb the Crone tower to the surgeon's study.
- Speak with Katherine at the top of the tower.
- Take the Physician's Journal from the Alchemy Bench room.
- Read the Physician's Journal for the Fever Tonicum recipe.
- Loot ingredients from the chest (if you don't already have them).
- (Option A) Craft Fever Tonicum using the Alchemy Bench.
- (Option B) Steal Fever Tonicum from the locked chest in the other room.
- Go down the well and loot the Gold Emperor's Badge.
- Speak to Hans in his cell before you leave.
- Take the Fever Tonicum Potion to Sir Thomas.
That's how I would get the full experience from the "For Whom The Bell Tolls" quest. But if you want to do things a bit quicker, read on for the fastest method!

Fastest way to save Sir Hans from execution
If you know what you need to do ahead of time, then you can bypass the vast majority of the above steps, and complete the quest extremely quickly. You'll need a high Thievery skill (at least 14) to pull it off, but here's the fastest way to save Sir Hans from execution:
- Pickpocket lockpicks from Hired Hand Kabat.
- Sneak to the top of the Crone tower (above the kitchen).
- Head into the room opposite the Alchemy Bench room.
- Pick the lock of the chest on your left to get Fever Tonicum Potion.
- Sneak to the top of the Maiden tower.
- Speak to Adela and give the potion to Sir Thomas.




If you don't have very high Thievery, then you can still complete the quest almost as quickly:
- Hide inside the cart next to the barn.
- Once at the Smithy, steal the lockpick from the red pot.
- Sneak to the top of the Crone tower (above the kitchen).
- Head into the Alchemy Bench room and speak to Katherine.
- With Katherine gone, pick the lock of the chest and take the ingredients.
- Use the Alchemy Bench to make the Fever Tonicum Potion.
- Sneak to the top of the Maiden tower.
- Speak to Adela and give the potion to Sir Thomas.


These are the two fastest ways to complete "For Whom The Bell Tolls", but you'll also miss out on a lot of different encounters with various characters. And it's also fraught with risk, sneaking through the Castle where you don't have permission to go. So the next two sections will walk you through how to gain access to the two all-important towers - the Maiden and the Crone - without having to sneak.
How to access the Crone (Alchemy Tower)
Sneaking through Trosky Castle is very risky. Fortunately, the "For Whom The Bell Tolls" questline gives you a couple of different ways to gain admittance to the two main towers - the Crone and the Maiden - without having to sneak anywhere. Let's cover the smaller of the two towers first: the Crone, where the surgeon's study and the all-important Alchemy Bench can be found.
To gain admittance to the Crone, you must speak with Chamberlain Ulrich in the kitchen. As you'll discover if you first speak to Hired Hand Kolda by the gallows, Ulrich is suffering terribly from stomach problems. If you are able to convince him to let you examine him, and make a successful diagnosis, then he'll give you permission to ascend the Crone to reach the surgeon's study to prepare a potion for him.
You can find Ulrich by ascending the steps behind the well, right next to the stable. Once you're up the stairs, go through the door and then immediately turn right and head up the next set of stairs into the kitchen.


Ulrich will be in the kitchen, doubled over in pain. Speak with him and tell him "I see you have health issues." If you're able to convince him using either Speech or Scholarship to examine you, and then make at least two successful persuasion attempts with different lines of questioning, then you'll be able to diagnose him with the line, "Your bodily fluids are out of balance".
Ulrich will ask you to get him a potion for it, to which you can say, "I don't have the equipment or the recipe for the remedy." Ulrich will then give you permission to enter the surgeon's study at the top of the Crone tower.
How to access the Maiden (Chapel Tower)
Just like the Crone, it's possible to earn permission to explore the Maiden - the larger of the two towers - without having to sneak through it. This is an important step in the "For Whom The Bell Tolls" quest, because at the top of the Maiden is the Chapel, where Sir Thomas is being kept and cared for by his sister, Adela.
Besides sneaking, there are two ways to access the Maiden and its Chapel: either you can present Chamberlain Ulrich with a Digestive Potion to ease his pain, or you can present the soldier Jarek with Sir Thomas's missing rosary (or at least tell him where to find it).
Option 1: Present Ulrich with a Digestive Potion
If you followed the above steps while speaking to Chamberlain Ulrich, you'll know that he's after a Digestive Potion to ease his stomach pains. Either you can make one yourself using the Alchemy Bench at the top of the Crone, or you can steal a Digestive Potion (Ulrich won't mind).


You can easily steal a Weak Digestive Potion from the bottom floor of the house just beyond Father Nicodemus and the combat arena. Just head into the house via the door under the stairs when no one's looking. Shut the door behind you, and you're then free to swipe the Weak Digestive Potion from the table beside you as you enter the room.
Alternatively, craft the Digestive Potion yourself at the Alchemy Bench at the top of the Crone. If you don't already have the recipe, you can obtain it by reading the physician's journal in the Alchemy Bench room. It takes 1x Nettle, 2x Thistle, and 1x Charcoal. The first two can be found in the chest next to the Alchemy Bench, while Charcoal can be found in the red pot in the Smithy.
However you do it, once you give the potion to Ulrich in the kitchen, you can ask him for access to the Maiden, and he'll tell you you're free to go wherever you like in the castle.
Option 2: Present Jarek with Sir Thomas's rosary
If you fail to convince Ulrich (or just don't want to bother with him - I wouldn't blame you), the other way to gain access to the Maiden is via the soldier, Jarek, who is found praying outside near the Smithy. Here's what you need to do:
- Haul the three sacks to the wagon.
- Speak to the Blacksmith.
- Loot the chest from the Smithy and craft a Farmer's Horseshoe.
- Speak to the Blacksmith again, then speak to Hired Hand Kabat.
- Ask Kabat what he did before this, then ask him for tools.
- Ask Kabat if there's something he'd trade for his tools.
- Speak to Father Nicodemus about Dice and the rosary.


After this point, you can immediately go to Jarek and tell him about the rosary, and he'll thank you for the information and offer to show you up to Sir Thomas at the top of the Maiden. However, if you want to complete the trade with Kabat first, you can win (or steal) the rosary off Father Nicodemus, give it to Kabat, and then tell Jarek about the rosary for the same outcome, except that this time you get 3 lockpicks from Kabat as a bonus.
You can even win the rosary from the Father and then give it to Jarek yourself, which has exactly the same outcome as simply letting him know where the rosary is, albeit with slightly different dialogue.
How to get Fever Tonic Potion for Sir Thomas
There are two ways to get the Fever Tonicum Potion for Sir Thomas, so that his testimony can save Sir Hans from execution. Either you can brew the potion yourself, or you can steal it.

Steal the Fever Tonic
If you want to steal the potion, you'll need a very high Thievery Skill - at least Level 14, and preferably higher. You'll also need at least one lockpick (preferably several). The Fever Tonicum Potion can be looted from the chest inside the surgeon's study, opposite the Alchemy Bench room at the top of the Crone. The chest is locked, and the lock is "Hard", so without high Thievery you'll have no chance of getting in there. But if you can, this is the fastest way to get the Fever Tonic.
Make the Fever Tonic yourself
Using the Alchemy Bench, you can craft the Fever Tonicum Potion from scratch with the right ingredients. Once you've found your way to the top of the Crone, you'll find none other than Katherine, the woman present during the bandit attack on Henry and Hans's group at the start of the game.

You'll need to speak with Katherine to get her out of the room (which she'll do even if you fail any of your dialogue checks). After that, you can steal the "Physician's Journal" book from the bookshelf, and read it to give you the Fever Tonicum Potion recipe if you haven't already got it. Then, as long as you have at least one lockpick, you can pick the lock of the chest in the same room for all the ingredients you need.
Here's how to make the Fever Tonicum Potion:
- Prepare 3x Feverfew, 2x Ginger, and 1x Elderberry Leaves.
- Pour wine into the cauldron.
- Add the Feverfew and boil for 2 turns.
- Grind the Elderberry Leaves and add them to the cauldron.
- Add the Ginger.
- Finally, distil.
If you are unable for whatever reason to open the chest in this room to get the ingredients, fear not - there are other ways to get all three ingredients. Read on for details!


How to get Feverfew
Feverfew is the easiest ingredient to get your hands on. At the very beginning of the quest, simply head east around the corner, and pick as much Feverfew as you like from the garden behind the nearby barn.
How to get Ginger
Ginger can be found inside the Cook's chest below the kitchen, accessible from the start of the quest via the door above the well. The chest is locked, and you can try to open it with a lockpick, but there's a guard standing in the room who will likely hear you.


The much better method is to complete the task for Cook Fanka, who's standing outside the Smithy. She wants the Blacksmith to unlock that chest below the kitchen for her, but he's "busy". You can speak to the Blacksmith after speaking to her to get a lockpick, or you can find a lockpick yourself. After that, speak to Cook Fanka and she'll lead you right to the chest and allow you to pick the lock right there in front of her.
When you open the chest, you can immediately take the Ginger. She won't notice; she'll remark on the lack of Ginger either way, blaming it on someone else. Even if you don't take the Ginger there and then, you can return to the chest later after unlocking it, and even with the guard standing nearby you can steal the Ginger without any raised eyebrows.


How to get Elderberry Leaves
To get Elderberry Leaves, you must go to the Carpenter's house, just behind the wagon of charcoal sacks where you begin the entire questline. If you listen to the Carpenter speaking to housemaid round back, he'll eventually ask her to fetch some Elderberry Leaves. You can follow her to learn that they keep Elderberry Leaves inside the locked chest in the Carpenter's house, behind the second door on your left as you enter.
Head into the house when no one's looking, and pick the lock of the chest with a lockpick to steal the Elderberry Leaves.
How to get Lockpicks
Lockpicks are very useful throughout the "For Whom The Bell Tolls" questline. There are three main ways to get lockpicks in this quest:
- Buy, trade, or steal them from Hired Hand Kabat.
- Take or steal 1 Lockpick from the red pot in the Smithy.
- Use the Locksmith Perk if you have it.
If you have Groschen, you can flat out buy Lockpicks from Kabat after giving him the horseshoe (which only happens after you finish hauling the sacks and completing the task set by the Blacksmith). Alternatively, if you have a decent Thievery skill you can pickpocket Kabat at the start of the quest for 6 Lockpicks. Or you can win/steal the rosary from the Father and trade it with Kabat for 3 Lockpicks.

There's a single Lockpick hidden inside the red pot on the wall of the Smithy. If you speak to Cook Fanka about the broken lock on her chest, you can then speak to the Blacksmith about it and he'll give you permission to look inside the pot for the Lockpick. Alternatively, you can just steal it from the pot when no one's looking.
Finally, if you happen to have the Locksmith Perk from the Craftsmanship Skill, then every time you craft anything at the Smithy you'll gain Lockpicks as a bonus. So just craft whatever you like once you have access to the Smithy (after speaking to the Blacksmith) to get a tonne of Lockpicks.
How to get Groschen
The main use of Groschen in this quest is to purchase Lockpicks from Kabat, or to play Dice against Father Nicodemus. But you can also make use of Groschen in various other ways (including paying off guards if they spot you skulking around the castle).
The best way to get Groschen in the "For Whom The Bell Tolls" quest is by sneaking into a particular house near the eastern gate of Trosky Castle. The house in question is the one facing the stable; there's a bench by the front door, usually with a woman sitting on it.

Throw a stone from afar to get the woman to look the other way, then ascend the outer staircase and go through the door at the top into the upper floor of the house. Turn left and go through the next two doors into the bedroom. There you can rob the dresser on your right for 48.2 Groschen - more than enough for your needs.
There are plenty of other opportunities to steal small amounts of Groschen throughout the castle if you know where to look, but this is by far the easiest way to get a load of Groschen from the start of the quest.
Other things to do in For Whom The Bell Tolls quest
There are various other things to do, and people to talk to in this quest, and while optional, they're all interesting extra experiences you might not want to miss out on. Here are a few additional things you can do:
- Speak to Hired Hand Kolda. Kolda can be found at the gallows near the castle's east gate, and he'll task you with retrieving and sharpening an axe for him. You can talk with him a fair bit to find out a couple of interesting bits of information, such as Ulrich's stomach problems, and that there's a secret tunnel at the bottom of the castle well.
- Speak to Vuytek and Magda. Remember Vuytek? He's the bastard that started the fight at the wedding that got you into this mess. He's shirking his prisoner's duties trying to chat up Magda, the bathhouse owner, near the well. Speak to them and you'll have various ways of splitting the two of them up and pissing off Vuytek even more if you so wish.
- Speak to Convict Vatava. Convict Vatava can be found hauling charcoal sacks just like you, and he won't talk to you until he's done. When he is finally done, however, you can speak to him and he'll give you the important tip that if you want lockpicks, Hired Hand Kabat is the person to speak to.
- Give food to the hungry guard. If you start making your way up to the Crone, immediately above the bathhouse you'll find a hungry guard standing around inside a pantry, waiting for food. You can take food from the bathhouse to feed him and get him out of the way if you like. Either way, he bizarrely won't stop you from going further up, but if you want to try your hand at lockpicking the chest behind him, you'll need him fed and gone first.
- Go down the well. This is the big one. Hired Hand Kolda gives you the info that the well holds a secret, but even without speaking to him, you can drop down the well. The fall injures your leg and halves your health, but at the bottom you can loot a torch and a Golden Emperor's Badge. You can then follow the path to reach Hans in his cell. Depending on what else you've done before this, you'll be able to fill him in on the current plan. Then you'll have to either sneak past the guard in the next room or have Hans distract him so you can leave. This encounter is entirely optional, but it's fun all the same.
- Loot the Chapel. In the room next to where Sir Thomas and Adela can be found, you can find a Lucky Die and a Holy Trinity Die. You can also steal a very valuable Holy Chalice and and even more valuable Golden Crucifix if you wish.

Final step: Bring the Fever Tonic to Sir Thomas
The final step in the "For Whom The Bell Tolls" questline is to bring your Fever Tonicum Potion to Sir Thomas in the chapel at the top of the Maiden tower. Whether you stole the potion or crafted it yourself, the result will be the same.
Once you reach the top of the Maiden, a series of cutscenes will play where you give Sir Thomas's sister the tonic, and then the three of you rush to attempt to stop Sir Hans from being executed. Even so, it takes the timely arrival of a certain rather important character before Sir Hans is fully saved.
That wraps up our For Whom The Bell Tolls walkthrough for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. If you need more help with KCD2, stick around as we've got you covered. Check out other guides on how to get a horse, how to get money fast and how to fast travel in Bohemia. We've also got pages on the best class in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 and how to find the border nail.