Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 Crime: Guards, Searches and Jail
The crime system remembers. How suspicion works, what a search finds, and how to survive being caught.
Suspicion is not binary
Committing a crime in front of a witness creates a wanted state. But the system also tracks less visible things: stolen goods in your inventory, blood on your clothes, and your reputation in the area. A guard who searches you is looking for evidence, not just for a confession. Carrying stolen goods through a town is a risk even if nobody saw you take them.
Searches
Guards stop and search based on suspicion and on how you look. Blood, a drawn weapon in town, and a bad reputation all raise the chance. The practical defence is to stash stolen goods outside town, change out of bloodstained clothing, and sheathe your weapon before entering a gate.
The three outcomes
A fine: pay and the matter ends, with a reputation cost. Jail: lose time, lose skills progress in some cases, and lose your equipment temporarily. Time in jail is real time, which can matter for timed quests. Combat: fight the guards and the whole town becomes hostile. This is almost always the worst outcome, even if you win.
Reputation is the real currency
Repeated offences in one area make every interaction worse: worse prices, harder speech checks, more searches. Repairing reputation takes time and usually money. That makes the choice of where to commit crimes part of the strategy. Steal in towns you do not need, and keep the towns with quests and traders clean.
Getting away with it
Do not commit crimes in front of witnesses. Do not carry the proceeds into a guarded area. Do not wear the armour you stole while walking past the person you took it from. And if you are caught, paying the fine is usually cheaper than the alternatives, even when it feels like a defeat.
Comparing the three outcomes
Put a number on each option before you choose. A fine costs money and reputation; jail costs time and possibly skill progress; fighting costs everything and marks the town permanently. Once the three are laid out, paying the fine is almost always the rational choice, which is why pride is the most expensive response.
Related guides
Sources & References
This guide is verified against the game's own data and official communications. For patch notes, current balance, and authoritative specifics, consult the references below. Where a precise number cannot be verified, we explain the mechanic rather than invent a figure.
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II on Steam — patch notes, current season, and authoritative game data.