Can You Keep a Stolen Horse in Kingdom Come: Deliverance?
Can You Keep a Stolen Horse in Kingdom Come: Deliverance?
The short answer is you can’t keep stolen horses. However, the long answer is you can keep them, but you just can’t use their inventory, equip them, or whistle for them. You need to purchase or be given a horse for it to be yours, allowing it to:
- Appear in the horse tab in the menu
- Be equipped with tack
- Be called via whistling
Stolen horses cannot do any of that. They can merely be ridden for a time. You can steal horses, but you can’t keep stolen horses.
From an immersive perspective, it’s probably nonsensical. From a game balance perspective, though, it makes perfect sense. The fact is that transportation range and carry weight extends too far if you get a horse early on; it’s game-breaking. Having to traverse from Point A to Point B is nothing if you have a mount; you can run away from bandits, hunt game to your heart’s content, and transport it for sale.
Furthermore, the horse in medieval times was akin to the auto culture in today’s America, complete with a full logistic and maintenance line to care for the animals, whether for pack riding, farm labor, or war. The game’s story makes some mention of what a step-up this is for Henry.
That said, a better mechanic for limiting the imbalance of horses could be used. Rather than making stolen horses “vanish”, they could simply be listed as “stolen” permanently — which makes sense considering horse-thievery was always considered a serious offense. Eventually, a guard “teleports” to you and catches you if you’re inside town limits.
- When I walk into towns, I am often stopped by guards and asked to be searched for stolen items. If I’m riding on my horse or it’s right next to me, which has stolen items in its inventory, will those items be found and taken by the guards?
- Also related, if they won’t search my horse, am I able to quickly move stolen items from my inventory to the horse while the guard is running up to me, and they stay hidden?
Essential Steps to Acquire a Legitimate Horse in the Game
There are several ways you can acquire a legitimate horse in Kingdom Come: Deliverance. Some methods are part of the main story quests, while others involve purchasing or stealing a horse. Here’s a structured overview of your options:
- Mission ‘Run!’: The first opportunity to get a horse occurs during your escape from Skalitz in the mission ‘Run!’. This horse is temporary, but if you’re struggling to find one, you can find horses located at the end of the dirt path leading out from the castle down the hill. This takes place when you have the chance to save Theresa. After this chaotic opening, you will need to leave Talmberg, where you’ll need Talmberg guard armor. Once you obtain that, you can also acquire a horse at the town stable within the castle courtyard. Look for the one that says ‘Horse – Mount’ to claim it as yours.
- Quest ‘The Prey’: After leaving Talmberg, continue progressing through the main quest until you reach Rattay. Here, you will encounter more quests, including ‘The Prey’, where you will hunt for Sir Hanush. Upon completing this quest, Sir Radzig will reward you with your own horse. Although it is a basic horse with low stats, it will serve you well until you can afford a better one.
- Buying a Horse: You can purchase a horse from various horse traders scattered throughout the game. The first trader you can visit is in Neuhof. Horses here have significantly better stats compared to the one awarded from the quest. You can buy a horse as soon as you have enough coin, but it may be wiser to wait until you can access higher-level horses available for sale. Key locations with horse traders include:
- Neuhof
- Uzhitz
- Merhojed
These traders offer a total of twenty horses, which come with fixed names and stats, making them unique characters in their own right. Each horse has different attributes such as speed, endurance, and carrying capacity, which you should consider based on your preferences.
- Additional Considerations: It’s important to note that any horse you simply mount or steal will not be yours permanently and will eventually leave. Therefore, to ensure ownership, you must either complete a quest or make a purchase from a stable. For a faster acquisition, the best approach is to either progress through the main quest for a free horse or to save up money to purchase one, keeping in mind that knowing what you’re doing will allow you to get the cheapest horse quickly.
For further information and details on acquiring a horse, you can check the Kingdom Come: Deliverance wiki.
What Happens to Stolen Horses After Their Use?
In Kingdom Come: Deliverance, horses are essential domestic animals that facilitate faster and more efficient travel. They are a key aspect of gameplay, especially for leveling up the horsemanship skill. Horses can be purchased from various traders located at:
- Neuhof (Zora)
- Uzhitz (Head Groom)
- Merhojed (Johann)
- Pribyslavitz (Stablemaster) – available with the From the Ashes DLC
While it is possible to hunt horses, any items harvested from them will be deemed stolen since they belong to the villagers. Poaching is a crime, so players must be cautious about who witnesses their actions or whom they attempt to sell to.
Regarding the fate of stolen horses:
- The short answer is that players cannot keep stolen horses.
- The long answer is that while players can possess them, they cannot utilize their inventory, equip them, or call for them. Additionally, the player will be marked as a criminal, and those horses will not be designated as ‘yours.’
It is also important to note that bandit horses will despawn or revert to their original locations if left unattended for several hours. To make a horse belong to the player, they need to either purchase or receive it.
Historically, horse theft was a severe crime, heavily prosecuted in medieval and early modern times. It often resulted in harsh punishments, such as branding, torture, exile, or even death.
Consequences of Riding Stolen Horses in Kingdom Come: Deliverance
In Kingdom Come: Deliverance, horse theft is treated similarly to automobile theft. It is classified as a crime punishable by felony jail time.
If you steal a horse, it will not be considered your property. Stolen horses:
- Cannot appear in the horse tab in the menu.
- Cannot be equipped with tack.
- Cannot be called via whistling.
- Can only be ridden for a limited period of time.
Furthermore, you cannot keep a stolen horse in Kingdom Come: Deliverance. To own a horse, you need to purchase or be given one, or acquire it through quests.
Additionally, while you can steal horses, you cannot sell them. The horse dealer will not offer you the option to sell stolen horses. Attempting to do so could result in jail time. You also cannot change the saddle or load items onto a stolen horse.
Although stolen horses will remain where you leave them, they are cosmetic only. They will not be marked as “yours,” and you will be recognized as a criminal.
If you believe your horse has been stolen, it is crucial to report the theft immediately to local authorities, such as the city police or the sheriff’s department. Horse thieves often sell stolen horses to buyers or slaughterhouses. These operations process the horses quickly, making it difficult to trace and recover stolen animals in time.
How to Recover a Stolen Horse and Avoid Legal Trouble?
To recover a stolen horse in Kingdom Come: Deliverance, you can follow these steps:
- the authorities by reporting the theft to the law enforcement agency with primary jurisdiction in your area.
- Raise your speech by doing quests. You can also use bard potions and savior schnapps to lie your way out of the search.
- Utilizing a schnapps and a reload will cancel the search. Additionally, a bard potion should help you sur the speech requirement to deceive officials.
It’s important to note that horse thievery was a serious crime in the Medieval and Pre-industrial Age. Rather than making stolen horses ‘vanish’, they could simply be listed as ‘stolen’ permanently. This is because horse-thievery was always regarded as a serious offense. Eventually, a guard may ‘teleport’ to you and apprehend you if you’re within town limits.
Additionally, during your gameplay, consider finding Uzhitz’s stables. You can then go there at the middle of the night, knock out the stable boy, and ride off on the best horse. However, note that you cannot get rid of Pebbles, nor mark the stolen horse as your main.
