Interested in racing horses through the countryside or demonstrating your horseback archery skills? Both activities can be unlocked in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 through the “Horses for Courses” quest located west of Troskowitz. Make a visit to Nomad’s Camp, resolve an altar conflict, and fulfill a set of challenges to have access to competitive horse racing and mounted archery permanently.
How to Unlock Horse Racing & Mounted Archery
If you’re wanting to take up horse racing or mounted archery for the first time in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, you’re going to have to travel west of Troskowitz. There, you’ll come across the Nomad’s Camp—a site you may recall from the beginning of the game as being where you initially discovered your dog, Mutt.
When you get there, look for two NPCs called Mikolai and Bibrek. They will be engaged in a heated discussion on which activity is more worthy of honor—archery or horse racing. Approach either one of them, and you’ll initiate the Horses for Courses side quest.
The Debate at the Altar
Before you proceed to the challenges, you’ll have to listen to both of their accounts and accompany one of them on a stroll to a nearby altar. Mikolai thinks it’s Zamur’s and makes you bow in respect. When you are about to do so, Bibrek appears saying it’s Karachin’s altar instead. You will be presented with an option: take sides, or pacify the situation. If you mediate, the two consent to resolve matters through a series of trials so that you can determine who’s in the right.
Taking on the Challenges
Both Mikolai and Bibrek have three challenges set before you—Mikolai emphasizes racing, while Bibrek focuses on mounted archery. Your task? Win all three horse races and outscore Bibrek in all archery challenges.
Horse Racing Tips: Unlock the Horse Racing, Wildrider, and Final Stretch abilities to get ahead. The first two races are quite short and simple, but the third is slightly trickier with four checkpoints. Stay near the other riders to not get lost, then dash forward using Final Stretch when approaching the finish line.
Mounted Archery Tips: The target scores to beat are reasonably generous. Bibrek advises keeping on the course even if you’re missing a shot, but it is better to slow your horse down close to the targets and shoot carefully. You’ll win the required score well ahead of time by playing cautiously.
Settling the Dispute
After clearing all six challenges, head back to the altar where Mikolai and Bibrek await your final say. You’ll get four dialogue options, including the chance to side with one of them or choose “To both!”—which is your best bet if you want to walk away with both rewards.
Before the decision is finalized, they’ll test you with a skill check by asking for their horse’s name. The correct answer is: “First of a Thousand and Tooth.” Pass the check, and after a bit of back-and-forth between the two, they’ll both reward you.
- Choose Karachin: Receive a Chanfron
- Choose Zamur: Get a Bridle
- Choose Both: You’ll receive both rewards and unlock the altar decoration
Post-Quest Perks
Once the quest wraps up, you’ll unlock permanent access to horse racing and mounted archery. These are great for leveling up your Horsemanship and Archery skills. You can even place bets—with the winner claiming the full pot and second place earning back their stake.
