In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, the Chiaroscuro quest involves an unusual task—placing a mysterious egg in a hidden location and waiting for toads to “brood” it. While the objective might sound simple on paper, players have encountered confusion and glitches that make this step more challenging than expected. This guide walks you through the exact process, based solely on in-game observation!
Reaching the Nest Location
The first step is navigating to the correct spot in the wetlands. Start under a bridge, near a path that runs alongside water. From there, head directly south into the swampy terrain. Continue in a straight line until you start to hear the sound of frogs or toads croaking.
This audio cue indicates that you’re getting close. Keep an eye on the left-hand side of your screen for a prompt to “Investigate”. Once you see it, stop and look around for a tree near the prompt location (this is where the egg must be placed).
Placing the Egg in the Nest
If you already have the egg from the black cockerel, approach the identified tree and interact with the nest. The game may indicate that the character sees the nest, even if it’s not immediately visible. Once the nest is found, you’ll get the option to place it inside.
When you’re done, the objective updates to indicate that the toads will begin brooding it. However, this is where the quest may start behaving inconsistently.
How to Properly Wait for the Toads
A key issue players face is that waiting or sleeping right after placing the egg does not always work. Here are the specific conditions you need to meet:
- Move away from the nest until a message appears: “Wait until the toads brood the eggs.”
- Do not leave your horse near the egg, as this may interfere with quest progress.
- Once you’ve seen the message, only then should you skip forward 24 hours.
Even with all this done correctly, the game may not register the hatch on the first try.
Once the toads have finished brooding the egg, return to the same location near the tree. If everything worked correctly, you’ll now see the Basilisk egg in place of the original. Simply pick up the egg, and your objective will update to indicate that it’s time to deliver it.
Additional Tips
If the egg doesn’t appear after the first wait cycle:
- Approach the egg site again.
- Back away slowly until the message prompt appears once more.
- Repeat the 24-hour wait.
Knowing where to place the egg and waiting for it can be a hassle if the glitch triggers for whatever reason. Just be patient and keep trying. By following this exact sequence (and ensuring your horse isn’t parked near the nest), you should be able to trigger the next stage of the quest without further issue. If you enjoyed this Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 guide, check out my other article where I show the location of Bohuta’s hidden treasure!
