Hammer and Tongs is a side activity in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 that allows Henry to boost his blacksmithing skills. This task is available once you reach the second half of the game, in the Kuttensberg region. In this guide, we will tell you how to complete it and the rewards.
How To Start Hammer And Tongs In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

You can start Hammer and Tongs by talking to the blacksmith called Zdimir at Grund. Ask him about his life during the conversation, and he mentions it is hard for him to manage the forge at an old age, but his apprentice has been a massive help. He then shows you a dagger forged by the apprentice, and seems to be very proud of it. You can either agree, or challenge him by saying you’ve seen better.
Challenging him will lead to a reputation loss, but it also starts the Hammer and Tongs activity. He bets that Henry can’t do a better job than the apprentice, and asks him to prove his mettle by showing his smithing ability.
How To Complete Hammer And Tongs Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

You need to forge a better sword, and defeat the apprentice in a duel to finish this activity. Refer to our blacksmithing guide for complete instructions on how to smith the best weapons. For this competition, you are required to forge the Competition Sword. You are automatically given the sketch for it after your conversation with Zdimir, so interact with the anvil and start forging. Your Craftsmanship skill should ideally be between levels 12 and 15 to win the bet.

Once you have finished, equip the new sword and tell Zdimir you are done. He will then call on his apprentice Matthias, and compare both of your swords. If you have forged at least a tier-3 sword, he will say yours is better, and advise you to meet Nicholas Krondel. Henry will then demand Matthias’ sword, to which he refuses. You can use skill checks to avoid the fight or face him in a duel, after which he reluctantly hands you the sword, which completes the activity.
Note: Fighting Matthias with any sword other than the one you forge immediately ends the duel, and you are locked out of a part of the reward. Use either the forged sword or just your fists.
After the duel, you are rewarded with 200 groschen and a Competition Hunting Sword. This sword doesn’t have any special or additional stats, so if you are not much of a souvenir person, you can immediately sell it to Zdimir.