Spoiler: The Zhentarim and the Missing Shipment possible paths

[McChuggernaut]

Don't want to know what happens? Then don't read this. You have been warned.

I did this quest every way possible. It is incredibly complex, but most people won't see even a tenth of what it has to offer. It's very easy to end quickly, and think you got all you could out of it. This is what I found:

First off, there are multiple ways into the Zhent hideout. You can pass a couple rolls when you enter the barn containing the hideout entrance at Waukeen's Rest to have the dude hiding in the barn (Salazon) give you a key that will let you in. Second, you can save the two Zhents protecting the chest first, and they will give you a password.

Once in, their leader will offer you a quest to help get their lost shipment back if you didn't already. Go save the two trapped Zhents from the gnolls, then walk back to their hideout (Teleporting back doesn't seem to give the two time to return to their hideout, and they need to be there for you to complete the quest that way.). Their leader will then give you a small amount of gold. She claims it will be a lot, but in my experience it was only a few hundred coins or so. This gives you access to the "Special Stock" their merchant has.

If you also chose to extort the two trapped Zhents for gold, they will be pissy at you. If you didn't and left amicably, Rugan offers to have you meet up with him in the Eflsong Tavern in Baldur's Gate after you return and talk to him at the Zhent hideout. What comes of this invitation is currently unknown, since BG3 is in early access at the time I'm writing this, and we don't have access to the city of Baldur's Gate.

The "Special Stock" is pretty crap. Just some pricey basic +1 weapons and armor. Not worth it at all, imo. You can find or pickpocket better or equivalent stuff just on the first map. This is a rather paltry reward for all the trouble you go through to finish this quest.

I tried the following options (Every option I could find.):

If you pass a scripted History check when first talking to the two Zhents after you rescue them (Always pick the top conversation option. Others can lock you out of this path.), you can reveal to them that you know they are Zhentarim. This in turn unlocks a Persuasion check to convince them to welch on their deal, and you both sell and split the profit for what's in the box. The plan is for you to take the box to a fence in Baldur's Gate later on and split the profits, but...

On arriving back at the hideout, you find that the jig is up, Rugan is tied to a chair being tortured and Olly is dead (Although for me, the cinematic was bugged and Olly was still standing there till the end of the cutscene, at which time his body is on the ground.). You have 3 options at this point. One is to pass an automatic History check and quote a line from the writings of the founder of the Zhentarim, which prompts Zara to let you live IF you obey her and kill Rugan. You can also pass a difficult Persuade check, saying you are "smarter than Rugan", and she will let you go as long as you, again, agree to kill Rugan (These two choices both result in you keeping the chest, being called a Zhentarim "recruit", and told to go ahead and deliver the chest to Baldur's Gate. You do not gain access to the merchant's "Special Stock". You can loot the bodies of Olly and Rugan.) Finally, an extremely difficult check allows you to Intimidate them, which results again in having to kill Rugan but keeping the chest, the option to deliver it yourself, no access to the "Secret Stock", and being able to loot Rugan and Olly's bodies.

You could, I presume, simply not return to the Zhentarim hideout, but that probably keeps you from working with them in the future. No idea what happens to Olly and Rugan if you don't. Presumably they are still killed.

Stealing the chest/contents while they are alive or threatening them into handing it over - They never show back up at the hideout. You can't return the chest yourself. The outcome is the same whether you unlock it or not, remove the contents or not. This may be an oversight or bug.

Killing them/gnolls kill them - Now, this is very strange. If they both end up dead, you DO get the option to return the chest yourself, an option which you DON'T get if you steal/take it while they live.

Both Zents dead and returning the chest UN OPENED - If you do this, their leader seems much more pleased with you, tells you that you are a "friend of the Zhents", and she will have work for you in Baldur's Gate. You lose possession of the chest.You aren't told you can see the merchant's "Special Stock" but you still get to. Strangely, the merchant will tell you after you back out of the trade menu that he "Can't show you the "good" stuff" till his leader says so, but he already showed it to you anyway...this is an obvious bug.

Returning the chest Unlocked (But with the flask still in it) - Upon unlocking the chest, the quest immediately fails with the message "You broke the seal. No point in returning it now.". You can't do that, it seems.

If you decide to keep the flask in the chest for yourself, you can do two things with it:

Give it to Gale - It counts as an "artifact" he can absorb as part of his story series of quests.

Open it - A spectator pops out. Upon death it drops...NOTHING!

So what's the best outcome? I would say making the deal to fence the chest, returning to the hideout, then passing one of the persuade checks and killing Rugan. All your options stay open (keeping the chest, delivering it for the zhents, finding it's "owner", working for the Zhentarim later on, giving the contents to Gale, or opening the flask.). You get to loot Rugan and Olly. The worst option is keeping it and opening the flask. You just fight a monster that drops nothing, you lose everything else, and the quest ends there.

As for what happens when you keep the chest and continue the quest branches in Baldur's gate, I don't know yet because the game ends at the end of Act 1, before you get access to the city, and we won't until full release!

[rqwertwylker]

Feels like I opened a walkthrough text file from gamefaq. Good stuff.

[oco.hollis]

Wow nice write up.
I was going to try something this run you may or may not have tried so if you know you can save me the time, but what happens if you take 1 toon in stealth mode through the back way and attempt to sneak up to the chest, pick it, steal the contents, sneak back and jump out. If you do so will the guards & knolls remain in their idle animations and you can then attack the gnolls like normal from outside, free the guards, talk to them and leave without them ever knowing you went in the cave?
I'm thinking of trying the above without the quest. If I can sneak in and steal the flask from behind their backs and send it to my camp. Then go get the quest from the Zhen leader and come back to do the actual fight. Then go back and say "Hey I did what you said and freed your guys."
I'm guessing then that that isn't going to work the way I hope? Have you tried?

[McChuggernaut]

Well, all my experimenting shows that taking the chest while they are alive breaks the quest. They just never go back to their hideout, which results in their leader telling you she will believe you saved her people "When they arrive", which they never do, so the quest hangs at that point. Only way to "fix" it is to kill them, which then gives you the option to say they are dead, and hand over the chest, but you better do it before leaving the area where you rescue them, because they disappear, despite never returning to their hideout. Breaking the seal on the box (unlocking it) also immediately ends the quest. I don't think that sneaking in an taking it before doing any other part of the quest would do anything different other than potentially break the quest entirely. But hey, feel free to try! It's what this early stage of release is for!

[beladreens]

Does anyone know whether the Zhentarim chest is accessible after returning it unopened to their group?

What I mean - if I finished the quest but then killed their group, is the chest anywhere in their hideout or did it disappear the second I gave it back?

(I want that Spectator ngl)

[dolby]

you missed some stuff btw like how to get in and so on...i guess you gonna have to do one more playthough :)

[Bukkake Buccaneer]

Extremely well explained sir!!! Thank you! I was wondering if there is a way to keep Rugan and Olly alive and steal the chest or its cpntents after?

[Edstyles]

I mean it depends if you want to be friends with the Zhentarim or not. From what i understand they are not nice people xD and there are factions that dont like eachother . So you being friends with the zhentarim might actually make it not possible for u to join other factions.

[Edstyles]

Originally posted by dolby:

you missed some stuff btw like how to get in and so on...i guess you gonna have to do one more playthough :)

hehe you mean via the underdark?

[Haven]

you can also just kill the guy in the warehouse to get access to the Zhent hideout :P

[WeenerTuck813]

I always let the guy keep it because I want the +1 studded leather armor and that’s the only place to get it

[Brother Atheos]

I saved them in the cave, talked to them afterwards and got the password. After that, I stole the contents of the chest and went to the hideout, unlocked the "special stock", pushed the boss to her death and took out everything alive in there aside from the artist and the guy tied to the chair, whom I set free. Unlocking the "special stock" let me loot all the goods from the guy at least after I killed him.

[Aksolotli]

I just keep Zhent hideout as Vendor for crap because i usually kill both Goblin and Druid Grove.

[lenggao_tria]

I stole the content while talking to them and Rugan was on the chair. I also got the option to save him or kill him. What's gained by saving him though? I just got to this point and haven't tested out yet.

[lenggao_tria]

Originally posted by The Techpriest:

I saved them in the cave, talked to them afterwards and got the password. After that, I stole the contents of the chest and went to the hideout, unlocked the "special stock", pushed the boss to her death and took out everything alive in there aside from the artist and the guy tied to the chair, whom I set free. Unlocking the "special stock" let me loot all the goods from the guy at least after I killed him.

I like this, might do what you did too tbh. Because my situation is basically the same rn.

[no_idea_what_I'm_doing]

I was disappointed, that Rugan goes back to the hideout after you made a deal with him to sell the chest and split the profit. Makes no sense in my opinion because he should know the consequences.
Make the Deal with him or save them and steal the chest is 100% same outcome.