No Sudden Moves quest. Bethesda is incompetent.

[Rain]

It's a main story quest. You are literally presented with a multitude of ways to get the Artifact.

1. You can kill everyone on the ship.
2. You can release zoo animals as a distraction.
3. You can pickpocket the key off the Captain and sneak into the vault.
4. You can sneak completely into the vault with no witnesses through the backdoor.
5. You can persuade the captain to show you the vault and then either attack him for it afterwards or take it anyways saying he can report you for piracy.

...and when I opt for option 4? No one sees me, no one knows...no red markers on the hud -- nothing. I take the artifact and everyone is now hostile and I get a 500 credit bounty on me.

I am utterly flabbergasted by this AAA+ BS.

[I Throw Spears.]

Life is hard.

[DinoMight]

this reminds me of old oblivion bug, where if you even if you were stealthed/crouched, in a house, no one sees you, no one around the house

you take something

and every guard on the map knows and you get a bounty

i remember fixing that with a mod

[Vexillarius]

Funny part is if you just get him to show you the artifact then shoot him in the face he lets you leave and just loot whatever you want from the ship. They don't even fight back at all. Not even close to the worst example of writing in this game.

[doublejesus]

You forgot #6 The Chad Way. Walk up, punch him in the face without saying a word and he'll give up the artifact on the spot. Might have to shoot em so dialogue doesn't initiate but it sounds better that way.

[Dre G Writer]

Originally posted by doublejesus:

You forgot #6 The Chad Way. Walk up, punch him in the face without saying a word and he'll give up the artifact on the spot. Might have to shoot em so dialogue doesn't initiate but it sounds better that way.

LMAO, I actually saw this in a video after the fact.

and I was like....................... that was it!? Thats all I had to do!? Man, I reloaded that save so many times and did ALL KINDS of stuff just to keep from getting aggroed and NOTHING I tried worked, it resulted in me slaughtering everyone each time, and this fool just walks up, shoots em in the face immediately, and then, everyone stand downs and dude just walks out with the artifact.

Bruh, I was so damn mad, and yet, laughing in pure disbelief.

[Langkard]

You had to be invited on board to do option #4 or any of those options, really. You go on the ship. You steal the artifact and even though no one saw you do it, you're the only one who could. You leave, artifact is gone. So you get reported as a pirate. Seems reasonable to me.