Quest "The Phantom Oxcart" - Help

[Boombastic]

Does anyone know how to start this quest?
The quest is supposedly triggered by 2 NPCs talking about it at the West Oxcart station in Vernworth but I don’t get any NPCs talking about it no matter what I do ☹
I went there in the day, in the night…nothing.

Where are these NPCs exactly and when and how exactly do you trigger the quest?
Thank you

[Avalanch07]

The quest "The Phantom Oxcart" in Dragon's Dogma 2 can be a bit finicky to trigger. Here's how to get it started:

Location:

Head to the eastern gate in Vernworth, not the western station.
Follow the main path out of the gate until you reach the marked area on your map.
Triggering the Quest:

You should see a scene with a soldier and an Oxcart driver talking about transporting pawns. This might take some waiting, so be patient.
Night time is crucial. If it's not nighttime, rest at the nearby inn or use a bench to pass time until nightfall.
After the Scene:

The soldier will run away. Chase him down and tackle him with the grab button to get some information.
He'll give you a document and plead his case. You can choose to turn him in or let him go with some gold.
Quest Begins:

This initiates "The Phantom Oxcart" quest.
Troubleshooting Tips:

Some players report the Oxcart speeding away if you approach it or the soldier too soon. Try waiting for them to move off before chasing the soldier.
Unequip all your gear, including weapons, armor, rings, and cloak, before approaching the Oxcart driver after the scene. This helps maintain your disguise as a pawn.

[Mechanique]

Progress main story far enough and you will get it

[Boombastic]

Originally posted by Mechanique:

Progress main story far enough and you will get it

I'm playing my 2nd playtrough now and I didn't get the quest triggert on my 1st one either.

This is why I asked if there is any special trick or moment in the main story to do it (and possible miss it then) because I simply don't get the NPC conversation and it is starting annoying me :-)

On my 2nd playthrough I'm already at the point that I crossed the gate to Battahl and again..nothing.

[A]

Originally posted by Boombastic:

Originally posted by Mechanique:

Progress main story far enough and you will get it

I'm playing my 2nd playtrough now and I didn't get the quest triggert on my 1st one either.

This is why I asked if there is any special trick or moment in the main story to do it (and possible miss it then) because I simply don't get the NPC conversation and it is starting annoying me :-)

On my 2nd playthrough I'm already at the point that I crossed the gate to Battahl and again..nothing.

In my case, I was returning to Venworth and entered the gate nearest the Checkpoint town ox cart. That's when two NPCs were having a conversation about an evening ox cart. The game proceeds to give you that quest.

I got this after Brant sent me to Battahl. I remember because I was surprised to get this kind of quest in Vermund at this point of the game.

Separate question for a person on their second playthrough:
Considering you are on your second playthrough, have you dealt with the coral snakes in the Ancient Battleground? I'm stuck there and im wondering if it's a bug. Apart from a few stragglers, i cannot find the boss.

[Boombastic]

Originally posted by A:

Originally posted by Boombastic:

I'm playing my 2nd playtrough now and I didn't get the quest triggert on my 1st one either.

This is why I asked if there is any special trick or moment in the main story to do it (and possible miss it then) because I simply don't get the NPC conversation and it is starting annoying me :-)

On my 2nd playthrough I'm already at the point that I crossed the gate to Battahl and again..nothing.

In my case, I was returning to Venworth and entered the gate nearest the Checkpoint town ox cart. That's when two NPCs were having a conversation about an evening ox cart. The game proceeds to give you that quest.

I got this after Brant sent me to Battahl. I remember because I was surprised to get this kind of quest in Vermund at this point of the game.

Separate question for a person on their second playthrough:
Considering you are on your second playthrough, have you dealt with the coral snakes in the Ancient Battleground? I'm stuck there and im wondering if it's a bug. Apart from a few stragglers, i cannot find the boss.

Yes, this is how is "should" happen but this "Dargas" guard doesn't spawn no matter what I do or how much I wait. He is the one who triggers the quest when talking with the oxcart driver "Guerrero".

[Boombastic]

I finally got this quest triggered by reloading a previous save.
This is how the quest worked for me (it is missable! Because reloading other saves where I was almost at the end of the game didn't spawn the quest NPCs):

- Once you are told to go to Battahl (quest: Nation of the Lambent), these 2 NPCs (guard Dagras and driver Guerrero) should spawn at the western gate oxcart station in Vernworth, but will not trigger the quest until you finish "Nation of the Lambent". They just stood there and any interaction with them will not trigger the quest.
So, progress in the main story, go to Bakbattahl, finish the quest "Nation of the Lambent" and get immediately back to Vernworth.

- now wait for night and go to the western gate oxcart at night. At this point, the NPCs started the necessary conversation and triggered the quest.

- for the trophy you need to choose the option to enter the oxcart when it comes to it (disguised as a pawn, or he will not take you)

For the quest guide you can check here:

https://www.polygon.com/dragons-dogma-2-guide/24111543/phantom-oxcart-quest-walkthrough-location-start-navil-disguise

[Nepnep]

^Just to add something, I got the quest triggered by Wilhemina (i was trying to trigger the other quest, for Hugo)

[ShadowSkill11]

Yeah theres a bunch of ways you can mess up that quest or get a incomplete end on it. You basically need to overhear the conversation about it to get the quest. R2 grab and interrogate the guard selling slaves after the cart leaves. Go talk to CMDR brant about it. Go back the next night in just your underwear with your pawns waiting elsewhere acting like a slave and talk to the driver to get in the cart. Fistfight an ambush. Let some guards whoop your butt. Then get to your final destination and put your crap on when recognized and kill all guards. Then go back to CMDR Brant. Thats the proper way that also implicates the queen.

[SaltyDylan5122]

I got this quest by randomly stopping by the second love interest at the Rose chateau or whatever and talking to her

[Harry S]

Quest guide and achievement - https://quoramarketing.com/how-to-board-the-phantom-oxcart-dragons-dogma-2-phantom-oxcart-quest/

[capt_crab]

I got the quest after going to see Lady Wilhelmina at her house, The Rose Chateau. She tells you the rumour and pretty much says it's up to you if you want to investigate it. Think it's after or during the quest, An Unsettling Encounter.

[HaIrY_WaGiNa]

If you can’t start the quest just go to the morgue and revive NPC named Navil, hope this helps

[Purrodie]

Originally posted by HaIrY_WaGiNa:

If you can’t start the quest just go to the morgue and revive NPC named Navil, hope this helps

I love you

[midnightchrome00]

Check to make sure all the npcs are alive. I got dragonplagued and messed up getting the eternal wakestone so a lot of my npcs are still dead. I couldn't get the conversation that gives you the quest to start so I checked my charnel house and Navil, a npc used in the quest, was dead. Revived him, ran to the guys that are suppose to give you the quest and immediately got it. It's possible someone else might have been killed by some random enemy and needs to be revived.

[Wake Stara]

Originally posted by HaIrY_WaGiNa:

If you can’t start the quest just go to the morgue and revive NPC named Navil, hope this helps

Thank you soooo much, I can't express it enough