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Baldur’s Gate 3 Guide: What to Do with the Caravan Strongbox
In the role-playing game Baldur’s Gate 3, the choices you make have consequences that affect the overall plot. Your decisions can determine whether characters become allies or enemies, and whether they live or die. One quest that showcases this dynamic is the “Find the Missing Shipment” quest in Act 1, where you must make a decision about a valuable item known as the Caravan Strongbox. This guide will provide you with recommendations on what to do with the Caravan Strongbox in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Location: The Risen Road
You will come across the Caravan Strongbox along the northern section of The Risen Road. If you’re having trouble finding this area, refer to our comprehensive guide that details all the ways to reach The Risen Road. Once you reach the region, engage in a battle outside a large cave entrance and retrieve the Caravan Strongbox from within the cave. From here, you have two options:
- Open the Caravan Strongbox
- Keep the Caravan Strongbox Closed
If you open the Caravan Strongbox, you will discover several items of varying usefulness. These include a Black and Jade Green Dye x2, 23 gold, and an Iron Flask. Although the items may not seem significant, the flask itself can actually be important for later events.
If you choose to keep the Caravan Strongbox closed, you can bring it to the Zhentarim Hideout for your reward. This option can lead to more favorable outcomes.
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Save Rugan and Olly
When you first encounter the Caravan Strongbox in a remote cave, you will find two characters named Rugan and Olly. They have already discovered the chest and are being outnumbered by hostile enemies. You have the following choices:
- Save Rugan and Olly, allowing them to deliver the chest themselves.
- Defeat the monsters and persuade Rugan to hand over the chest to you using Intimidate and/or Persuade options.
- Kill Rugan and Olly or let the Gnolls do the job, allowing you to claim the chest for yourself.
I personally recommend keeping characters alive whenever possible. For the purpose of this guide, let’s assume you choose the more challenging option of clearing the cave of monsters and saving Rugan and Olly. This choice offers the most follow-up options.
Forge an Alliance with Flind
If you decide to take out the monsters, it’s beneficial to turn their leader, Flind, into your ally. Keep in mind that Flind is a powerful enemy at level five, and its minions can make the battle quite challenging. Before approaching the area, make sure to save your progress. If Flind approaches you at the beginning of the battle, use your parasite abilities to convince Flind to feed on its own minions. Keep in mind that Karlach may not approve of this tactic, but you can regain her approval by persuading Rugan to give you the chest after saving him.
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Deliver the Caravan Strongbox
Once you have gained access to the Caravan Strongbox, you must decide whether to open it before delivering it. If you choose to return the Caravan Strongbox unopened, you will receive a more useful reward. Head to the northwest corner of Waukeen’s Rest, near the stable stall with the frightened ox. Frighten Salazon in the nearby room, and recite a password you have learned. Then, go around the shelves where the man cowers to find the hatch leading to Zhentarim Basement.
In Zhentarim Basement, locate the wardrobe in the back corner and open it to reveal the hidden stairs. Follow these stairs to meet with Zarys. The conversation with Zarys can take various paths depending on previous events. In my case, I had to kill Rugen before Zarys asked me to deliver the chest to Baldur’s Gate. By joining the Zhentarim “family,” you gain the option to purchase The Jolty Vest armor from the local merchant, Brem, for 663 gold. This outcome seems to be the most advantageous.
At this point, it appears that keeping the Caravan Strongbox unopened and returning it to Waukeen’s Rest is the best course of action. You may also have the option to keep the chest without involving Zarys and potentially sell it later in the game at Baldur’s Gate. However, the consequences of this choice and any resulting changes in the story are currently unknown.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is available on Steam.