Aid the Underduke - eXputer Wiki

Key takeaways

The quest is built around investigation, infiltration, urban combat and a faction decision rather than a single linear battle.

Find a starting lead Speak with Farlin in Rivington or visit Sharess' Caress to enter the quest's chain of events.
Expect multiple urban locations The quest moves through the Counting House, the Guildhall and the city sewers, so progress is spread across Baldur's Gate rather than concentrated in one map.
Track the faction conflict Nine-Fingers Keene and The Guild oppose the Stone Lord's interests, with Minsc connected to the opposing side of the conflict.
Your allegiance matters The quest can support an alliance with The Guild or lead the party toward siding with the Zhentarim, affecting later faction relationships.

Aid the Underduke overview

Aid the Underduke is an Act 3 side quest that draws the party into the struggle between The Guild and the Stone Lord.

Aid the Underduke is a major side quest in Act 3 of Baldur's Gate 3. It introduces a conflict between The Guild, led by Nine-Fingers Keene, and the Stone Lord, a figure associated with Minsc. The quest is less about a single isolated objective than about deciding which underground power will benefit from the party's intervention.

The quest can begin through more than one lead. Speaking with Farlin in Rivington can point the party toward the situation, while visiting Sharess' Caress provides another route into the same wider conflict. These openings can place the player among Baldur's Gate's competing criminal and political interests before the quest moves into more direct investigation and combat.

Several important locations are tied to the quest, including the Counting House, the Guildhall, and the city sewers. The party must contend with the conflict around The Guild and the Stone Lord while dealing with intense encounters in urban and underground areas. Later decisions can support an alliance with The Guild or move the party toward the Zhentarim, changing the player's relationship with major underground factions in Baldur's Gate.

Where this sits

Act 3Baldur's Gate

Faction conflictThe Guild and the Stone Lord

Underground routesCounting House, Guildhall and city sewers

1Rivington or Sharess' CaressstartUse either known quest lead to become involved.
2Counting HouseinvestigationAdvance the investigation through an infiltration.
3GuildhallfactionDeal with the conflict and associated urban encounters.
4City sewersconfrontationConfront the Stone Lord's connection to Minsc.
●Faction decisionchoiceDetermine whether the outcome favors The Guild or the Zhentarim.

Aid the Underduke begins with an Act 3 contact or location and develops into a faction choice involving Baldur's Gate's underground powers.

Requirements and preparation

The source material confirms that Aid the Underduke is an Act 3 quest. Exact level, companion, item and prerequisite requirements are not established in the supplied material.

RequiredReach Act 3The quest is identified as an Act 3 side quest, so it is not available during the earlier acts.
RequiredReach a starting leadApproach Farlin in Rivington or visit Sharess' Caress to begin following the quest's events.
RecommendedPrepare for urban combatThe quest includes intense encounters in the Guildhall and other urban locations. Bring a party prepared for fights in confined or built-up areas.
OptionalKeep the faction objective in mindBecause the quest can lead toward The Guild or the Zhentarim, decide whether preserving a preferred faction relationship matters before committing to major choices.

Objectives

Investigate the conflict surrounding The Guild and the Stone Lord.The quest's central problem is a power struggle involving Nine-Fingers Keene, The Guild and the Stone Lord.
Infiltrate the Counting House.The Counting House is one of the named locations tied to the quest's progress.
Reach the city sewers and confront Minsc.A later event takes place in the sewers and involves Minsc, who is associated with the Stone Lord.
Resolve the faction conflict.The quest can produce an alliance with The Guild or a route that sides with the Zhentarim.

WalkthroughSpoilers

01
Start Aid the Underduke
Choose an opening lead
Begin by speaking with Farlin in Rivington or by visiting Sharess' Caress. Either route places the party in contact with the wider situation surrounding Baldur's Gate's underground factions, but the supplied material does not establish whether every opening dialogue is identical.
Location: Rivington or Sharess' Caress
TipIf one lead does not immediately advance the quest, check the other named starting location rather than assuming the quest is unavailable.
02
Understand the conflict
Learn about the power struggle
Follow the conversations and investigation that identify Nine-Fingers Keene as the leader of The Guild and establish the Stone Lord as the opposing force. Treat these exchanges as faction information: the quest is setting up a political conflict, not simply assigning a hunt target.
Location: Baldur's Gate urban areas
Watch outAvoid making a major faction commitment before deciding whether you want the outcome to favor The Guild or the Zhentarim.
03
Advance the investigation
Infiltrate the Counting House
Proceed to the Counting House when the quest directs you there and complete the infiltration connected to the faction investigation. The supplied sources confirm the location and the infiltration, but do not verify a single required entrance, disguise, ladder or route, so use the active quest guidance and search the building carefully.
Location: Counting House
TipExplore the location before leaving; an infiltration objective can place important evidence or routes away from the obvious approach.
04
Resolve the Guildhall confrontation
Deal with the Guildhall conflict
Continue to the Guildhall and prepare for intense combat in an urban faction stronghold. Use the surrounding architecture to control sightlines and keep the party together, because the available source material does not establish a fixed enemy roster or encounter count.
Location: Guildhall
Watch outA hostile resolution here can alter how underground factions treat the party. Save before committing to dialogue or combat if you want to compare outcomes.
05
Find the Stone Lord's connection
Enter the city sewers
Follow the quest into the city sewers for the confrontation connected to the Stone Lord. The sewers are a distinct later setting, so check side passages and quest markers rather than leaving after the Guildhall events.
Location: city sewers
06
Resolve the confrontation involving Minsc
Confront Minsc
Confront Minsc in the city sewers as the quest's faction conflict reaches its personal and immediate turning point. Minsc is associated with the Stone Lord, making this encounter central to the quest's developing allegiance decision.
Location: city sewers
Watch outThis is a major story point. The exact consequences of the encounter depend on the choices made during the quest and should be treated as spoiler-sensitive.
07
Determine the aftermath
Choose the factional outcome
Complete the quest by deciding how the conflict should resolve, with the known outcomes including an alliance with The Guild or siding with the Zhentarim. The choice helps define the party's relationship with Baldur's Gate's major underground factions.
Location: Guildhall and related faction locations
TipConsider the faction relationship you want for the rest of Act 3 before selecting the final route.

Mission mechanics

Aid the Underduke combines dialogue-led investigation with movement through several urban locations. Its structure rewards keeping track of who controls each part of the conflict: Nine-Fingers Keene leads The Guild, while the Stone Lord is associated with Minsc. The quest therefore asks the player to interpret faction motives as well as complete physical objectives.

The Counting House functions as an infiltration site, while the Guildhall and city sewers provide the quest's more dangerous confrontations. Because the source pack does not specify a fixed enemy composition, exact encounter count or required route, this guide avoids assigning unsupported tactical details. Party positioning, exploration and saving before major decisions remain reliable general preparation.

The quest's most important system is its branching faction resolution. The party may strengthen its relationship with The Guild or move toward the Zhentarim. Those choices are not merely cosmetic: the quest is explicitly tied to how the player is positioned among Baldur's Gate's underground factions.

What works and what does not

Strengths

It connects several Act 3 urban locations into one faction-focused storyline.
It gives the player a meaningful choice between supporting The Guild and siding with the Zhentarim.
It combines investigation, infiltration and combat instead of relying on a single encounter.

Weaknesses

The quest can be difficult to follow if the player does not keep track of its separate leads in Rivington, Sharess' Caress, the Counting House, the Guildhall and the city sewers.
The supplied material does not establish a single universal route, so players seeking one exact step order may find the faction structure less straightforward.
The consequences of the faction choice are more important than any one combat encounter, which makes an earlier save advisable for players comparing outcomes.

Best uses

Follow it as part of an Act 3 urban-faction playthrough.
Use it to shape the party's relationship with The Guild or the Zhentarim.
Complete it when exploring the Counting House, Guildhall and city sewers in the same stretch of play.

Choices and consequencesSpoilers

Support Nine-Fingers Keene and The Guild
This route can create or reinforce an alliance with The Guild and defines the party's relationship with that underground faction.
Spoiler
Side with the Zhentarim
This route shifts the quest's factional outcome toward the Zhentarim and changes how the party is positioned among Baldur's Gate's underground powers.
Spoiler
Treat the Minsc confrontation as a major commitment point
The confrontation in the city sewers is tied to the Stone Lord's side of the conflict and can affect which factional resolution remains available.
Spoiler

Quest checklist

Reach Act 3 before looking for the quest.Aid the Underduke is an Act 3 side quest.
Speak with Farlin in Rivington.This is one confirmed way to initiate the quest.
Visit Sharess' Caress if you need the alternate starting lead.The location provides another confirmed entry point.
Investigate the conflict involving Nine-Fingers Keene and The Guild.Keep the faction roles clear as the quest develops.
Infiltrate the Counting House.This is a named progression point.
Resolve the Guildhall encounters.Expect intense combat in the Guildhall and other urban locations.
Reach the city sewers.The later confrontation takes place underground.
Confront Minsc.Minsc is associated with the Stone Lord.
Decide whether the outcome should favor The Guild or the Zhentarim.Make a manual save first if you want to compare faction outcomes.

Failure conditionsSpoilers

Lose access to a factional route through an earlier choiceThe quest contains faction decisions, and choosing one side can change which alliance or outcome is available later.
Fail to track the quest across its urban locationsProgress is distributed among Rivington or Sharess' Caress, the Counting House, the Guildhall and the city sewers. Leaving an area early may make the next objective unclear.
Treat the Minsc confrontation as an ordinary encounterThe sewer confrontation is tied to the Stone Lord and the wider faction struggle, so its resolution can affect the quest's final direction.

On failure

The supplied material does not identify exact death, timer, ally-loss or quest-expiration conditions. Save before major faction conversations and before the confrontation in the city sewers.

Rewards and dropsSpoilers

The Guild alliance
One possible outcome is an alliance with The Guild, changing the party's relationship with the faction led by Nine-Fingers Keene.
Zhentarim alignment
Another possible outcome is siding with the Zhentarim, producing a different underground-faction relationship.
Faction consequences in Baldur's Gate
Successful completion helps define the player's standing with major underground factions.

AftermathSpoilers

The quest changes your underground-faction standing

Aid the Underduke is consequential because its completion helps define the party's relationship with Baldur's Gate's major underground factions. The available outcomes include an alliance with The Guild or siding with the Zhentarim, so the ending should be considered alongside the faction relationships you want to preserve for the remainder of Act 3.

Trivia

The quest has two confirmed entry points in the source material: Farlin in Rivington and Sharess' Caress.
Its title refers to aiding the Underduke, while the central power struggle is led from The Guild by Nine-Fingers Keene.
The quest links a financial location, the Counting House, with the Guildhall and the city sewers, giving it a distinctly urban and underground route.
Minsc's association with the Stone Lord makes the sewer confrontation part of the wider faction conflict rather than an unrelated encounter.

Sources

Quest research video source — youtube.com
Aid the Underduke reference — bg3.wiki
Quest walkthrough source — youtube.com
Quest gameplay source — youtube.com
Community quest discussion — reddit.com
Quest guide source — youtube.com
Quest guide reference — fextralife.com

Relationships

characters

Nine-Fingers KeeneGuild leaderNine-Fingers Keene leads The Guild and is central to the quest's power struggle.
MinscSewer confrontationThe quest includes a confrontation with Minsc in the city sewers.

factions

The GuildFaction conflictThe Guild is one of the underground powers competing for influence.
ZhentarimAlternative allegianceThe quest can lead to siding with the Zhentarim.

locations

Counting HouseInfiltration siteThe party must infiltrate the Counting House during the quest.
GuildhallFaction strongholdThe Guildhall contains important quest events and intense combat encounters.
city sewersConfrontation siteThe later confrontation involving Minsc occurs in the city sewers.