Locate the Missing Shipment

Key takeaways

The quest is defined by its branching treatment of the shipment rather than by a single mandatory solution.

• Two starting points Meet Rugan and Olly on the Risen Road, or discover the Zhentarim Basement to become involved with the missing shipment.
• The chest has several outcomes The player may return the chest, steal it, or open it. Opening it reveals the Iron Flask and changes the nature of the decision.
• Zhentarim reputation matters Helping or hindering the Zhentarim affects the available merchant access and the rewards associated with the quest.
• The intact return is valuable Returning the shipment intact can provide gold, access to Brem's special stock, and the Harold heavy crossbow.

Locate the Missing Shipment guide

Locate the Missing Shipment is an Act One quest centred on a stolen chest that the Zhentarim want recovered.

The quest begins when the player encounters Rugan and Olly on the Risen Road, although it can also be started by finding the Zhentarim Basement. These two entry points lead into the same broader problem: a shipment has gone missing and the Zhentarim expect the chest to be returned. The quest therefore fits naturally into an early exploration route through the Risen Road and the Zhentarim's hidden base.

The shipment is not simply a container to deliver. The player can return the chest, steal it, or open it, and the last option reveals that it contains an Iron Flask holding a powerful entity. The chest also contains a Potion of Feather Fall. These choices give the quest a broader roleplaying dimension, because the immediate decision affects the player's standing with the Zhentarim as well as the practical rewards available afterward.

The main social consequences are tied to the Zhentarim leader Zarys and the merchant Brem. A successful return can provide gold and access to Brem's special stock, while returning the chest intact can also lead to the Harold heavy crossbow. Players may also encounter gnolls during the surrounding events, so the quest can combine negotiation, exploration, and combat rather than functioning as a simple delivery objective.

Where this sits

Requirements

No mandatory prerequisite is confirmed in the supplied source pack. The quest can be approached through either of its documented entry points.

• RequiredReach the Risen RoadEncounter Rugan and Olly there to begin the shipment thread through the travelling Zhentarim agents.
• RequiredAlternatively find the Zhentarim BasementDiscovering the Zhentarim Basement provides a second documented route into the quest.
• RecommendedPrepare for a possible gnoll encounterThe surrounding events may involve gnolls, so combat readiness is recommended even though a specific party composition is not required by the supplied facts.

Objectives

1. Find the missing shipmentFollow the quest from the Risen Road or the Zhentarim Basement until the stolen chest becomes the focus of the investigation.
2. Decide what to do with the chestReturn it to the Zhentarim, take it for yourself, or open it to inspect what it contains.
3. Manage the Zhentarim relationshipYour decision affects how Zarys and the Zhentarim respond, including merchant access and the final reward situation.
4. Resolve any gnoll threat encountered along the routeGnolls may be part of the encounter surrounding the shipment, making the recovery route potentially combat-focused.

WalkthroughSpoilers

1. 01

   Start Locate the Missing Shipment

   Begin the shipment investigation

   Travel to the Risen Road and look for Rugan and Olly, who are connected to the missing shipment. If you have already found the Zhentarim Basement, you can instead use that location as your entry point into the quest.

   Location: Risen Road or Zhentarim Basement

   TipThe quest has two documented entry points, so discovering the Zhentarim Basement can bypass the initial meeting on the Risen Road.

2. 02

   Learn about the missing chest

   Speak with the Zhentarim contacts

   Talk to the people connected to the shipment and establish what happened before deciding how to proceed. Keep the identity of the Zhentarim's intended recipient in mind, because the eventual decision is judged by the organisation rather than only by the people met on the road.

   Location: Risen Road

   Watch outThe supplied sources do not confirm every dialogue prerequisite or the exact order of conversations, so avoid treating an unverified dialogue option as mandatory.

3. 03

   Reach the missing shipment

   Pursue the route involving the stolen chest

   Continue through the quest's recovery route until you can deal with the shipment itself. Gnolls may be involved in this part of the events, so be prepared for a fight rather than assuming that the chest can always be reached through dialogue alone.

   Location: Risen Road region

   TipUse the surrounding terrain and your party's preferred approach, but the precise enemy count and encounter layout are not confirmed by the supplied source pack.

4. 04

   Clear or bypass the threat to the shipment

   Handle the gnoll encounter if it occurs

   If gnolls block or surround the shipment route, resolve that encounter before attempting to complete the delivery. The important quest consideration is that the shipment must remain available for your chosen outcome; do not assume that winning the fight automatically determines what you should do with the chest.

   Location: Shipment encounter area

   Watch outThe supplied material confirms that gnolls may appear but does not verify their exact number, names, or tactical formation.

5. 05

   Choose the chest's fate

   Inspect the chest before committing to a final outcome

   Once the chest is under your control, decide whether you are preserving it for delivery or examining its contents. The chest contains a Potion of Feather Fall and an Iron Flask containing a powerful entity, so opening it is a meaningful branch rather than a cosmetic inspection.

   Location: At the recovered shipment

   TipIf you want the intact-return outcome, do not open the chest before handing it over.

   Missable
6. 06

   Return the chest to the Zhentarim

   Return the shipment intact

   Deliver the unopened chest to the Zhentarim if your goal is to preserve their trust and pursue the intact-return rewards. This route can provide gold and access to Brem's special stock, and it can also make the Harold heavy crossbow available.

   Location: Zhentarim Basement

   Watch outOpening or stealing the chest changes the relationship outcome and may prevent the intact-return reward path.

   Missable
7. 07

   Take the shipment for yourself

   Choose the theft route

   You can elect to steal the chest instead of returning it as requested. This is a deliberate decision to cheat the Zhentarim out of their deal, so expect the organisation's response and the resulting access or rewards to differ from the cooperative route.

   Location: Shipment or Zhentarim Basement

   Watch outThe supplied facts confirm that this route affects Zhentarim reputation, but they do not specify every later reaction.

   Missable
8. 08

   Inspect the shipment's contents

   Open the chest and reveal the Iron Flask

   Opening the chest reveals an Iron Flask containing a powerful entity, alongside the Potion of Feather Fall. Treat this as the most direct way to inspect the shipment's unusual contents, but understand that it abandons the condition of returning the chest intact.

   Location: Recovered chest

   Watch outThe consequences of releasing or otherwise using the entity in the Iron Flask are not fully documented in the supplied source pack.

   Missable
9. 09

   Complete the quest's faction outcome

   Resolve the Zhentarim aftermath

   After choosing how to treat the shipment, deal with the Zhentarim leadership and their merchant connection. Zarys represents the organisation's interests, while Brem is the merchant associated with special stock, so the practical result of your choice is measured through both reputation and rewards.

   Location: Zhentarim Basement

   TipIf your priority is merchant access and the intact-return reward, favour the route that preserves the Zhentarim's shipment.

   Checkpoint

Mission mechanics

Locate the Missing Shipment is a consequence-driven quest. The central object is both a delivery target and a container with valuable and dangerous contents, which means the player is choosing between faction cooperation and personal benefit. Returning the shipment protects the Zhentarim's interests; stealing or opening it turns the quest into a test of how far the player is willing to exploit the organisation's deal.

The quest also illustrates how exploration can substitute for a single prescribed starting sequence. The Risen Road provides the route through Rugan and Olly, while the Zhentarim Basement provides another way into the same storyline. This makes the quest compatible with different Act One exploration orders, although the supplied facts do not define every trigger or dialogue variation.

Combat is a possible part of the recovery rather than the entire identity of the mission. Gnolls may be encountered during the surrounding events, but the sources do not establish a fixed battle composition. The reliable strategic distinction is therefore between preserving the chest for delivery and exposing its contents, not between a single mandatory combat tactic and a single mandatory reward.

What works and what does not

Phases

1. 1

   Shipment recovery

   Starts: Reaching the route where the stolen chest is being pursued

   The player must deal with the situation around the missing shipment. Gnolls may be present, but their exact composition is not confirmed.

   • Gnoll assaultTell The encounter is signalled by the presence of gnolls around the shipment route.Answer Prepare the party for combat and keep the chest's eventual condition in mind.
   • Do not assume that resolving the combat decides the chest's fate; the return, theft, and opening choices remain separate decisions.
2. 2

   Chest decision

   Starts: Taking control of or gaining access to the shipment

   The player chooses whether to preserve the chest for the Zhentarim, steal it, or open it to reveal its contents.

   • The intact condition matters if you are pursuing the cooperative reward route.
   • Opening the chest reveals the Iron Flask and a Potion of Feather Fall.

Choices and consequencesSpoilers

• Return the chest intact

  This can earn gold, unlock access to Brem's special stock, and also reward the Harold heavy crossbow. It is the route most aligned with maintaining the Zhentarim relationship.

  Spoiler
• Steal the chest

  You cheat the Zhentarim out of their deal, changing your reputation with them and affecting the merchant access and rewards tied to cooperation.

  Spoiler
• Open the chest

  You discover an Iron Flask containing a powerful entity and a Potion of Feather Fall, but you no longer have an intact shipment to return.

  Spoiler

Checklist

• Find Rugan and Olly on the Risen Road or locate the Zhentarim Basement.Either documented entry point can lead into the quest.
• Identify the missing chest as the shipment the Zhentarim want recovered.The quest's central objective is the recovery of this stolen container.
• Prepare for gnolls during the shipment encounter.Gnolls may appear, although the exact encounter details are not confirmed.
• Decide whether to preserve, steal, or open the chest.This is the quest's major branching decision.
• Inspect the chest's contents if you choose the opening route.The confirmed contents include an Iron Flask and a Potion of Feather Fall.Optional
• Return the chest intact if you want the cooperative reward path.This can lead to gold, Brem's special stock, and Harold.Optional
• Speak with the Zhentarim's representatives after the decision.Zarys and Brem are important to the aftermath.

Collectibles and secretsSpoilers

• 01
  Potion of Feather Fall

  Where: Inside the shipment chest

  The chest contains this potion in addition to the Iron Flask.

  Missable
• 02
  Iron Flask

  Where: Inside the shipment chest

  Opening the chest reveals this item, which contains a powerful entity.

  Missable
• 03
  Harold

  Where: Reward for the intact-return route

  Returning the chest intact can reward the player with this heavy crossbow.

  Missable

Failure conditionsSpoilers

• The chest is opened before an intact returnOpening the shipment changes the quest branch and prevents it from being returned as an unopened chest.
• The chest is stolen instead of deliveredStealing the shipment deliberately undermines the Zhentarim's deal and changes the faction outcome.
• The player loses the cooperative Zhentarim outcomeHelping or hindering the Zhentarim influences merchant access and rewards, so choices can work against the benefits of returning the shipment.

RewardsSpoilers

• Gold
  Successfully returning the shipment earns gold.
• Brem's special stock
  A successful return can grant access to the merchant Brem's special stock.
• Harold
  Returning the chest intact can also reward the Harold heavy crossbow.
• Potion of Feather Fall
  This potion is found inside the shipment chest if the player opens or otherwise accesses its contents.
• Iron Flask
  The chest contains the Iron Flask, which holds a powerful entity.

AftermathSpoilers

Trivia

• The quest can be discovered through two different locations: the Risen Road and the Zhentarim Basement.
• The shipment contains both a Potion of Feather Fall and an Iron Flask.
• The quest's central object can be returned, stolen, or opened, making the chest itself the focus of the branching narrative.
• The Harold heavy crossbow is associated with returning the shipment intact rather than with every possible quest outcome.

Sources

• bg3.wiki — bg3.wiki
• Community discussion — reddit.com
• Quest guide — fextralife.com
• Video guide — youtube.com
• Community guide — steamcommunity.com
• Video walkthrough — youtube.com

Relationships