“Outside the Stolen Path” is a timed quest that you can pick up Dragon dogma 2 after tracking down the coral snakes during ‘Mercy among thieves.’ It involves learning a little more about the child you followed during ‘Mercy Among Thieves’ and helping him start a new life.
Us Dragon dogma 2 guide shows you how to start ‘Off the Pilfered Path’, what quests you need to complete before starting them, the steps to complete them, and how you can help Hugo find a job.
Before you start Off the Pilfered Path, complete these quests
“Off the Pilfered Path” ties into several other quests – some directly and some indirectly. And the outcomes of those other quests influence how ‘Pilfered Path’ ends. The timed portion of “Off the Pilfered Path” doesn’t start until about halfway through, so you have as much time as you need to complete everything else.
‘Every rose has its thorn’
While in Vernworth completing Captain Brant’s first set of quests, you’ll complete the quests ‘The Stolen Throne’ and ‘An Unsettling Encounter’, in which you meet the owner of the Rose Chateau Bordelrie, Wilhelmina. (In our experience, you must also complete “A Veil of Gossamer Clouds” before this quest is activated.)
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Talk to her in the bordello and give her some gifts (like courtly clothes and flowers) and she will like you. When you visit the next day, she will not be in her room and a staff member named Rolf will tell you that she is busy. Use the painting in the southwest part of her room to spy – just like you did during “The Stolen Throne” – to start the quest.
Over the course of ‘Every Rose’ you get the chance to help or betray Wilhelmina. For the purposes of ‘Off the Pilfered Path’ you need to help her by teaching her the Murder report.
‘Short-sighted ambition’
When you reach Bakbattahl you will find a pharmacy run by a man named Isaac. He will ask for a ripened quince to improve his eyesight so he can read a (definitely not cursed) grimoire. The next day he will ask you to find the other part of the tome. You can buy it at Ibrahim’s Scrap Shop in Checkpoint Rest Town.
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When you return to Isaac’s Wares with the second part, you have a choice. Give him the actual grimoire or a forgery you had Ibrahim made. If you give him the real book, things will go bad and Isaac’s Wares will be closed. Giving him the fake will return life to (mostly) normal for Isaac and his family.
‘Mercy among thieves’
Since “Off the Pilfered Path” wraps up the events of “Mercy Among Thieves,” you’ll obviously need to complete that first. On the Battahl side of Checkpoint Rest Town there is a young boy named Toumi. Feed him twice and you can talk to some people on the other side of the road. In turn, they will refer you to Lyssandro which asks you to join the bandit gang called the Coral snakes.
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There is only one outcome for ‘Mercy Among Thieves’: the Coral Snakes leader Lanzo betrays a boy named Hugo, after which Hugo is arrested.
How to start ‘Off the Pilfered Path’ in Dragon’s Dogma 2
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Go northeast of Bakbattahl to get the Bakbattahl Prison. (There is a way back to the objective from the Research Lab, but this quest starts at the front door.) As you approach, you will meet a guard named Ekrat who will lead you in.
Should you offer Hugo guidance?
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Before you do anything with Hugo – who is in the cell right in front of you – turn left. A man named Brefft is located in the second cell on the left. Talk to him a few times (or just let him talk) to exhaust his dialogue, and he’ll tell you all about Lanzo and Hugo’s past. He also lets you know where you can find the Coral Snakes now.
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Then talk to Hugo and you will have the chance to tell him what you learned. If you don’t tell him, he’ll stay in jail. Tell him what you have learned, leave the prison and rest until the next morning.
Go back to prison. If you get close to Hugo’s cell, a guard will tell you that Hugo killed Brefft and then escaped.
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Go directly to the Old battlefield north of the Checkpoint Rest Town – this is the timed part of the quest. If you’re quick and it’s still morning, you can take the bullock cart to the checkpoint and walk the rest of the way. If you have a portcrystal at the Sphinx’s Mountain Shrine, you can teleport there and return down.
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When you reach the castle at the north end of the Ancient Battleground, Lanzo will be waiting for you. If you’re quick, you’ll defeat Hugo and be able to fight and kill Lanzo himself. If you are too slow, Hugo will get there first and he and Lanzo will kill each other.
What job can Hugo offer in Dragon’s Dogma 2
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If you get there first and kill Lanzo, Hugo will arrive immediately after. Your job is to put him on a better path and he will ask what someone like him could do. You have a number of choices here:
- Don’t offer a joband Hugo will stray and fall back into a life of crime.
- If you complete ‘Short-Sighted Ambition’ and Isaac’s family has died, you can offer him a job at Isaac’s were in Bakbattahl. If Isaac’s family survived, this isn’t an option.
- Once you have completed ‘Every Rose Has Its Thorn’ and helped Wilhelmina, you can send him to work Myrmecoleon. If you didn’t help her, this isn’t an option either.
You will receive one for your efforts White leather headscarf, 4,500 XP, 7,000 goldand Hugo’s Frosted edges daggers.
For more Dragon dogma 2 walkthroughs, here’s the best order for Captain Brant’s quests, plus how to rescue the caged magistrate, how to reach the Nameless Village, where to find Rodge, how to confront the Arisen’s shadow, and when to get the to attend the coronation.