Should You Open the Caravan Strongbox in Baldur’s Gate 3?

Baldur’s Gate 3 has deep complex choices to make throughout the game and during the “Find the Missing Shipment” sidequest, you will run into a choice about what to do with a Caravan Strongbox. It is fully down to personal preference of what you decide upon but this article will take you through if you should open the box or not.

Best Choice for the Caravan Strongbox in Baldur’s Gate 3

The best choice all-round is to return the Missing Shipment to Zarys within the Zantarium Hideout near Waukeen’s Rest. Once you return the Caravan Strongbox to Zarys and inform her of what happened to her people, you will be given the “Harold” crossbow which I think is highly worth it for the reward.

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It contains the “Haroldish Doom” enhancement which means that any target who receives damage from your ranged attack has to complete a Charisma Saving Throw, or they will get “baned” for two turns in total — not too shabby of an enhancement! Similar to other quests which choices like these (letting Abdirak hit you for example), there is a worthwhile reward for making a specific choice over another.

A “Bane” status means that whoever/whatever is affected will have a 1d4 penalty to any saving throws and also attack rolls. This makes it a very effective status effect overall if you are not on the receiving end.

What Happens if You Open the Caravan Strongbox?

If your curiosity gets the better of you and you just need to see what is inside the box, you will find a small amount of gold, an iron flask, a potion of invisibility, and then a Silk Gland. The main item within there is the Iron Flask which, once you have interacted with, will spawn a Spectator into the world for you to battle.

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I would recommend making a save in Baldur’s Gate 3 before you open the Caravan Strongbox if you were planning on doing that. This way, you can still experience the opening of the box but not have to worry about not being able to make the “right” choice afterward. Time to get back into the world and make your decision for the Strongbox — enjoy adventurer!