Baldur’s Gate 3: How to find the Zhentarim Hideout in BG3

The Zhentarim Hideout is a hidden location in Baldur’s Gate 3 that players can only reach if they meet a certain group of travelers earlier on in the game. The hideout is tucked away in a random spot on the map that you will only think to check after meeting these travelers.

The travelers I am talking about are Rugan and Olly, who you first meet when they are trapped in a cave by a band of hyenas. Upon defeating the hyenas, you will learn that Rugan and Olly are on their way to Baldur’s Gate to deliver a chest full of baubles and other items. From here, you can choose to gain Rugan’s trust, which in turn will prompt him to give you a passcode to a hidden place he knows, called the Zhentarim Hideout.

This location will be roughly marked on your map, but the way to get inside the Zhentarim Hideout isn’t as straightforward as other locations. In this guide, I will explain exactly how to get into the Zhentarim Hideout in BG3.

Where is the Zhentarim Hideout in Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3)?

While choosing to side with Rugan and not bring him any harm will yield you the general location of the hideout, killing Rugan and Olly or stealing their chest will result in the hideout’s location not showing up on your map. In this scenario, you will really need an exact spot to go to find it.

Luckily, the hideout is not too far. If you travel to The Risen Road waypoint, you can head due west to find the town of Waukeen’s Rest. Here, you will discover a burning inn, which you can go inside to save a noblewoman, along with tons of dead bodies. If you’re just here for the Zhentarim Hideout, however, then you want to follow the road to the left of the burning inn which takes you under a covered bridge.

Related: Baldur’s Gate 3: How to defeat the Grym at the Adamantine Forge in BG3

In this new area, you will find a dead ox on the road as well as a small shed with crates in front of it to the right of the ox. If you move these crates, a door to the shed will be revealed, which is actually the entrance to the Zhentarim Hideout.

Upon entering the shed, you will be stopped by a guard, where you can mutter the passcode Rugan told you, “Little serpent, long shadow,” and the guard will let you pass. From here, walk around the guard to the back of the shed to find a hatch, which you can go down to enter the basement. Keep walking along the path to the back of the basement where you will find a cabinet next to some crates and up against a stone wall.

This cabinet can be interacted with and upon doing so, you will reveal a hidden staircase that leads to the real Zhentarim Hideout. You need to pass a check to reveal the bookcase, but it wasn’t difficult to do in my experience.

I won’t spoil what happens from there, but let’s just say if you decided to kill or steal from Rugan, the inhabitants of the Zhentarim Hideout won’t be too fond of you.