Dragon’s Dogma 2 boasts dozens of quests and side quests. They introduce principle characters, as well as a cast of assorted NPCs with stories of their own. One such character is Hugo. His story hits some of its most important beats late in the game, as you work to complete the Off the Pilfered Path side quest.
How to Offer Hugo Guidance in Off the Pilfered Path in Dragon’s Dogma 2
Hugo is a human male who fell in with the wrong crowd. He has some tough lessons to learn about life. As the Arisen, you’re the one to teach him. But there’s a lot that can go wrong. To offer Hugo guidance in Off the Pilfered Path, you must help him put an end to his enemies and offer him gainful employment.
The Off the Pilfered Path quest pops up after you complete the Mercy Among Thieves side quest. When it appears, you’ll see a quest objective that tells you to offer Hugo guidance. When you track the quest, a marker appears on your map east of Bakbattahl.
You shouldn’t necessarily get to work right away. Instead, make sure you have completed another quest or two. The two specific quests you might wish to complete first are Every Rose Has Its Thorn and Short-Sighted Ambition. The second quest is the more optional of the two, especially depending on how you complete it. But you should definitely complete Every Rose Has Its Thorn in Vernworth, if you want a good result for Hugo.
When you follow the quest marker, it takes you to the Bakbattahl Gaol. It is located on the far side of the Dye Stores flower fields. Before you head that direction, sleep overnight at your house in Bakbattahl. It’s nice to have a recent rest you can load if things go horribly.
As you arrive at the Gaol, talk to Hugo in his cell. You’ll see it directly ahead of you. Dietrich, a nearby guard, then shares his thoughts on the situation. The head jailer, Ekratt, interrupts the conversation to reprimand him. Talk to Hugo some more after that. Keep talking until he explains himself. Then, turn and talk to Dietrich again. He should suggest that the head gaoler can get the lad his freedom, if you make it worth his while.
Talk to Ekratt now. He is the Beastren just down the hallway, toward the gaol’s entrance. He hints around about a bribe, so deliver 1000 G. Then leave the gaol and head back to town. Go ahead and rest up at the Oxcart station until the next morning. Then return to the gaol. Once you arrive, see Ekratt again. Now he wants a bigger bribe. Deliver 2500 G.
After paying that bribe, head along the corridor toward the front of Hugo’s cell. Look off to the left and start in that direction. You’ll encounter Dietrich, who comments to a prisoner about escaping a second time. Check the cell to meet Brefft, who is a new arrival. Talk to him for a bit of discussion. Dietrich interrupts. After that, talk to Brefft a second time. Keep talking to him from there, until he finally reveals where you can find Lanzo. Then, talk to Hugo again in his cell. Make sure to tell him what Brefft said. It’s best that he learn the truth. After that, talk to Dietrich and leave.
Head back to your house and sleep through the night. At this point, you definitely want to activate a rest save, in case things go wrong soon. Then it’s time to return to the gaol yet again. When you approach Hugo’s cell this time, you learn from Dietrich that Hugo has escaped. Also, the talkative Brefft is dead. Thus begins the critical part of the quest.
Head to the place where the bandits have set up their new base as quickly as possible. That is the Ancient Battleground area, where you may have cleared a previous side quest, Tolled to Rest. I suggest that you catch an Oxcart to Checkpoint Rest Town and then head north to the battlefield. See a map pinpointing its location in the above screenshot.
In my case, monsters of course launched a raid and promptly destroyed the Oxcart. They do that often in the Battahl region. I had to run the rest of the way to town, fighting what felt like an unusual number of bandits and monsters along the way. When you arrive at Checkpoint Rest Town, you’ll then want to head directly north to the Ancient Battleground by descending the ravine to the north of the road leading east from town.
When you reach the Ancient Battleground area, ascend the winding trail that follows the slope along the north hillside. Proceed through the ruins and climb a ladder to reach an overhead grassy ledge. The quest marker guides you reasonably well. You may have to battle quite a few skeletons along the way. When you reach your destination, Lanzo doesn’t have much to say before he attacks. Hit him fast and hard. He and his cohorts should go down in a hurry, but keep an eye on your health. The bandits do hit fairly hard if you give them the chance.
Hugo arrives just as you are finishing the job. Talk to him and be as helpful as you can. Offer Hugo a job at The Myrmecoleon. You can only do that because you cleared Every Rose Has Its Thorn ahead of going to work on this mission. If you previously completed Short-Sighted Ambition with the bad ending, you also have a second option to suggest. When Hugh accepts your employment offer, that concludes your current efforts. You finally receive your mission rewards: 4500 XP, 7000 G, the White-Leather Kerchief, and the Frosted Edges blades.
