The world of Baldur's Gate 3 is full of colorful characters, and that includes some unsavory types. The Zhentarim is an organization full of the latter kind of people, and while they aren't total scumbags to you and your party, their involvement with the criminal underworld is enough to make many players have second thoughts about making their acquaintance.
Players can meet with a group of Zhentarim agents in Act One of BG3 if they're thorough enough with their exploration. While this encounter doesn't always lead to hostilities, players may end up on the wrong side of the Zhentarim's good graces (or vice versa). If your wondering what happens if you spare or kill the agents hiding under Waukeem's Rest, here's a quick guide to help you out.
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What Happens If You Kill the Zhentarim in Act 1?
Story-wise, nothing much happens if you decide to wipe out Zarys and her crew in the cave, though there are a couple of important bits to consider here:
- The Zhentarim Hideout's merchant sells good equipment that you don't want to miss out on.
- Freeing Oskar Fevras opens up a line of side quests later in Act 3.
Killing the Zhentarim agents in Act 1 doesn't seem to have any major repercussions as far as story events goes. You'll run into the organization again in Act Three as part of a quest for Rakath Glitterbeard, but there aren't any significant developments or consequences related to the group from Waukeem's Rest.
The Zhentarim is still involved in the final parts of BG3, but you won't be able to decide their fate until Act 3.
Should You Spare or Kill the Zhentarim in Act 1?
Killing the Zhentarim is recommended simply because you get XP and loot for doing so. If you want a reason to wipe them out, just know that the Zhentarim as a whole is involved in all sorts of shady business, including slavery.
If you rescue Olly and Rugan from the Gnolls in Risen Road, Zarys and her mates won't be hostile to you once you reach the hideout. In fact, she'll reward you with the 
Harold crossbow and access to their merchant's entire stock, which includes the 
Titanstring Bow. On the other hand, if you go to the hideout without Rugan's recommendation, the entire group won't be as welcoming.
Conveniently enough, the entire Zhentarim Basement is rigged to blow, largely due to group's desire to erase their tracks. You can blow up everyone in the lower section of the hideout by doing the following:
- Use Minor Illusion to group up the enemies in the lower floor.
- Enter turn-based mode.
- If needed, push Zarys down onto the lower floor.
- Use a fire attack to ignite one of the Sparkpowder barrels.
- Deal with survivors/stragglers manually.
By igniting one of the gunpowder barrels, you'll set off a chain reaction that can kill everyone on the lower floor in one fell swoop. Loot everything once the flames die down, and from there, you can either proceed to the Underdark or clear the rest of Act One.
Baldur's Gate 3
- Released
- August 3, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Larian Studios
- Engine
- Divinity 4.0
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- Full cross-platform play.
- Cross Save
- Full cross-platform progression.
- Franchise
- Baldur's Gate
- Number of Players
- 1-4
- Split Screen Orientation
- Vertical Only
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Verified
- PC Release Date
- August 3, 2023
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- December 7, 2023
- PS5 Release Date
- September 6, 2023
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, macOS
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- Local Co-Op Support
- 1-2 Players
- How Long To Beat
- 100+ Hours
- X|S Optimized
- yes
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
