Baldur’s Gate 3 player discovers why you shouldn’t Free The Artist 400 hours later

Free the Artist is a quest in Baldur’s Gate 3 that has often caused fans a lot of frustration. Now, though, one player has found after 400 hours why it might be better that you just leave Oskar to the Zhentarims. 

Baldur’s Gate 3 has an interesting take on quests. A lot of the time, even if you make the ‘good’ choice, players have found that you can get punished for it. It’s a more nuanced take on how life works and a lesson that not everyone is actually worth saving. 

Free the Artist is such a side quest, and one that players have been expressing frustration over for some time now. 

You can find the Zhentharim hideout, where Oskar the Artist is held, hidden in a storage unit at the back of Wuakeen’s Rest. You can either get to it by helping the Zhentarim under siege by Gnolls just outside of Waukeen’s Rest on the Risen Road and getting the password to peacefully pass through. 

Once inside, you can either demand Oskar’s freedom or just buy his freedom from Brem. Either way, you should be able to save him. You can then meet him back in Baldur’s Gate at Lady Jannath’s Art House. 

When you get to him in Act 3, however, the house is filled with poltergeists and Oskar has possessed himself, shouting at Lady Jannath and generally making her life miserable. 

One player learned that it’s not worth saving him, because if you don’t, Lady Jannath is never subjected to this haunting. “Today I learned, after almost 400 hours of play, that if you don’t free Oscar Fevras from the Zents in Act I, he never shows up in Baldur’s Gate and doesn’t curse Lady Jannath’s estate,” ‘Sylassian’ posted on Reddit. 

“Considering all I get for the usual quest is a painting (that’s often not even a painting of me!), this is honestly my preferred option,” they continued. 

Players in the comments agreed, especially because the reward you get for completing the quest isn’t worth it to a lot of them. 

“I hate the Act 3 quest and I can’t even hang the painting on the wall, or show Astarion’s portrait to him so he can see what he looks like,” one player commented. “Now his wife is gonna be free of the misery he brings.” 

If you want to know more about Baldur’s Gate 3, you can check out how to trigger this hidden Hag dialogue and how to get the rare Slippery Chain Shirt.