The Phantom Oxcart quest can become bugged in Dragon’s Dogma 2 if you do certain story objectives incorrectly. This guide will explain how to fix the Phantom Oxcart bug in Dragon’s Dogma 2 so you can progress the quest and complete it.
How to complete Phantom Oxcart in Dragon’s Dogma 2
If you are having trouble completing the Phantom Oxcart quest in Dragon’s Dogma 2, you are not alone. The Vernworth quest can become broken and stop progressing. Specifically, the Phantom Oxcart bug results in the oxcart being stuck at the Battahl border gate and the quest freezing. Even worse, you can actually have all of Checkpoint Rest Town attacking you if you make the wrong moves.
Below are the steps on how to avoid the Phantom Oxcart becoming bugged in Dragon’s Dogma 2:
- Arrive at the Phantom Oxcart location north of Vernworth. As soon as the blue lights on the cart appear in the distance, pause your game.
- Unequip all armor items on your Arisen so they are completely naked. Yes, this includes rings and capes – literally everything.
- Walk up to the Phantom Oxcart driver and talk to him. He will tell you to get into the back of the cart.
- Take the Phantom Oxcart ride to the Battahl border gate.
- When the Rest Town guards start beating the Pawns, including the Arisen, do not hit back. Take the punches.
- Keep getting beat up until a cutscene triggers. The quest will now progress and move past the gate.
- Exit the Phantom Oxcart inside of Bakbattahl.
- As soon as the guards recognize you are not a Pawn, pause your game and re-equip all your armor and weapons.
- Attack and kill the guards, and pick up the “Labor Requisition Orders” item they will drop. Fast travel back to Vernworth and hand the Requisition Orders over to Captain Brant to complete the Phantom Oxcart quest.
The first step is where most players are breaking the Phantom Oxcart quest. While Captain Brant says you can “follow” the cart from a distance, the mission is too buggy. Instead, approach the Phantom Oxcart outside of Vernworth and strip off your weapon and armor before speaking to the driver.
After speaking to the driver naked, he will ask the Arisen to hop in the back of the Phantom Oxcart, mistaking you for a Pawn. Take the full drive to Checkpoint Rest Town. You may need to hop out of the oxcart if it gets attacked along the way. If this happens, kill the enemies and then jump back into the cart again and “sit down” on the bench. The ride will continue to the Battahl border.
Once you arrive at the Battahl border gate north of Checkpoint Rest Town, a cutscene will trigger, and guards will start beating you. This is the second place most players are getting their Phantom Oxcart quest bugged. It’s extremely important that you do not hit back. Let the guards beat you. Eventually a cutscene will play and the Phantom Oxcart will continue through the gates into the city of Bakbattahl.
Once you arrive at Bakbattahl, the guards will realize you are not a Pawn. As soon as they call you out, equip all your weapons and armor and attack them. Make sure to kill them quickly and pick up the “Labor Requisition Orders.” This is the last place where some players are breaking their quest. After you obtain Labor Requisition Orders, fast-travel back to Vernwroth and speak to Captain Brant in the Inn to complete the Phantom Oxcart quest. If you don’t see the Orders, check your inventory. In my game, my character automatically grabbed them after killing a guard.
What to do if Phantom Oxcart becomes bugged in Dragon’s Dogma 2
So what happens if the Phantom Oxcart is already bugged in your game? Don’t worry we’ve got you covered! If your quest is already broken, then there are only a few ways you can fix it. I won’t lie; this could get ugly depending on how broken the quest is. In some cases, you may even lose some gameplay time.
Below are the steps to fix the Phantom Oxcart in Dragon’s Dogma 2:
- If the Phantom Oxcart is stuck at the Battahl border and won’t move, fast travel back to Vernworth.
- Sleep at an Inn until nighttime, then return to the location of the Phantom Oxcart on your map.
- This time, strip down and lose all equipment and armor before approaching the driver.
- The Phantom Oxcart should progress past the Battahl border gate as long as you are naked and take the beating from the guards.
- If you accidentally killed the guards at the Battahl Border and the Oxcart is stuck at the gate, you may need to “reload a save from last Inn.” However, this is a last resort as you could lose hours of gameplay if you haven’t slept in an Inn for days. Only do this if the entire Checkpoint Rest Town is attacking you, and fast traveling back to Vernworth doesn’t fix it.
For more information on the game’s sidequests, check out our All Mountain Shrine Sphinx Riddle Answers in Dragon’s Dogma 2 guide. In it, we explain where to find Sphinx and how to solve all her puzzles.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 is now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC.
