The Caged Magistrate quest - Dragon's Dogma 2

How to free Waldhar in the Caged Magistrate and where to find a place with plenty of tomes in Dragon's Dogma 2.

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The Caged Magistrate might be one of the first, multi-step quests you attempt to complete in Dragon’s Dogma 2. This quest has you trying to prove your claim to the throne by finding and releasing Magistrate Waldhar. Unfortunately, this old man doesn’t want to be free unless you can find a place with plenty of tomes.

The Caged Magistrate

After arriving at Vernworth, you’ll pick up a couple of quests from Captain Brant, one of which is The Caged Magistrate. This tasks you with visiting Magistrate Waldhar in the castle gaol.

Head to the Castle Gaol Tower & speak with Waldhar

A map showing the location of the jail in Vernworth

Source: Shacknews

With the quest started, your first step will be to visit the Vernworth Castle Gaol Tower in the south of the city. This dungeon can be accessed via the eastern cliff that runs above the coast. There will be a hole in the wall with a heavy gate. Approach the gate and interact with it, you’ll be prompted to use the Gaol Key Brant gave you.

Ascend the stairs to arrive near the prison cells. Be careful, there are a couple of guards patrolling and they will attack you on-sight. If you’re caught, you’ll be thrown into gaol. Dragon’s Dogma 2 is quite lenient here with the stealth radius – the guards can look at you and won’t do anything, but if you get within arms’ reach, they’ll attack.

The Arisen walks along a path, a guard is in the distance
The stealth mechanics in Dragon's Dogma 2 are pretty forgiving. Even though the guard is in eye-shot, he didn't attack me.
Source: Shacknews

The two guards patrol in a loop. You can slip between them and just walk around the perimeter to the magistrate’s cell in the back left corner. Open the jail door when it’s safe to do so and then slip inside. Speak with the magistrate and pick a dialogue option that you want. He’ll decline to escape with you, though.

The magistrate will say he’d rather stay in jail, unless of course you know a place with a lot of books. Now, don’t go off searching for a place with “plenty of tomes” as you won’t get far. You’ll need to speak with Brant first.

Find a place with plenty of tomes

To find a place with plenty of tomes, head back to the tavern in Vernworth and speak with Captain Brant in the alcove. If he’s not there, pass time until night and then find him by the bar. Tell him what you learned about Magistrate Waldhar and Brant will mention someone called Kendrick of the Gracious Hand who might know something.

A line drawn on the map of Vernworth from the tavern to the slums
Kendrick can be found in the slums. Complete his mission to learn about a place with plenty of tomes.
Source: Shacknews

Kendrick of the Gracious Hand can be found in the Slums, an area to the east of the city, on the outer walls of the Common Quarter. He looks like a priest of sorts. Speak with him to receive a side quest called The Heel of History. You must complete this before you can learn about the tomes. This quest has you speaking with some children in the Slums about the whereabouts of Malcolm before you venter into the nearby ruins.

Work your way through the ruins, The Gracious Hand’s Vaults, until you find Malcolm who will in turn lead you to a treasure trove of books. These are the tomes Waldhar should hear about.

Return to Waldhar

The Arisen tells Waldhar about a place with plenty of tomes
Tell Waldhar about the books and then lead him safely out of the jail.
Source: Shacknews

Now that you’ve found a place with plenty of tomes, return to the jail and speak with Waldhar. As before, avoid the guards lest you get thrown in prison too. Tell Waldhar about the Gracious Hand’s vaults and he’ll agree to leave. You must lead him out of the jail and to the outside world. Make sure you are not seen by the guards.

Once outside, Waldhar will stop following you and the Caged Magistrate quest will be completed. Get back to completing Captain Brant’s other quests so you can reclaim you rightful spot on the throne. Head to our Dragon’s Dogma 2 page for our own tomes of knowledge!

Guides Editor

Hailing from the land down under, Sam Chandler brings a bit of the southern hemisphere flair to his work. After bouncing round a few universities, securing a bachelor degree, and entering the video game industry, he's found his new family here at Shacknews as a Guides Editor. There's nothing he loves more than crafting a guide that will help someone. If you need help with a guide, or notice something not quite right, you can message him on X: @SamuelChandler 

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