Revision 8

Overview

The Bitter Pill is a Doctor Galen side quest that surfaces after I Need a Bigger Boat. Galen suspects a traitor inside the Governor's inner circle is leaking information to Blackbeard. The quest asks the player to gather evidence from pirate-held sites and confront the traitor, Francois Arnaud, at Tortuga.

How to Start

After completing I Need a Bigger Boat, speak to Doctor Galen at the base and choose the dialogue option "Is something troubling you, Doctor?" to trigger the quest.

Walkthrough

1. Talk to Galen. He explains his suspicion and directs the player toward Thomas Richards as the starting thread.

2. Follow markers from the Revenge Is Best Served Cold quest and collect Black Marks from four chests scattered across the Coastal Jungle.

3. Return to Galen with Francois Arnaud's letter addressed to Blackbeard. Galen asks for a final confirmation.

4. Sail to the Blackbeard Ruins Excavation Site (southwest of Richards' camp). At the northwest end of the ruins, find the Gunpowder Crates tucked against a steel cage.

5. Return to Galen one more time, then travel to Tortuga.

6. Dock at Tortuga and take the right branch at the first intersection. Confront Francois Arnaud with the evidence.

7. Francois reveals that Blackbeard has kidnapped his son Jacques, forcing him to spy. The quest concludes with the confrontation.

Rewards

The Bitter Pill's rewards are story progression and additional dialogue with Galen that unlocks later threads. Loot from the intervening Black Mark and Excavation Site steps contributes to the Revenge Is Best Served Cold payoff (Galen Sword, faction XP, etc.).

Tips

• Because The Bitter Pill overlaps with Revenge Is Best Served Cold, complete both in parallel to avoid re-sailing the same routes.

• Bring a full loadout: the Black Mark chests are defended by Blackbeard patrols.

• Do not attack Francois. The quest resolves through dialogue, not combat.

Quest Path

Stage-by-stage progression as recorded in the in-game quest log for The Bitter Pill in Windrose version 0.10.0. The quest runs 9 tracked objectives from start to completion. Stage-level Required Items are objective-gated items the player must bring to progress; Rewards are items granted the moment each stage is closed out.

Quest Rewards

Items granted when the full The Bitter Pill quest chain resolves, as listed in the quest log reward block.

Completion Text

Narrative journal line the game writes once the final stage closes out:

"The traitor has been found and will face punishment."

Stages

The numbered flow below mirrors the objective list in the quest log. Each entry shows the in-game objective title, the journal description the player sees when the stage becomes active, and any stage-bound Required Items or Rewards.

Stage 1: Infiltrate Richards' Camp

Thomas Richards knew Galen was transporting the artifact aboard my ship. I need to find out how he obtained this information.

Stage 2: Search Richards' Camp

There may be clues at the pirates' main camp that will lead me to the traitor.

Stage 3: Discuss the Letter with Doctor Galen

I found a letter addressed to Blackbeard. The sender mentioned the artifact and supplied the pirates with gunpowder. I should let Galen know about this.

Stage 4: Find the Gunpowder Crates

One letter isn't enough to convince Galen of his friend's betrayal. However, the gunpowder crates mentioned in it could serve as solid proof.

Stage 5: Talk to Doctor Galen

François Arnaud was indeed supplying the pirates with gunpowder, his company's mark was clearly visible on the crates. I should let Galen know about this.

Stage 6: Find François Arnaud on Tortuga

Galen wants to know why someone he thought to be his friend chose betrayal. I should speak to François Arnaud on Tortuga and bring the truth to light.

Stage 7: Rescue Jacques Arnaud From Captivity Aboard a Pirate Ship

François Arnaud confessed to betraying the governor and will receive a just punishment. Still, he asked me to rescue his son, Jacques Arnaud, whom the pirates are holding hostage aboard one of their ships… as a last request.

Stage 8: Tell François Arnaud of His Son's Fate

I learned that Jacques Arnaud had been secretly working with the pirates and blackmailing his own father. He was mortally wounded when we boarded the ship. Now I should decide what to tell François.

Stage 9: Talk to Galen at the Tavern on Tortuga

François was devastated. Doctor Galen must also learn the truth about his friend's motives. This time, I'll find him at the tavern on Tortuga.

See Also

• Doctor Galen

• Revenge Is Best Served Cold

• Thomas Richards

• Tortuga

• Blackbeard

• Quests (overview)

Extended Walkthrough Steps

The Bitter Pill overlaps partially with Revenge Is Best Served Cold because both converge on Richards' Camp. The key extension beyond the main-quest boss fight is a chain of investigation steps that follow the Thomas Richards encounter:

1. After killing Thomas Richards, loot Francois Arnaud's Letter from the chests in the boss room.

2. Return to Doctor Galen and show the letter. He asks for corroborating evidence before moving against Arnaud.

3. Sail to the Blackbeard Ruins Excavation Site southwest of Richards' Camp and look for Gunpowder Crates stamped with the Arnaud Trading Company insignia. The crates sit in the northwest corner of the ruins next to a steel cage.

4. Travel to Tortuga (southeast of the excavation site). Francois Arnaud is at the first intersection past the port, on the right.

5. Francois reveals that Blackbeard is holding his son Jacques hostage aboard the Grim Reaper.

6. Sail out and attack the Grim Reaper. It is escorted by two Blackbeard Raider ships. Bring the Grim Reaper to low health and board it.

7. In the lower deck, talk to Jacques Arnaud. Jacques reveals that he staged his own kidnapping to earn Blackbeard's trust, then dies of his wounds.

8. Return to Tortuga and report to Francois. The lie-or-truth dialogue choice does not change quest completion.

9. Walk into the tavern across from Francois and speak with Doctor Galen to close the quest.

Rewards