Counting House

Walkthrough

The area in the order you play it. Tick things off as you go: they tick off in the checklists below too.

1. 1

   Secure Vault Clearance

   When you enter the Counting House foyer through the main northern doors at X: -98, Y: -148, speak with Head Clerk Meadhoney behind the central counter. Inquire about the "Stone Lord" to learn that Head Banker Rakath Glitterbeard just escorted him down into the vaults, then pass an Insight or Detect Thoughts check followed by a Persuasion, Deception, or Intimidation check to obtain a Bank Pass for free. Show your pass to Cashguard Captain Faril at the heavy iron gates leading down into the vault access corridor.

   Tip: If dialogue checks fail, you can pickpocket the pass directly from Meadhoney or steal one from the Head Banker's office upstairs rather than paying the exorbitant fee.

   Watch out: Do not pick locks or force the gates in front of Captain Faril without a pass, or the Cashguard sentries and Steel Watchers will become permanently hostile.

2. 2

   Scout the Perimeter and Vault Level Passageway

   Descend the spiral staircases into the basement corridors where the basic client Safes (1–8) and regular Vaults (1–6) are situated. If you take the back exterior route behind the building facing Flymm Cargo, you can discover hidden exterior docks and storage stashes before entering the sub-levels. Head toward the fortified gates leading to the deepest vault, keeping your eyes on the stone walkway ahead.

   A back exterior access route hidden behind the bank structure can be reached by exploring behind Flymm Cargo to find extra stashes.
3. 3

   Disarm the Transposition Glyphs

   Approach the hallway before the main security gate, where two large Glyphs of Transposition are inscribed across the floor at X: -971, Y: 797 and X: -975, Y: 797. Spot the hidden wall buttons with a DC 15 Investigation check and interact with them to deactivate the runes, or leap clean over the runes using Misty Step or a high-Strength jump. Ensure every member of your party clears the threshold without touching the active glyphs, which fling you back to the entrance hall.

   Tip: You can shoot the wall buttons with ranged attacks or arrows from safe range to disable the runes without approaching them.

   Watch out: Stepping on either active glyph teleports your character back to the entrance and can displace companions into hostile vision cones.

4. 4

   Unlock the High-Security Vault Door

   Stand before the massive vault gate blocked by a 3x3 grid of numbered floor plates laid out like a keypad from 1 at the top-left to 9 at the bottom-right. Step across the plates in the precise sequence 1 – 3 – 5 – 6 to disengage all four locking mechanisms, taking care not to step on any incorrect number in between. Once the four lights above illuminate and the gears grind open, gather your party before crossing the threshold.

   Tip: You can bypass the puzzle entirely by casting Create Water on the tiles and hitting the pool with a lightning spell, which short-circuits the door lock.

   Watch out: Stepping on an incorrect plate resets the entire code mechanism and triggers an electric jolt trap across the grid.

5. 5

   Repel the Bhaalist Ambush

   Enter the innermost vault chamber to trigger a scene where the Stone Lord breaks out of a mimic chest alongside a doppelganger disguised as Jaheira. After Minsc and the false Jaheira teleport away, defeat the surviving ambushing Bhaalist cultists before they cut down Rakath Glitterbeard and his Cashguards. Target the invisible Reapers and Death's-Heads quickly, stripping their Unstoppable stacks using multi-hit abilities like Magic Missile or Scorching Ray.

   Tip: Cast Sanctuary or throw an Invisibility Potion onto Rakath Glitterbeard immediately on turn one to guarantee his survival against the assassins.

   Watch out: If Rakath Glitterbeard dies during this encounter, you permanently lose the ability to complete and negotiate the quest "Return Rakath's Gold."

6. 6

   Plunder the High-Security Vaults

   Once the chamber is secure, explore High-Security Vaults 1 through 9 lining the perimeter wall, picking their DC 30 locks with Sleight of Hand tools or using keys collected across Faerûn. Loot Vault 1 for the Nymph Cloak, Vault 3 for The Long Arm of the Gur, Vault 6 for a Mind Flayer Parasite Specimen, and Vault 7 for the Knock Knuckle Gloves. Rakath Glitterbeard will merely complain verbally rather than calling guards if you pick these locks right in front of him.

   Nymph Cloak: High Security Vault n°1 inside the Counting House lower vaultsThe Long Arm of the Gur: High Security Vault n°3 inside the Counting House lower vaultsMind Flayer Parasite Specimen: High Security Vault n°6 inside the Counting House lower vaultsKnock Knuckle Gloves: High Security Vault n°7 inside the Counting House lower vaultsNymph Cloak: inside High-Security Vault nº1 in the lowest vault chamber, inside the gilded lockboxHow: unlock the vault door using the Vault 1 Key or pass a DC 30 Sleight of Hand check NewThe Patriar Blackmail Files: inside High-Security Vault nº8 in the lowest vault chamberHow: unlock using the Vault 8 Key or pass a DC 30 Sleight of Hand check New

   Tip: Having Astarion or a Rogue with Expertise in Sleight of Hand, the Guidance cantrip, and the Graceful Cloth makes hitting the DC 30 lockpicks reliable even without finding the scattered keys.

7. 7

   Negotiate Rakath's Bounty

   Speak with the surviving Rakath Glitterbeard to accept the task of recovering the 10,000 stolen gold, noting the muddy footprints inside the open vault that lead toward the sewers. When you return here after retrieving the stolen pouch, hand over the gold or pass a DC 20 Persuasion check (reduced to DC 15 if Minsc is present) to pay only 5,000 gold while keeping the rest. Rakath rewards you with bank gold and the High Security Vault nº9 Key, which unlocks the final vault containing the Elegant Studded Leather Light Armour.

   Elegant Studded Leather Light Armour: inside High-Security Vault nº9 at the back wall of the lowest vault chamberHow: unlock the door using the High Security Vault nº9 Key or pass a DC 30 Sleight of Hand checkMissable because: permanently locked out of the key reward if Rakath Glitterbeard dies and his body despawns, though the door itself remains pickable Don't miss New

   Tip: If you bring the recruited Minsc in your active party when turning in the recovered gold, the Persuasion DC drops significantly.

   Watch out: Flatly refusing to return the gold sourly closes your business with the bank and deprives you of the High Security Vault nº9 Key.

What you decide here and what it leads to.