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Final Fantasy XVI

FF16 - Smooth Like Butler Side Quest Guide

By
Scott Peers

The Smooth Like Butler side quest in Final Fantasy 16 can be acquired at "Martha's Rest" iconMartha’s Rest once you reach the Cloak and Dagger main quest. Here you’ll find an NPC named "Rutherford" iconRutherford, who is the chief steward of Clive’s aunt’s estate. He’ll tell you about a sensitive issue involving the disappearance of two colleagues, and he asks Clive to find out what has happened to them. We’ll show you where to find them on this page.

Alistair Rockford, attendant to Clive’s aunt in Final Fantasy 16.

How to Start the Smooth Like Butler Side Quest in Final Fantasy 16

As mentioned above, you can only start this quest once you’ve reached the Cloak and Dagger main quest. At this point you may need to visit the Reading Table in Clive’s quarters to receive a note from Rutherford first, before going to Martha’s Rest. If you try to find him there without reading the note, he may not appear. After reaching "Martha" iconMartha’s inn, go upstairs to find Rutherford at the top, and he’ll explain everything you need to know about the quest at hand.

(1 of 2) Head to !Martha’s Rest once you reach the Cloak and Dagger main quest.

Head to !Martha’s Rest once you reach the Cloak and Dagger main quest. (left), You’ll find !Rutherford at the top of the stairs in !Martha’s inn. (right)

Look for Rutherford’s Colleague East of Dalimil

After the conversation with Rutherford, you don’t have much information to work with other than to search the general area east of Dalimil. You can fast travel to this region just southwest of "The Hideaway" iconThe Hideaway on the main map, where it’s referred to as "The Dalimil Inn" iconThe Dalimil Inn. Once there, take the eastern road out of the village and follow it until you see a group of republican soldiers. They have Rutherford’s colleague cornered, so you need to deal with them before you can speak with him.

The soldiers will be nicely bunched up for an AoE (area of effect) attack immediately after the cutscene, so be ready to use one such as "Scarlet Cyclone" iconScarlet Cyclone to deal with them quickly. You’ll earn a decent 230 level XP, 29 ability points, and 257 "Gil" iconGil for defeating them, alongside 20 "Steelsilk" iconSteelsilk and 5 "Magicked Ash" iconMagicked Ash. After the fighting a cutscene will play with Rutherford’s colleague, during which he tells you how he got himself into this mess.

(1 of 2) Fast travel to !The Dalimil Inn, south of !The Hideaway, to find !Rutherford’s first colleague.

Fast travel to !The Dalimil Inn, south of !The Hideaway, to find !Rutherford’s first colleague. (left), Head east out of Dalimil to find the colleague surrounded by republican soldiers. (right)

Look for Rutherford’s Colleague in Northreach

There isn’t much more you can do for this colleague after defeating the enemies, so it’s time to look for the second one in "Northreach" iconNorthreach. You can fast travel here in the northeastern part of the main map, and once there turn southeast from the obelisk in the market until you come across a “Straitlaced Gent” on the ground by a rock. The man reveals himself as Alistair Rockford, attendant to the Lady Ariane of House Wellesley. This is Clive’s aunt, and once he makes it known Rockford is pleased to learn that Clive is alive.

It turns out that Rockford tried to help some travelers from attacking bandits on the road here, but it didn’t work out too well for him. He tells Clive that the bandits are still likely to be nearby, and you can find them further down the road to the east. Continue along the path to find them looting a cart, and be ready to take them out with your "Eikon" iconEikon abilities.

There’s only one tougher enemy here known as a Spring-heeled Jacques, but he’s the only one with a stagger bar and nothing too special outside of his greater health pool. You’ll earn 402 Level XP, 29 ability points, and 257 Gil for defeating the group, alongside some useful materials in the form of 10 "Bloody Hide" iconBloody Hides, 5 Magicked "Ash" iconAsh, and 1 "Black Blood" iconBlack Blood.

(1 of 3) Go to !Northreach in the northeast part of the main map to find !Rutherford’s second colleague.

Return to Rutherford at Martha’s Rest

After defeating the bandits a cutscene will play with Rockford, and you can then return to Rutherford at Martha’s Rest. You will earn 1035 Level XP, 1000 Gil, and 35 Renown for completing the quest. You’ll also receive The Breath of Light ("Flare Breath" iconFlare Breath) accessory, which reduces Flare Breath cooldown time by 2.7 seconds. A useful item if you enjoy using this ability!

Other Side Quests in The Hideaway

There will be more quests that can be started from The Hideaway as you advance the main story, so be sure to check for green icons from NPCs or at the Reading Table regularly. We’ve listed a few in the table below that you might have missed.

Name Location
A Bone to Pick The Reading Table
Weird Science The Hunt Board
The Weight of Command The Boarding Deck
The Root of the Problem The Back Yard
A Culinary Pilgrimage The Ale Hall
Do No Harm The Infirmary

More Final Fantasy XVI Guides

There’s a lot to learn about the basics of gameplay mechanics in Final Fantasy XVI, which is why we’ve covered all the details both in and out of combat. Be sure to check the links below for some examples!

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Guide Information
  • Publisher
    Square Enix
  • Platforms,
    PS5
  • Genre
    Action RPG
  • Guide Release
    21 June 2023
  • Last Updated
    2 August 2023
    Version History
  • Guide Author

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This is the tale of Clive Rosfield, a warrior granted the title “First Shield of Rosaria” and sworn to protect his younger brother Joshua, the dominant of the Phoenix. This guide for Final Fantasy XVI contains the following:

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