The way to make questing interesting and rewarding

Surgee

We all can agree that questing in ESO are boring. The expansions questlines are actually pretty good, but it's still boring to go through it. It's all thanks to those dumbing down arrows pointing exactly where to press a button or kill something. Everyone run about like zombies from an arrow to arrow. I gotta admit I went through Cadwell's silver while talking to my friends and paying ZERO attention to the game. Nothing is memorable when you can just go from point to point with your brain shut down.

I remember a lot of quests from Morrowind and Oblivion (single player games) because I actually had to read notes, pay attention to what NPCs are saying etc. When someone in the quest told me that to find my target I have to go north, find a big old tree with a shrine next to it, turn east from there and continue until I cross a river..I actually had fun figuring it out. Every quest was an adventure. Why is ESO not like that? It could be! Please, give us PVE quest lovers at least one DLC zone with quests where we actually have to think and pay attention. Quests that we can talk about on forums other than reporting bugs. Quests with no arrows! And for all of that, of course, some very nice rewards, worth the hard work.

Now you can tell me, HEY don't pay attention to the arrows or turn them off (if it's even possible) but that's not the point! Wouldn't it be amazing to see players interact with each other, asking for a way to this and that place, or some named NPC? I think that's what's missing in ESO.

Edit: by questing being boring I mean they can be done without any effort. The locations,writing and stories are the best any mmo had.

pauli133

We already have players asking for things to be explained to them day in and day out, even things that are clearly written down for them already. Adding more won't make the game more fun.

Iluvrien

Surgee wrote: »

We all can agree that quests in ESO are boring.<snip>

I don't agree...

... well, that was over quickly.

Surgee

pauli133 wrote: »

We already have players asking for things to be explained to them day in and day out, even things that are clearly written down for them already. Adding more won't make the game more fun.

And yet everyone loved questing in Morrowind and Oblivion. I can't believe eso community do not possess the intelligence to finish simple quests without arrows pointing exactly where to press a button. Let the current quests be on the level of 5year old it's ok all I ask is one new zone that actually require some effort. I hate that the only content for co-op group pve gameplay/collaboration in this game are dungeons.

drkfrontiers

Surgee wrote: »

We all can agree that quests in ESO are boring. The expansions questlines are actually pretty good, but it's still boring to go through it. It's all thanks to those dumbing down arrows pointing exactly where to press a button or kill something. Everyone run about like zombies from an arrow to arrow. I gotta admit I went through Cadwell's silver while talking to my friends and paying ZERO attention to the game. Nothing is memorable when you can just go from point to point with your brain shut down.

I remember a lot of quests from Morrowind and Oblivion (single player games) because I actually had to read notes, pay attention to what NPCs are saying etc. When someone in the quest told me that to find my target I have to go north, find a big old tree with a shrine next to it, turn east from there and continue until I cross a river..I actually had fun figuring it out. Every quest was an adventure. Why is ESO not like that? It could be! Please, give us PVE quest lovers at least one DLC zone with quests where we actually have to think and pay attention. Quests that we can talk about on forums other than reporting bugs. Quests with no arrows! And for all of that, of course, some very nice rewards, worth the hard work.

Now you can tell me, HEY don't pay attention to the arrows or turn them off (if it's even possible) but that's not the point! Wouldn't it be amazing to see players interact with each other, asking for a way to this and that place, or some named NPC? I think that's what's missing in ESO.

I may be wrong, but you can disable these arrows in settings - I'm sure I saw something there. But, yes, I agree more immersion is always a more rewarding outcome. "Painting-by-numbers" is always a beige outcome.

Milvan

Like most of us here, II have been throught a lot of mmorpgs.

The only one that actually had a very fun and interresting leveling and questing system was Dungeons Dragons Online (tho I don't know how the game currently is but back 8 years ago the game was neat). The quests were fully stanced hand-crafted group dungeons based mostly in group cooperation. Tho I hardly see a system like that working nowdays due to several reasons, especially forcing group content.

Tandor

Surgee wrote: »

We all can agree that quests in ESO are boring.

That's nonsense.

Why do some people insist that they are speaking for everyone else? Even your own experience is clearly marred by the arrows that you make great mention of without having realised that you can disable them.

ErilAq

I find the best way to make quests interesting is to actually listen to/read them. Not to mention there's some golden snippets of conversation to be heard in both the quests and open world. I would (and not being a jerk here) suggest actually paying attention to the quests instead of rushing through them like you said you did. You may enjoy them more!

That being said, I'm 100% for some sort of "treasure hunt" achievement or quests like the ashamalwa (spelling?) stones, the Morrowind map, and the sermons achievements in the future.

Kiara

You won't have anything like that in ESO. Most quests were tuned down to killing mobs and just collecting experience/rewards, I can count on my fingers quests that does not include killing anything. That's MMO way, and ESO is MMO in the first place. But it doesn't make quests (or rather questlines) boring yet, just less diverse- but still, some are very good if you actually pay attention.

Surgee

Tandor wrote: »

Surgee wrote: »

We all can agree that quests in ESO are boring.

That's nonsense.

Why do some people insist that they are speaking for everyone else? Even your own experience is clearly marred by the arrows that you make great mention of without having realised that you can disable them.

If you read what I wrote you would see I've mentioned turning off the arrows. You're the one who's not paying attention, sir

Sorry what I meant is that going through them is often very forgettable and doesn't require you to pay any attention. A 5 year old could do all the ESO quests and you can't argue with that. Writing is spot on, locations are amazing..most of quests are great but if you got massive arrows leading you whats the point? The effort that Zenimax puts in the quests is mindblowing. I just want to give it justice.

Magdalina

Surgee wrote: »

pauli133 wrote: »

We already have players asking for things to be explained to them day in and day out, even things that are clearly written down for them already. Adding more won't make the game more fun.

And yet everyone loved questing in Morrowind and Oblivion. I can't believe eso community do not possess the intelligence to finish simple quests without arrows pointing exactly where to press a button. Let the current quests be on the level of 5year old it's ok all I ask is one new zone that actually require some effort. I hate that the only content for co-op group pve gameplay/collaboration in this game are dungeons.

Morrowind and Oblivion were single player games. ESO is a MMO. This means, among other things, that questing isn't the sole and only purpose of the game. There's also PvP, group content, etc. For many people, quests are a means to an end and they'd be...upset to no end if they actually were forced to pay attention to quests. The "afk questing" scenario you mentioned is perfect for them. Also no, player interaction is the absolutely last thing we need to "spice up" the questing. Questing is THE solo part of the game that you can enjoy at your own pace without having to depend on anyone(which the fans of Skyrim seem to appreciate above everything as well).

That aside, I've probably done about 90% of all the game's quests and I absolutely don't agree the quests are boring. The puzzles suck and the fighting might as well be excluded at this point so one shotting big bad enemy that 50 warriors needed my help with doesn't ruin my immersion, but if you're in it just for the story there're actually some really cool stories around. And I do like the voice acting as well. Granted there's a grand lot of generic fetch X/kill Y for me/whatever quests but there're beautiful and even touchy stories behind some of these, especially side quests.

For example there's a quest in one of elvish zones, forgot which, where a spider daedra traps a guy in endless dreams, and his girl asks you to help her save him. But you don't actually get to save him, instead you get to talk to the spider daedra(love those moments because it's not that often we get to talk to even semi-non aggressive daedra, always interesting to know how they think) and she offers you two options - one is you free the guy, but at the price of the girl, and she stays forever trapped in his place; the other one is you let them both be trapped - but trapped in happy dreams. The girl is happy to stay in his place to save her lover's life, but the spider daedra tries to convince you you shouldn't choose life and potential happiness of one over the happiness of two... Plus if you let them both be trapped, they will be together for the rest of their lives, blissfully happy in their neverending dreams...in reality, no one could guarantee they'd even survive the next day in a world torn by war. Isn't that a good question? If your happiness is a lie but it IS happiness, is it better to dwell in it or to be free? What if you had to choose that for someone else?

Dawnblade

No thanks.

And if it isn't already an option, an option to disable markers would solve YOUR issue - whereas removing all markers would create one for me and many others (not sure why purists / immersion / whatever types seem to want the entire game changed to the way THEY prefer to play, rather than just ask for options).

Also many quests in this game are lazily written assuming players are using the markers, and without them, they would need to update the quest text to include actual information on where to go.

What quests do need is a massive buff to XP so they feel worthwhile - most suck as far as XP / hour, providing far, far, far less XP per time spent than mindless zombie killing or running in a circle around Alik'r.

Doctordarkspawn

I dont agree that questing is boring.

If you dont like questing that's fine but that's a defect with you, not the game.

Taleof2Cities

Dawnblade wrote: »

No thanks.

What quests do need is a massive buff to XP so they feel worthwhile - most suck as far as XP / hour, providing far, far, far less XP per time spent than mindless zombie killing or running in a circle around Alik'r.

You would still have mindless zombie killing or running in a circle around Alik'r doing the zone questline instead of dolmens.

"How can I level faster?" is one of the most asked questions in the game.

Adding choices where players have to stop and think about the correct choice would help (see: Coldharbour - The Shadows Embrace quest) ... but then the mindless zombies would complain.

VaranisArano

Oh no. Morrowind questing sucked for me. Well, okay, it partly sucks because of the graphics. Its one thing to know that you need to turn left at the foyada with the forked tree and quite another to actually identify what is and what isn't a forked tree. Add in the slow walking speed and I'd be wandering the wastelands with next to no clue as to which hill had the door with the mine I was supposed to find...

TES III Morrowind was vastly improved by a wiki and a map. As least for my playthrough. Call it easy gaming if you want - I'm calling it doing what I need to do to ease the frustration of wandering around so I can actually enjoy the story.

Personally, I really enjoyed all the ESO quests the first time I did them. I mostly enjoyed them the second and third time too. But I've done the quests on multiple alts now, so if I find them boring now, its because I've done them so many times before. Its sort of like Skyrim. I've played SKyrim so many times there are no surprises anywhere in that game. I know practically every dungeon forwards, backwards, and every line of NPC dialogue (same with most of Oblivion, honestly). Skyrim is <Sheogroath voice> BORING! right now to me. That doesn't mean I didn't love it to pieces or that it still isn't a great game. I'm just bored with it.

geonsocal

Magdalina wrote: »

Surgee wrote: »

pauli133 wrote: »

We already have players asking for things to be explained to them day in and day out, even things that are clearly written down for them already. Adding more won't make the game more fun.

And yet everyone loved questing in Morrowind and Oblivion. I can't believe eso community do not possess the intelligence to finish simple quests without arrows pointing exactly where to press a button. Let the current quests be on the level of 5year old it's ok all I ask is one new zone that actually require some effort. I hate that the only content for co-op group pve gameplay/collaboration in this game are dungeons.

Morrowind and Oblivion were single player games. ESO is a MMO. This means, among other things, that questing isn't the sole and only purpose of the game. There's also PvP, group content, etc. For many people, quests are a means to an end and they'd be...upset to no end if they actually were forced to pay attention to quests. The "afk questing" scenario you mentioned is perfect for them. Also no, player interaction is the absolutely last thing we need to "spice up" the questing. Questing is THE solo part of the game that you can enjoy at your own pace without having to depend on anyone(which the fans of Skyrim seem to appreciate above everything as well).

That aside, I've probably done about 90% of all the game's quests and I absolutely don't agree the quests are boring. The puzzles suck and the fighting might as well be excluded at this point so one shotting big bad enemy that 50 warriors needed my help with doesn't ruin my immersion, but if you're in it just for the story there're actually some really cool stories around. And I do like the voice acting as well. Granted there's a grand lot of generic fetch X/kill Y for me/whatever quests but there're beautiful and even touchy stories behind some of these, especially side quests.

For example there's a quest in one of elvish zones, forgot which, where a spider daedra traps a guy in endless dreams, and his girl asks you to help her save him. But you don't actually get to save him, instead you get to talk to the spider daedra(love those moments because it's not that often we get to talk to even semi-non aggressive daedra, always interesting to know how they think) and she offers you two options - one is you free the guy, but at the price of the girl, and she stays forever trapped in his place; the other one is you let them both be trapped - but trapped in happy dreams. The girl is happy to stay in his place to save her lover's life, but the spider daedra tries to convince you you shouldn't choose life and potential happiness of one over the happiness of two... Plus if you let them both be trapped, they will be together for the rest of their lives, blissfully happy in their neverending dreams...in reality, no one could guarantee they'd even survive the next day in a world torn by war. Isn't that a good question? If your happiness is a lie but it IS happiness, is it better to dwell in it or to be free? What if you had to choose that for someone else?

wow, that sounds like an old school star trek/twilight zone episode...

tough choice, seeing how walking away is not really an option...guess they're both going to sleep for a while...

would definitely feel a little weird not be able to attack the spider daedra...not sure which i like least, them or the harvesters...

monktoasty

When it comes to quests..eso is actually really good at making them different than the usual mmo style.

If you didn't know where to go though..people would complain. Just the way it is.