Why is questing of all things the slowest way to level?

DarkWombat

I just don't understand this. Killing mobs is faster. Getting in "Dolmen" runs is of course faster. Dailies are faster quests. One quick Battleground gives more experience and is quicker than most quests. A dungeon run is way faster as the end boss gives a massive amount of experience.

Why is this? Why does Zenimax not want all the stories and content, voice acting etc to be the slowest way to level in the game?

To add insult to injury, in Morrowind, quest chains were made WAY longer and you didn't get any experience until the WHOLE chain was over. Why not at least give players a drip...drip of experience turn ins during a long quest chain?

casparian

Because questing stops having challenging combat once you are decently leveled. Questing is actually better before you reach max level (or even mid-level). Thus is gives less XP to prolong the good part of the experience.

I made it to about 2/3 of the way through the base game story before combat got broken and bosses started dying in 3 seconds. Good luck prolonging the enjoyability of your own experience!

Goregrinder

That's just how it's always been. I got to VR1 during early access when the game launched by AoE grinding mobs. I think I quested until like level 17 or something until I got bored out of my mind with all the pointless running around, then found the guy who went 1-50 in less than 48 hours and copied his build. The rest was history!

As to "why", well....I think the choice being presented to players is: "Do you want to have fun learning about the story along the way?" Or "Do you just want to get to max level as fast as possible, no fuss no muss?". I prefer the no fuss no muss route....just get me to the point I can start enjoying endgame already know you?

DarkWombat

Yes but I think it would be nice if questing got a small bump in experience for those who enjoy the quests AND also don't want to take forever to level up.

I know this is not a popular opinion, but it's been 6 years and there are still spots where you can easily round up a bunch of mobs nonstop and grind away. It's just a playground for bots really. And those Dolmen runs too. Why not bump the quest exp up and discourage Dolmen runs by changing the timing on when they go off or move the Wayshrines a bit?

Maybe it's just too late now..

pod88kk

You think it's bad now, do you remember the Veteran Ranks..... now THAT was a grind

Goregrinder

DarkWombat wrote: »

Yes but I think it would be nice if questing got a small bump in experience for those who enjoy the quests AND also don't want to take forever to level up.

I know this is not a popular opinion, but it's been 6 years and there are still spots where you can easily round up a bunch of mobs nonstop and grind away. It's just a playground for bots really. And those Dolmen runs too. Why not bump the quest exp up and discourage Dolmen runs by changing the timing on when they go off or move the Wayshrines a bit?

Maybe it's just too late now..

Why increase your fun by ruining someone else's fun? Well I don't know really....who's fun is more important, yours or theirs?

Sylvermynx

Actually, I've often thought this myself. My fun is questing, gathering mats, crafting, housing. But questing gets me nearly nothing in XP....

This game is like - totally backwards of others I've played.

Goregrinder

Sylvermynx wrote: »

Actually, I've often thought this myself. My fun is questing, gathering mats, crafting, housing. But questing gets me nearly nothing in XP....

This game is like - totally backwards of others I've played.

That's one thing I still love about ESO, it doesn't follow the formula other MMORPG's follow. It's unique in that sense, and every time I try to go back to another MMORPG, I end up coming back to ESO and remembering how much of a breathe of fresh air it is.

Sylvermynx

Each to her own then.

AlnilamE

Have you tried questing at the same speed people grind/do dolmens? I'm sure the XP would be equivalent. But not fun. Just like the other things. You can have efficient or you can have fun. Not both at the same time.

I'll take the quests as they are (and you underestimate the XP you get from dailies, for example).

Sylvermynx

I'm not talking about dailies (of which available, I only do writs - and only on my 5 CP level characters). I'm talking about the "quasi-normal" quests you can pick up everywhere. Yes, the MQs give you more XP and also skill points - but the quests I find fun (as opposed to a dismal slog) are the ones you find out in the world.

And they're defined by the paucity of XP. I don't care about the rewards other than XP. I get better stuff from treasure chests and Psijic portals....

MasterSpatula

If leveling is your goal instead of having an engaging storytelling experience, then you are free to embrace the monotony of concentrating only on XP gain. That's why they call it grinding. There's nothing wrong with that, if you're into it.

Personally, I find that achingly dull. But my reward, the experience I'm here for, isn't leveling; it's engaging with the story and the world. I get that from questing. Others find that achingly dull and get their reward, the reason they're here, from leveling or engaging with certain kinds of content.

etchedpixels

DarkWombat wrote: »

Why is this? Why does Zenimax not want all the stories and content, voice acting etc to be the slowest way to level in the game?

Isn't the point to enjoy the story rather than powergame ? As it is now if you go through the main quest, guild and regions you come out level 50 and some CP. That to me sounds like the balance is right - if you just quest you end up ready for end game.

Questing also gives you skill points, which the wacky races dolmen run does not.

Secondly there are players who enjoy grinding things. It's a valid play style too, so the Alik'r dolmen run would simply get replaced with the next best grind if they changed it - and actually it wouldn't go away because the badly out of kilter jewellery mats mean that people also run it to grind purple jewellery to deconstruct for materials.

erio

I think its a good thing that its slower. Questers get to take their time and enjoy a story before being thrust into endgame.

SeaGtGruff

Actually, I've found questing to be a pretty good way to level up-- not rapid leveling, mind you, and I'm talking about doing all the content in a zone (zone questline, miscellaneous quests, delves, dungeons, public dungeon, dolmens, and world bosses) before moving on to the next zone.

I created a new Nord character for Greymoor and, upon finishing the tutorial, immediately went to Davon's Watch in Stonefalls, talked to the lady, met her mysterious benefactor, got killed and sent to Coldharbour, escaped, and started playing through the EP zones. By the time I got to Shadowfen I was Level 50.

Yes, it does take a little while to go through each zone and complete its content; but it's also a great way to play the game "in proper order" so everything makes the most sense-- and it's fun. Personally, I'd rather level up that way than by doing endless runs through Skywatch, doing dolmen runs, etc.

Narvuntien

Why do you care about your level? You are just questing because it is fun. You can play content without being max level

Saccopharynx

The only time I care about my level is when I make a new character and I want to unlock my backbar at level 15. I can hit that in an hour of running wayshrine to wayshrine in a couple of zones, with later on give me the advantage of a fully unlocked map. It's probably not super exciting, but it works.

Past that, it's the lore I care about. Hitting CP160 is honestly the only other true milestone, since that's when armor sets max so you can fully build up your sets. All the extra CP isn't needed, it's just nice to unlock fun passives that honestly feel like candy sprinkles on a cupcake. You don't need the sprinkles to enjoy the cupcake, they just make it a little better.

Besides, unless you're trying to hard-max or super-gear for endgame content, the CP doesn't really matter all that much when you're rescuing someone's lost kid or picking flowers all day.

Starlock

I don't find it slow at all. I hate fast leveling. It does nothing for me. Levels don't get you skill points. Well, not enough anyway.

Iccotak

Thats the game trying to tell you to play other content and not just quests.

Overland is the starting point- which leads to dungeons, arenas, trials, battlegrounds, and cyrodil.

Best way to level is to get involved in all areas of the game

Eedat

Probably because questing is the easiest active content in the game really.

FrancisCrawford

DarkWombat wrote: »

Yes but I think it would be nice if questing got a small bump in experience for those who enjoy the quests AND also don't want to take forever to level up.

I know this is not a popular opinion, but it's been 6 years and there are still spots where you can easily round up a bunch of mobs nonstop and grind away. It's just a playground for bots really. And those Dolmen runs too. Why not bump the quest exp up and discourage Dolmen runs by changing the timing on when they go off or move the Wayshrines a bit?

Maybe it's just too late now..

Even the best quests lose appeal upon repetition. A typical side quest has you arriving at a new small town, figuring out what's wrong, and solving the problem. That's not so much fun on the repeats when you already know exactly what the problem is.

And that's in the DC, where the side quests are good. In the AD a typical side quest has you arriving at a new small town, where there's a very obvious daedra incursion, and your job is to kill daedra. That's a lot like killing deadra at a dolmen, except less smoky.

Starlight_Whisper

To be fair quest xp deserves a buff

OlumoGarbag

Housing is slower

Athan1

There are thousands of quests so it'd make us OP. We already get skill points for several quests so no need to being overly rewarding.