Reminder: The original Jakarn quests are fun and very easy

FrancisCrawford

With the news that Jakarn is returning in this year's story, some folks might want to (re)visit his original quests. Notes on that start:
-- The quest line in question was the original starter line for the Daggerfall Covenant, meant to be accessible to characters of level as low as 3. So the quests are super-easy.
-- The whole thing is a heist story.
-- Jakarn is a thief. He is also a seducer of many women and perhaps the occasional man.

More precisely:
-- Go to the docks in Stros M'Kai's main city (you can't miss them).
-- You'll see Captain Kaleen and a few of her crew bemoaning the fact that most of the crew mutineed when she renounced anti-Breton privateering.
-- You'll get the quest The Broken Spearhead. https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Captain_Kaleen
-- It has three optional parts, which can be done in any order. In each of them you recruit a person to help in a heist.
-- Jakarn is one of those people.
-- Mainly, you break him out of jail and help him recover something he stole. If you do, he'll also be around acting as a charming rogue at the final heist.

https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Captain_Kaleen offers a low-spoilage outline.

The other two people you could recruit are Neramo, who later resurfaces in various other places (e.g. the Clockwork City quest line), and Crafty Lerisa, another Redguard pirate captain, who later resurfaces briefly as a potential Jakarn love interest/FWB.

Czeri

I love Jakarn and am looking forward to his shameless flirting so much.

FrancisCrawford

Czeri wrote: »

I love Jakarn and am looking forward to his shameless flirting so much.

I just hope they don't wreck Jakarn the way they have so many other characters they brought back for recent content.

One encouraging note: Two characters they did NOT wreck were relatively minor ones with good senses of humor, who were brought back to be dungeon quest givers, namely Therraya and Gwendis.

Northwold

To be fair there was effectively zero characterisation in Lyris and Sai to begin with and if I'd had my way they would both have been sacrificed. *runs*

spartaxoxo

Jakarn can also be encountered in Elysweyr. He's got himself into more trouble with his love of heists.

Blinx

Jakarn is so charismatic, he even has groupies by the time you land on Daggerfall, the 3 ladies, and the male nord.
I sincerely hope he doesn't get the Lyranth treatment, she went from cool in the base game, to someone who who was even more irritating than the new incarnation of Eveli, and whom I never ever would want to see again.

SammyKhajit

Would’ve liked to have Jakarn as follower. Good ego boost when this one harvesting a node or some mundane matter and to hear him say, “Hey good looking, flexing those muscles huh?”

Sammy has no muscles but it’s good to hear affirmation, yes?

Czeri

Honestly I thought they ruined Jakarn in the main game with that bit about him falling in love with Lerisa. Luckily by Elsweyr he seemed to get better. You can't have a character like Jakarn have an established love interest!

Speaking of Jakarn's groupies, Majoll was always my favourite. I hope he pops us again.

Hapexamendios

Easy - yes
Fun - debatable

FrancisCrawford

Where in Elsweyr does Jakarn show up?

FrancisCrawford

Northwold wrote: »

To be fair there was effectively zero characterisation in Lyris and Sai to begin with and if I'd had my way they would both have been sacrificed. *runs*

No big argument about Sai, although Abnur Tharn's book about him added some color.

I disagree about Lyris. She's a classic warrior, plus she's intensely loyal, rather insecure, and lonely for non-trivial human relationships. And we're shown all these things rather than merely being told them. By MMO standards, that's a huge amount of characterization.

Ilsabet

FrancisCrawford wrote: »

Where in Elsweyr does Jakarn show up?

Wander around Rimmen a bit, and he should... drop in on you.

blktauna

spartaxoxo wrote: »

Jakarn can also be encountered in Elysweyr. He's got himself into more trouble with his love of heists.

i am about to do that quest in honour of the upcoming dlc. That and his bum must be killing him from landing on that crate so much.

spartaxoxo

FrancisCrawford wrote: »

Where in Elsweyr does Jakarn show up?

Rimmen. You have to have done the zone story enough for him to show up though

Northwold

FrancisCrawford wrote: »

Northwold wrote: »

To be fair there was effectively zero characterisation in Lyris and Sai to begin with and if I'd had my way they would both have been sacrificed. *runs*

No big argument about Sai, although Abnur Tharn's book about him added some color.

I disagree about Lyris. She's a classic warrior, plus she's intensely loyal, rather insecure, and lonely for non-trivial human relationships. And we're shown all these things rather than merely being told them. By MMO standards, that's a huge amount of characterization.

She was a no brainer for disposal for me. And then I had to deal with Sai and I had regrets. And then the year after *she* came back as well. And then they joined up. It was like something out of a horror movie.

Dragonlord573

Not gonna lie, I refuse to except his quest in Rimmen (unlocked if you have joined the thieves guild) just because him falling from the sky is hilarious when I go to turn my writs in.

BahometZ

Appreciate the reminder. Will have to swing back for another play through.

On Lyris, I appreciated her role in the original main story quest, but found her Markarth appearance sadly pretty dull, as was the questline.

WhiteCoatSyndrome

FrancisCrawford wrote: »

I disagree about Lyris. She's a classic warrior, plus she's intensely loyal, rather insecure, and lonely for non-trivial human relationships. And we're shown all these things rather than merely being told them. By MMO standards, that's a huge amount of characterization.

My big complaint with her was that as soon as Sai showed up in the vanilla main quest they dropped all her characterization in favor of her just being his love interest.

FrancisCrawford

WhiteCoatSyndrome wrote: »

FrancisCrawford wrote: »

I disagree about Lyris. She's a classic warrior, plus she's intensely loyal, rather insecure, and lonely for non-trivial human relationships. And we're shown all these things rather than merely being told them. By MMO standards, that's a huge amount of characterization.

My big complaint with her was that as soon as Sai showed up in the vanilla main quest they dropped all her characterization in favor of her just being his love interest.

Character focus in the main quest line jumped around quite a bit. The emphasis on Lyris just came first.

I did expect more of a relationship after she gazed into my eyes and said how important I was to her -- all the more because the previous RPG in which I'd played with a character voiced by Jennifer Hale was KOTOR. But the direction they took her is a legitimate choice as well.

Blinx

meh, Jakarn is going to be a house guest, why not a damn companion, first Arox now Jak, I don't buy guests, I dont spend any significant time in my homes, I just use them to store stuff not hang out

SydneyGrey

Oh yeah, he's the liar who didn't care if I got killed doing his errand on Stros M'Kai.

Sylvermynx

Ick. Jakarn is a slimeball creep. Spare me.

FrancisCrawford

I see from the PTS patch notes that Jakarn is going to be Prologue Quest guy, while Captain Kaleen will be a dungeon quest-giver.

FrancisCrawford

I just checked out the beginning of Jakarn's prologue quest. Blech. He no longer seems to be the happy-go-lucky conman of Stros M'Kai. Now he's more of an acknowledged lowlife.

Yet another returning character wrecked?

spartaxoxo

FrancisCrawford wrote: »

I just checked out the beginning of Jakarn's prologue quest. Blech. He no longer seems to be the happy-go-lucky conman of Stros M'Kai. Now he's more of an acknowledged lowlife.

Yet another returning character wrecked?

I mean he's always been a thief and a womanizer, so I always thought of him as the likable low-life with a secret heart of gold archetype. Not really sure if that changed or not, as I haven't done any prologue yet. May want to discuss that in a spoiler area.

FrancisCrawford

spartaxoxo wrote: »

FrancisCrawford wrote: »

I just checked out the beginning of Jakarn's prologue quest. Blech. He no longer seems to be the happy-go-lucky conman of Stros M'Kai. Now he's more of an acknowledged lowlife.

Yet another returning character wrecked?

I mean he's always been a thief and a womanizer, so I always thought of him as the likable low-life with a secret heart of gold archetype. Not really sure if that changed or not, as I haven't done any prologue yet. May want to discuss that in a spoiler area.

I'm referring to a general feel or vibe to the character, after spending about 4 minutes with him and an associate. Maybe after you've spent a similar 4 minutes you'll agree, but maybe you won't.

Specific jarring elements were that he characterized himself as a thief (at least implicitly), that he characterized himself as an employee, and that he claimed to be uncurious about matters outside his immediate responsibilities to his employer.

Kesstryl

BahometZ wrote: »

Appreciate the reminder. Will have to swing back for another play through.

On Lyris, I appreciated her role in the original main story quest, but found her Markarth appearance sadly pretty dull, as was the questline.

I disagree, I liked her a lot in the Greymoor content. There was one point where I recently did a second playthrough of the main quest with my buddy and during a part where she was tanking and Fennorian was healing, we were like, they would have made better companions than the ones we got.

Recurring characters are what I love best about new chapters and DLC, and I look forward to more of Jakarn and Za'ji. I never noticed him falling out of the air in Elsweyr, I have to visit Rimmen on my Thieves Guild char and see this. Thanks for the heads up.

etchedpixels

Ilsabet wrote: »

FrancisCrawford wrote: »

Where in Elsweyr does Jakarn show up?

Wander around Rimmen a bit, and he should... drop in on you.

And then you can leave him in that state and someone throws him out of a window every time you walk past to hand your crafting in. It's great watching Jakarn getting beaten up several times a day.

That said the Jakarn in the PTS prologue (no spoilers...) doesn't feel quite right to me. It's like someone else wrote him and didn't quite capture the original.

zaria

spartaxoxo wrote: »

Jakarn can also be encountered in Elysweyr. He's got himself into more trouble with his love of heists.

Did not notice that, granted running into Raz as an female Khajiit with his kitten then he was confronted by the locals.

Forgive him he is young and so much like his father. Yes its something who is hard to top.

SilverBride

I just did some of these Jakarn quests on my new character and I agree. I really enjoy them.

Nord_Raseri

Am I the only one who wants to watch Jakarn's eyes go wide as I push a sword into his guts?