Have you ever refused to do a quest because you had scruples?

BurtFreeman · July 2015

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firstdecan · July 2015

I can't say I've ever had any kind of moral quandary in the game, but then again I've never found the storylines to be that engaging. It might be more engaging if ZoS would do the following:

1 - Have choices in 75% - 80% of the quests where you could choose between good \ evil \ selfish options
- This lets you define yourself as a hero \ villain \ anti-hero
- It would be nice if the NPC banter would change based on where you fell in that spectrum
- Example: If you make good choices, NPCs have more positive banter and talk about heroic deeds (I'd like to buy that hero an ale).
- Example: If you make evil choices, NPCs have negative banter and talk about the world falling apart.
- This would have no real effect on gameplay, but would actually make choices have a permanent effect.
2 - The remaining 20%-25% of quests have real moral quandaries where there is no good answer
- Some players might find this disconcerting
- I think it would add to the depth of the storylines and make the world feel more complex
- Hard decisions are usually the most memorable, and it would make the game \ stories more memorable.

starkerealm · July 2015

Moonshadow66 wrote: »

Also, after doing the quest "Pact Advocate" in Grahtwood once or twice, I refuse to do this ever again. Same reason: I felt like an ass.
I put the quest description link in a spoiler, just in case:
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Pact_Advocate

Honestly, I felt Pact Advocate was a pretty solid quest. A crime has been committed, and no mater how justified the various parties may seem, you need to identify the person responsible and deal with them. Otherwise you're condemning the entire town over the actions of one.

There are quests, like the one where you're stealing from people in Davon's Watch, or the shakedown quest from Vulkhel Guard that was removed, where I could say, "yes, I'm not doing this because I have scruples." But, Pact Advocate isn't the one I'd cite there.

Lynx7386 · July 2015

I don't avoid some quests, but in those where I can make decisions I base my decision on what character I'm playing. Evil characters are ruthless, heroic characters save innocents, thieves and mercenaries go for the reward, so on and so forth.

waterfairy · July 2015

I've done this sort of thing in the real Elder Scrolls games but I don't have the same attachment to the world in an MMO...it's meaningless to kill that guar when he'll respawn a little while later.

God-eater · July 2015

No. My scruples aren't a factor here. I'm a player out to get all the loots.

The scruples of my character are another matter, and yes, they guide my in-game plot decisions.

For example (no spoiler warning required unless you really haven't done the AD starter quests), my Imperial stopped the Green Lady from taking bloody revenge, because he's a loyal dude working for the good of the Dominion, and traitors are best interrogated. My Bosmer, on the other hand, totally understands the significance of a Life Bond and there was no way he was getting in front of that, Dominion or no.

So, in answer to the question, 'do I RP with soulless NPCs?', hell yes I do. TES was a solo RPG long before you lot showed up.

prnoprno · July 2015

Hmm. No. I'm a completionist, so I intend to (eventually) accomplish everything available for me in this game. Such a goal would require me to put strict role play on the back burner and see each and every quest through to the end no matter what scruples may do to my moral fabric.

But let's put that first reason aside. I remember one quest in Deshaan called The Trial of the Ghost Snake. Long story short: You are tasked with finding out what has happened to Raston Vendil after he went missing in his attempt to establish a trade deal with a tribe of Ashlanders. After a bit of investigation you find out Raston is held hostage and is to be put to death by the tribe due to some fairly rude things he had said and done. Ultimately, after paying tribute to the tribes ghost snake god with 8 live rats (bear with me) you're put in the position of deciding the fate of the tribe. Are they to kill Raston and remain isolated? Or are they to forgive him of his crimes and allow him an exclusive trade deal between the tribe and the Pact? The almighty ghost snake deity knows he cannot prevent further intrusion of outsiders into his realm, but will not force the tribe to remain in isolation either.

Why do I bore you all with this tale? Well I for one thought it was a brilliant exercise in moral decision making. Yes, you could allow the tribe to kill Raston, after all, once you learn of what a horrible elitist prick he his, I for one wouldn't care if I never saw his face again. But this doesn't solve the issue of other traders whom are just as horrible or perhaps even worse than Raston attempting the same stunt during their visit to the tribe. If no exclusive trade deal is set up now, it would end in a vicious cycle of dead traders.

But then, what if says Tevynni Hedran ( I believe was her name), Raston's associate, they were to allow Raston to live and she would take charge of the trade deal? Then the tribe wouldn't have to deal with that awful Raston, he wouldn't have to die, the Pact would gain another trade ally, and there would be no vicious cycle of dead traders! Except one thing... Raston, oh sweet Raston, he knows Tevynni's game. He doesn't see her logic in this decision. All he sees is her attempt at stealing his trade agreement right from under his nose. In so many words, in an aside to you, he threatens her should she be so bold as to pull a fast one on him. Never mind she would still be saving his life. So no, I couldn't choose that option either, for I couldn't put Tevynni in a position in which she would have Raston threatening her well-being.

I chose to save Raston and let him have the trade agreement. He doesn't deserve it, but all the other options, to me at least, would be more disastrous in the grand scheme of things. What I enjoyed about this is that I witnessed myself confronted with a true moral dilemma and I had to justify my decision. Granted, not everyone plays this way. I think Pact Advocate is the same type of quest.

This is my favorite type of quest.

starlizard70ub17_ESO · July 2015

I do what I think my charactor would do at the time, given the info he has. The only quest I don't this with is the end of the mage's guild questline. Sorry but 2 skill points is 2 skill points

Isarii · July 2015

starlizard70ub17_ESO wrote: »

I do what I think my charactor would do at the time, given the info he has. The only quest I don't this with is the end of the mage's guild questline. Sorry but 2 skill points is 2 skill points

Ha - was about to post the same thing myself.

FelixTheCatt · July 2015

mrskinskull wrote: »

FelixTheCatt wrote: »

Nope. I can't imagine being concerned over a quest or anything like it in a video game.

If not for the engrossing story, you are just punching numbers into a calculator, over and over.

Oh no , don't get me wrong. I've been a huge fan of ES for years. I absolutely love the lore and the worlds , how diverse Tamriel is and even the politics between some of the different races. In general though , I have never just thought about the moral implications of a certain quest/quest lines.

When I play a game I do so to kinda lose myself in it and some times just do things I couldn't do in real life. Otherwise , really whats the point?

There have been times where I would just relieve stress by firing up games like True Crime : Streets of L.A. or GTA 4/5 just to pick a highly populated area and simply pick people off with a good sniper rifle or run around with grenades blowing everything in sight to pieces. Obviously I'd never do anything of the like in reality. Just good stress relievers is all.

Doing things morally ambiguous is fun. If for no other reason than to see how the other half lives. They say bad guys have more fun. I believe it too. lol

Nestor · July 2015

Moonshadow66 wrote: »

I'm just curious how others feel about this: are you doing it ALL just for completition or because you don't care what you're doing, or do you rather refuse to do certain quests (or other things) although this means less XP and no 100% completition?

I refuse to sacrifice a Goat to a Serpent so some story teller in Alikir can make a point. I can still get the Adventurer Achievement for that zone, so its all good.

Zershar_Vemod · July 2015

What the hell is a scruple ?

danno8 · July 2015

ADarklore wrote: »

I don't have a problem with the Pact Advocate quest because you have to remember that you are living/playing in a world where 'nature' is just as sentient as the people are; trees talk to us, Spriggins talk to us, etc. So how would you feel if a person living in your house (nature) decided to cut up one of your family members (the flower) simply because their 'essence' could save a person? Naturally, you'd be po'd and want revenge or at least justice... and that is exactly what the nature realm wants.

People who have an issue with this quest are thinking in terms of "nature doesn't have feelings", but in Tamriel they do... and on your AD quests in particular you get to see how real it actually is. So no, I don't have a problem sending the Spinner's wife to the chamber and allow nature to have the justice it rightfully deserves.

So perhaps while you're getting your RP game on, you also RP within the world of Tamriel, not Earth... what exists here, the morals, values, life, religions... are similar, but also in many cases, such as this instance, quite different.

More like if a fully sentient tree required me to sacrifice my pet beetle in order to save its life. I am not sure I would go out and slaughter the whole forest until the one tree was brought to justice.

I mean I assume the wood elves are eating plants and/or animals all the time to survive, so why would "nature" have a problem with this person "eating" this plant to survive? I guess I don't get it.

eventide03b14a_ESO · July 2015

You realize that unlike every other TES game it makes absolutely no difference what you do in this game right? There are no real consequences so you might as well just do it.

theroyalestpythonnub18_ESO · July 2015

eventide03b14a_ESO wrote: »

You realize that unlike every other TES game it makes absolutely no difference what you do in this game right? There are no real consequences so you might as well just do it.

What sort of long term consequences did you face by making a choice in Skyrim? I can't even think of a quest in that game that gave me pause, except maybe "In My Time of Need".