[SUGGESTIONS] Base Game Quests That Feel Difficult/Bad For Veteran Players Should Be Prioritized

randconfig · January 12

If the quest is difficult for a veteran player to do, it's ABSOLUTELY difficult for a new player. Thus, if there are any plans to update base game quests to improve new player experience, I think it would be wise if developers prioritized those quests that veteran players feel are unintuitive, difficult, or unfun, so that their efforts result in the most positive change for the new player experience. To help with that process, I would like to start and maintain a list of problems veteran players have with base game quest content. If anyone would like to contribute to this list, just comment below and I can add that feedback to the list.

Zone - Stonefalls

Quest - Restoring Order

Task Description:
Follow Rhavil Urano around Ebonheart to investigate the shack he visits.

Problem(s):
There is no visual indicator for how far/close you must be to prevent quest failure/restarting.

Zone - Deshaan

Quest - A Favor Returned

Task Description:
After talking with Naryu Virian in the Flaming Nix, and NOT choosing the Persuade option, you're asked to follow the courier to a location where he passes out and you are to steal the key from him.

Problem(s):
a. There is no visual indicator for how far/close you must be to prevent quest failure/restarting.
b. No displayable nametag, so it's easy to miss him the first time you exit the Flaming Nix.

Destai · January 12

My biggest problem with base game quests is they either annoy me into doing them or just become tedious.

I recently posted a list of quests with stalking quest givers, will have to dig that up soon. For tedious quests, one of the biggest ones is the whole coldharbour quest line. The Ayleid king especially, that light puzzle where you have to line them up is pretty tedious. Wouldn’t mind seeing that trimmed down a little.

TaSheen · January 12

Destai wrote: »

My biggest problem with base game quests is they either annoy me into doing them or just become tedious.

I recently posted a list of quests with stalking quest givers, will have to dig that up soon. For tedious quests, one of the biggest ones is the whole coldharbour quest line. The Ayleid king especially, that light puzzle where you have to line them up is pretty tedious. Wouldn’t mind seeing that trimmed down a little.

Oh, I loved that puzzle! Right up MY alley for sure.... Stalking quest givers though.... yeah, shut them up in a jail cell...

katanagirl1 · January 13

Destai wrote: »

My biggest problem with base game quests is they either annoy me into doing them or just become tedious.

I recently posted a list of quests with stalking quest givers, will have to dig that up soon. For tedious quests, one of the biggest ones is the whole coldharbour quest line. The Ayleid king especially, that light puzzle where you have to line them up is pretty tedious. Wouldn’t mind seeing that trimmed down a little.

The Coldharbour quest that I hated was the one where you have to touch the wisps and sneak-follow the shadow elves around in circles through spriggans and stranglers to find one of the Fighters Guild lost members. Worst quest ever. On my alts I just go straight to the location because I know it now. It’s right before the one you mentioned.

Taril · January 13

I've never had a problem with any of the stalking NPC quests being "Difficult" in any way, shape or form.

Yes, there's no hand-holdy indicators... But I have a (Semi) functioning brain and can hang back a reasonable distance and complete the quests with ease.

As far as tediousness goes? Most of the tedium stems from replaying quests on multiple characters. I don't think quests should get neutered because someone running them on 20+ different characters finds them annoying to replay so many times.

In fact, I'd go ahead and say that I want MORE quests that are involved and deep and have things like cool puzzles and interesting mechanics in them.

People who don't want to play involved quests multiple times... Don't have to (Thanks to AWA), so long as it's not something like the Main Story or Psijic quests that are tied to skill line progression. While the same can't be said about people who want an actually engaging quest doing so if everything is watered down into mindless slop, they don't have the option to go play an un-sloppified quest.

Ruj · January 13

Psijic Order stands out as the most tedious and boring questline. Ever. In any game.

Players suffer through it to get the skills we need, but I have never heard anyone say they can't wait to do it all over again on every character.

New player experience:
Main Story Quest in Coldharbour doesn't always have an indicator as to where to go. Many players have it sit in their quest log or abandon the MSQ because the game doesn't make it obvious as to where to navigate to next.

Kyip · January 13

I'd like some option to redo a quest with red-text branching endings, when it's going to make random NPCs insult me for the next 12+ years.

VoxAdActa · January 13

Ruj wrote: »

Psijic Order stands out as the most tedious and boring questline. Ever. In any game.

First zone of a Psijic quest: "This won't be so bad. I'll pick flowers, hunt for chests, maybe do a quest or two..."
Third zone of a Psijic quest: "I will ride right through a skyshard without stopping, I don't even care, make this nightmare end already."

---

The quest that always trips me up, even after having done it several times, is the one in the main Harborage questline where you have to get the MacGuffin from the Valley of Blades. For two reasons:

1) The step right at the end, after you pick up the thing from the podium. The next quest step is "Talk to Kasura." But there's no indicator over her head, like we've been trained to expect in all the previous quests; there's just a shaded circle on the map. She also isn't especially visually distinct from the other 5 people following you around in that quest, and even when you remember "Oh, right, I have to talk to the person with no arrow over her head," you have to run around in circles to get her to a point where there are no other NPCs even close to her, because for some reason, targeting and talking to Abnur Tharn (et al.) takes key-press priority over targeting and talking to Kasura.

2) The fight with the horde of undead swordmasters is 10x harder than anything else in any overland quest line, and takes 5x longer. Maybe that's a good thing for some people, though.

Desiato · January 13

I started PC gaming with AGI Sierra games as a child! The first was Space Quest III.

There were no quest markers of any kind. Players had to observe the scene for clues and figure out solutions. Then they had to type commands like "look down hole", "pick up ladder", etc...

Dying was par for the course and the death screens were some of the most entertaining parts of the game. The progressive story was the reward for solving puzzles.

So as a vet fan of RPGs and adventure games, I wish there were more challenging quests in ESO that required actual problem solving, even if it meant sometimes googling would be required if one got stuck. I hate the "follow the arrow" mini-game questing has become.

shadyjane62 · January 14

Vaermina at the end of Necrom. I will say no more.

Destai · January 14

katanagirl1 wrote: »

Destai wrote: »

My biggest problem with base game quests is they either annoy me into doing them or just become tedious.

I recently posted a list of quests with stalking quest givers, will have to dig that up soon. For tedious quests, one of the biggest ones is the whole coldharbour quest line. The Ayleid king especially, that light puzzle where you have to line them up is pretty tedious. Wouldn’t mind seeing that trimmed down a little.

The Coldharbour quest that I hated was the one where you have to touch the wisps and sneak-follow the shadow elves around in circles through spriggans and stranglers to find one of the Fighters Guild lost members. Worst quest ever. On my alts I just go straight to the location because I know it now. It’s right before the one you mentioned.

Oh that's another one I always dread doing. It wouldn't be so bad if there wasn't stranglers yanking me around. Thankfully, the quest isn't so bad after that point. I find myself siding with the Lamia usually. I didn't know I could go straight to the location, will do that next time.

Ruj wrote: »

Psijic Order stands out as the most tedious and boring questline. Ever. In any game.

Players suffer through it to get the skills we need, but I have never heard anyone say they can't wait to do it all over again on every character.

I'm sure I'm in an extreme minority here, but I honestly don't mind it that much. That being said, it does overstay it's welcome. I wish they'd give it a similar treatment like they did with the scribing quest. Some sort of skip option, I dunno.

katanagirl1 · January 15

Desiato wrote: »

I started PC gaming with AGI Sierra games as a child! The first was Space Quest III.

There were no quest markers of any kind. Players had to observe the scene for clues and figure out solutions. Then they had to type commands like "look down hole", "pick up ladder", etc...

Dying was par for the course and the death screens were some of the most entertaining parts of the game. The progressive story was the reward for solving puzzles.

So as a vet fan of RPGs and adventure games, I wish there were more challenging quests in ESO that required actual problem solving, even if it meant sometimes googling would be required if one got stuck. I hate the "follow the arrow" mini-game questing has become.

I have a suggestion for a real challenging puzzle game for you - The Talos Principle. I started playing that recently and it is a brain scrambler. I have not felt ashamed for looking some of those puzzles up.

As for ESO though, the world of Tamriel was too big to go chasing down vague clues to finish quests when I did the previously mentioned Coldharbour quest almost 10 years ago, and it hasn’t got any smaller since then. If players want to use that optional immersive quest thing that’s fine but I have other things I would like to do and am fine with quest markers.