Jester's Festival - A Noble Quest: Remove thieving

Thrudra_Magia · March 29

I don't mind crouching to get a thing, but why do I have to be dinged for stealing with a bounty? Why? And then you place guards on the route back to the jester king which is crowded with NPCs that I can't get through and you place the guards on the bridge. Well, I'm not going to kill them and end up with a higher bounty!

All it does it *** me off to no end that this quest which I am FORCED to do if I want to partake in the festivities ends up in a bounty! So, if you're not going to remove the thieving then you owe me in-game gold.

I didn't sign up for this.

To all who want to reply with snarky comments...don't. Just...don't.

JavaRen · March 29

There are 6 other event quests, skip that one if you don't like it, no prob.

scrappy1342 · March 29

i just do the auridon one. a bit of running around, but it's pretty easy

ArielSira · March 29

I just do the two quests involving King Boar, hand in one and save the other for the next day.

valenwood_vegan · March 29

Odd, I never get a bounty during that quest. Have to be sure you're out of sight when stealing. Other than that, not even sure what I might be doing differently.

Syldras · March 29

One hint: Try to reach for the apples from behind the cart. You won't get detected there. Works for me every day (I usually do that quest because it's fastest).

Arunei · March 29

Welcome to the Justice System. It's just another part of the game, though I'm not fond of Event quests that force stealing instead of giving you different options to complete them like other quests sometimes do. Only thing you can do to avoid the risk is not do the quest. Luckily it means you only miss out on one purple box a day, and if you're only worried about doing a single quest for your Bars, just talk to Soars-In-Laughter and do her daily quest instead. They tend to be a lot shorter and easier than the other quests.

Waits_Behind_Walls · March 29

Here's your solution:
https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/332128/princess-rescuer-achievement

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxwYWKq6CK4

I've thought about this one too, because it is annoying when you don't remember that one path to elude the NPC, but it's remained my go-to Jester's Festival daily because it's got fewer steps.

I agreed to steal a pig for Jester King Jorunn, so some challenge makes sense. I can't think of too many alternatives that wouldn't be less irritating that this one, where someone chases you yelling "Thief!" and guards responding appropriately. If the challenge becomes an actual hostile NPC, then you've got combat in town and your prank involves at least a murder and at most even higher bounties. If the pig only follows you if you keep doing a thing or stay under a certain speed, the quest would become really tedious (I particularly hate those quests, looking at you ghostlights). I'm thankful I can run at full speed without looking back.

If this brief quest with a challenge isn't for you, you might try one of the other, less challenging quests that take a little longer, like Jester Queen Ayrenn's in Auridon.

Trier_Sero · March 29

That's the whole point of the quest though. You get bounty for stealing, then if you get caught by that lady while you have the pig with you, you get even more bounty.

DoofusMax · March 29

I usually manage to pick up a bounty once during each Jester's while doing this one. It seems to be easier to avoid the cook if you're mounted. About the only complaint I have regarding this one is Nilthis, who did not seem to get his foot nailed to the ground the way Bera Moorsmith did a few updates back. He will follow you to the apples and you might accidentally pick up his quest by interacting with him when you meant to grab the apples instead. Very high on my list of still-annoying NPCs, but he's only a problem during Jester's.

Deserrick · March 29

Waits_Behind_Walls wrote: »

I can't think of too many alternatives that wouldn't be less irritating that this one

One would be to not get a bounty for stealing the pig, just like mud ball quests don’t give a bounty for assault.

rockDokRock · March 29

ArielSira wrote: »

I just do the two quests involving King Boar, hand in one and save the other for the next day.

That makes zero sense. You physically have to go back to the "arena" to hand in the 2nd quest. Why not hand them both in daily?

whitecrow · March 29

This used to be a problem but I thought they fixed it. I didn't get caught this year.

lillybit · March 29

A bounty used to be pretty much gaurenteed in previous years, I always just carried on out the other side of the barn and ran around outside the city. Going back to the left and behind the houses the places you'd meet a guard are the stairs and across the bridge but it's was never too hard to avoid them. I don't think I was ever actually caught, tho a few times I just went back around outside the same way I got there if I couldn't be bothered to wait for the guards to move. That works fine too if you make sure princess keeps up.

Now they've made it easier I didn't realise it was even still possible to get a bounty unless you just don't bother crouching.

It's still my favourite event quest tho, probably out of all the events, and I'll do it as my one quest for tickets/bars even over the really quick boar king ones

Danikat · March 29

rockDokRock wrote: »

ArielSira wrote: »

I just do the two quests involving King Boar, hand in one and save the other for the next day.

That makes zero sense. You physically have to go back to the "arena" to hand in the 2nd quest. Why not hand them both in daily?

My guess is they're only doing it for the trade bars and/or golden boxes. Doing it this way means they only actually need to do the quest every other day.

Waits_Behind_Walls · March 29

Deserrick wrote: »

Waits_Behind_Walls wrote: »

I can't think of too many alternatives that wouldn't be less irritating that this one

One would be to not get a bounty for stealing the pig, just like mud ball quests don’t give a bounty for assault.

I mean, sure, but it hardly seems like you're doing anything at all at that point. Jorunn might as well just give you the quest reward for showing up.

CalamityCat · March 29

Thrudra_Magia wrote: »

I don't mind crouching to get a thing, but why do I have to be dinged for stealing with a bounty? Why? And then you place guards on the route back to the jester king which is crowded with NPCs that I can't get through and you place the guards on the bridge. Well, I'm not going to kill them and end up with a higher bounty!

All it does it *** me off to no end that this quest which I am FORCED to do if I want to partake in the festivities ends up in a bounty! So, if you're not going to remove the thieving then you owe me in-game gold.

I didn't sign up for this.

To all who want to reply with snarky comments...don't. Just...don't.

It's entirely possible to do this quest without bounty. Reliably.

I just crouch by the apples and wait until none of the NPCs are looking my way before I steal. It's very very rare that I get noticed. Then I ride to the pig, stay mounted while I feed her, then gallop back to the king to turn the quest in. Don't slow down or pause on the ride back and that bit is guaranteed bounty free.

If you do get caught, never fight the guards. You have several options.

If you don't want to be a full thief, bounty degrades over time even if you're logged out. So you just need to run away and wait somewhere. I always click the poster for the pig killing arena before I go to steal the apples, then if I do get a bounty I can go kill the pig and usually the bounty has worn off.

The safest setup is to use a character with the Thieves Guild skill line trained, as this enables you to use Clemency once per day. It also gives you Swiftly Forgotten which will reduce your bounty and heat much sooner. Veil of Shadows helps you steal without being noticed.

If you don't want to wait out a bounty, or be a thief - use a counterfeit pardon. You can also use some of your green CP points and get Out of Sight to reduce the radius you can be detected in. Friends in Low Places removes 1000 gold from your bounty once a day.

Yes, I know some of the above involves effort and some time in terms of training the skill line, but I'm merely offering some advice on tactics and options. It's up to you what you do. It takes no effort to run away and wait out the bounty though. I just enjoyed doing the Thieves Guild stuff and find it useful for situations like this.

cyclonus11 · March 29

I have stacks of counterfeit pardon edicts. I just slot it on my wheel and hit Q as soon as I get a bounty.

CatalinaWineMixer2 · March 29

I always felt like getting caught for doing that is part of the prank of the Jester's festival, mosty for people doing it the first time. If you are further along in the game, it's rather easy to no get caught as others have pointed out

Techwolf_Lupindo · March 30

WOW, so many missing the fact you can MOUNT UP!!!

I have never gotten any bounty for all the years I have done this quest.

I will say it again, MOUNT UP!! and ride with the shift key down and take the left route up the stairs and stay to the right a bit when at top of stairs and head to the main "door" to exit the city on your MOUNT!!!

Deserrick · March 30

Waits_Behind_Walls wrote: »

Deserrick wrote: »

Waits_Behind_Walls wrote: »

I can't think of too many alternatives that wouldn't be less irritating that this one

One would be to not get a bounty for stealing the pig, just like mud ball quests don’t give a bounty for assault.

I mean, sure, but it hardly seems like you're doing anything at all at that point. Jorunn might as well just give you the quest reward for showing up.

Since mud ball quests don't give bounties for assault, should those quest givers also just give you the quest reward for showing up?

BretonMage · March 30

Techwolf_Lupindo wrote: »

WOW, so many missing the fact you can MOUNT UP!!!

I have never gotten any bounty for all the years I have done this quest.

I will say it again, MOUNT UP!! and ride with the shift key down and take the left route up the stairs and stay to the right a bit when at top of stairs and head to the main "door" to exit the city on your MOUNT!!!

Doesn't getting caught by a guard force you to dismount anyway?

DenverRalphy · March 30

Deserrick wrote: »

Waits_Behind_Walls wrote: »

Deserrick wrote: »

Waits_Behind_Walls wrote: »

I can't think of too many alternatives that wouldn't be less irritating that this one

One would be to not get a bounty for stealing the pig, just like mud ball quests don’t give a bounty for assault.

I mean, sure, but it hardly seems like you're doing anything at all at that point. Jorunn might as well just give you the quest reward for showing up.

Since mud ball quests don't give bounties for assault, should those quest givers also just give you the quest reward for showing up?

They do if you mudball a guard or royalty/government officials. And there's an achievement for doing just that.

Waits_Behind_Walls · March 30

Deserrick wrote: »

Waits_Behind_Walls wrote: »

Deserrick wrote: »

Waits_Behind_Walls wrote: »

I can't think of too many alternatives that wouldn't be less irritating that this one

One would be to not get a bounty for stealing the pig, just like mud ball quests don’t give a bounty for assault.

I mean, sure, but it hardly seems like you're doing anything at all at that point. Jorunn might as well just give you the quest reward for showing up.

Since mud ball quests don't give bounties for assault, should those quest givers also just give you the quest reward for showing up?

Because you can still get bounties for mudballing non-celebrating officials, as mentioned above, and because this one also makes you travel and run around a bit, I'd say no. There's still some effort involved there.

ArielSira · March 30

Danikat wrote: »

rockDokRock wrote: »

ArielSira wrote: »

I just do the two quests involving King Boar, hand in one and save the other for the next day.

That makes zero sense. You physically have to go back to the "arena" to hand in the 2nd quest. Why not hand them both in daily?

My guess is they're only doing it for the trade bars and/or golden boxes. Doing it this way means they only actually need to do the quest every other day.

That is correct, I have no interest in the purple boxes. Before King Boar I would rescue the pig. All the other quests involve too many steps (and I have done those for a decade).

Blood_again · March 30

When the Jester's event was young, kidnapping the princess was the most fun quest, if you ask me.
Even when the apple place was bugged and you got fined each time, no matter how you tried to sneak.
It just had some variability, other than "you get a quest item dropped from this mob or not".

Nobody forces you to do all 7 of 7 quests. You barely get something valuable from that 7th box.
If you want more boxes a day, just make an alt. But please leave this quest as it is. Because the whole quest is a path of amusing crimes. It would miss all its charm otherwise.

spartaxoxo · March 30

You're not forced. It's optional. The golden box is only received from the first quest and there are 7 to choose from. The purple boxes are good but optional. You can get the stuff from there off traders for cheap mostly.

Also, there's a couple of pretty safe paths that will let you avoid bounty while running away with the pig.

Danikat · March 30

CalamityCat wrote: »

Thrudra_Magia wrote: »

I don't mind crouching to get a thing, but why do I have to be dinged for stealing with a bounty? Why? And then you place guards on the route back to the jester king which is crowded with NPCs that I can't get through and you place the guards on the bridge. Well, I'm not going to kill them and end up with a higher bounty!

All it does it *** me off to no end that this quest which I am FORCED to do if I want to partake in the festivities ends up in a bounty! So, if you're not going to remove the thieving then you owe me in-game gold.

I didn't sign up for this.

To all who want to reply with snarky comments...don't. Just...don't.

It's entirely possible to do this quest without bounty. Reliably.

I just crouch by the apples and wait until none of the NPCs are looking my way before I steal. It's very very rare that I get noticed. Then I ride to the pig, stay mounted while I feed her, then gallop back to the king to turn the quest in. Don't slow down or pause on the ride back and that bit is guaranteed bounty free.

I agree, this is the best way to do it. Getting the apples is still a bit hit-or-miss but after that point you can do the rest of the quest without risking a bounty.

At first I was doing it by sneaking carefully round the outskirts of the city, which worked but took a long time. Then I noticed more and more people getting on their mount and galloping away as soon as they fed the pig, and I decided to try it and was surprised at how easy it is. The chef will appear to yell at you a couple of times, but as long as you don't stop you won't be caught and so won't get a bounty.

barney2525 · March 30

Thrudra_Magia wrote: »

I don't mind crouching to get a thing, but why do I have to be dinged for stealing with a bounty? Why? And then you place guards on the route back to the jester king which is crowded with NPCs that I can't get through and you place the guards on the bridge. Well, I'm not going to kill them and end up with a higher bounty!

All it does it *** me off to no end that this quest which I am FORCED to do if I want to partake in the festivities ends up in a bounty! So, if you're not going to remove the thieving then you owe me in-game gold.

I didn't sign up for this.

To all who want to reply with snarky comments...don't. Just...don't.

Previous years I did not have issues with this. But I never realized armor played a part in hiding. This year my character is in full plate, and even when no one was on the screen, I got spotted. So I put on a costume and removed all my armor - poof. No more problem.

Also - In the past, I could not seem to get the Rescued Princess achievement, so I googled the Quest. When you leave with the pig, you have 2 choices - go left or go right and make your way to the main entrance of the fortification. I found out - Going Right you get spotted. Going Left and hugging the boundary, which means having to hop over short walls and obstructions all the way to the main entrance, you can get away clean and earn the Achievement.

Hope this helps

< I suppose I should have said take the East path rather than Go Left >

rockDokRock · March 30

Danikat wrote: »

rockDokRock wrote: »

ArielSira wrote: »

I just do the two quests involving King Boar, hand in one and save the other for the next day.

That makes zero sense. You physically have to go back to the "arena" to hand in the 2nd quest. Why not hand them both in daily?

My guess is they're only doing it for the trade bars and/or golden boxes. Doing it this way means they only actually need to do the quest every other day.

Yeah but if you are going there every day it takes 2 minutes to bang off both quests there and then. Why not do that?

I mean I sort of get it, the purple boxes are mostly junk so skipping those makes sense I suppose.

HatchetHaro · March 30

It's the least tedious of the three original Jester's Festival quests.

It takes you like 3 seconds to sneak behind the basket and steal the apples. You didn't sneak properly, and so you got spotted while stealing, and then you get a bounty for it; it's really that simple. If you don't want the bounty, then sneak and steal properly.

There is also a very straightforward path from the pig to the Jester King; just mount up and ride.