The story of Baldur’s Gate 3 is told exceptionally fluidly and coherently. This is partly because there are no classic RPG content stretchers in the game: so-called fetch quests. Players rejoice on reddit because of this.
How are quests structured in Baldur’s Gate 3? Quests in Baldur’s Gate 3 are quite free: you receive them, for example, while engaging in dialogues, examining items, or entering new areas. However, the quest objectives are always substantial, so you always have to solve a puzzle, rescue someone, or find something. All objectives advance the main story or the story of your companions.
What is entirely missing are traditional collection and fetch quests; the so-called fetch quests. These are temporary tasks where you collect or deliver items for NPCs. These quests often unnecessarily stretch the gameplay and are neither challenging nor engaging.
Baldur’s Gate 3 almost completely dispenses with fetch quests, and the community celebrates the game for it.
No longing for fetch quests
How does the community celebrate the lack of fetch quests? In a reddit post with over 4000 upvotes, user bionickel expresses joy:
I just want to positively note that there are no fetch or meaningless quests in this game. All other studios would have inserted filler quests just to artificially extend the playtime.[…]
bionickel via reddit, 09.10.2023
bionickel lists the following fetch quests that could have fit into the game but are not included:
- Collect 10 biting herbs for Aunt Ethel
- Defeat 5 cursed shadows to help the Harpers
- Collect 5 flute pieces to awaken Art Cullagh
- Rolan has fallen, and the flying scrolls are going haywire. Help Rolan keep his job by catching all the flying scrolls! (4/79 completed)
Additionally, the user lists several frustrating mechanics that players must deal with in some RPGs. Among them is the need to keep companions happy with regularly farmed resources, or achievements where you have to do a specific task a certain number of times.
bionickel concludes:
But this game, man. This game has none of that. Every quest is unique and contributes something to the overall experience. I will scream internally the next time I see a fetch quest in another game. This game has ruined quests for me in a positive way.[…]
bionickel via reddit, 09.10.2023
The comments on the post reflect bionickel’s feelings. A selection:
- huskerbolt1:
Absolutely. […] Of course, I could just skip everything at this point [in Act 3] and go straight to the boss fights, but the side quests and story make me want to try everything before the glorious buffet ends.
- suzieisaheadbanger:
The fetch quest trophy you get when playing ball with Kratzer made me laugh. They really made an effort to avoid the usual long-term tasks that are otherwise necessary to complete quests in games.
- Enzeevee:
Baldur’s Gate 3 is very good at allowing you to approach quests in various ways, especially when it comes to things outside of a small handful of special dialogue options.
However, the community discusses whether perhaps a somewhat macabre fetch quest has made its way into the game: in Act 3, you must find the various body parts of a clown as part of a quest.
What about you: Do you miss the classic fetch quests? Have you found all the parts of Dribbles the clown?
In the latest GameStar Talk podcast, MeinMMO editor-in-chief Leya Jankowski spoke with the GameStar Talk team about the success of Baldur’s Gate 3. Here you can watch the video:
Middle finger to the AAA industry: Baldur’s Gate 3 was no coincidence – that’s what GameStar Talk discusses
