Quests are part of most MMORPGs. But sometimes the design leaves much to be desired. We present to you 10 quest designs that are simply annoying.
Heroes in an MMORPG have their hands full. They have to defeat monsters, rescue princesses, protect the village from a dragon, and of course, save the world.
But sometimes, there are also tasks that come with the hero’s actions that are anything but heroic…
MeinMMO author Andreas Bertits has compiled a top 10 list of the most annoying quest designs in MMORPGs. Andreas has been playing MMORPGs for about 23 years. He first experienced this genre with Ultima Online in 1997 and has since seen a lot in online role-playing games. Therefore, he has played many quests – not all of which he has enjoyed. Why, you can read here:
10. Quests in PvP Zones
Quests and PvP sometimes simply do not mesh well. When someone wants to complete a mission, they want to focus on it and not have to worry about being attacked by other players. But sometimes a quest leads into a PvP area, and then it’s time to be cautious.
Sometimes games offer alternative paths, but these usually take longer. So the player is faced with a choice: Do I let myself be constantly attacked while trying to complete the quest, or do I have to plan much more time than I actually have?
9. Automatically Triggering Quests
Unaware, the hero wanders through the world when suddenly a quest begins in which they must defeat X monsters in a short time. Somewhere, a portal has opened from which the creatures are pouring out.
This is particularly annoying when you are already on a mission and have to interrupt it for the event. Or you are on your way to the city, wanting to clear your inventory, rest, and suddenly you get pulled into a quest without even wanting to.
8. Too Many Subquests to Reach the Goal
Have you ever tried to get a mount in The Lord of the Rings Online? Not only do you first have to grind the necessary level and scrape together the coins, but you also have to complete certain tasks for the NPC to finally get your own horse.
Go here, come back, talk to this NPC, find this and that, master the course… And in the end, we still have to pay for the mount, even though we worked so hard for the NPC!
This can be applied to other quests in MMORPGs where many sub-tasks are necessary to finally complete the actual quest.
7. Find Talkative NPC X
Some quests send players from one NPC to another. Often, they then reveal something important about a mission, or we receive an item. For this, we listen to their life story before they send us on to their buddy, who is already looking forward to doing the same.
Such quests often serve as tutorials or to familiarize the player with locations. But after the marathon, one feels drained and wonders what to do with all those life stories and if this couldn’t perhaps be done a bit more compactly.
6. Group Quests
Of course, groups are essential for the player experience in an MMORPG. But what if you can’t find a suitable group for the important mission quickly? You might have time for a cool mission but can’t finish it because a certain number of players is required.
Once you finally have a party together, there’s always at least one player who doesn’t play as needed. However, you have to deal with this person to finally complete the quest.
5. Escort Missions
As a strong hero, you are called to safely bring people from point A to point B. This occurs not only in MMORPGs, but single-player games also feature this quest design. During the escort, there are attacks and the NPC needs protection.
But often these NPCs are so helpless and just stand in the way that it is not only hard to protect them. Eventually, one wishes for an enemy to take out the annoying person.
Additionally, there are issues like the movement speed of the escorted NPC, who can run faster than you but lags behind when running. Moreover, they sometimes get stuck on objects.
4. Kill the Boss – Again
It is a game mechanic that has become established in MMORPGs: the boss does not stay dead but returns. He then serves as a source of experience points and also drops important items – however, the drop chance is often so low that you have to defeat this boss enemy again and again to finally get the desired item.
As a result, bosses quickly lose their fear factor and are no longer special; they are simply an obstacle that needs to be cleared out of the way.
3. “Fedex” Missions
So-called Fedex missions got their name because you feel like a postman as a player. You have defeated the dark dragon lord and saved the land from the danger of an undead lich king, and the next task is: Bring NPC X this package.
This involves long runs and often fights against mundane enemies to finally hand over the annoying package and collect the reward. Yes, you certainly feel like a real hero.
2. Kill X Enemies
The classic. A farmer stands in the field, drawing attention to themselves. Evil enemies are attacking their crop, and they can no longer provide food for the village’s population.
So, as a good hero, you set out to defeat these foes. But not all of them. There are tons of these creatures lingering around the field, but the farmer only wants us to kill a certain number. Said and done, they respawn, but the NPC is still satisfied.
And in the next village, the miner is waiting for us to clear the mine of a certain number of monsters, and in the cellar of the tavern, a family of giant rats has traditionally settled…
1. Collect X Items
What is worse than having to eliminate a certain number of enemies? Collecting items. You have to harvest beets in the field, gather pelts, or collect mushrooms in the forest… Often, it is necessary to travel longer distances and search for the items, which are then found spread out in an area – and of course, are highly sought after. After all, other players also need to complete these tasks.
The items are usually guarded by monsters, making it especially difficult to quickly complete the quest. In an MMORPG with open PvP, perhaps a nasty player will ambush you while you bend down to pick up the mushroom.
What quests do you dislike? Let us know in the comments.
However, such quests do not always have to be boring. Also, standard quests that many find dull can be really fun in MMORPGs.
