escort-quests
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Leaderboard: Escort vs. limited drop quests
We love complaining about quests in MMOs almost as much as we love doing them. Maybe you wear hipster glasses and say bold statements like, "I hated quests while they were still the cool, new thing," but it doesn't make you special and nobody likes your glasses. Sorry. It's Blunt Truth Day here in the Massively offices. If there are two types of quests that seem to drive everyone bananas, however, they would have to be escort quests and limited drop quests. Escort quests in any video game, not merely MMOs, are aggravating because they take some of the control out of the hands of the player and force them to babysit an often slow-moving, death-seeking sack of idiocy. Limited drop quests can be just as frustrating, because it's here that you know the game is just screwing with you. "Go get six werewolf eyeballs," the quest-giver says, "But, for no good reason other than to suck up your time, not every werewolf will drop an eyeball. Lots of blind werewolves in these here parts, you see." Today you're voting on the quest type that's the most frustrating: escort or limited drops. Which causes you to rip out your hair? Vote after the jump!
What WoW should learn from certain quests in and around The Barrens
So I've been thinking a bit about questing lately as I traverse Outlands on my latest project, a level 61 Blood Elf Paladin, working on the Outlands quests. I think my favorite part of playing a lowbie hordeling is how many quests there are to "stumble upon" in the oft-maligned Barrens. Technically, they're all very basic "find and kill these dudes" quests, but the presentation is such that I always get a big rush from doing them. They really do make me feel like a mighty hunter.
Forum post of the day: Really bad quests
Most of us have at least a couple of alt projects that we're working on. Once you've leveled to seventy you get a feeling for which quests are a breeze and which ones are painful. Arross of Thorium brotherhood started a thread entitled Really bad quests where players listed their least favorite quests. Some honorable mentions include: Arross of Thorium. "I have to say so far the worst quest I have ever had was Super Sticky in Un'goro Crater. The drop rate isn't bad, it's horrible." Shrosarias of Burning Blade, "Any quests having to do with murloc. Murlocs = evil." Ashcroft of Smolderthorn, "Zeth'Gor Must Burn! had me tearing my hair out by the roots. It was so very demoralizing to go from BG-topper to single-quest-dyer in one fell swoop." Arteree of Rivendare, "Almost every quest in Westfall." Etamalgren, "imo, any escort quests are the worst quests overall, except for the skettis daily and the nagrand escort."
WoW Moviewatch: Why I hate escort quests.
Those mechanical chickens always look so helpless -- whenever I run across them I can't help but try to help them out. This inevitably leads to a scene much like the one Areallysmartcookie shows in the video above. And, yes, for many escort quests, that particular music selection would fit just perfectly. And in case once isn't enough, there's also a sequel. Previously on Moviewatch...
Getting to know escorts
No, not those escorts. Escort quests, which are ubiquitous in the Outlands. Escort quests used to be my least favorite of all kinds of quests. First you had to fight your way to some guy, usually under heavy guard. Then he would give a long explanation of why he was there. Then you would have to fight your way out, with this weak, inefficient little guy that you have to protect despite the fact that he keeps running out of his way to aggro things and then yells for help. Hordies will recognize the Barrens quest where you have to escort a pirate out of Northwatch Hold as one of the more aggravating of these quests. You walk this guy all the way to Ratchet while being attacked by soldiers, pirates, and probably some jerk naked level 60 Alliance who has decided today's the day to gank in Ratchet. And don't even start on the Razorfen Downs escort quest, which I've still never successfully completed. But in the Burning Crusade, escorts seem to be a little more sophisticated. This past week, I escorted an injured Mag'Har orc from a camp of Broken, and helped a cursed bird get revenge on some Arakkoa. A few things appear to have been fixed from the escort quests on Azeroth. First off, the escortee usually has the ability to defend him- or herself. One escort even healed himself, which made me very happy. Secondly, the escort doesn't run off and attack random things and then scream for your assistance. They have a set path, and will usually only attack what you attack or what attacks them. And finally, if the quest ends with you getting jumped by three angry elites, the quest text will actually suggest you bring more people, instead of leaving it as a nasty surprise. Have you noticed that escort quests are easier in Outlands, or are they still the same pain they've always been for you?
