Main story side quest? Good?

Hello there you lovely Eorzeans,

I recently just finished ARR patch 2.0. Was wondering do side quests have something relate to main story, should I do it all as a new player?

I already spend 66hour just to finish ARR patch 2.0, I know I have a long way to go. Because that I knew i alreay given up to catch shadowbringer on release date and want to spend my time enjoying the game without any rushing as well as not waste time on something that I would not remember when time passed.

*** I only have time for entertainment between 2-4hour each day ***

Doing all side quest would be very painful, but if it worth it then I guess i will do it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Meower007

Hello there you lovely Eorzeans,

I recently just finished ARR patch 2.0. Was wondering do side quests have something relate to main story, should I do it all as a new player?

I already spend 66hour just to finish ARR patch 2.0, I know I have a long way to go. Because that I knew i alreay given up to catch shadowbringer on release date and want to spend my time enjoying the game without any rushing as well as not waste time on something that I would not remember when time passed.

*** I only have time for entertainment between 2-4hour each day ***

Doing all side quest would be very painful, but if it worth it then I guess i will do it.

---

side quests will always be there. if you want to focus on the main story you can skip them and do them later. it's nice if you have a separate job you want to level too to break up the dungeon runs and whatever else.

Most side quests, especially the random quests scattered around the leveling zones can be skipped. Some do have interesting stories but almost none are particularly plot important right now, and you can always go back and do them later if you want.

That said, there are two major side story quest lines that I'd recommend doing now.

Crystal Tower - Starts in Mor Dhona at level 50
Warring Triad - Starts in Mor Dhona after finishing Heaveansward

It's already been confirmed that the Crystal Tower will be important in Shadowbringers, and I woudn't be surprised if one of the Warring Triad characters makes a return as well.

Any quest that has a picture to go with it has a small story. There are ones like the ones that deal with Odin that add some lore and might tie into the main story at some point in time. Then there's some quest's you'll have to do if you're interested in having other ways to help you level like the beast tribe quests or palace of the dead.

You can rank the quests into a basic priority list. As a general rule i advise newer players to focus on the MSQ as their top priority. First, its a story-based MMO - so you should play the story. Second, it gates and unlocks a ton of content. Also very important are your class quests. In addition to having a story of their own, some of them will give you new fighting moves(some of the most important actions in the game are from class quests). The next tier down are your unlock quests. These are the extra quests that unlock optional content. Extra dungeons, optional trials, every raid line, your beast tribes and deep dungeons, and a lot of other stuff come from these. Not required to do any of them, but having more of the game open to you means you have more options to explore for fun. Special attention to the unlock quests related to flying - in the zones where flying can be unlocked you almost certainly want to do those quests at your earliest convenience. Next tier down would be the "immersive" side quests. These are the ones Sanna referred to. The dialogue box that asks if you want to accept the quest has a picture on it. These quests tend to run in short series, and while not remotely required they often provide interesting characters and bits of lore for you to meet and learn about. Then the lowest tier of quests would be the other side quests. Random people asking you to do simple things to help them with their small problems. You can pick up bits of lore from some of them, but its sparse. Unless seeing unfinished quests on your map bothers you, then you can safely save these for when you decide to level a second(third, etc) class if you want.

So how far down that priority list you want to go is up to you. Some people do just MSQ and the most important unlocks. Others feel they must unlock everything, but skip anything side-questy. Still other players do every quest as soon as they find it. As long as your choice makes you happy, its the right one for you.

I will also join Brightamethyst in calling attention to 2 quest lines(though my 2 arent exactly the same). The two level 50 raid lines are both probly worth your time. The regular raid line gives you a much more satisfying ending to the ARR story(my opinion of course). This one starts with the quest "Primal Awakening" in the Waking Sands. These fights were originally some of the hardest in the game, so its generally advised to try to tackle them via the party finder tool rather then the duty finder(DF will never pop for some of them) - most players do them unsynced with higher level friends their first time through these days, but there are still some people who like to do them the hard way and you can find them if you try hard enough. The alliance raid line for ARR is heavily implied to be important to the upcoming story in some way, so skipping it would mean a few things probly wont make as much sense later on(though they arent very likely to make it mandatory to do the raids first). The first quest in this line is "Legacy of Allag" from Mor Dhona. When it comes time to do the actual alliance raids, you can generally just que via duty finder. They added a roulette for alliance raids a few patches back, so these will pop regularly when new players need to go through. Some of the fights are fairly tough, but having a full alliance(24 players) taking them on means they can be somewhat forgiving of most mistakes. Best of luck!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Meower007

Hello there you lovely Eorzeans,

I recently just finished ARR patch 2.0. Was wondering do side quests have something relate to main story, should I do it all as a new player?

I already spend 66hour just to finish ARR patch 2.0, I know I have a long way to go. Because that I knew i alreay given up to catch shadowbringer on release date and want to spend my time enjoying the game without any rushing as well as not waste time on something that I would not remember when time passed.

*** I only have time for entertainment between 2-4hour each day ***

Doing all side quest would be very painful, but if it worth it then I guess i will do it.

---

Well done... very well done... and welcome.

I'd personally say you stay focused on the MSQ, especially as you are now starting Heavensward (even more amazing than ARR). The side quests can all be done later as a way to provide supplementary experience points on your second and even third job class.

The side quests also provide a wonderful method of really fleshing out the lore of the game... but for now, just keep enjoying the MSQ and perhaps find time to complete all the quests related to unlocking the 24-man dungeons (for decent gear). If doing 8-man extreme raids eventually becomes your preference, then gradually unlock those as well... just remember, no need to really rush, and savour the brilliance of the storytelling in the MSQ.

Happy gaming.

Helluuuuuuu