Suggestion for 2.0: Make quest rewards commensurate to time spent

Currently quests tend to reward relatively low xp and trash items. Putting aside that I'd prefer quests were more interesting in general (I typically just spam enter as the NPCs hit me with like 10 boxes of text, then go do some kind of fetch quest), there are some severe flaws to the current system:

1) Quests tend to reward trash items.

These things just junk up my inventory, and further deflate the price of these items in the Markets as everyone tries to sell them. I've never liked LQs or quests giving you random crafted items, because it takes away from the ability of crafters to make money by selling them.

2) Quests tend to reward low amounts of xp.

Quests take time out of your day. I could make way more xp doing LQs, partying, or even just soloing normal mobs (that last one is key). So, why would I bother doing quests, or if could just run out and kill mobs to get faster xp?

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Quests are limited. Mobs are not. LQs are semi-limited, in that you can only get so many at a time, but they are repeatable. Once any quest you might do that rewards xp has been completed, it's gone forever.

Long story short, I think quests should stop junking up your inventory with trash items, and they should have big xp rewards. I spent all day today doing quests on my 38 THM. After clearing pretty much every quest in the Black Shroud (or at least Gridania), including a number of Grand Company quests, I've yet to gain even a single level. I could have gained a multitude of levels via any other method in that same time frame. Yes, I realize a lot of those quests were for levels way under mine. That said, those quests for folks around level 10? Yeah, they give like 500 xp. I can get that in several whole seconds just killing mobs normally.

So, what was the point of doing the quests? I don't know. Please consider addressing this for 2.0. Considering the xp rewards for doing nearly anything else are huge, and unlimited, I don't think it's out of line to ask that quests, which are severely limited, give rewards commensurate to the time you spend on them. They should be easy, though time-consuming methods of getting a lot of xp.

Side quests are meant to be a side thing.

If you reward the players too much EXP, they will become a main thing. And then we'll all be doing crummy fetch-um kill-um quests for the rest of our digital existences (See: World of Warcraft).

I'd rather my sidequests be more interesting and entertaining. You know, rewarding me with fun rather than points. Currently the bulk majority of sidequests are pretty hum-drum, and I think you wouldn't be posting this if that wasn't the case.

You're welcome to speculate on whether or not I'd make this suggestion if quests were more fun, but I'd like to respectfully point out that you seem to have missed one of the important factors:

Quests are distinctly limited in number (as opposed to LQs, which are only semi-limited, are a main thing, and already have most/all folks doing something very similar to "crummy fetch-um kill-um quests" as it stands now). As a general rule, quests that give xp are not repeatable. That being the case, they could never become a main thing. Currently they are not a "side" thing; they are a "don't waste your time, what are you even doing!?" thing.

But, this thread isn't about how quests should be more fun (they should). That's a totally separate conversation.

I will just add my 2 cents here but
You are skipping the entire point of those sidequests. Those 10 boxes of text you skipped? They're the entire reason to do the quest, the exposition you get, the knowledge they give you about the game world.
Other than that, they really shouldn't be at all a big focus, yes. And hell I daresay that taking my first dude up to 50 would have been hell without the XP and item rewards from those.

Then... why even bother giving a reward at all for those quests, if the "entire reason" is to read a ton of text and enjoy the opportunity to wander all over the world? The fact of the matter is that there is a reward, and I'm suggesting it should be a worthwhile one. Do you disagree? Would you prefer to get 0 xp, 0 items, 0 gil from quests?

As an aside, there are definitely better ways to convey information than literally 10 text boxes for each conversation with an NPC (which has been a complaint raised previously by folks other than myself), but that is neither here nor there. This thread has nothing to do with my interest or disinterest in the content of quests.

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Quests are distinctly limited in number (as opposed to LQs, which are only semi-limited, are a main thing, and already have most/all folks doing something very similar to "crummy fetch-um kill-um quests" as it stands now). As a general rule, quests that give xp are not repeatable. That being the case, they could never become a main thing. Currently they are not a "side" thing; they are a "don't waste your time, what are you even doing!?" thing.

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What do you expect from a new game? Of course they're limited in number. We're talking about the future here, I thought. They're certain to add more quests. And you're requesting that they increase the exp reward for these quests. That's fine. I'm just saying that SE should use caution in the amount of reward they give players for doing something. Too much and it becomes the main thing players will do to level up.

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But, this thread isn't about how quests should be more fun (they should). That's a totally separate conversation.

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How so? Making quests more rewarding could also mean 'more fun', 'more challenging', 'more gameplay', 'more options', etc., and not just 'more exp'.

Are you asking SE to just throw together bad quests in 2.0 and onward, and reward you based on how much time you wasted doing them?

Or should you be asking SE to make good, fun quests for 2.0 and onward, ones that reward fairly for the amount of effort put into them?

You bring up an interesting topic OP and allow me to share my thoughts. I will use Tera as an example because Tera,XI, and XIV are the only MMOs I have played.

Tera relies solely on quests to level up as there are no xp parties. The reason why this works for Tera is because its 1 player 1 class so they dont have to worry about adding more quests then whats needed for this kind of setup. Now in the case of XIV we run into the issue where 1 player can be anything and everything.

In my experience playing XI and XIV a lot of quests aren't repeatable and I think that plays a part in why side quests arent really important when it comes to xp. I really don't know how we will go about getting xp in 2.0 beyond levequests because what I do know is Yoshi has already said levequests will be in 2.0 and I have rarely seen xp shouts in the low levels and I think XI's leveling method of going out and making a camp to grind on mobs is long gone unless your 40ish and xping in a stronghold or spiritbonding.

I only say this because Yoshi said the worldless content finder will allow you to form xp parties and use raids as a source of xp. I dont know the details of how worldless content finder is going to work but if it's like Tera's, people from other servers wont be able to run around on your world map so you wouldnt be able to queue a healer from another server and set up a camp with him or her on your world map.

So while an xp boost to side quests would be welcomed its more then likely gonna be a 1 time quest anyway so your next class would have to find a new means of getting xp. If I misunderstood what you were trying to explain I am sorry and would like to elaborate more on it.

Know how it's easy to spot a good quest from a bad quest? Remove the rewards from all of them and then complete them. A good quest needs no reward, and that's what this game needs.

Most of the quests in XIV (side) that rewards 'low xp' and 'trash items' did you ever look at the levels? That's right, most aren't designed for capped players, they're designed to be done as you level. It's like complaining about your class quests giving you little to no exp at level 50 even though they're designed to be undertaken as you progress in levels, not once you hit 50.

The rewards shouldn't scale upwards upwards at all as they already scale if you do a level 45 quest then switch to a low level class.

They should have multiple choices of reward type, having quest rewards bind to character would also stop the problem with quest items destroying the economy.

That being said the quests "are what they are", all MMO's have these boring fetch quests, kill 10 wolfs etc, its unlikely they will change, I do think giving the player the choice between 4-5 different items at the end would be better.