Alpha First Look: Video 5 - Quests and Combat

[Andrien]

I'm not a fan of quest based leveling in general and other than TSW I haven't played any MMO that has made it fun or enjoyable. I don't mind having quests that give you EXP in ARR but I'm worried about a couple of things:

1. Firstly, it seems that the quests are the main way to level. Normal mobs don't give you nearly any EXP at all so grinding isn't an option even if you'd prefer that (Yoshi mentioned this in some interview aswell). We'll see what the other options like guildleves and FATE will bring to the table, maybe they really are a valid option to the quest grind for those who prefer them.

2. Secondly, as seen on the video, the quest system is extremely boring. It's not about actually "questing" (read: adventuring), it's about following glowing arrows and blinking lights. You don't have to know anything about what's going on, just follow the signs and wait until you get your EXP reward. Yes, this is how it's done in so many other games, I know. But should we as players accept that as an excuse? I don't think so.

When I first read about making ARR leveling quest based I was honestly hoping for something new, enjoyable, next-gen MMO-questing experience. I imagined it would involve long storyline that would lead me to a journey through the world, one new area at a time, and interesting dungeons for both solo and group play for many different level ranges. Instead we got this.

You raise a few questions.

Since you're not a fan of quest based leveling, I guess you don't like side quest.

I assume you prefer killing endless waves of monsters without knowing anything about them, but you'll kill them anyways just for xp.

I guess when you're finish with one area, you'll move on to the next one and repeat right? Whats the difference?

The fact of the matter is, there is a difference between Side Quest, and Main Storylines. What you also saw in that video is a low level quest for players below level 12, and just like any other RPG they have side quest. Expect hundreds of them in ARR.