These stalker quests in Endwalker are ruining the game for me

[Charak]

More of a feedback of sorts, but these new quest chains where you are to stalk people and not be spotted ruin the flow of the game for me. They are awful, uninteresting, slow, and feel so forced.

It all started with "Children Are Our Future" it actually made me so physically mad that it had ruined the day for me. I was questing and enjoying the story and saw this blue quest pop up as I was exiting the area. It was like it was designers decided to veer off from fun/engaging to a forced suffrage sentiment.

Then I had to follow Urianger and I was just like "I don't want to do this, let me skip this quest please, please!"

I just don't get it, why did no one in QA go "this is awful and unengaging"

It boils down to: I was having fun and then I wasn't having fun. No game should construct something that makes a person go "I'm not having fun"

also, Literally every gamer will tell you they hate escort quests, and then there were just strings of them added in endwalker for no reason.

[Seiori]

Yeah the stalking quest were a bit overkill for me as well, clearly someone was satisfied immensely with feature lol.

[Stepjam]

Yeah, Im all for them experimenting, but I'd be okay if those quests don't come back

[LeonKeyh]

I just don't get it, why did no one in QA go "this is awful and unengaging"

It boils down to: I was having fun and then I wasn't having fun. No game should construct something that makes a person go "I'm not having fun"

also, Literally every gamer will tell you they hate escort quests, and then there were just strings of them added in endwalker for no reason.

I think the story trumps the actual game play of it in this case. They weren't great, but I don't feel like the (what? 2? 3?) of them were THAT bad.


As for the comment "no game should construct something that makes a person go 'I'm not having fun'" that is 100% impossible because everyone is different. I had "fun" with the stalking quests simply because it did a good job at making you feel like you were actually trying to sneak behind the person. The story of those parts and how it makes you feel trumps the "boring" nature of just following someone (especially since neither were really that overly long).

Escort quests are different from what we got in Endwalker. Every gamer hates escort quests where you have to _defend_ who you are escorting, but that's not the case at all with the new system. From a gameplay perspective, it's shitty not being about to mount/port and getting them stuck somewhere for no good reason. Yet, again, it's a good addition for storytelling.

What these types of quests do for the story is more important than what they do from a game play perspective in their eyes I feel like.


I'd be ok if the stalking quests don't come back, but I feel like it's nice to have the system there if the story calls for it. As long as they continue to not overdo it.

[einschwartz]

I rather have this than the old escort with /beckon during ARR.

Agreed with LeonKeyh. It may be not for everyone but as long they don't overdo it, it's fine for story purpose.

[Tranquilmelody7]

I just hate how slow they are.
I don't mine escorting an NPC if they can actually keep up.

They aren't even marked on the map - awful quest design that I hope never returns.

[Breakbeat]

As for the comment "no game should construct something that makes a person go 'I'm not having fun'" that is 100% impossible because everyone is different. I had "fun" with the stalking quests simply because it did a good job at making you feel like you were actually trying to sneak behind the person.

Agreed. And yet, you go on to say:

Every gamer hates escort quests where you have to _defend_ who you are escorting, but that's not the case at all with the new system.

Whoops. A bit contradictory, don't you think? Subjective fun is subjective fun; there is no quest or style that every gamer hates.

If this game came with an optional USB shock-kit that gave you uncomfortable electric shocks when you did certain things in-game, some gamers would use it, some gamers would love it, and you'd even get a little community of USB-shock-pack loving folks that would band together and insist the shocker was the greatest thing since sliced bread.

When you're talking subjectivity, it goes all the way, from one end of the infinite to the other. That being said and accepted as fact, it's not logical at all for one to say, "yes, ABC form of subjective entertainment in gaming is enjoyed differently by everyone, because of how subjectivity works - but also every gamer hates this one thing." That's a sentence-sized oxymoron.

Also, that's just not how subjectivity works... at all. Various people like various things, including the things you have guaranteed yourself, in your own mind, that "no one else" likes. Take "Friday" by Rebecca Black, for example. This song tops many lists of the worst songs of all time. Google "worst song ever" and Friday will come up, probably first. Oh yeah, also I might mention that "Friday" was certified gold by the RIAA, which means it sold at least 500,000 units, and it charted in the top 100 in like nine or ten countries.

So, "everyone hates that song 'Friday' by Rebecca Black," is kinda lame to say, yeah? Despite the fact that it's considered to possibly be the worst song of all time, millions of people around the world actually liked or loved it enough to purchase it. And there are hundreds or thousands of examples like this as you go back through entertainment history.

Eh, I've digressed.

Personally, I like escort quests in most MMOs just fine, whether you're simply escorting an NPC, defending the NPC, or whatever. So, unless I am unique on this Earth (in which case, you can contact a video game news outlet and have them get in touch with me here for the article and video they're going to do on me, the sole gamer among billions that likes such-and-such thing), there are others like me. Many others. Certainly enough for a reasonable person to refrain from saying something like "every gamer hates..." or "every gamer loves..." or, "all FFXIV players hate..." etc.

You do that, and you might as well go ahead and veer into the nonsense of "...such-and-such (gender / color / creed / sexuality / nationality / etc.) hates all of this thing, and loves all of this other thing."

Nonsense. Subjectivity is infinitely diverse. Think of the most horrific, disgusting, offensive thing that exists on Earth, and then realize some people like that thing. Now think of the most lovely, kind, uplifting thing you can think of on Earth, and realize some people hate that thing. That's life. From movies to music to life partner choices and career choices, from the home and car you own or hope to buy, from the clothes you wear to the way you style your hair, all the way down to what you like to eat for lunch, and indeed, what kind of quests you enjoy in an MMO - every choice that is possible is enjoyed by some human, somewhere. Any statement that starts with, "no one likes (thing)..." is inherently incorrect. Someone somewhere does, indeed, like (thing).

[LeonKeyh]

I meant to quote "every gamer" as a sarcastic generalization. I thought it would be clear from what I had previously said without the quotes, but I suppose not.

[Ransu]

I liked them. It was something different and a bit more involved than the normal rush from point A to B.

[Stepjam]

I liked them. It was something different and a bit more involved than the normal rush from point A to B.

I wouldn't mind them so much if they weren't so finnicky. The ones that come to mind are the one in the 4th zone and the optional one in Garlemald. You basically need to already know when to hide before the target gets to that point because if you are trying to follow them, you won't have enough time to get behind cover before they turn around when they give the tell they are about to turn. So it basically becomes trial and error. It's not very fun.