World Gathering/slaying Quests (re-work Current Ones)

(TL:DR at the bottom of the thread!)

Background
When exploring Wynncraft you are bound to run into (or past) either gathering or slaying posts in various areas. What do they do? They ask the player to set aside a short amount of their time (about 10 minutes according to the wiki) to gather mob drops or profession materials which, when turned in, rewards the player with combat and gathering experience. So far so good right?

There is one major issue with these mini-quests however. They aren’t very motivating. They don’t draw players attention. These aren’t quests about shunned inventors fighting against both the familiar and unfamiliar just trying to reach their dreams. Neither are they about figuring out the truth behind reality and the clashing forces that cause all-around chaos and destruction from behind the scenes. They aren’t even about helping a farmer regain his farmland from the traces of corruption. All they ask is for the player to sidestep and put the rest of the world on pause. But why would they? Why would you? When there are so many mysteries or stories out there waiting to be unravelled; that are so much more interesting than the patch of wheat under that oak tree next to you, or the herd of mooshrooms roaming the fields nearby. I wouldn’t.

Now, side quests, due to their nature of existing on the side of main quests, generally don’t have any significant impact on the world. That is not to say that they cannot involve any kind of stake or weight, however, and that is sorely missing from the mini-quests in Wynncraft. What happens if the player walks away from the side-quest? That before-mentioned patch of wheat will continue to grow until light and dark collides in a final clash and wipes it out of existence (or turns it into some weird purple-glowing version with a slight flavour of decay). The point is: there is no compelling reason for players to seek out and complete these mini-quests.


Suggestion
So, with the introduction done, here is my suggestion: add some real essence to the mini-quests. I am not talking about anything the length of The Feathers Fly I & II or even Tunnel Trouble. But think of the quest Infested Plants: up the tree, down the cave, fetch a plant, done. Easy, right? Short, right? Not a lot of effort and time required from the player but rewarding nonetheless. That’s the type of outline this suggestion is based on; not very complex game mechanics or plot twists.

Model 1

Spoiler

Quests are very straightforward and remain faithful to the already existing design with post entities as quest givers. They still exist as standalone missions. However, the execution of ’giving’ and finishing the quest is slightly different.

Quest Start
The player walks up to the post and clicks on it. In return, a note appears in the players inventory.

The note reads:

”The Ragni Army offers a reward to any brave soul that is willing to assist with the current surge of poisonous spiders in Nivla Forest. Bring proof of your involvement to receive a reward.”

Signed, Captain Randar.

Quest End

The quest activates with instructions similar (or the same) as they are currently, specifying what the player must slay and how many drops they must turn in. When the loot is handed in, the note disappears from the players inventory.

Alternatively, the player has to actually seek out ’Captain Randar’ along the Emerald Trail or in the barracks back in Ragni (which would add more purpose to the area too). That would trigger a dialogue, for example:

[1/2] Captain Randar: Ah, I recognise that note in your hand. Are you here regarding the spiders?

[2/2] Captain Randar: Yes, these do seem to have belonged to those creatures. Very well, as promised, here is your reward soldier! Thank you for your aid.

You watch the captain stow the spider remains away in a room filled with similar items. You wonder what they end up doing with it all. Oh well, at least it’s not your problem.

Model 2

Spoiler

The post entities have (albeit not fully) been replaced with NPC’s. Interacting with them before reaching the required level prompts a single dialogue line. Example:

(Gather Acacia Logs)

[1/1] Exhausted Lumberjack: Oh, I could really use the help of someone lvl. 50 or above…

Quest Start

Interacting with the NPC triggers a short dialogue before giving the player the actual quest.

[1/3] Exhausted Lumberjack: Oh, thank goodness. You! Come over, won’t ya?

[2/3] Exhausted Lumberjack: Phew, listen. I’ve got a job for ya, if you’re up for it. The sun’s been blaring down at me all day and I’m all out of water and energy but the boss has ordered this area to be cleared by the end of the day.

[3/3] Exhausted Lumberjack: Tell you what. If you’re up for it, chop down the rest of those trees before my shift’s over and I’ll teach you a thing or two about the art of woodcutting. Deal?

The instructions appear in the chat (just like they do currently) tasking the player with acquiring 20 Acacia Paper/Logs to turn them in.

Quest End

On turning in enough gathered material another short dialogue scene starts:

[1/2] Exhausted Lumberjack: It’s been a blast watching ya work that axe, soldier. The boss is going to be thrilled too.

[2/2] Exhausted Lumberjack: Now… I promised to teach you some things about the trade, so listen closely-

The completion of the dialogue triggers the reward.

Model 3

Spoiler

Many of the mini-quests are tiered (I, II, III etc.) and require the player to have increased their gathering levels before activating the next one. However, they aren’t really connected in any other way than being focused on the collection of the same material. One way of making the mini-quests more immersive could be to have them build upon one another rather than just having them exist in the same region.

Example:

(Gather Kanderstone I, II & III)

In the first quest, the player finds a noticeboard with a request for a batch of mined Kanderstone to be left by the board.

A hastily scribbled note reads:

”In need of Kanderstone. 1 batch. Leave by the board. Many thanks, Lynn.”

The second quest activates by interacting with a Miner NPC who grants you permission to gather at the site (figuratively speaking, the player could still mine there without the pre-requisite of having to complete the quest). While mining, the player encounters Lynn who made the note from the previous mini-quest. A short cut-scene occurs with Lynn mining away at the Kanderstone whilst chatting with the player:

[1/3] Lynn: Are you also here to get Kanderstone for the protection amulets?

[2/3] Lynn: No? What else would you use it for? Kanderstone is well-known for it’s protective qualities.

[3/3] Lynn: Well, I’m going to make myself one of those amulets anyways. With that Decay eating up my neighbor’s house lately, why take any risks?

The third (and last) Kanderstone quest starts by the player interacting with a foreman at the gathering site.

[1/2] Stressed Foreman: You’re one of the hired hands right? A day early, but I’ll be the last to complain! Get crackin’, we’ll need all the help we can get if we’re to finish those orders.

[2/2] Stressed Foreman: …superstitious bunch the lot o’ them. Though they pay well so I suppose- just leave whatever you gather by the carts over there.

She wanders off whilst rubbing her fingers against her forehead…

Why should this suggestion be implemented?
Now, some people might argue that professions shouldn’t be a feature in the game whatsoever. As it is, however, they do exist and they are a part of the gameplay although currently standing with one foot in the game and one foot on the sidelines. There is a lot of potential to implement professions more seamlessly into the game without making it a necessity to keep up with the main quest lines.

Mini-quests could be a great way of giving the player the opportunity to take a break from saving the world other than snacking on mushrooms that probably shouldn’t be anywhere close any sentient being and having tea time with a frog in a top hat. They just need a little something to make them feel more rewarding and more appealing to players rather than just existing as big signs that get passed by the majority of the player base.

The three models above are of different levels of complexity for many reasons.

• One, they are mini-quests and should not matter as much as the bigger quests.
• Two, not every quest needs to be the same length and it makes sense that a lvl. 5 slaying post quest has less plot than a lvl. 96 quest to slay void creatures (which builds upon much more plot).
• Three, different models offer different amounts of insight into Wynncraft lore.

The first example shows the player a bit of the work that the army probably does outside of clashing with Bak’al and the corruption. The second example gives a bit more of an insight in what the civilian population could be doing outside of the wild adventures that quest NPC’s get pulled into. The third example is the most demanding (implementation-wise) but builds on an already existing quest (and the lore surrounding it) and shows what kind of impact the Decay could be having on the population in Gavel on so many different levels without making it a quest line as long as Dwarves and Doguns.

Other Input
These are my own thoughts put into a suggestion that could affect a whole community of players so it would be great to hear some of your thoughts on mini-quests and the ideas in this thread.

TL:DR
Mini-quests are boring, give them more lore. There are three quest models in the thread above. I really do recommend you read it all to get what’s being talked about.

 

The amount of mini-quests in the game now would make this quite difficult to implement - it would still be good though.

 

While there are a lot of miniquests, this would add a nice touch of worldbuilding to Wynncraft. A small tweak I'd make is to either add the coords of the NPCs like Captain Randall on the board, or have the coords of the NPCs in the quest book.

 

Sounds good!