Is Quest XP the Correct Choice?

By Ralsu

DDO Quest Week at Ten Ton Hammer was so popular, we extended the week to cover 14 days! We're rolling out more quest guides for your reading pleasure, and this time we cover mid- and high-level quests. Of the many cavalier design elements of Dungeons & Dragons Online (DDO), the one that is most unique in my mind is the way players gain XP. In DDO players almost exclusively gain XP by completing quests. This is consistent with the tabletop experience, where the Dungeon Master awards XP after the adventure is complete. But is this right for a video game? Let's take a look.

The Case for Quest XP

By only awarding XP after a quest, Turbine has removed the staleness of grinding on "camps" of monsters all the way to the level cap. Players in DDO do not mindlessly kill monsters and get stronger for it. You always have a purpose--a quest--in DDO.

This method of withholding XP until the end of the quest also has some positive effects for the player base. In the tradition MMOG, a player might join your group for a while only to leave when you've killed enough monsters for him to reach the next level. Holding XP until the end of a quest ensures people are in it for the duration when you form a party to complete a quest.

Additionally, if you take a look at the LFG (Looking for Group) tool in DDO, you'll find people looking to do the same quests as you. This makes the grouping mechanic so much better. Anybody remember this scenario?
DDO lets you complete objectives and quests from you log and know that everyone else in the party is doing what he wants to do at the same time. Quest XP is a great idea!

The Case Against Quest XP

As much as it sucks to encounter selfish people, bossy people, and "ding and run" people as described above, only gaining XP through quests is a poor plan. I can think of two good good reasons: grinding remains but takes a new form, and it discourages people with limited playing time.

As nice as the hand-crafted dungeons in DDO can be, they lose their luster the 10th time you go through them. While I can level two characters in another MMOG without ever grinding at the same XP spot twice, I must go through the same quests in DDO. Often, I have to repeat certain quests because they yield good XP and are preferred by the bulk of the player base. In the end, I may not be grinding on grass snakes and warthogs, but I'm grinding on "The Waterworks" and "Shon-to-Kor." The grind is still there; it just looks different. Worst of all, this mechanic takes away from the exquisite detail of DDO's many dungeons.

Secondly, knowing that I must run an entire quest to get any XP sometimes prevents me from even logging in. I might have only 15 minutes to play, during which I might solo some random enemies in another MMOG. In DDO, I must be able to commit the proper time in order to play. Moreover, as I begin to get sleepy, I find myself logging off sooner. In another MMOG, I might announce to the party that I can only hang only 30 more minutes. In DDO, I recognize that we can't complete the next quest in my remaining 30 minutes, so I just log off earlier. In this sense, the quest XP discourages the type of obsessive playing that keeps me thinking about a MMOG even when I can't play.

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Now it's your turn to speak on the issue.

VOTE IN OUR POLL! Do you believe quest-only XP is right for MMOGs? For sure! It makes quests the meaningful progression of my character. I want some quest XP, but I'd like to be able to get XP some other way, too. I'd rather get XP for each kill. VOTE HERE