Quests & Why You Should Do Them
In some games quests are only something to add flavor to the game. In others they are there to serve a more useful role. In Alter they fall into the second category, and there are many reasons you should be doing as many as possible. For a first time player the quests in Alter Aeon are essential, I can't imagine how someone could truly learn the game without them. Here are five rock solid reasons everyone should be doing the quests.
This article applies to the quests on the first three islands, not the mainland. Quests on the mainland are almost completely optional. There are very few that have a good reward, but if you are the achievement type then you may want to keep on with the questing.
1. You learn how the game mechanics work
I'm new to muds, Alter was my first, and is still the only one I've ever played. For this reason the quests were so very important. They start off very easy, and walk you through the different aspects of the game. Everything from navigation, to combat, to using stuff, to how to communicate with mobs, and everything in between. Without this base in the game, you can't expect to make it very far.
If you are a new mud player, or someone who plays all the muds, you will find useful information by doing the quests. In any game that has been around for over 25 years there is a lot to learn, and you get walked through most of it in the first three islands's quests. It is partly learning mechanics, how things work, and also training your brain to navigate in a world that is so large. Skipping any of this can really make the game difficult down the road when you don't have someone holding your hand.
2. The XP and gold
This stays true from level 1 to level 100, but it is mainly true for the quests on the first three islands. Quests are the best way to gather gold, and to get quite a bit of XP. This also means it is a way to ensure you keep leveling at a consistent rate. Even if you aren't getting the best XP for killing mobs, you'll get more than enough XP and gold from the quests in the area to make up for it. The game has intentionally been set up so you progress at the rate of the areas you are visiting for quests. Sometimes this can be off by a couple levels, and can be more difficult for one class vs another, but generally speaking they are balanced out very well. You can expect it to be more difficult if you are thief verses Necromancer, but that's just because necro is the most overpowered low level class in the game by a country mile. For the most part, if you are following the quests, you'll find yourself at the proper level as you advance in the first three islands.
Note: This doesn't mean the boss mobs will be the same. Some of them are exceptionally tough for the level of the area. You can normally fix this by making sure you are using the proper spells or weapons to take advantage of their weaknesses. For example, fighting a ghost with a weapon that is not non-norm will get you dead every time.
3. Being Lead To Great Class Equipment
Equipment plays a huge role in every RPG, and Alter Aeon is clearly no different. You want equipment with a +1 or +2 for your class, and doing the quests is a great way to ensure you find all of this equipment. You won't typically get it as a reward (most of the quest equipment awards suck), but you'll find it on mobs you kill on the maps where you are questing. You can get a listing of what good equipment can be found where here on BSG, and I'll link that at the bottom of this paragraph. This isn't an excuse to avoid the quests though; the listing doesn't tell you exactly where to find the items, and that is intentional. If you do all the quests on the first three islands, and check the corpses of the stuff you kill, you are guaranteed to have a full set of equipment where everything is plus one for your cast or skill. It is impossible to stress how important this is, you need skill or cast level boosts on every piece of equipment.
The article on the importance of cast and skill level.
Where to find cast and skill boosting equipment
4. Achievements
Just as a disclaimer, this is not a good reason for me, but it may be for some other people. You get achievements for doing X amounts of things in game, and deeds and feats are one of these things. Quests are broken down into these two different categories, and as you do more you get achievements. Some people really like achievements, they don't have a in game effect on your character, it is just...well an achievement. You get a little bit of XP, but not enough to make a big difference in the grand scheme of things, it is about the same as killing a couple mobs. If this is the type of thing you are into, then do all the quests you can, and you'll be sure to get the achievements as you level up.
5. Exploring Is Fun
There are a crap load of maps in Alter, I think over 400 or 500 of them, and exploring is half of the fun when starting out. By following the quests you will be told to go to all sorts of different maps, and some of them can be very useful. You'll know what gives you the best XP, and you can take advantage of that by running the map a couple times. You'll also unlock maps which you cannot go to without doing the quest chains. The best example of this is fairy land, and there is a lot of really great cast boost and skill boost equipment there for every class. Not doing the quests means you'll never have access to the maps and equipment there.
You also get explorer points for exploring maps, and this may make you happy if you are into that achievement stuff mentioned earlier. They do have a game effect at least, you can advance in the cartographer guild, and get access to some special consumables in their secret rooms.
Do The Damn Quests
I've seen people who don't do the quests, and honestly it drives me crazy. Even with a difficult to play character and being completely new to the game. If you do the quests you can be level 30 in your primary class in two weeks max. For someone on their second character you can do it in three days. They are there for a reason, and you are hurting yourself by not doing them. Some can be annoying, but the vast majority are quite easy, and there's no reason to skip them.