Questing

Revision as of 19:59, 27 September 2009 by Talan (talk | contribs) (→‎Honour Quests)

Questing in Lusternia goes well beyond the simple fetch or kill tasks that are common in many games, though naturally, we have these as well. There are dozens of more intricate quests to be completed here, for those who enjoy doing so. Some can be accomplished on your own in an hour or two, while others may take your entire organization days to complete.

General Hints

While many of these larger quests contain unique mechanics, there are a couple of features common enough to merit pointing out as general hints. Speaking of hints, HINTS ON is a good default for questers of all levels of experience. Sometimes, you'll know what you wish to do, but get it wrong on syntax. This is where hints come in handy.

Hidden Things

Just because something does not appear in a location when you glance, does not mean it isn't there. VERBOSE is a great tool for questing, allowing you to see a room's full description each time you move. Many items are hidden this way, in the room's description. You can PROBE these items, and often manipulate them with one or more of the following commands: USE, TURN, PRESS, PUSH, PULL, OPEN, TOUCH. Going one step further, if you probe one of these hidden items and note a particular feature in its description, you can always try taking a closer look there, too!

Puzzles

Logic puzzles appear fairly commonly in quests with varying degrees of simplicity. Variations of Sudoku, Mastermind, Einstein's Puzzle, the Tower of Hanoi, and various square puzzles can all be found. Recognizing these familiar puzzles for what they are when you encounter them can be a big help to solving them.

Influence

The influencing skill plays a prominent role in many quests, though it's generally left up to the quester to follow the hints. If a denizen suggests that someone be chided for their wrong-doing, try using weakening type influence. If you're told to embolden or bolster their courage, try empowering them. Note that paranoia type of influence can be a quester's bane. Denizens who have been made paranoid will not respond to interaction in their normal way. If you don't have the ability to ANALYZE a denizen, be wary of curious behavior and try back later.

Talking to Denizens

In Lusternia, we do not just walk up to denizens and say quest quest quest quest until they tell us that their son has been trapped down a well. Greeting denizens is a great way to get started, as is asking, "Can I help you?" Listen to the replies you get. Though you're dealing with computer-controlled characters, part of immersion is treating them like people! Many quests require a certain phrase which can only be sussed out by conversing with the denizen.

When all else fails...

Sometimes, even when you know you're terribly close, you get flat out stuck. It's okay to ask for advice on our forums. Chances are, someone else has been through the same thing. While we don't give solutions, players are great about giving others a nudge in the right direction.


Honour Quests

Honour quests are one type of the longer, more involved quests that Lusternia has to offer. When you check someone's HONOURS, you'll often see a line at the end directing you to HONOURS FULL (person) and it's here where you may view all of the honours quests they have completed. As noted above, these range broadly in both difficulty and time to complete.

Honour quests may be done for a variety of reasons. Some yield rewards to help an organization or to hinder an opposing one. Some may be considered rites of passage for a certain characters. Many yield historical context in the game world, bits of information or secrets about the world of Lusternia that are available nowhere else. Most grant gold and karma rewards with some giving other personal blessings.

For a completionist, acquiring new honours will be a constant venture throughout one's play, and as you'll see, there are enough to keep one busy for a very long time.

Regarding level suggestions, bear in mind that some races and classes are more adept at hunting than others, and so outside of Newton Caverns these are all sweeping generalizations. If you know that you're out of your depth in a given area, grab a friend to help or return when you're a bit stronger.

Each organization has a prophecy quest associated with it, and a series of honours associated with the completion, leading up to an epic quest. Prophecy quests generally yield standard rhetoric associated with a given org. During times when that org or the Basin at large is in peril, they can be performed to glean valuable information about world-scale events. In addition to the organization quests, there are a couple of neutral-territory prophecy quests, which are not associated with epic quests.


Arthar'rt Observatory

Honours She sabotaged the experiment of Etil'ck Arthar'rt.

She aided Etil'ck Arthar'rt in his attempt to cleanse the taint.

Start Level 50+
Difficulty Easy-Medium. A mixture of hidden things with some time constraints, coupled with puzzling.
Notes Some influencing may be required to reach a starting point. There are no automatic enemy statuses, though Magnagora is known to not look kindly on those who are assisting Etil'ck Arthar'rt. You are able to complete both sides, if you wish. Be mindful of gravediggers in the Blasted Lands.
Reward Gold.


Arysian Isles

Honours She freed the gorgogs from their dimensional prison.

She helped seal the gorgogs behind the dimensional barriers.

Start Level 70+
Difficulty Medium-Hard. Expect to be repeatedly disrupted in this very popular hunting ground. Some middle to higher level hunting, with a lot of 'figuring out.'
Notes Vague directions are not really informative. Proceed on the assumption that the various side-quests in the area must be linked. Start point is clearer on the sealing the gorgogs side. The end result of freeing the gorgogs makes life difficult for city novices.
Reward Gold, releasing aggressive gorgogs throughout the seas.


Cankermore Battlegrounds

Honour She marshaled the undead legions to victory, displacing the mold battalions.

She did lead the festering molds to overthrow the undead invaders of Cankermore.

Start Level 60+
Difficulty Medium. Clear starting points, some mid to higher level hunting coupled with a short strategy game.
Notes You can complete one side of this, or the other. Doing the second cancels out the first. A bit of interesting history is available upon completion. You'll need to win several battles before being awarded the honour, and your progress is saved indefinitely. The AI improves slightly with each successful victory, making it more challenging as you progress.
Reward Gold.


Carai Caroo

Honours She rescued the child Joiya from the machinations of Jeitara.

She did sacrifice the innocent Joiya, thus aiding Jeitara's schemes.

Start Level 30+
Difficulty Medium. The biggest part of the quest is a sudoku style puzzle, which can be arduous both in the solving and in inputting the solution.
Notes Others have noted that finding Carai Caroo in itself is a challenge. You'll need a waterbreathe enchant if you're not a totems user. You can complete either or both sides of this quest without picking up any enemy statuses, though Celest has been known to enemy those who aid Jeitara. May require nominal planar travel.
Reward Kelpies, mutated or not, will flood the seas.


Caverns of the Hyfae

Honour She did aid Wise Lamella, and brought peace to the Hyfae of Tryko.
Start Level 65+
Difficulty Medium. Mid to higher level hunting and influencing coupled with puzzling.
Notes A neat little quest with a lot of good history available upon completion. There are some aggressive creatures in Tryko, though you're not required to kill them. A good bit of trekking through the tunnels of the undervault.
Reward Health, mana, ego blessing


Clarramore Cloud Gardens

Honour She is an honorary staff member of staff at the Clarramore Cloud Gardens.
Start Level 60+
Difficulty Easy-Medium. Some influence and hidden things, a fair bit of 'figuring out'.
Notes The most frustrating part of this quest may be in how quickly some denizens forget that you've given them things, so as a very helpful hint: hand in all the perfume components at once, rather than as you acquire them. A neat area to explore, particularly for trill players.
Reward Gold.


Dramube Triangle

Honour She holds the position of Planar Trader at the Facility in the Aetherways.
Start Level 60+
Difficulty Difficult. Requiring mid to high level hunting, rudimentary math skills, and aetherflight.
Notes While possible to complete alone, bring a friend. Digging and flying are necessary, as well as a fair amount of aetherflying. Will require multiple times completing the same puzzle and this progress is saved indefinitely. Don't over think it, math geeks.
Reward Above average gold.


Facility

Honour She aided the gnomes of the Facility in a mysterious endeavor.
Start Level 50+
Difficulty Medium-Hard. The quest is not really difficult to initiate nor work on, largely hunting with a tiny measure of hidden things. It is extremely time-consuming with a seemingly inexplicable failure component.
Notes Progess on this quest is saved indefinitely, though saved by the quest, not by the person, so it's entirely possible to pick up where someone else left off. A good opportunity to share information about gnomes in general was missed here - the honour line more or less says it all.
Reward Gold.


Grey Moors

Honours She released the horrors of Castle Djarrakh onto an unsuspecting world.

She aided Ciarrus in sealing Castle Djarrakh for all time.

Start Level 40+
Difficulty Difficult. You're essentially given the end-goal and very little further direction in what is a fairly extensive series of subquests. A bit of low to mid level hunting. No puzzles, but fairly extensive amounts of 'figuring out'.
Notes The horrors of Castle Djarrakh are disappointingly non-horrible, but these must be released before Ciarrus may be aided. Neither quest resets until it is completed, so it's common enough to encounter it partially done. There's another, unrelated, non-honour quest in the area you're bound to encounter as you poke and prod every nook and cranny of the Moors.
Reward Gold.


Hallifax and Gaudiguch

Honours She used the Hand of Tzaraziko in an attempt to free Hallifax.

She used the Hand of Tzaraziko in an attempt to free Gaudiguch.

Start Level 30+
Difficulty Difficult. The quests themselves are not difficult, it's the sheer volume of them which earns this rating. This is one of those quests that will take (real) days of effort to complete, and will be interrupted by the seasons, the occasional outbreak of Nomad versus Mesa fighting, or just lately, the utter decimation of one or both of these settlements resulting from a different quest. Oh, and there's a bit of puzzling towards the end.
Notes A true test of questing dedication here. While these are known as the Hallifax and Gaudiguch quests, the bulk of the work is done in the Skarch Desert. These quests tend to be undertaken by Dracnari, Lucidian, and Trill players as something of a rite of passage, or by masochists of any race. Leave when it gets to motes.
Reward A full power node is created at the site of Hallifax or Gaudiguch which can be linked to or coned like an astral node, though without the monsters.


Hifarae Hills

Honours She did lower the veil over the Hifarae hills and release Gromagh's horde.

She did aid the centaurs of the Hifarae hills drive out Gromagh's horde.

Start Level 50+
Difficulty Easy-Medium. Fairly straightforward, with a small bit of hunting coupled with hidden things and a simple puzzle.
Notes Not the easiest quest, but a decent introductory venture. Releasing the horde creates lower level aggressive creatures in the near vicinity, the counter vanquishes them. Clear starting points and clear instructions.
Reward Gold throughout, releasing or banishing the horde.


Kiakodan Nature Reserve

Honour She brought balance to the Kiakodan Reserve, preserving it for future generations.
Start Level 30+
Difficulty Medium. Low level hunting, some hidden things, a lot of 'figuring out'.
Notes There are four sub-quests to the larger quest, and your progress is kept indefinitely. Several unique mechanics to be found here. Requires swimming. Climbing is helpful. Some truly memorable denizens in this area. A lot of dialog-based solving. Slight chance of death.
Reward Gold.


Kryden Valik

Honours She summoned a shadow of the Soulless God Crazen to possess the priestess Kiska.

She has freed the maiden Feyahi from the prison of the Kryden Valik.

Start Level 65+
Difficulty Difficult. Though straightforward in execution, these quests are mixtures of mid to high level hunting and influencing, coupled with some puzzles and require very fine timing in places.
Notes The two quests in this area can both be completed, despite the clear "good" and "bad" alignments. Assisting Feyahi requires visiting a different, high-traffic area so some patience may be required if the denizens you need to speak with have been killed. The Kiska side results in an encounter with a very strong, aggressive denizen.
Reward Gold, exploration.


Mount Zoaka

Honour She hatched a dragon egg at Mount Zoaka, birthing a magnificent wyrmling.
Start Level 40+
Difficulty Medium-Hard. A little bit of lower level hunting, a lot of timed puzzling. Some higher planar travel.
Notes A Dracnari favorite. There are many parts to the quest, but it's easy enough to accomplish on one's own. Clear steps to completion. A very neat area to explore.
Reward Gold, exploration.


Mucklemarsh

Honour She procured new hosts for the slivven parasites.
Start Level 80+
Difficulty Medium-Hard. Doing this one with a friend is a good idea. The quest is more arduous than brain-wracking, with high-level bashing and a lot of aetherflying. Unfortunately, a certain combination of artifacts can bring the difficulty level way down.
Notes Straightforward, if high-level, fetch and deliver quest. Bring an empath (or a pilot, if you're an empath) who can double as someone to hit the marshworm while you're off-balance. Need to be able to fly and dig.
Reward The nigh-irresistable urge to watch the movie "Alien", gold.


Honour She restored the might of the fink military.
Start Level 70+
Difficulty Medium. There is one high level, aggressive creature around, though the quest does not require that you kill it. A fair mix of hunting and influencing as well as finding hidden places and things.
Notes The finks, particularly the attendants, are just plain adorable. There can be a bit of frustration when training the would-be champions. Keep in mind that the tracking is cumulative, so you do not have to train all three in one sitting - you can return to the bubble any time to resume working on this, though you will have to do the preliminary part over again. Being able to fly is helpful. Must be able to dig.
Reward Gold.


Newton Caverns

Honours She has earned the title of Savior to the Gnomes.

She has earned the title of Hero to the Finks.

Start Level 1-21
Difficulty Easy-Medium. A great introduction to questing, though by no means the easiest Lusternia has to offer. Pay attention to the denizens you meet - they're not all there simply for hunting. For a start point, if it seems like you should be able to help someone, you probably can. Jump in anywhere and you'll piece it together as you go.
Notes Once you reach level 21, you'll be unable to return to Newton Caverns, so start early! There are two honours quests in this area, and you'll be able to complete both if you wish. The quests are similar, but by no means identical. Before level 10, you'll have unlimited PORTALS, make use of them.
Reward Gold.


Presidio of the Damned

Honour She ruthlessly assassinated the noble traitor at the Presidio of the Damned.
Start Level 55+
Difficulty Medium. Hidden things, deductive reasoning, and a small bit of mid-level hunting.
Notes The progress from this quest is kept, so you might encounter it untouched, or at any stage of completion, and it can be difficult to jump in. Though seemingly geared towards Magnagorans (there's a good amount of information pertaining to the noble houses), it's by no means exclusive to members of this org, and completing it doesn't help them in any way.
Reward Gold.


Scorpion Caverns

Honour She woke the Old Ones and restored connection to Grandmother Scorpion.
Start Level 75+
Difficulty Difficult. Higher level hunting and influencing, hidden things, time constraints, and a puzzle.
Notes Players from Glomdoring and from the Nekotai in particular have an interest in completing this quest. A lot of interesting information about Grandmother Scorpion to be gleaned. Having a friend along to help in some sections is necessary for all but the most efficient hunters. This is a prophecy quest.
Reward Gold, prophecy.


Snow Valley

Honours She did help summon the Great Cat Spirit to aid the Igasho Tribe of Hhuhur.

She has aided the Kyrian tribe in curing their children.

Start Level 60+
Difficulty Medium. With straightforward starting points, these quests each consist of mid to high level hunting paired with a nominal amount of information acquiring.
Notes Either or both of these quests can be completed in this area. There is a fair degree of overlap in terms of the tasks which must be done. Requires the ability to fly and suggested use of a levitation enchantment. Scaling may also be used in part. Yodeleh HE hoo.
Reward Gold.


Spectre Isle

Honour She has scribed the tales of old Celest into the Tome of Remembrance.
Start Level 21+
Difficulty Easy. A bit of hidden things coupled with a simple puzzle.
Notes The biggest challenge in this area might be finding it when it's not hunted out. The quest has no hunting, but does require interacting with denizens used in Magnagora's power quest. Those who aren't able to visit Magnagora for the ferry will need to swim to visit the island.
Reward Gold.


Tainted Broadcasting Centre

Honour She aided Norchatine in the repair of the Tainted Broadcasting Centre.
Start Level 80+
Difficulty Medium-Hard. Though fairly straightforward once you get started, this quest is a good mix of high-level bashing, influencing, and puzzling. If you can get into the TBC, you can probably handle the denizens you must kill during the quest.
Notes Serenwilde and Celest do not permit their members to do this quest. Upon completion, all nexii but your own org's will be subject to what some consider a very annoying level of extra spam, and on top of that, everyone will know that you caused it. Despite having no counter, this is considered a conflict quest, and it is not unheard of for fighting to break out if anyone finds out you're attempting it.
Reward Gold, and access to bards, scholars, and pilgrims by anyone in your org. Members of other organizations will not be able to lead these wanderers.


Tolborolla Valley

Honour She helped Tolborolla tae'dae and furrikin contact Ackleberry.
Start Level 21+
Difficulty Easy. A smidgen of low level hunting coupled with hidden things. An emphasis on timing, but designed for novices.
Notes Requires climbing and swimming. There are some low quantity collection tasks, which can get slightly frustrating. Keep in mind that the quest generally won't take more than two hours, on the absolute outside, to complete. This is a prophecy quest.
Reward Gold, prophecy. Influencers will also be able to get a about thirty lumber on completion.


Toronada Tidal Flats

Honour She did aide the dragon turtles, saving a lost kin in the Toronada tidepools.
Start Level 22-30+
Difficulty Medium-Easy. A clear starting point, with some hunting throughout. The steps are mostly straightforward, and the quest is largely in figuring out how to complete these tasks. A good introduction to learning how to get information from denizens, both sentient and non.
Notes There are multiple quests in this area, though only one gives an honor. There are some aggressive creatures encountered during the quest, though they do not break shields. Be able to cure deafness, broken limbs, and paralysis when fighting the denizens in this area. Despite having to do with dragon turtles, this quest has no tangible impact on any organization.
Reward Gold.


Tosha Monastery

Honour She passed the challenges of the Tosha Monastery.
Start Level 70+
Difficulty Easy-Medium. Very straightforward hunting/hand in quest. The medium designation is only in the difficulty of some of the creatures you encounter in the latter part.
Notes A very popular quest with a useful reward. You are able to do a lot of the preparation work ahead of time that you may complete it when you wish. While the first stage hunting is easy, do not underestimate the second stage. Bring a friend if you like, though make sure you are the one who gets the killing blows.
Reward Health, mana, and ego blessing.


Upper Peaks

Honours She summoned a mirror army to annihilate the Dracnari Nomad Camp.

She summoned a mirror army to wipe out the Mesa Compound.

Start Level 60+
Difficulty Easy. A simple mixture of hidden things, hunting, and puzzling. Very straightforward.
Notes Flying is required for either side. Some higher level hunting might be required to start the quest. There are two upper peaks areas, one in the Southern Mountains, one in the Razines. The two quests are very similar. You can only complete one side or the other, doing a second cancels out the first.
Reward Gold, and as the honor indicates, the ability to vanquish all the regular denizens in either the Mesa or Nomad Camp, replacing them with higher-level, non-aggressive mirror army denizens.


Verasavir Valley

Honours She assisted Kravch to bring vengeance upon the taurians of Verasavir Valley.

She helped the shaman Rynak vanquish the ghost-wolves of Verasavir Valley.

Start Level 30+
Difficulty Easiest. Very simple quests which might offer an introduction to denizens which team up against you. Mostly hunting with some hidden things and hidden locations.
Notes There are two honors quests in this area, and doing either side will get you enemied to the opposing faction. For the ghost wolves, this means little, but for the taurians, it will inhibit you from doing other quests. A good time to learn about amnesty.
Reward Gold, and the temporary disappearance of denizens from the opposing faction.


Village of Acknor

Honour In Acknor, she helped the orcs raise a new chieftain.
Start Level 40+
Difficulty Difficult. This quest was once so easy that it had to be changed. It earns this rating because it requires killing loyal denizens in player-org territory. Otherwise, it is a mix of commodities quests, hidden things, and acquiring information on the order of 'easy'.
Notes Depending on who controls it, Acknor may or may not practice slaving. This state of affairs can be altered when the controlling city or commune leader speaks to the new chieftain on the day this quest is completed. Failed attempts will result in an angry orc.
Reward Gold, opportunity to change slaving status in the village.


Village of Angkrag

Honour She is a Slave Master of Angkrag.
Start Level 1+
Difficulty Easy. A fun little puzzle requiring no hunting or influencing.
Notes Like other villages, Angkrag can be under the political influence of a player-run organization which may or may not welcome you in its borders. CONFIG MAPVIEW ON is quite useful. Similar to Dairuchi, you'll complete the task several times before gaining the honour with your progress saved indefinitely. The very proud will wish to ensure the village is empty before attempting, as the fail messages are rather unkind!
Reward Gold, increased steel production in the village.


Village of Dairuchi

Honour She is an Honourary Shepherd of the Rocks.
Start Level 1+
Difficulty Easy. Solving a simple maze in a world without the game map. An enjoyable puzzle in itself, you may wish to get out a paper and pencil.
Notes Dairuchi is a village which can be under the political influence of a player-run organization, meaning that the org you belong to may not be welcome by whichever one currently controls Dairuchi. To earn the honour, you'll be completing the small puzzle several times. Your progress is remembered indefinitely.
Reward Gold, increased marble production for the village.


Village of Delport

Honour She is the Matchmaker, having brought lovers together at the Chateau d'Amour.
Start Level 30+
Difficulty Easy. Very straightforward with a clear start point. Requires a bit of hiking around doing village commodities quests as well as some hidden things.
Notes Delport is a village which can be under the political influence of a player-run organization, meaning that the org you belong to may not be welcome by whichever one currently controls Delport.
Reward Gold.


Village of Estelbar

Honour She is an honoured Caregiver to the tae'dae cubs in Estelbar.
Start Level 30+
Difficulty Easy-Medium. Your choice of influence or doing commodities quests to acquire some things you need. Another mix of hidden things coupled with deductive reasoning, and perhaps a smidgen of guess work.
Notes Like other villages, Estelbar can be under the political influence of a player-run organization which may or may not welcome you in its borders, though the cause of helping these adorable sick cubs has been known to melt hard hearts.
Reward Gold.


Village of Paavik

Honour She did put the spirits of Paavik manor to rest.
Start Level 1+
Difficulty Easy-Medium. A good exercise in both hidden things and acquiring information. Timing is important. The particulars are literally written down for you.
Notes Like other villages, Paavik can be under the political influence of a player-run organization which may or may not welcome you in its borders. The story which unfolds as you work to complete this quest is macabre at its most delightful. Another quester recommends: if you find the cane, be sure to THWAP someone while holding it!
Reward Gold.


Village of Shanthmark

Honour She brought harmony of mind to the Shanthmark Lodge.
Start Level 30+
Difficulty Medium. Hidden things, commodities quests and deductive reasoning, this one can take a bit of time to complete.
Notes Like other villages, Shanthmark can be under the political influence of a player-run organization which may or may not welcome you in its borders. Search for crystals last, so they don't start respawning on you.
Reward Gold, notable karma.


Village of Stewartsville

Honour She solved the mysterious murder at Stewart Mansion.
Start Level 50+
Difficulty Easy. The hardest part of this quest is often considered to be getting the opportunity to begin, given its popularity. A good exercise in both finding hidden things and deductive reasoning.
Notes Like other villages, Stewartsville can be under the political influence of a player-run organization which may or may not welcome you in its borders. Though no hunting is required, the level requirement is noted a bit higher, as it is possible to encounter an aggressive denizen should your sleuthing falter. You can fight this perpetrator off, or simply run away and wait for it to leave before having another go.
Reward Gold.


Villages of Rockholm and Southgard

Honour She is known to the dwarves as Kingmaker
Start Level 40+
Difficulty Difficult. This is an organization-level quest. Low to higher level hunting is required throughout, coupled with wide knowledge of the prime material plane.
Notes Though low level people can certainly help with this quest, they will not be able to kill all of the various types of creatures which may be required. While the hunting parts are generally in non-enemy prime territory, it is common enough for pvp to occur during the quest.
Reward The village which hosts the king of the dwarves will also be host to all of the dwarf miners (excluding any which may be in Angkrag), essentially ending commodities production in the opposing village, and boosting production in its own.


Workshop of Xion

Honour She has restored the ancient workshop of Xion to functionality.
Start Level 80+
Difficulty Difficult. Higher level hunting coupled with multiple instances of three types of puzzle.
Notes Generally regarded as one of the most difficult quests, given the puzzles, though largely straightforward. Frequent complaints revolve around timing issues, as the puzzles can take a while to solve. Xion is sometimes a conflict area. It is fairly difficult to travel here, though transplanar contrivances have mitigated that a bit.
Reward Temporary access to one of the elemental planes from a location of your choice on prime.