Breakfast Topic: How often do you read quest text?

If you have played WoW for more than five minutes, you have done a quest. It is nearly impossible to avoid doing them altogether. Since the option has been implemented to have instant quest text and the options tracked on the map by Blizzard's default UI now, most players see the exclamation mark, click on the NPC, accept the quest, and go get the items -- whether it be someone's head, 10 rocks, or going to kill a certain number of creatures -- without paying attention to the why. We want the gold, experience, achievement, or perhaps a quest reward, but we cannot be bothered with why we need to commit genocide on a population of wild animals. We would rather crit the mobs required for the quest than be crit by a wall of text.
I am as guilty of this as the next person: Oh, bring you murloc eyes ... Sure, why not? Kill a bunch of boars? Whatever. However, when I recently went back and finished off Loremaster, I found myself actually paying attention to some of the quests, and I realized there can be some great stories there. The Burning Crusade, Wrath, and soon Cataclysm have come a long way in terms of making the quests feel like they are leading somewhere, as opposed to killing these random mobs for no apparent reason. While working on Loremaster, I was like, "Wow, that was a neat little storyline in that quest chain!" It made me both impressed and a little sad, wondering about all the possible nuggets of story I had simply ignored just so I could level a couple of minutes sooner.
Do you actually read the quest text? Do you ever want to know why we have to kill the creatures we kill and why the NPCs want these seemingly inane items? Or do you just do it for the XP and money and could not care less?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts






Reader Comments (Page 1 of 8)
evestraw Nov 29th 2010 8:04AM
there where quest texts?
tehgoatboi Nov 29th 2010 8:05AM
i do whenever i first do it. not the 2nd time however
Gallifrei Nov 29th 2010 8:21AM
This. It's the only way to fly.
Jorges Nov 29th 2010 10:04AM
This also.
The first time I'm in leveling mode, I just relax, grab some iced tea and enjoy the game. This implies reading the text, playing my toon more like part of the whole story and not as a player, I even sometimes throw emotes here and there to add flavor. Just yesterday I was making /rude emotes at the horde in Ashenvale after I seeing what they did to my forest >_>
That's first time though.. second time, I just blaze through it skimming the summary text.
Jorges Nov 29th 2010 10:08AM
*after I saw what they did
Monday Morning >_
serf Nov 29th 2010 12:21PM
Same here. Always read the first time through and probably never again.
brian Nov 29th 2010 1:12PM
I'm in the bad habit of being in "2nd time through" mode whenever I'm in old world. Which, now that it's not so old anymore, means I accidentally skip the quest text on some of them before I realize what I'm doing.
Luckily, they've gotten exponentially better at showing as well as telling, so I don't miss as much as I would have.
Guess I'll just have to go back on my max level and read them all :P
Erogroth Nov 30th 2010 4:13PM
I do the exact opposite. I never get a chance to read them on my main. Especially if I am grouped everyone is in a rush. There is never time to read. I have been playing since launch and only have 1 80 and 1 60. Recently however I started leveling an undead rogue so I could experience the story. I also wanted one last crack at the old quests before the shattering. Well I got to about level 54 before the shattering but there were some great quests along the way. There were a lot that were kinda blah though. However since the shattering the new quests have been awesome! Very fun and they suck you in. I really have enjoyed them. I did Badland, Burning Steppes, Searing Gorge, Swamp of Sorrows, and Blasted Lands. Blizzard really did a great job on the new quests.
Evelinda Dec 1st 2010 5:47AM
yep, exactly this. i'm a serious altoholic, but also a fairly serious lore nerd. I love love love the stories in wow, and will ALWAYS read the quest text the first time i do it, at least... though after the third or fourth time, i definitely start to skip.
There are some exceptions though... the hero of the mag'har chain, for example; i must have done it nine or ten times, and i still read it every time, because it is awesome.
RetPallyJil Nov 29th 2010 8:04AM
Yes, I always read quest text the first time I do a quest. After all, the story is why our characters even exist.
Urza Nov 29th 2010 8:48AM
I did this when I first started playing WoW.. after awhile I just stopped though. I think it has a lot to do with having too many quests.. especially if they're grouped up in the same area from different pcs. After awhile I didn't know if Quest D really had anything to do with A and B.
Angus Nov 29th 2010 8:05AM
I found myself in Darrowshire again. Talking to Pamela again.
I keep wishing I hadn't read the quest text.
I went upstairs and hugged my 5 yr old son and gave a kiss while slept.
Grishmak Nov 29th 2010 1:22PM
Same here... every time I got the doll for her I had to hug my daughter (and my daughter's stuffed hippo).
Jeremy Nov 29th 2010 3:29PM
And I thought i was the only one! Glad to know i'm not alone (except its my 3yr old's unicorn).
I love it when a game can remind me of the important things... (other than WOW of course) :)
cj Nov 29th 2010 8:05AM
After reading "know your lore" here on wowinsider more frequently, I have been reading more of the text in the quests... why not get a story with all my loots?
stijn.fastenaekels Nov 29th 2010 8:10AM
I started reading quests after the world exploded and I made my new character. I really loved the westfall and redridge stories so far! I'm in duskwood now, and even the legend of stalvan is exciting again. Wow finally feels like an actual RPG to me now, with quests i want to finish because of the plot, not the xp :)
Victor Nov 29th 2010 2:46PM
Same here! I created my first Death Knight after the Shattering and after completing the starting zone quest (which is awesome by the way, even if I have no clue if it was this way before 4.0.3a) I've been doing every single quest starting from Elwynn forest in proper order. I'm hoping to eventually do all quests in the game /crazy
Faith-lb Nov 29th 2010 8:14AM
I tend to read it on my way to the Points of Interest. I like to get a feel for the WHY I am doing something. this is also the reason why I won't do some quests as I find the reasons weak , or I don't enjoy it.
Nex Dec 1st 2010 5:30AM
Lol, for some reason this never even occurred to me...../facepalm
I think me I may start doing the same. Get a story, and travel at the same time...not a bad idea.
Josin Nov 29th 2010 8:08AM
Since 4.0.3a, I've been reading them all. There's some AWESOME stories going on, especially in places like Stonetalon Mountains.