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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsBreakfast Topic: How does your character react to quest storylines?
by Stephen Pomeroy 
Jan 22nd 2011 at 8:00AM
Imagine this scenario: You play on a non-RP PvE or PvP server. You come across a quest such as The Art of Persuasion that brings out some sort of reaction in you. A while later, you're leveling a different character and come across the same quest. Is your reaction the same, or does the toon you're playing affect your reaction? Do you react at all?
For me, my character colors my reactions to the quest. The Art of Persuasion made me cringe on my druid, hunter and paladin, but I absolutely reveled in it on my warlock and death knight. The Nesingwary quests, D.E.H.T.A. quests, and even whole zones can make me elated or squirm. Now that Cataclysm has hit, it has only gotten worse. I could barely stay in my seat questing in Hyjal, I was so involved in the quests. I made snarky comments in /say to NPCs, I refused some quests I found distasteful, and I reacted like I think my druid would have to the events around me. Even at the end, after the final quest, I felt like I have many times at the end of a large campaign in a traditional tabletop RPG: I felt accomplished. My character had done something.
Granted, I come from a long background of roleplaying. From tabletop games to LARPs, I've played one character or another for over a decade, so it's second nature to create and act out a new persona. I don't play on an RP realm because I generally don't agree with where many WoW RPers take things, but I do enjoy getting to know my character as more than just my avatar in Azeroth. No matter how hard I try to keep him quiet, my character will eventually get a few words in.
Does RP get into your gaming, no matter what? Can you withstand a character's call to live and not just be?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 4 of 5)
Chris Jan 22nd 2011 12:30PM
Yes, these kind of quests do take a toll on me, I was recently playing a Tauren Shaman and one of the first quests demanded me to kill an Ancient in Azshara, being a Tauren and a Shaman made me really hate the horde for de-foresting and killing a friendly ancient/tree.
Noyou Jan 22nd 2011 1:09PM
Yeah. I have skipped a few quests like that. I don't particularly care for having to kill 20 yellow mobs to harvest X amount of body parts. I have a warlock a DK and a rogue and it still feels wrong to me. There are a bajillion quests (a bajillion- I counted) so skipping 1-2 here or there doesn't bother me.
neminem Jan 22nd 2011 12:34PM
Nope, I don't care at all. Occasionally when my character has no issue doing something vaguely evil or even downright ugly, I will be amused in the sense of "Blizzard wants me to do *what*?" (wait, I'm helping evil people kill stuff, just so I can betray them later? Why couldn't I just betray them now?). Won't stop me from doing it, though; my character is a collection of stats, and leveling is something you do so you can raid.
Imnick Jan 22nd 2011 12:48PM
My character follows directions blindly and emotionlessly like the soulless killing machine that he is.
Although maybe an occasional smile passes his lips as he impacts combustion onto seven mobs and three passing squirrels.
SINisterWyvern Jan 22nd 2011 1:27PM
The first time I did H:Deadmines I just had to /say to Vanessa Van Cleef that I killed her dad, and what did she think she was going to do about it. But that's really about it.
Maccabeus Jan 22nd 2011 1:51PM
My warlock revels in the fiery death of anything he comes across. Though my most massive RP moment wasnt a fight...
On the eve of Cataclysm, I flew to Camp Oneqwah in Grizzly Hills, set my character to walk speed, and walked all the way from there to Vengeance Landing, enjoying the ambience of my two favorite zones in Northrend, reminiscing, and recounting to my imp, Gobnip, my journey from the Forsaken foothold on the continent to frozen roof of Icecrown Citadel. I told him of my feelings about confronting the creature responsible for every hardship I had faced in this world. And I talked about going home, back to my house in Brill, where I could study the demonic arts in peace, and take leisurely walks in that haunted forest that now suits me so well. The music timed just perfectly with my boarding the zeppelin, and as it pulled out of the docking tower, I turned around, and said one last farewell to the frozen north. I haven't been back since.
Rhogan Jan 22nd 2011 2:05PM
Now that, good sir, sounds like something absolutely enjoyable. I almost wish I could have accompanied you on that long, northern walk.
Hob Jan 22nd 2011 2:34PM
My forsaken warlock returned to Brill after the Shattering, and sought out Rupert Boch, the warlock trainer. I was glad to see my old master, and we had a (one-sided) conversation (in /say) about how how much things had changed while I was away. I assured him that his errant student had finally mastered the arts of flame and shadow, and demonic pacts. Considering how hard it was to level my warlock, it was the truth ~ and it was good to see Rupert again.
I should probably visit Archibald Kava in Deathknell, and see how he's faring...
Susinko Jan 22nd 2011 2:02PM
My hunter and pally were rather disgusted with all the "Kill That Mother Dragon" quests in Hyjal and the Twilight Highlands. Especially the Twilight mother who hadn't done anything wrong and didn't even threaten us until we KILLED HER BABY and CUT OUT HIS SKULL!
Hob Jan 22nd 2011 2:24PM
I really loved the original Stonetalon Mountains, and haven't wanted to quest in that area since the Shattering.
I remember the quest in Sun Rock Retreat, to travel to Ashenvale, seek out Keeper Ordanus, kill him, and bring back his head. My tauren druid was horrified (especially after planting all of those lovely trees in the Charred Vale...), and would not do it.
My forsaken warlock had no such reservations. I vaguely remember he licked his fingers afterward...
RetPallyJil Jan 22nd 2011 2:39PM
Of course. Your toon is a character in the story. Off the top of my head:
1. "You is baaaad orc!" (Yes, I am, I thought - and never did that daily again)
2. The daily to shoot down Horde scouts checking out Icecrown. It seemed counterproductive to ace them for also trying to stop the Lich King.
3. The "torture someone for info" quest in Borean Tundra. I couldn't continue in the zone without it, but boy I didn't like it one bit.
4. Most of all, I haven't killed a Scarlet Crusader since I went to get Tirion's family portrait back in 2005. Shine on, you crazy bastards.
Ametrine Jan 22nd 2011 2:43PM
Due to her RP background (namely, having been trapped inside it between the time it fell and the Cataclysm, and been driven somewhat crazy as a result) my warlock refuses to set foot in Gnomeregan ever again. And she hasn't. Even when LFD queued her for a Gnomeregan run, I ate the deserter debuff.
Jaq Jan 22nd 2011 2:47PM
I don't RP much (just some basic facts, really; I rolled a female blood elf warrior and, in passing, thought, "Okay, she's the sister of my BE death knight main, who has heard rumor that her brother has returned from the grave, and is seeking him out", for example) so I don't really mind much what my character has to do in quests. The only exception I can think of is one where you're SUPPOSED to mind, the DK starter quest where you execute a member of your race who knows who you are. Otherwise, I have few moral qualms about my character. I imagine someone who is fully into RP would, but I'm not that into it.
Stephanie Jan 22nd 2011 3:54PM
Most of my characters have their own personality/backstory. I say most because I recently created a worgen rogue that I can't get a feel on. The others though I got a handle on, if not right away then, by the time we were picking specialites. Some of their backstories are even entwined. I was gonna write out more, but thinking on it I think I'm just gonna get in game.
Cowy Jan 22nd 2011 5:44PM
I recall the cry out outrage over "The Art of Persuasion" when people first encountered it in WOTLK... and I honestly was baffled.
Players have a problem with torturing someone? Are they that clueless about the game environment and what they do in this game!?!?
Let me see if I am hearing this right...
They are willing to walk under corpses hanging from trees, pass by abominations with their guts hanging out, pass and not even ponder charcoal that is oddly human shaped and still smoldering, commit mass genocide, stab, shock, and blow up every human or creature your quest asks you to for a pathetic amount of gold... and yet torturing someone (who will live) bothers them?
I would not be surprised in the least to hear that some of you had no idea that there are Gallows (you know, the things with nooses that hang people)... with blood stains outside very major hubs like Gadgetzan and Rachet.
Ugh. Torturing someone in this game makes you unhappy?!? Well... ok... I suppose it makes sense, if you RP an idiot...but otherwise, just no.
Dechma Jan 22nd 2011 7:21PM
I hate to admit it, but every time I catch a mob casting shadow spells on my warlock, my brain shifts into RP mode. "Shadow? Against me? I've lived in the shadow since before you were a glint in the devs' collective eyes!" Luckily this (usually) doesn't make it out of the deep, dark inner reaches of my mind, but it definitely happens every time.
Ixui Jan 23rd 2011 3:44AM
My Draenei Paladin, having great respect for Varian, and feeling very at home in Stormwind, was more than happy to head over to Westfall, and help out there any way she could. Helping Horatio Laine with a murder case, fixing up Sentinel Hill and its problems... And then the Westfall quest lines come to an end... And she is not happy.
perderedeus Jan 23rd 2011 9:21AM
The problem with having your character refuse to do quests is two-fold:
One, you can refuse yourself right out of the zone's quest completion achievement. This is minor, of course.
Two -- and this is more significant -- your refusal can shut down an entire quest chain. This in turn can close you out of progression in the zone. It may even leave you stranded in a phase. This was only partly a problem in Wrath, but is much more prevalent in Cata. The zones are very linear, and oftentimes progression from zone start to finish is one measly quest.
Kyte Midnight Jan 23rd 2011 9:35AM
The Harpy quest in particular was fun for my two mains...
My worldly night elf rogue had no issue executing the harpy, because that's just what she does.
My night elf holy priest had no issue executing the harpy, because she's a damned harpy. Night elves don't like them harpies.
deluded spider Jan 25th 2011 2:34AM
I don't like to RP mainly because I never know what the hell I'm doing, but for some reason I do occasionally think about my characters and how they'd react to things, and I have a few Word docs with story snippets and ideas for the characters, just in case I'd ever need it.
I do react differently depending on who I'm playing. I like the idea of being on the fringes of society, so I prefer Horde, and even my Alliance characters are outcasts in some way. My BE warlock simply craves power and loves to be evil, so sometimes I'll /laugh after she commits some wicked act.
But my BE shadow priest (yes, I play other races too), is more sullen and emo and doesn't necessarily take pleasure in doing bad things. She has very personal reasons for questing (revenge, love, adventure, searching for meaning in life, etc), whereas my warlock really just wants to feel good, hurt people and become as powerful as humanly possible, no matter the cost.
So to answer your question: My characters react differently to quests based on their personal experiences, just like any other well-rounded character would do.