Most/Least Popular Opt Objectives?

[Cranjis]

Heya, I like making these opinion question threads, don't know why. But what do you believe is the most popular opt objective (most played) and the least popular opt objective (least played) in the game? This one got me to do a lot of thinking. By the way, this thread excludes optionals that are required to finish the quest, or optionals that are impossible to avoid.

I believe the most popular one is in two unpopular quests. Chamber of Rahmat, and Chamber of Kourush (spelling?). This is because at the end of these quests all you have to do is pluck up a seal off the ground for some extra easy xp, and passing it up would be almost pointless unless you have a full inventory or you're lazy.

And the least popular would have to go to the Mired in Kobolds optional. This notorious optional (the one where you rescue the prisoner) is foolish, and has been known to be extremely buggy on many occasions. I have only gone to the area where this opt is located once, and we were not able to complete it due to it bugging. The fact that there are multiple ways to simply bypass everything opposing you and still get the optional xp kind of ruins gameplay experience.

[droid327]

I think least popular would be a bazillion-way tie for nearly every true optional with "never"...

True optionals that are popular might be any one that gives you a chance at extra named loot/filis - the beholder in mirror, the patients in outbreak, Sir Bluto, etc.

There are pretty much zero optionals that are worth it on a purely xp/min basis that aren't de facto required or unavoidable.

[SiliconScout]

Most -> wiz-king

Least -> pretty much all the rest.

[Logicman69]

Most popular optional would be the optional towers in WizKing. They offer so much XP that they are worth the time running. The least would be in that same quest... breakables. The breakables limit is so high that its not worth stopping to break anything at all.

[HungarianRhapsody]

My favorite optional is killing all the named undead in Delera part 2 (including the ones you need help reaching with the swim).

My least favorite optional is the fact that optional XP is close to meaningless in most quests.

[mikarddo]

Least - Search and Rescue drow priestess optional. Its already a long quest and the optional adds quite a bit of grind including a tough fight in a small room. It is a tough call though as there are a nearly endless number of optionals I completely ignore as they offer next to nothing.

Most - Ghost of a Chance optionals with a duo partner as those offer the xp optionals should to be worth doing. I run the main quest while my duo partner run the 3 optionals.

[Krelar]

I would bet the one in Flesh Maker's laboratory that can only be done if you run back to Mentau after finishing the quest would be up there as least run.

[Kraki]

Other than those mentioned above like Deleras & Wiz King

Most:
Tear of Dhakaan - Collect the shards
Von3 - Kill the Luridae / Troll Ambassador


Least:
Claw of Vulkoor - Sneak by the roaming / guardian scorpions
GoP - Kill all the waves.
Big Top - Ring the High Strikers (after you've done it or waited for someone to do it once)
Tangleroot 6 - Earth Elemental room

[Cranjis]

Most popular optional would be the optional towers in WizKing. They offer so much XP that they are worth the time running. The least would be in that same quest... breakables. The breakables limit is so high that its not worth stopping to break anything at all.

Breakables aren't an opt objective though

[Xgya]

Most run: Any optional that really isn't one, like mobs simply showing up in your path counting as their own "optional". Most egregious example is the "optional" skeleton in Heroic Two-Toed Tobias - the door just doesn't open until that skeleton permanently stops moving.

Not counting those (there's many after all), I'd say the optional bosses in VoN 3 HAS to be the one example of optional where they're not in your path, yet they're run all the same by just about anyone that knows the quest.

Least run are all those that you either have to backtrack or run through a completely separate route to reach.
The will-o-wisps in Lost in the Swamp, elementals in Tangleroot 6, the optional druid in Thorn & Paw (alongside all the corrupt seeds to gather).

In fact, that very last one, the seed optional, has to be the one I've only ever seen run once - it was me, and I wanted to do all opts on a whim for a single TR cycle.

[Mindos]

Most popular optional would be the optional towers in WizKing. They offer so much XP that they are worth the time running. The least would be in that same quest... breakables. The breakables limit is so high that its not worth stopping to break anything at all.

I tried this a bit ago, but I forgot to drop down into the wall lined with sarcophogi rooms. I kept thinking, surely this is enough...

[Aelonwy]

I really enjoy most optionals. But I very much prefer they add something to the story, are unique or have a chance at something special.

The optionals in Party Crashers are some of the best, story driven, have a chance to change the end fight, deepen the backstory of NPCs in Stormreach, affected by character skills, the actor's optional has an incredibly unique mechanic, and they ALL have a chance for named loot. This is an example of perfectly crafted optionals in an incredibly well-crafted quest.

By contrast the High Strikers optional in Under the Big Top is boring, is NOT unique because you repeatedly ring each one in the quest, succeeding at ALL of them does nothing special, there is no unique loot for doing any of them, player skill or stat means nothing to the optional its completely random, it has zero affect on the story nor does any story affect it. If optionals were scored one to five stars, I'd give it negative 2 stars for the time its wasted and the mind numbing ennui its caused.

This is how I would have changed High Strikers to fit my definition of a well crafted optional: I would have created an orange-named Maul wielding tiefling mini-boss that would show up upon succeeding at ALL the high strikers. Defeating him would give an extra chest with a chance at a named item. There's a scarcity of named mauls so this would be a good place for one. Ignoring the high strikers would have him show up during the wave of Malicia's fight where she summons the tieflings and hellhounds. Also I would make having a high strength matter in the high striker success. So higher strength plus higher roll equals faster success and/or better score. To further add to the story, I would have his name on the first high striker with his High Score, going up with each successive striker. Essentially when you demolish his high scores he comes to "settle the score" with you. Now that would have been fun and at least partially meaningful to the story.

[Xgya]

I really enjoy most optionals. But I very much prefer they add something to the story, are unique or have a chance at something special.


While I entirely agree with you, I feel this doesn't answer the OP's question.
We were asked about the optionals run most often, not the ones we like the most (though I guess there's a very fair cross section when it comes to the high striker opts :) )
It's a shame, because most of the OTHER optionals in the very same quest are very flavorful.

[brian14]

I would bet the one in Flesh Maker's laboratory that can only be done if you run back to Mentau after finishing the quest would be up there as least run.
What?

I did not even know such thing exists.

[Scortius]

I would bet the one in Flesh Maker's laboratory that can only be done if you run back to Mentau after finishing the quest would be up there as least run.

This has close competition with clearing the four trash waves in Ghost of Perdition for that chance at the chest with shield frags. I haven't heard anyone even discuss doing either of these since MoTU.


Oops, I see Kraki got here first with this one.

[Scortius]

I really enjoy most optionals. But I very much prefer they add something to the story, are unique or have a chance at something special.

The optionals in Party Crashers are some of the best, story driven, have a chance to change the end fight, deepen the backstory of NPCs in Stormreach, affected by character skills, the actor's optional has an incredibly unique mechanic, and they ALL have a chance for named loot. This is an example of perfectly crafted optionals in an incredibly well-crafted quest.

By contrast the High Strikers optional in Under the Big Top is boring, is NOT unique because you repeatedly ring each one in the quest, succeeding at ALL of them does nothing special, there is no unique loot for doing any of them, player skill or stat means nothing to the optional its completely random, it has zero affect on the story nor does any story affect it. If optionals were scored one to five stars, I'd give it negative 2 stars for the time its wasted and the mind numbing ennui its caused.

This is how I would have changed High Strikers to fit my definition of a well crafted optional: I would have created an orange-named Maul wielding tiefling mini-boss that would show up upon succeeding at ALL the high strikers. Defeating him would give an extra chest with a chance at a named item. There's a scarcity of named mauls so this would be a good place for one. Ignoring the high strikers would have him show up during the wave of Malicia's fight where she summons the tieflings and hellhounds. Also I would make having a high strength matter in the high striker success. So higher strength plus higher roll equals faster success and/or better score. To further add to the story, I would have his name on the first high striker with his High Score, going up with each successive striker. Essentially when you demolish his high scores he comes to "settle the score" with you. Now that would have been fun and at least partially meaningful to the story.


This is wonderful. Can this happen?

[Targal]

Find Guard Jung's lost badge.

Levelling heroes don't want to do his favor.

[Matuse]

Killing the waves in Ghost of Perdition is just...THE WORST. I ran that once. Once. The stat drain you have to endure by keeping Cholthul'z alive for the waves to spawn is beyond all tolerance.

The post-quest bonus room in Fleshmaker I do every time though....if I have a way to disable the traps. Without that, you just take catastrophic lightning damage that is all but unavoidable, and it's just not worth the bother.

[GeoffWatson]

Back when they were bugged to give 105% XP instead of 5% XP, the talky objectives at the start of Crucible were really popular.
So popular they got reduced to 0%.

So be careful, anything that's too popular will get nerfed.

[Seph1roth5]

I'm going to count it as an optional because my group never chooses it, lol but that quest in Gianthold where the guy at the start offers to disable all the traps for you.

Definitely like taking him up on that offer, I got better stuff to do!

[cru121]

My worst:
* Defeat Scarp the Stone Guardian in Palace of Stone: zillion HP, reduced damage or straight immune to many effects, yields an insultingly low amount XP. XP should be increased like 20x

[janave]

I am largely biased-partial for sick/high challenge optionals, because I would aim to build content with a story and npc heavy main line, a versatile and well prepared character could solo the primary goals with moderate challenge. Putting out a couple of warning signs naturally, then everything goes. My reference quest would be Haunted Halls but turning up the challenges to 11.

If i ever got to publish content into DDO, players would really hate my opts, and me, and my ancestry, possibly my pets too :P

[Jerevth]

The Worst: Korthos, Sacrifices- rescuing all the captives for a whopping ~75 pts. (Apparently 10% of the quest xp reward)
I open the first cage out of habit, but I tell myself it's so they can rescue the rest themselves.
Click one, talk, close it out, repeat eleven (?) more times.

Runner up- The puzzle at the end of Sunken Parish will always be skipped but that's because the RNG hates me.

[LightBear]

I really enjoy most optionals. But I very much prefer they add something to the story, are unique or have a chance at something special.

The optionals in Party Crashers are some of the best, story driven, have a chance to change the end fight, deepen the backstory of NPCs in Stormreach, affected by character skills, the actor's optional has an incredibly unique mechanic, and they ALL have a chance for named loot. This is an example of perfectly crafted optionals in an incredibly well-crafted quest.

By contrast the High Strikers optional in Under the Big Top is boring, is NOT unique because you repeatedly ring each one in the quest, succeeding at ALL of them does nothing special, there is no unique loot for doing any of them, player skill or stat means nothing to the optional its completely random, it has zero affect on the story nor does any story affect it. If optionals were scored one to five stars, I'd give it negative 2 stars for the time its wasted and the mind numbing ennui its caused.

This is how I would have changed High Strikers to fit my definition of a well crafted optional: I would have created an orange-named Maul wielding tiefling mini-boss that would show up upon succeeding at ALL the high strikers. Defeating him would give an extra chest with a chance at a named item. There's a scarcity of named mauls so this would be a good place for one. Ignoring the high strikers would have him show up during the wave of Malicia's fight where she summons the tieflings and hellhounds. Also I would make having a high strength matter in the high striker success. So higher strength plus higher roll equals faster success and/or better score. To further add to the story, I would have his name on the first high striker with his High Score, going up with each successive striker. Essentially when you demolish his high scores he comes to "settle the score" with you. Now that would have been fun and at least partially meaningful to the story.

I'd drop an ooze after each striker named "Harley's Big Pudding" and at the end a female with a maul and a hyena sidekick going mad that you ate all her pudding. ;)

[Aelonwy]

I'd drop an ooze after each striker named "Harley's Big Pudding" and at the end a female with a maul and a hyena sidekick going mad that you ate all her pudding. ;)

Cross-genre easter egg?! I love it! Make it so.

[Xgya]

I'd drop an ooze after each striker named "Harley's Big Pudding" and at the end a female with a maul and a hyena sidekick going mad that you ate all her pudding. ;)

Alright, this gave me a hearty laugh.
Sign me up.

It might not make me do it every time (the RNG factor is the reason I don't), but as part of a reveal to some new players I'd introduce to the game? Perfect.
I don't know if I'd actually name the monsters that dropped, or keep the optional boss as one big reveal after the ungrateful task.

[Carpone]

Marking LOB is the most popular optional. It's essentially free runes, threads and another shot at raid gear. Players get extremely upset when someone destroys all the pillars before LOB is marked the third time.

[PurpleSerpent]

Best: Lord of Blades and Master Artificer Optionals. A little more work for an extra raid chest!

Worst: The Mithral Lock objective in Toxic Treatment. For those who don't know this, there is a small optional area right at the start with a small amount of Sulatar Drow, one of whom drops a Mithral Key. Optional pops up: Find the Mithral Lock.

I spent nearly an hour combing the map for this lock. I never found it, and never would have, because it doesn't exist. And this isn't a bug either; according to the devs, it's WAI.

So yeah, that was a fun surprise.

[JohnFlory]

Most often: ES C3, Deal and Demon getting extra opponents.
Rarest: Invaders!, wait for 2 hours until all the 150 outsiders are spawned.