Quests and Lore

The way quests are designed in Dragon Age: Inquisition is open for discussion. To me, it seems that this was a design decision to encourage exploration. Some quests have no information in the Quest Journal as to their location, and some quests have no markers and practically with no information on how to find them. A couple of times, I had to Google them or look at YouTube videos as how to locate them.

Being familiar on how Bethesda games work (quest markers are better implemented in the Elder Scrolls Online. I only wished they had a proper mini-map for the game), my frustration is less in Dragon Age: Inquisition; however, it happens at times. When that occurs, I take a break from the game. One good thing about the quest markers is the purple ring; it pinpoints you to the exact location of the quest. On the other hand, it is not fully accurate. Sometimes you have to go way outside of the center of the purple ring to find the quest items despite continuously pressing the search button (making the quest items glow, would be ideal because the quest items are too small sometimes; plus making the items glow would work better than continually pressing down on the shift key on a keyboard or the thumb stick using a controller, which can leave one with a sore finger).

Nevertheless, the quest markers work well with finding quests that involve NPC’s and larger things such as a settlement or a landmark. Outside of that, quest markers, in Dragon Age: Inquisition, tend to elicit frustration oftentimes. Although quest markers point the player to the location of quests with the help of the purple ring, actually finding the quests in question can be a hindrance, for despite being in the center of the purple ring, quests cannot be located at times. As a result (for me), it is a waste of precious time if one doesn't have long stretches of time to play Dragon Age: Inquisition.

The Quest Journal is not really a good source as to where to go to unearth quests. It just details the steps that must be taken in order to complete quests. When a quest marker isn't available for a quest, one is left to just go Google such quest or to look it up on YouTube in the hope another player has posted it. Thus, the Quest Journal needs revamping; it is no help most of the time when there isn't a quest marker—it is too vague; it provides no indication on how to locate quests.

I play Dragon Age: Inquisition when I have long stretches of time, for while I am questing, I take the time to enjoy the scenery. The beauty of the world makes questing less frustrating for me. I simply just explore at times and hope that I find the quest(s) in question while exploring this stunning world that is Dragon Age: Inquisition.

What Bioware can do to remedy this is to provide more hints in the Quest Journal. Such hints can come from the area itself by using landmarks or NPC’s who are situated in that area for that purpose. The player does not necessarily have to speak with the NPC’s. Text can be used for that or simply use the NPC’s as hints. For example, when you get to NPC by this name, you are deadly close or you are there. In addition, the hints can also come from the companions. They tend to point out things to us, so why not proceed to another step by having the companions hinting the location of quests to us (voice acting costs, so, I will understand if this step is not taken, but the other ones are good alternatives)?

As things stand at the moment in Dragon Age: Inquisition the quest marker does work most times. The purple ring is very accurate at times. Bioware simply needs to tweak it so that the marker pinpoints you exactly to the quest. A combination of hints and the quest maker will work well with Dragon Age: Inquisition. The world is immense that both are required to remove frustration and thus adding satisfaction. There is something that I enjoy, though. It is the ability to mark a quest myself, which appears on the mini-map. I just follow it and it takes me to the quest.

In conclusion, hints and the quest marker will work effectively well in Dragon Age: Inquisition. Hints will add the feeling of using one’s mental ability to piece a quest together and thus completing it, giving satisfaction to the player, and the quest marker will enhance the hints given via the Quest Journal or our companions or NPC’s in the world. To me, both are needed in the immense world of Dragon Age: Inquisition.