Byron quest is bad game design in an otherwise 10/10 game.

[g4MBLe]

>>> Obligatory spoiler warning <<<

I'm really loving this game so far and at least on my PC it runs very smooth without crashing at all. I love the gameplay and the difficulty, especially the armor sets are amazing.

But the way the Byron quest works is just bad design. You have to kill the Skinstealer boss to get the Drainage Key to even get to the merchant involved in the quest. Right behind the boss is an elevator, the most obvious thing to do is take that elevator after the boss fight (maybe with a quick stop at a seedling for a level up). Right after the elevator is a new vestige, the most obvious thing is to activate that vestige, especially if you still have your boss vigor. Well, too bad, now you failed the Byron quest and lost a complete merchant.

I get that Soulslike games are about finding stuff out on your own and not being pointed everywhere, but that is just mean.

[Warbreaker]

So if he is up there and tells you that he found the stuff, does that mean you failed his quest?

Why every time I read something like this I get the impression we paid for an early access version of the game !!! this game is missing so many things, listed in many other threads, feels very under cooked.

[Cat]

There are other quests like this too, one requires you find an item right before a boss that will lock you out the rest of the questline if you fight it, granted this quest is less bad if you already put two and two together and remember to go find the NPC first, but I failed Byron's quest for the reason stated as well. You probably won't even know the depths exists yet before you fail the quest.

Originally posted by Warbreaker:

So if he is up there and tells you that he found the stuff, does that mean you failed his quest?

Yes, you've failed the quest.

[Warbreaker]

Welcome to Early Access paid game, I feel so cheated.

[g4MBLe]

Originally posted by Warbreaker:

So if he is up there and tells you that he found the stuff, does that mean you failed his quest?

Exactly, you're supposed to use the Drainage Key and go further down and somewhere is that merchant that has the amulet. Now, Byron killed the merchant and got the amulet himself.

Fun fact: The merchant sells one of the few Rebirth Chrysalis in the game you need to reskill.

[Cat]

I'm sure it's to "encourage replay value" or some such, but it really soured my mood to play the game again for a 2nd time, I failed 2 questlines during my first run which I'll have to do on a 2nd, but the game has 3 endings anyway (with 4 unlockable starting classes, 1 behind each ending, 1 behind a late game quest that you can also fail if you beat a boss before doing it)

[dustin1280]

The Byron quest is terrible...
In order to NOT fail it, you have to ignore the GIANT ELEVATOR next to the boss you just killed and progress EXTREMELY FAR into REVELATION DEPTHS without ever touching that Elevator behind the boss...

As soon as you enter the elevator behind the skinflayer, this quest fails.

I think Byron's quest is the only AWFUL quest in the game, the rest are at least more manageable...

[Cat]

I'd argue the Issac questline is kind of bad too, you won't even get the starting class if you killed the boss The Lightreaper at any point prior to completing the steps and summoning him to fight with you. You can't even finish the steps until way into the late midgame and if you defeated the boss at any point prior to that you are just screwed.

[Sgt. Magnusson]

The way you fail NPC quests is way too easy in this game. I failed almost every single NPC quest simply because I reached a vestige before doing a particular step.

[Warbreaker]

Originally posted by Sunricer:

I'd argue the Issac questline is kind of bad too, you won't even get the starting class if you killed the boss The Lightreaper at any point prior to completing the steps and summoning him to fight with you. You can't even finish the steps until way into the late midgame and if you defeated the boss at any point prior to that you are just screwed.

So if I git gudder and kill him on the 2nd encounter, am I screwed? shame shame

[Cat]

Originally posted by Warbreaker:

Originally posted by Sunricer:

I'd argue the Issac questline is kind of bad too, you won't even get the starting class if you killed the boss The Lightreaper at any point prior to completing the steps and summoning him to fight with you. You can't even finish the steps until way into the late midgame and if you defeated the boss at any point prior to that you are just screwed.

So if I git gudder and kill him on the 2nd encounter, am I screwed? shame shame

Pretty much what happened to me, yeah. I only found out way later that I couldn't get the class anymore, just the gear.

[Cryemore]

To be fair, all the souls games and elden ring have obtuse quest goals, easy to miss and equally easy to unknowingly fail by just playing normally. I didn't like it there and I dont like it here. I do however just expect it now.

[dustin1280]

Originally posted by Cryemore:

To be fair, all the souls games and elden ring have obtuse quest goals, easy to miss and equally easy to unknowingly fail by just playing normally. I didn't like it there and I dont like it here. I do however just expect it now.

While this is true to a point, I cannot think of one that is obtuse and easy to fail as Byron's.

You literally need to ignore the giant elevator behind a boss and progress extremely far into the revelation depths (with no hints about this obtuse requirement). If you touch that elevator behind the boss, you lose.

[schnippy]

this is intentional quest design. i am sure. trolling and want to be like dark souls.

[MasterZalm]

Originally posted by Warbreaker:

So if he is up there and tells you that he found the stuff, does that mean you failed his quest?

Why every time I read something like this I get the impression we paid for an early access version of the game !!! this game is missing so many things, listed in many other threads, feels very under cooked.

No, this is kinda normal for souls-likes. Its a bit extreme for Byron, in particular, but its not unheard of to completely miss a whole questline because you didnt explore a side area fully.

[schnippy]

what rly pissed me off was failing the damarose quest. i wanted to play inferno. then i thought...ok not that bad. i will do it in ng plus.... before i know how dumb ng plus design is. i rly don't know why i keep playing this run xD i should make a new char but i don't want to right now. i don't know if i will ever create another char after this run. i hope i will. i hope they rework the hilarious ng plus idea. maybe then the game will survive