Trader Quest rewards are really bad now

[Zackhron]

Is it gonna get better or just suck now? Are they gonna nerf the poi's reward loot too? I missed getting exited to get back to traders, turn in the quest and get the "surprise" rewards.
Now, they are just good for resetting the poi's because the rewards are all garbage.

[𝓝𝓪𝓬𝓱𝓸𝓫𝓸𝓲]

Yean, no. It needed a nerf for a very, very long time. Let's not pretend getting 2 Q6 top tier weapons per quest day 18 was okay.

[Grumpy McElbows]

I agree that trader quest rewards were overpowered in a21 and I am glad they nerfed it, but I feel like they overdid it. Instead of getting a Q4 compound crossbow on day 6, we're getting a Q1 stone ax on day 13. I feel like there needs to be a better balance than that.

[EDIT] I do think, at the very least, Q1 iron tools need to be re-added to early quest reward.[/edit]

[Nerevar]

Originally posted by Grumpy McElbows:

I agree that trader quest rewards were overpowered in a21 and I am glad they nerfed it, but I feel like they overdid it. Part of the problem is that player progression is tied to the magazine system. Since magazines are tied to skill points, players need trader quests to cover for whichever categories they may be missing. I had this realization after I got stuck on 10 Tools Digest going into day 14. I desperately needed an iron pickax, but couldn't craft one because the game just decided to stop giving me that magazine. If TFP are hellbent on players crafting needed items rather than quest rewards, they need to give more books in loot for commonly needed magazines like they do Medical Adventures and Cooking Digest and/or traders need to give out more raw mats for quest rewards.

Honestly, this whole system feels backwards, but what do I know? I just play the game.

you can just buy an iron pickaxe from bob. he is the tool guy and by day 14 you should have finished tier 2 jobs already so that jen would send you to find bob. he still sells these. and since trader quest rewards offer you magazine bundles nearly all the time aside tier 1 quests you get a bunch of free magazines per quest you do aswell so they still help with that. traders also SELL you MAGAZINES covering up for that front aswell which still encourages players to do quests. so they are still a damn solid source for things for progression. they just stopped beeing grossly overpowered in 1.0.

they simply made crafting gear useful again. in a21 it wasnt useful at all anymore. this made the entire magazine system pointless.

and traders still undermine forge ahead books now aside the first 10 btw. as traders will see you the crafting station and crucible long before you can reach 75 books.

this just doesnt happen for guns and tools anymore now.

[Roland]

Originally posted by cnote261:

Originally posted by Roland:

You can clear a POI without a quest or you can clear a POI as a quest.

I see this talking point often in posts about this topic, but I can't help but feel it's a deliberately obtuse response.

Imagine Player A and Player B climb on top of a T5 POI and see a lighted hole in the ceiling. Below the hole they see a large empty room with the end loot behind some security glass.

Player A immediately says, "Hot diggity! I hope I brought enough ammo", and jumps down the hole. Player A, if they survive, will receive a free cookie from the trader later. It may be a bit stale and taste worryingly of sawdust, but it's a free cookie and that's not half bad.

Player B shouts down after Player A, "Naw dawg, I'll go down the side and open my way in. I'll leave some meds in the chest for when you're done. See you back at base." Player B will not receive a cookie later. Player B does not mind, however, since Player B does not see the cookie as free and expects the quality of a cookie to accurately reflect its cost.

Approaching the topic with the perspective that players all are, or should be, like Player A and are thus receiving a free cookie if they so choose is simply avoiding the issue.

Let me be less obtuse and more specific....

Unbeknownst to Player B, just yesterday player C already cleared the loot room. So when Player B drops down the side and cuts their way in to grab the loot and head back to base without having done it as a quest all they get is a stack of plant fibers that Player C left behind in one of the chests to make room in his inventory. Meanwhile, Player A gets one of the best rewards of questing: A reset POI with a reset loot room with reset loot.

The benefits of the quest do not begin and end with the item the trader offers you. The full reward over what someone who doesn't quest gets is:

A reset POI to allow doing it again
Dukes
The small item choice
Reputation point increase

Comparatively, someone clearing a POI without a quest gets none of that. They get the loot they find in the POI same as the player who quested....unless, of course, the POI has already been looted at which point that player is SOL and has to look for a different POI.

I get that compared to the rewards of A21 the rewards of 1.0 are way less extravagant. But that comparison is worthless since you can't play the A21 way vs the 1.0 way. The only comparison that matters is to clear a POI without a quest or as a quest and when you stack up the existing 1.0 benefits, any reasonable player is going to choose the quest version which means that TFP did just fine if not too little in their nerf since it STILL makes sense to choose to be player A rather than player B every time.

I played a mod in which the only reward was Dukes in payment for the job. The mod author made the mod because they felt it would only make sense for the traders to pay you in coin which you would hopefully spend in their store. Why would they give you stuff instead of have you buy stuff? So, to me, getting dukes in payment for the job plus a little something something for the missus back at the base is still way better than just doing POIs without a quest.

[Artíí-Hentai Guru]

Originally posted by Khronos:

Is it gonna get better or just suck now? Are they gonna nerf the poi's reward loot too? I missed getting exited to get back to traders, turn in the quest and get the "surprise" rewards.
Now, they are just good for resetting the poi's because the rewards are all garbage.

I have a small tip for you if you want beter rewards, go into the stronger bioms and do the quests there and do quests of tier 5+ the rewards are good because you dont get high end weapons but you get other stuf that is worth

[Hellrazer001]

I only do tier 3 or the odd 4 mission now, anything above is just not worth the time or danger, the higher tiers take so long to do, and you spend way more on ammo and other resources, than you get rewarded its pointless.

[🕹️Mr.Griffin]

Originally posted by Roland:

It's pretty simple. You can clear a POI without a quest or you can clear a POI as a quest. Which will you choose? If your answer is still to clear it as a quest then the trader rewards are not garbage. If you think they are garbage then ignore the trader quests and just loot POIs on your own.

Hi everyone! I’ve been playing on many servers with my friends, and we’ve come across some common strategies that players use in POIs. I believe that by addressing these, we could make gameplay more challenging, engaging, and rewarding for everyone. Here are some thoughts I’d like to share.

Encouraging Full POI Exploration:
Currently, players can loot everything through walls, bypassing the intended progression through a POI. Making buildings indestructible (except for doors and windows) during quests would encourage players to clear the whole area, enhancing their gameplay experience.

Addressing Nerd Poling and Building Block Strategies:
Players often use these tactics to access rooftops and higher areas. By adjusting building indestructibility during quests, we could incentivize players to tackle POIs as intended, leading to more fun and engaging gameplay. Additionally, if players attempt to build within this blocked zone or use block-offs or nerd poles to access loot, they should be prevented from doing so, ensuring that they face the challenges as designed and experience the intended level of gameplay. This would be a more effective solution than nerfing Quests and Quest rewards, as it preserves the rewarding nature of the game while addressing the issues at hand.

Enhancing Rewards for Completion:
Along with increased challenge, improving rewards would give players a better incentive to complete quests. This could be accomplished by offering better loot or more satisfying in-game perks, such as day-long buffs or other incentives, depending on the Tier of the POI.

Balancing Trader Rewards:
Rather than nerfing Traders and their rewards, it might be better to focus on improving the overall POI experience, as outlined above. This way, players still feel rewarded while enjoying more immersive gameplay.

I believe that these changes could enhance gameplay sessions for everyone, making the game more challenging and fun while preserving the satisfaction of obtaining rewards.

Thank for your time
Kudos

[Zhorge]

Originally posted by Khronos:

Is it gonna get better or just suck now? Are they gonna nerf the poi's reward loot too? I missed getting exited to get back to traders, turn in the quest and get the "surprise" rewards.
Now, they are just good for resetting the poi's because the rewards are all garbage.

I think they're fine. It's not like you should be going down to the local trader and buying your Lulu Lemon +6 armor...

[Skidrule316]

Originally posted by Khronos:

Is it gonna get better or just suck now? Are they gonna nerf the poi's reward loot too? I missed getting exited to get back to traders, turn in the quest and get the "surprise" rewards.
Now, they are just good for resetting the poi's because the rewards are all garbage.

I disagree that all the rewards are garbage. I feel the rewards from tier 1,2, and 3 are all pretty fair and balanced for the level of the game.

I DO think that tier 4 loot is weak, but not the worst. I'd like a little more variety or quantity in some of the things they give (like make 5 duct tape 10, make 100 ammo 200, make 1 blueberry pie into 3, something along those lines). Maybe even vehicle parts (chassis, and the like. Engines, etc).

I haven't done the tier 5 quests yet, but from what I've seen in videos, I really think they should up the quantity of rewards, and add things such as weapon parts for what weapons your spec'd into as rewards, and increasing the quanitity/quality of ammo to the rewards. I'll be able to comment better once I run tier 5's myself.

I don't think dialing back trader rewards was a bad thing. It creates a balance into leaning into crafting, looting, resource harvesting, and trader jobs for everything you want/need. BUT it does feel underwhelming going into the tier 4 rewards to see 3 food items of quantity one, 60 shot guns shells, and a crafting magazine bundle as the options when that was kind of what I have been seeing since tier 2 rewards.

[onanonehand8]

Originally posted by Skidrule316:

I feel the rewards from tier 1,2, and 3 are all pretty fair and balanced for the level of the game.

I think so too. Yeah, an I win badge would be nice. But if anyone has ever went a couple days without eating in real life, a frikken potato is a reward.

[Krynnost]

Originally posted by Khronos:

Is it gonna get better or just suck now? Are they gonna nerf the poi's reward loot too? I missed getting exited to get back to traders, turn in the quest and get the "surprise" rewards.
Now, they are just good for resetting the poi's because the rewards are all garbage.

So you have to craft the things? Just saying.

[Krynnost]

Top tier guns and gear should never have been quest rewards until 5's and 6's.

At that point it's a RNG roll to give you a slightly better version of what you already have and can likely craft. As it should be.

[Jay Ren]

Honestly, I'd like to see traders have more skillbooks for sale and more perk books in the rewards. Eventually we end up with a LOT of dukes and nothing... usuful. Being able to buy 10-20 Forge aheads might honestly make things like the cruicable viable, at the cost of all the early game dukes.

I most do trader quests for the Crafting skill Magazine bundles. (which I would like to see become a garenteed reward option.... 'cus it's always a nice "everything else sucks" option)

[Kevin]

I agree that quest rewards are not impressive now, and loot in general seem weak AF.

They did the magazine based skill up system in the past, and for the most part the community hated it so fun pimps naturally brought it back.

The clothing system was fine in the past IMO, you add a ton of different mods to make good clothing. The set bonuses of the new stuff isn't all that great, but mixing and matching pieces makes for some good stuff, albeit with less places to put mods.

And i am even finding zed hoards in early game, on easy setting, that give late game hoards a run for their money. Day 5 night, easy setting, 35 zed hoard, 10 irradiated, 10 feral and 15 normal, thankfully no cops or vultures, but that is still something a day 5er is not likely to handle, and i sure as heck was not able to run away.

This experimental seems to be another case of Fun Pimps trying to take even more fun out of the game, like they seem to do with every alpha.

[onanonehand8]

Originally posted by Kevin:

I agree that quest rewards are not impressive now, and loot in general seem weak AF.

They did the magazine based skill up system in the past, and for the most part the community hated it so fun pimps naturally brought it back.

The clothing system was fine in the past IMO, you add a ton of different mods to make good clothing. The set bonuses of the new stuff isn't all that great, but mixing and matching pieces makes for some good stuff, albeit with less places to put mods.

And i am even finding zed hoards in early game, on easy setting, that give late game hoards a run for their money. Day 5 night, easy setting, 35 zed hoard, 10 irradiated, 10 feral and 15 normal, thankfully no cops or vultures, but that is still something a day 5er is not likely to handle, and i sure as heck was not able to run away.

This experimental seems to be another case of Fun Pimps trying to take even more fun out of the game, like they seem to do with every alpha.

I dunno, I am on day 4 of another perma death situation. and on day 4 I'm doing pretty good. Tier 3 armor, a tier 5 baton, owning just about everything except my ability to disregard a zombie zerg fest.