FETCH QUESTS
Here’s another particular type of quest that has been a staple in open world games (and beyond) for ages, and has very rarely been executed well. Massive open world RPGs in particular are guilty of relying on fetch quests far too often, especially when it comes to side quests, and they’re almost never enjoyable. No one wants to waste time going out and bringing back X amount of herbs or whatever, and more often than not, we only do it for completionist purposes. That’s not to say fetch quests can never be done right- The Witcher 3, for instance, makes up for some of its quest design deficiencies at time with excellent narrative flavour that provides context to what you’re done. But such games are, sadly, the exception, not the rule.
