How to Design Compelling Side Quests in 3 Steps

What Makes a Side Quest Worth Playing?

What makes a side quest worth playing?

I have an unhealthy habit of completing all the side quests in my journal before finishing a game. I want to experience everything the game has to offer: all the side stories, the characters, and even the often worthless items…

Whether it's aiding NPCs in need, uncovering hidden treasures, or delving into the lore of the game, side quests can range from simple fetch quests to complex narrative arcs, contributing to the immersion of the game.

But how do we create them?

In “$100M Leads”, Alex Hormozi says that audience-growing online content does three thing:

• Hook: Gets consumers to notice the content

• Retain: Gets them to consume it

• Reward: Satisfies the reason they consumed it to begin with

And I think we can apply this to side quests in games as well. Let’s give it a try.

Hook: Give Players a Reason to Play the Side Quest

First, we need to lure players into playing the side quest. There are millions of ways to do this, depending on the game’s genre and type of side quest. Some players (like me) won’t even need to be lured, but the majority of players will ignore side quests if they are not interested. Here are three simple ways to hook them:

1. Incorporating important NPCs: Incorporate important NPCs into side quests by tying their personal arcs or objectives to the quest. Players are more likely to engage if they feel invested in the fate of characters they've formed connections with throughout the main storyline.

2. Incorporating mysteries: Infuse side quests with mysteries that intrigue players and compel them to unravel hidden truths within the game world. Introduce enigmatic plot threads, unsolved mysteries, or mysterious occurrences that leave players yearning for answers.

3. Promising rewards: Promise unique rewards or valuable loot that directly impact the main storyline or enhance gameplay. This could include powerful weapons, rare items, or access to hidden areas that players wouldn't otherwise discover.

Retain: Give Players Motivation to Keep Going

Alright, we get the player interested. Now we need to ensure they go till the end to see the result. This requires a balance of engaging content and meaningful rewards. Here are some effective ways to ensure players remain motivated:

1. Diverse quest types: Avoid repetitive tasks like mundane fetch quests, which can quickly become tedious. Instead, add a mix of exploration, puzzle-solving, combat encounters, and narrative-driven tasks to keep players engaged.

2. Player agency: Avoid linear or predetermined paths that limit player agency and replayability if your game allows it. Instead, offer branching narratives and multiple endings based on players' decision.

3. Integration with main storyline: Ensure that side quests are seamlessly integrated into the main storyline, providing relevance and context to the player's overall progression. Avoid disjointed or disconnected side quests that feel unrelated to the main plot or main theme of the game.

Reward: Give Players a Meaningful Reward

The answer to the question we asked in the beginning, what makes a side quest worth playing, is a meaningful reward. The definition of “meaningful reward” may change depending on the type of the side quest or game. But here most common ones:

1. Unique items or gear: Offer players exclusive weapons, armor, or items that they can't obtain through the main storyline.

2. Unlockable abilities or skills: Grant players access to new abilities, skills, or talents upon completing side quests. These abilities could be unique to the quest's narrative or theme.

3. Story revelations or lore: Reward players with intriguing story revelations, lore snippets, or insights into the game world's history and mythology. These narrative rewards can deepen players' immersion in the game world and provide context for the main storyline, enriching their overall gaming experience.

4. Unlockable content: Unlock access to hidden areas, secret dungeons, or bonus challenges as a reward for completing side quests. This encourages players to explore the game world and discover hidden treasures and encounters beyond the main storyline.

Summary

To sum up, it's all about getting players hooked, entertaining them, and rewarding them at the end. Start by grabbing their attention with interesting characters, mysteries or promising rewards.. Then, make sure the quests offer a mix of fun activities and meaningful choices to keep them engaged. Finally, don't forget the payoff! Give them cool stuff like unique items or story insights for their efforts.

What are your all time favorite side quests?

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To-Do List

Read: The Door Problem: A great article explaining what a game designer do.

Watch: 5 Golden Rules of Game Cards Graphic Design You MUST OBEY

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Me

Reading: Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson. It’s my second time. Wanted to refresh my mind ahead of the next book’s release on December.

Watching: Nothing except for occasional Saiki K.

Playing: Baldur’s Gate 3.

Listening:

Thanks for reading!

And that’s it from today’s issue of GameDev’s Journey. I hope you enjoyed it and found it useful. If you did, please like and leave a comment. Reach out for suggestions, objections, questions, or just say hi.

But regardless, thank you so much for reading, and have a great game dev journey!

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