Daggerfall: Quests

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Quests are finicky, even in the 1.06.200 version of Daggerfall. A good rule is to save before getting the quest, saving immediately after getting the quest, and then (of course) saving while playing. If the quest seems impossible, it may be. You can still reload from before the quest. Or, if you waste too much time to solve the quest, you can keep going, and reload from the "start" after you know exactly where the object of the quest is!

The other note about "house" quests is that sometimes you have to go through the house multiple times before it gives you credit, or before all the monsters turn up. This is especially true in the Fighters Guild quests of "go kill a monster in this house." If you are in a Thieves Guild quest, and you have to steal something, you do NOT have to kill all the bad guys -- get out with your life.

The other item to note, once you start travelling a lot, is that you should look in your log book to make sure it shows the town you started from; I once forgot what town I had started from! I had to keep reloading and travelling until I got the right one to return to.

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Mages Guild

A good quest is the "guard for three hours starting now." This quest is over quickly, nets you a magical item, and is relatively simple (three bad guys). Also, the "guard the Mages Guild from midnight to 3:00" is good, the only difference is four bad guys (ooh!) and you have to wait until midnight before starting. If you loiter for an hour after the "quest" starts, the bad guys appear just then. You have a few seconds before they start moving, and you can cast a spell of invisibility and backstab them.

"Kill the rogue Mage" is a fun quest; you have the option of killing the Mage or letting him go. If you let him go, you may hear from him later to help with another quest...

"Bring back work from author" is relatively easy, I don't usually get any trouble unless I sleep before leaving, sleep after getting the work, and then sleep again after getting back to town before delivering the work. You can deliver the goods to the Dark Brotherhood; I haven't gotten any reputation loss from doing it.

There are a few bad quests for the Mages Guild; the "kill the escaped experiment" can be that way. I have had huge dungeon crawls and never found the object; however, I have twice been sent to Privateer's Hold (the "bunny dungeon"), which is lots of fun when you get above first level. The beast is usually in the cave where you started; also, you have the option of binding the soul (if you are high enough level) and then using it to create a magic item (it is usually an atronach). For the hand-crafted dungeons, I have a page that gives you a walkthrough of how to get to the quest object, at Hand-Crafted Dungeons.

Another bad quest is the "find ingredient" quest; I have had horribly large dungeons to go through, and sometimes you click on something that looks like a log and it is the object of the quest!

Finally, until I created "Gauntlets of Opening," I could never complete the "I need someone who can cast the Open spell" quest. To finish this quest, get the box, and use the magical item. You should get a message box that says that it opened; if not, you may have to try again.

Also, I have never tried the "imp" quest; however, a friend (McBob) has. He killed a few imps, but obviously never got the right one, since no message showed up and the quest was still active.

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Fighters Guild

(via McBob)

"Kill the animal in the shop" is an easy, short quest; make sure you walk through the house a few times to make sure you got them all.

"Good friend with a problem" quest is long, with many different paths to try. This makes it a good quest, since you don't have long dungeon crawls. When I tried this, I got an amulet that warned me when the Dark Brotherhood was near. After fighting a little while, I was teleported to the middle of a dungeon. Luckily, I had saved recently, reloaded, and when I saw the assassins I cast a "Recall" (Teleport) spell so I could get back quickly.

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Knights Guild

I have never completed a Knights Guild quest, I usually get bored with the dungeon and restore the game. However, I joined and never walk in again, so I get to stay free at inns (in Daggerfall; if I travel to other kingdoms, I have to pay -- but never while doing a "Fast Travel"!!).

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Thieves Guild

Joining the Thieves Guild can be tricky, especially if you want to keep a good reputation. I kept stealing at night, never getting caught, and finally I was given the "opportunity" to join (an offer you can't refuse -- you have to imagine the accent).

Most of the quests are pretty tame, especially if you can teleport back, since you are in possession of the "goods" for such a short time. I was attacked in the Thieves Guild once just after finishing the quest, but the assassin was pretty easy pickings ... he was alone, of course.

I have not tried the "smuggle" quest; I had a smuggle quest before (for a merchant) and my reputation plummetted afterward.

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Taverns

Quests from taverns vary. The "deliver this to so-and-so" can be good or bad; I once turned around from getting the quest, and a new person was there. After quickly brandishing my weapon, I realized that the person was not moving. I talked to her, and she was the target of the quest!

The dungeon crawls are ... well, dungeon crawls. You can get good dungeons or bad ones, be careful. Remember, the orange dungeon dots are hand-crafted, and usually smaller (and more fun) than the red dots. Of course, the large ones tend to have more loot to take back to town...decisions, decisions.

The "rescue my wife and take us to the chapel" quest is fun, with a little fighting and some travelling.

The "dangerous mission, but I can't tell the details" quest is an ambush -- be ready. You get only what you find on the body, so is not too advantageous.

The best part of the tavern quests is that your reputation with the commoners goes up (I think!), so they are not so cross with you all the time.

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Temples

(via McBob)

"Kill an undead spirit" is short and easy.

"Haunting of building" is also short and easy.

The "exorcise" seems to be unsolvable under 1.05.191; you finish the quest, but he won't talk to you when you return. The "spirit" is nowhere to be seen, although you can hear it in the house. If you walk out of the house and back in, it is still there. I have not tried this under the 1.06.200 version.

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Last edited: January 29, 1997 13:17 -0800