Beanie's Best of Quest: Treasures of Aht Urhgan
Introduction
A great way to become acquainted with the characters and areas of a new expansion is through doing available quests. Below is a list of my personal favorites and the reasons why. In my opinion, these are quests that shouldn't to be missed. A huge factor in them making my list is the stories involved. You won't find any quests listed here that are "Turn in X item to Y NPC and get 200g". Some of these quests I like for the challenge they offer and so on.
There are definitely other quests you should do that aren't on my list (such as the backalley quest and PUP and COR flags), but, while they offer utility or something really spiffy, usually the story didn't grab me as much as I would've liked. (I'm sure I'll now be destroyed by all of the CORs and PUPs out there for implying their jobs have lackluster stories D: ) Eh, it's a personal preference! Though, if you're me, you'll do every quest offered in TAU just because it's a quest :D! That's what questaholics do, right?
This list also is a work in progress. TAU isn't finished yet and there should be at least two more Serpent General quests added lest there be riots in Al Zahbi. This list isn't in any special order except for the first quest listed, which isn't a TAU one, per say...
Beanie's Best of Quest: Treasures of Aht Urhgan
Lure of the Wildcat
Locations: Bastok, Windurst, San d'Oria, Jeuno
Reward: 0-3 Imperial Bronze Piece, 0-1 Imperial Mythril Piece, Ability to teleport to Whitegate
Reason: First, before you step a foot into the new lands, run around the old ones and discover what people are saying! Rumors are floating around and it's your job to spread them. Besides having some good rewards once you get to Whitegate, there is a lot of foreshadowing in these four quests (one for each city).
Olduum
Location: Whitegate
Reward: Olduum Ring
Reason: Honestly, I just found this quest interesting. It was also nice how a reward that you had to go through 8 chapters in CoP to get (a ring to teleport you to the new city) is an easily attainable quest item in TAU.
Got It All
Location: Whitegate
Reward: Bibiki Shell
Reason: TAU really started stretching the length and amount of story put into a quest. Other expansions and great quest stories, but it might cover a sequence of 4 quests and the cutscenes themselves weren't that long. This quest is a fine example of how TAU emphasized giving personalities and stories to the everyday citizens in Whitegate. Besides that, the Bibiki Shell rates in my book as one of the best items to be introduced to the game since the Brutal Earring. Trust me, it's a great item if you're a MNK or a tank :3
Three Men and a Closet
Location: Whitegate
Reward: Imperial Bronze Piece
Pre-req: Got It All
Reason: I'm guessing you read the quest title and the first thing that ran through you mind is, "SE would not add a quest to the game that actually implied what that implies!" All I'll say is go take a look :3 You're in for a good laugh.
An Empty Vessel
Location: Whitegate
Reward: Ability to become a Blue Mage
Reason: I did all of the new job flag quests in an evening without any pre-conceived notions of which job I'd like best. (Other than knowing that Ninjas are naturally superior to Pirates...) At the end of the night, this is the quest that stuck with me. The story was... chilling...
Rock Bottom
Location: Mount Zhayolm
Reward: Map of Mount Zhayolm
Reason: This quest just tickled me for some reason. I think it's because the two main characters in it are a Moblin and a Troll with a bit of a problem. It's funny to see that Beastmen sometimes need help too!
Delivering the Goods, Vanishing Act, and A Taste of Honey
Location: Whitegate
Reward: Various Imperial currency and a belly ache from laughing too hard
Reason: This series of quests will introduce you to some of the local colorfuls that hang around the Teahouse. You'll also meet a mysterious (and frightening in more ways than one) food bandit and a momma Monk whose love for her son is like Asuran Fists! (She's my heroine, btw.)
Not Meant to Be
Location: Nashmau
Reward: 3 Imperial Gold Pieces
Reason: For as hilarious as the previous entry was, this is the exact opposite. This quest is very serious and thought provoking. I really wouldn't recommend going from one of the light-hearted quests to this one unless you're up for a massive swing in tone and mood. This quest demonstrates well that the writers for TAU are able to cover a wide spectrum of emotions.
Saga of the Skyserpent
Location: Whitegate
Reward: 1 Imperial Gold Piece, 1000 Imperial Standing
Reason: People clamoured for quite a while to have some quests to give the back story of the five Serpent Generals that lead the forces during Besieged. SE has been taking their good sweet time in implimenting these quests and whetting our appetite for them. Let me assure that the waiting was well worth it. This quest is another lengthy one with a lot of time spent in cutscene learning about how Rughadjeen rose to the post that he holds now. A very excellent story!
Ode to the Serpents (When the Bow Breaks [Najelith] and Fist of the People [Zazarg])
Location: Whitegate
Reward: Imperial Standing
Reason: This is the continuation of the Saga of the Skyserpent quest. It's a quest that branches after you start it. You can do When the Bow Breaks and Fist of the People in whichever order you like. Like the other quest, you'll learn how Najelith and Zazarg came to be in the Empire's service and raise to the ranks of a Serpent General. These both are very excellent stories as well. SE has just done a fantastic job with the storytelling for the Serpent Generals.
Targeting the Captain
Location: Nashmau
Reward: ??? Item, Goldsmithing materials, Koga Shuriken, Barbarossa's Zerehs, Barbarossa's Moufles
Pre-req: Scouting the Ashu Talif and Royal Painter Escort
Reason: I'll be honest, this quest line isn't for everyone. There is a certain amount of sadism required to enjoy this one because it is more difficult than any of the TAU mission fights and you could get screwed over randomly and lose. Scouting the Ashu Talif is the most difficult quest in the line. If you can get by that one the rest should snap into place. For myself, I've become a *much* better blinktank because of Targeting the Captain. Bubbly has crazy accuracy and doesn't debuff well. The Captain has 100% (or near) double attack. It's definitely a challenging quest and I like that :3
Beanie / FantasyInsanity / Midgardsormr
06.27.07