After having played Zahua's personal quest last night, I have to say that his is far and away the best personal quest.  I've never played Hiravias much, since I just can't get into druids.  I haven't played Maneha much either though I did play her just enough to do her rather small personal quest.

 

After Zahua, the only other one that comes close is Sagani's.  All of the others seem to pale in comparison.  And some of them are so minimal that they seem to feel like they were afterthoughts, like Pallegina's and Aloth's.

Zahua is the best. This was one of the few things that really surprized me in this game.

 

Durance was the worst. I hated to go through everything again and again just to find the one option I did not take yet.

I loved them all, but I voted for Devil of Caroc, mostly because I found hers to be the biggest emotional gut-punch to me. Sagani and Edér were up there too.

 

But it was so short and passive, and didn't really feel fleshed out.

 

You get to read a summary of her backstory, then kill some helpless schmuck or leave him be, that's it.

 

It may have been a good concept for a quest/side-story, but wasn't actually a good quest the way it was delivered IMO.

Edited April 2, 20169 yr by Ineth

Although I don't think any of the companion quests is particularly interesting, I would say I enjoyed talking to Durance the most. He is twisted, cruel little man, but it was interesting to unravel his inner workings. Also, the need to rest in order to continue the conversation gave me this feeling of gradual discovery. Also, the final conversation with him when you have the oportunity to shatter his entire worldview is very satisfying, to me at least.

A lot of people seem to like Zahua's quest and I have to agree. I think of the visions during the quest as symbolism used appropriately. Not insultingly blatant yet not incomprehensible nonsense. Zahua himself is an engaging character with a unique perspective (even if the stoner shtick is a bit overdone - thankfully, not to a point where it overshadows the other aspects of his personality). His voice actor also did very well.

 

The only one companion quest I didn't especially care for was Maneha's which felt a bit rushed and lackluster. She is a bit underwritten in general which is a shame because she has potential. In terms of the variety of the quests though I have no complaints. Self-reflection, coming to terms with one's past and trials of faith/ideals seem to be common themes. Which is a bit more nuanced than ("Everyone has parental issues". Yes, Mass Effect, I'm looking at you.)

Edited August 24, 20169 yr by Copperbeard

Zahua and Sagani's quests were the ones that stood out the most for me. They felt like real sub-adventures, rewaring in exploration and learning. Can't say the same about many others: Pallegina was especially poor, almost felt rushed.

 

It is fine to have different kind of quests (exploration, investigation, talking, assasination...), but there should be some consistency in overall quality, and I fear this was not the case for some "underdeveloped" companions.

In terms of 'liking' the reasons for the quests, Zahua and Eder.

I was disappointed by the outcome of pretty much every side-quest aside from Sagani, Durance, and Grieving Mother - it felt like these were the only 3 outcomes that answered more questions than they raised.

Eder's in particular, I thought should have went much further. It set expectations much higher than it delivered on.

1. I'll have to go with Eder's quest because it made me root for a companion for the first time and the temporary scar it left after I finished the quest. I literally took a day off from the game after that... Good thing he had something to say to me days later. So it's all good!

 

2. Zahua's should really be first but eh. :D

 

4. While Pallegina's quest was short, it was the only quest that made an impact outside of the companion in question.

6. Devil of Caroc's and Sagani's

7. Kana's

8. I thought Aloth's quest was the quickest. Like 1 or 2 minutes and it's done. 

 

9. I can't do Grieving Mother or Durance's quests because it requires me to use campfires, which I don't use, and will use only to see if someone will wake me up with a bucket of cold water! 

 

11. I don't use Hiravias and I don't recruit Maneha.