That “Retrieve the Discs” Thing…
So, someone was talking about that “retrieve the discs” quest. Oh man, let me tell you, I’ve been down that road. You see a quest like that, “retrieve the discs,” and you think, “Easy peasy, how hard can it be?” That’s what I always tell myself. Famous last words, eh?
I remember picking up one of those. Some old fella, probably been standing in the same spot for years, gives you the task. “Brave adventurer,” he croaks, “go find these ancient, super important discs.” Or maybe they were just his overdue library books, who knows. Sounded like a quick job. Pop in, grab ’em, get my reward, and on to bigger things. That was my bright idea, anyway.
But this is where the fun always starts, and by fun, I mean trouble. First off, you gotta actually find where these blasted discs are. The map usually gives you a hint, a big circle that covers half the zone. Super helpful. So, off I went, poking my nose into every dark corner, kicking rocks, hoping a disc would just fall out.
And then, there are always guardians. It’s never just discs sitting on a dusty shelf. Nope.
- Suddenly, you’re swarmed by angry spiders. Why spiders? What do spiders even want with discs? Are they reading them?
- Or it’s those little goblin guys who throw rocks and run, pulling every other monster in a five-mile radius. Love those guys.
- And if your luck is truly terrible, another player waltzes in, lets you do all the hard work clearing the area, then swoops in and grabs the disc right before you can. Pure joy, that is.
I swear, I spent a solid hour, maybe more, on what should have been a ten-minute errand. Died a couple of times, naturally. My gear was busted. I’m pretty sure my character was having an existential crisis. “Why am I doing this?” he was probably thinking. “I could be fishing. Or just taking a nap.”
And the grand finale? After all that trekking, fighting off critters that have no business guarding discs, and nearly throwing my keyboard out the window, you finally get all the discs. You drag yourself back to that same old quest giver. And your magnificent reward? A few copper coins and maybe a piece of armor that’s worse than what you’re already wearing. Every. Single. Time. It’s a classic.
It’s like some kind of running gag in these games, I’m telling you. You go through all this hassle for these supposedly vital discs, and the payoff is just… meh. Makes you think the quest giver just lost them while tidying up and was too embarrassed to look for them himself. “Oh yes, these are artifacts of immense power! Go forth, hero!” Yeah, right. More like he can’t find his shopping list.
So yeah, “retrieve the discs.” Been there, done that, got the slightly underwhelming commemorative t-shirt. I guess it’s part of the whole experience, right? Or maybe it’s just the game’s way of keeping us humble. Who can say? I just sigh, patch up my armor, and hope the next quest is a bit less about wild goose chases for old pottery.