Twenty Bear Asses: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

 

 

This sort of quest can draw attention to the inherent [[Fridge Logic]] of Random Drops, such as when the drop in question is a vital body part that all monster corpses should have, like a liver, feet, or a ''head''. A flimsy justification is that the body part may have been compromised during the fight. Turns out only ''pristine'' bear asses will do, even when the woodsman just wants twenty bears dead and doesn't actually want to make anything out of the bear asses. That is one picky woodsman.

 

Not to be confused with [[Cheek Copy]], which could result in [[A Worldwide Punomenon|20 bare asses]].

 

== Action Adventure ==

 

** Even worse, many of the achievements in the fourth DLC can only be gotten this way. What would robots be doing with pink panties and stale pizzas?

 

 

* ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' is notorious for this, but it actually varies in its consistency. Some are completely illogical, with no small number of quests demanding feathers from birds, or teeth from beasts, or just chunks of meat, but you still don't always get the required part per kill. Others cut the player some much-needed slack, where the item is always dropped while you are on the quest, and others where two of an item are sometimes dropped at once.

** The "Thelsamar Blood Sausages" quest actually ''does'' send you out to collect Bear Rumps. You need eight of them, though, not twenty, and needing them for a recipe makes some sort of sense even if the recipe doesn't. This may or may not be an [[Ascended Meme]].

** Special attention needs to be brought to the item crafting portion of the game, which frequently requires this sort of action ''en masse''. The Heavy Clefthoof armor set, for instance, required leatherworkers to skin 94 Thick Clefthoof Leather hides... which had a drop rate between 8%-30%. This means you had to kill a minimum of 310 Clefthoofs. Considering there were rarely more than 50 or so in the game at any given time, this is tantamount to extinction-level genocide. The kicker: the set was aimed at ''druids'', which are supposed to be in harmony with nature.

* ''[[Adventure Quest Worlds]]'' has a trillion of these. On a quest? Good for you. Want to progress to the next screen to continue the story? Not until you give me 15 sabre-tooth tiger fangs. Oh, and did I mention that some sabre-toothed tigers don't have fangs?

** This gets especially bad as some quests, like those from Dage the Evil, can require you to gather up to 50 of a given item, and you usually have to get 2 or 3 different items per quest. It get's even worse when you realise that logging off forces you to start all over again.

** A truly soul-killing quest requires giving an NPC 10,000 of a particular kind of fish... and it is only possible to catch 200 fish per Earth day. Your reward? The second best fishing rod in the game - and a [http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Testimonial certificate telling you to go do something more useful with your time]. (It's not all bad; selling this one kind of fish is a staple source of income for many newbies, which spreads the pain around... a little.)

* Happens in ''[[Gaia Online|zOMG!]]''... a lot. One of the most annoying examples is the first Otami Ruins quest, during which you must collect 1 specific drop from each of the 4 enemies that patrol the area, ''in a specific order''. Since all loot is randomly distributed, this means that crews cannot distribute the vital piece of loot to a player who needs it. As for the totems themselves, the only one that is justifiable is the mace head found in one of the Bladed Vases. The others are things you'd expect to find on ''every single enemy''. This is especially true with the Jewel Eyes, since the enemy that drops them is a [[Boss in Mook Clothing]], and is using the jewel eye you need to shoot ''[[Eye Beams]]'' at you. Drop Rate tweaks have made these quests more tolerable, but they can still be annoying at times.

** Some of the repeatable quests also invoke this trope, such as a quest to gather spear points from the Tiny Terrors in the Otami Ruins. You have the option of asking the girl why she wants so many spear points: {{spoiler|she wants to sell them as souvenirs at the pirate-themed amusement park. Your character lampshades the absurdity of this, as well.}}

* Nearly all the quests in ''[[Dungeon Fighter Online]]'' are like this. Memorable ones include collecting severed goblin hands for a woman's beauty makeover, baby dragon hearts to trade for champagne, and about thirty copies of the same ghost's soul.

** There are multiple quests to kill 999 of the same kind of monster (often or always following on the heels of a 'kill 100' version), and the medic in Omega Sector wants 1500 mateon tentacles (which, fitting the trope, don't drop from every killed mateon), but wants them in quantities like outlined above, and for a reward identical to several other, less time-consuming quests, at that.

*** There are plenty of items that don't drop ''at all'' unless you have the appropriate quest.

* ''[[Mabinogi (video game)|Mabinogi]]'' has a large number of these, with the requisite random drop rate. The vast majority are optional; and are typically used as a way to gain a bit of extra money/experience/useful items that aren't available any other way. The few that are mandatory are mostly "gathering" quests with 100% drop rates; and are part of the [[Forced Tutorial|newbie quest chain]].

* Apart from the usual bounties, ''[[Ace Online]]'' has lots of missions that require you to get bits and pieces of the various wildlife, from eggs and pollen to "chill" organs from Sediums (''presumably where the Sedium's supercooling fluids are produced'') and even DNA samples. The Arlington and Bygeniou governments also like to get you to gather parts from mechanical enemies, like the Control Units, CPUs, and Black Boxes of various Scouts and Shrine/Phillon enemy craft.

** Somewhat logically, most of these mobs drop them almost on a one-kill, one-drop probability, since it is part of their own body. The one mission where the probability is low actually makes sense, as the item is a foreign object eaten by any one of the mobs currently in the area, and hence must be searched through trial and error.

*** Fortunately, even touching this quest at ALL is only necessary for a trophy (achievement).

** There are, in fact, bears, or [[Funetik Aksent|as them's use-ly call'd, "bars,"]] in the game, and you can collect their skins and trade them with a hunter for [[Weird Currency|Meat]]. Though this may not count, because it makes sense.

** This trope literally IS the method of training the Slayer skill - you go to a slayer master and they tell you to kill X of Y. While you whittle down said X, you gain slayer XP. It's not quite as dull as it sounds (really depends on the task, though), and the new creatures you unlock are good ways to make money.

** When crafting hunter gear, one needs the corresponding pelts of certain creatures. Each said creature will drop a pelt, though infrequently will 'perfect' furs dropped, which can be crafted into hats (while common 'tattered' ones can be made only into tops and legs).

* ''[[RF Online]]'' consists ''entirely'' of these, one per level. If it wasn't enough to boost you to the next level (and it rapidly stops being so)...[[Level Grinding|too]] [[They Just Didn't Care|bad]].

** One such quest in the Bellato line is particularly jarring. A Standard quest for introducing newbies to Sette Desert is to go there and kill 10 Ace Bulky Lunkers. Problem is, the Bellato have Ace Bulky Lunkers in their HQ. However, the quest only counts Ace Bulky Lunkers killed in Sette, despite the fact that the HQ version is identical in every way (down to the drops). Whoever gave out that quest was so picky it had to be at a specific location too!

* ''[[Tabula Rasa]]'' had plenty of these, often upwards of several hundred zombie asses, but thankfully every one of those zombies had an ass. However, you still couldn't collect them until you got the appropriate mission.

* ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]'' mixes this up with 'kill X of Y creature'. Often ridiculous scenarios arise where bears will have multiple asses, commonly a standard one for crafting or selling, one that drops exclusively for the quest, and, if you're really lucky, an intact bear corpse.

** The problem is as you go further into the game, the number of these items required, as well as their drop rate, becomes so ridiculous, that by the time you hit the level 50ish range, farming for these quest items 3 levels below when you actually get the quest still will not get you the number you need. It may not seem bad at first, until you realize by level 50 you're getting fractions of experience points. From ''multiple'' monsters. Seriously, this game wants you to have nightmares about these sorts of quests by level 30.

** To make things worse, the game's economy is notoriously messed up, so purchasing surpluses from other players is not usually an option. A quest item from an enemy type whose "small" monster is level ''n'' is typically sold by players at the price of 1000(''n''+3) penya (the in-game currency) apiece. To put this in context, you don't earn more than 100 penya per monster kill at level 50.

* A Tale In The Desert has some rather horrifying ones, usually involving crafted goods. Mitigated by being community efforts to unlock. Beer brewing needs: 20,000 raw barley, 20,000 raw malt, 50,000 honey. Mass production of paint needs 500 jars each of Red, Green, Blue, Pink, Orange, Indigo, and Yellow (made one at a time, in hand crafted jars, with each player requiring a different formula to make a given color.)

 

== Real Time Strategy ==

* ''[[Dragon Quest IV]]'' requires the player to collect 6 Broad Swords and 6 suits of Half Plate Armor in the third chapter. At least the random drop rate is a bit higher than usual. It's actually possible to buy the items in stores (from a different town) instead, but this takes at least as long.

* ''[[Dragon Quest IX]]'' uses this trope for most quests. You either (a) have to find an item held as a random drop by a specific kind of monster, (b) explicitly have to kill X of a certain monster, or (c) have to use a specific skill (often in [[Self-Imposed Challenge|an arbitrarily hard way]]) X times against a certain kind of monster.

* One of the sidequests in ''[[Sonic Chronicles]]'' is to obtain multiple samples of Nocturnus technology from enemies and give them to Rouge to deliver to her superiors. After receiving about four or five, she grows bored of it and agrees to give Sonic the reward if he promises to stop giving them to her.

** Most of Team Chaotix's missions in ''[[Sonic Heroes]]'' are this. Hundreds of rings? Chao? Hermit crabs??

** The repellent works very well, by the way. {{spoiler|[[Your Head Asplode|A little ''too'' well]]}}.

* And ''[[Fallout: New Vegas]]'' has quests whereby you can trade in the dogtags of fallen NCR soldiers, OR the ears of Legion soldiers for bonus fame with a given faction and some bottle caps. The quest-giver for the "Legion Ears" even lampshades why he wants that specific body part, explaining that it's basically [[Just for Pun]].

* The Rages skills of Gau from ''[[Final Fantasy VI]]''. As each skill involves encountering its corresponding enemy, trying to collect them all [[Guide Dang It|requires the player to know which enemies show up where during which points of the story, some of which are obscure and easy to miss]]. Worse still, some of the enemy lineup changes past a certain story point, so if the player misses the chances to meet some monsters until that point [[Lost Forever|it might be too late]].

* iPhone RPG ''[[Zenonia]]'' couples this with [[Randomly Drops]] in all of the side quests and nearly all of the main quests. The sequel ups the ante by making the ingame Weapon creation system completely depended on it.

** Also played quite straight with the Giant Majini, Licker Alphas, and Popokarimu who drop incredibly valuable pieces of [[Vendor Trash]] (though it's a randomized drop in the case of the [[Demonic Spider|Licker]]; go figure) that helps you upgrade your weapons faster. Since you can replay any level you want, you can effectively grind these levels for the money.

 

 

* While it isn't necessarily a rule to collect pirates to join the Shichibukai in ''[[One Piece]]'', as long as said applicant shows their strength to make other pirates fear them, then the World Government may make a pact with them. In this example, {{spoiler|Trafalgar Law}} extracted and delivered 100 pirate hearts to the World Government to achieve Shichibukai status.

 

 

* ''[[College Saga]]'' subverts this: when an NPC pops up and demands such a fetch quest, the characters [[Just Shoot Him|Just Blast Him With Magic]] and continue on their way.

* ''[[Inglourious Basterds]]''. Aldo Raine demands "[[Punctuated! For! Emphasis!|One! Hundred! Nazi! Scalps!]]" from every one of his men.

 

 

* ''[[The Bible]]''. King Saul: "Sure, David, you can marry my daughter, just bring me a hundred [[Groin Attack|Philistine foreskins]]." Worst. Quest. Ever. At least the drop rate is 100%. Even worse, David apparently got caught up in the "farming" and brought in ''two hundred'', thus proving that [[Level Grinding]] and [[Collection Sidequest]] (not to mention [[Bragging Rights Reward]]!) are indeed [[Older Than Feudalism]].

* There's an old legend involving the small group of slaves who would eventually be the ancestors of the Aztec race earning their freedom by going to war against their masters' great enemy and bringing back sacks and sacks of the enemy soldiers' ears. Slightly less disturbing than foreskins, but ...

* In Sienkiewicz' ''[[The Knights of the Cross]]'', Zbyszko decides to prove his worth to Danuska, vowing to defeat some members of [[The Teutonic Knights]] and bring the peacock feathers from their helmets as proof. The hot headed hero he is, he attempts to challenge the first Teutonic Knight he sees and nearly gets himself executed when the man turns out to be an envoy of the grand master.

 

 

* Lampshaded in ''[[Unforgotten Realms]]'' where Schmopy and Douglas are sent to find wolf hearts and Schmopy wonders how wolves are missing vital organs.

 

 

{{quote|"Video Game Resolution #3: '''Collecting Stuff.''' ''At least, stuff that doesn't do anything. It won't make me happy if I'm forced into it, either. If I need to pick up the 15 sacred wingwongs to open the door to the lava level, they'd better have some other function than sitting in my item screen and glowing"''}}

* Parodied by ''[[The Noob]]'' [http://www.thenoobcomic.com/index.php?pos=19 here]. Have you come to rescue the realm in its hour of need? On the next page another player reassures our protagonist that "As you level up, you'll become a lot more involved with the lore and the storyline!"... and gives an example of level 20 quest in the same MMORPG.

* ''[[Looking for Group]]'' had Cale go on [http://lfgcomic.com/page/535 a quest] to gather ten giant rats. Uh, Hats. Ten giant ''hats''.

 

 

* Lampshaded in [[Yogscast]]'s ''[[Minecraft]]: Shadow of Israphel'' episode 7. Upon delivering the dirt, sulphur, water, golden apples, and feathers to Fumblemore, Honeydew says "I would have preferred to collect ten bear asses..."

 

 

* ''[[Space Beasts]]'' combines this trope with [[Wacky Cravings]] When the Pregnant Heroines get a particularly strong craving they will send the rugged male heroes out and will not let them come home until they have completed the quest. This may not sound like this trope but getting groceries while in the far reaches of the galaxy can be quite difficult and more often then not turns into a life threatening situation. One time Captain Matoaka gets a very strong craving for pickled vegetables and [[The Hero]] Ichabod nearly gets killed trying to get them.

[[Category:Native American Mythology]]

[[Category:Older Than Feudalism]]

[[Category:CRPG Tropes]]