unpopular opinion: most quality of life shouldn't be for free

[u/auriolus95]

quality of life is a good thing don't get me wrong, its just in most cases i think it should be something you unlock. anyone whos played this game knows its most fun when you're doing sidequests for the sidequests and so i think most quality of life should be added as such

great recent examples are the better herbsack from sarachnis and the gem tote from mole, they both send you dont small fun grinds that unlock some new qol and get you doing something you wouldn't already be doing

something like the abyssal lantern working outside gotr itd be cool if you had to unlock it by getting an upgrade from killing abbysal creatures. nothing crazy just like a 1/128

or the new sailing fishing spots i know they have a sailing requirement but itd be cool if you had to dump 250-500 of that type of fish in the water to create a new spot and start the local population and so you have to use the land spots before you can upgrade to the better sailing ones

just small stuff like that i think itd be good for the overall health of the game adding small new goals to early and midgame players

[u/secret_aardvark_420]

I don’t think that’s unpopular. Unlocking QoL improvements is a great form of progression

[u/YouDoNotKnowMeSir → u/secret_aardvark_420]

Yeah I agree, but can be an exhausting checklist if you look at RS3. Just needs to be thoughtful.

[u/LoLReiver → u/YouDoNotKnowMeSir]

I think unlocks rather than equipment helps with that a lot. In RS3 you need a whole laundry list of gear and equipment items, but unlocked bonuses give you a list of things you can check off and then not have to continue worrying about

[u/_GregTheGreat_ → u/YouDoNotKnowMeSir]

This entire game is basically an exhausting checklist if you think about it

[u/YouDoNotKnowMeSir → u/_GregTheGreat_]

Yeah anything fits that mould if you’re reductive enough

[u/Puntley → u/YouDoNotKnowMeSir]

So how is it not reductive when applied to rs3?

[u/YouDoNotKnowMeSir → u/Puntley]

Have you played rs3?

[u/Puntley → u/YouDoNotKnowMeSir]

Hell no, that whole game is basically an exhausting checklist.

[u/BiLaural → u/Puntley]

/j because rs3 bad

[u/MMAgeezer → u/YouDoNotKnowMeSir]

The first time you look at a skill training page on the wiki and it lists over a dozen different things it is very daunting. They're got a lot right with progression but it's definitely not ideal in its current state.

[u/Foreign_Patience_727 → u/MMAgeezer]

The exhausting thing is when it’s consumables and chargables that have to be constantly upkept which is a lot of the complaint about RS3’s (though I haven’t played in many years). Permanent unlocks can be daunting to start but also motivating and rewarding to check off.

[u/Magicsword49]

Could you provide some other examples of "unearned" unlocks? Lantern functioning outside of GotR isn't really QOL. It's just changing the function of the item that encourages actually doing RC instead of just playing the minigame. On the opposite end, boat fishing is 100% earned by leveling sailing and building a boat. It's like saying you didn't earn a few seconds shaved on Zeah RC because all you did was levek agility.

[u/KrunchrapSuprem]

The lantern unlock itself is already a pretty lengthy grind. I don’t really think it needs an additional unlock for use outside the rift. Isn’t a 1/700 drop chance enough of a grind? If it was easy to obtain or didn’t cost over 1k pearls to buy then I would be cool with having it cost pearls to enable use outside the rift tbh.

[u/JokeRIterX → u/KrunchrapSuprem]

I realize this doesn't help with the lantern now. But I think it's much more satifying and healthier to have two 1/350(or even 1/400) grinds than one 1/700. But I do agree with your statement.

[u/xankek → u/JokeRIterX]

agreed. multiple small grinds are a lot approachable for most people, then it more often feels like making progress vs feeling like you're barely making progress till it actually drops

[u/Enigmastic → u/xankek]

Until you need to get 2 1/350 drops, go 7x rate for 1 and you STILL ain't done. 

[u/i_hate_fanboys → u/KrunchrapSuprem]

Its just an example

[u/auriolus95 → u/KrunchrapSuprem]

its not that i don't think its enough, its just that i think if some new function is added, it should be something you unlock. killing a hundred or so abyssal creatures isn't a big deal and it gives u a fun little side quest to go on to unlock new functionality

[u/ANGEL-PSYCHOSIS]

both the abyssal lanterns and the new fishing spots arent free, though admittedly throwing 100 raw fish into a permanent fishing spot actually would have been pretty cool.

[u/Firm-Cause2449]

You dont think a 1/700 drop + 90 fire making is enough of a requirement for the abyssal lantern?

[u/CategoryNo5932 → u/Firm-Cause2449]

Hey man those are rookie numbers I get every week in my mom's basement

[u/Chdata]

I went to unlock the potion bank. But to do that I had to level up herblore to access Mastering Mixology. But to level up herblore, I wanted to unlock the De-Grime spell, so I could do it without losing money, so I had to complete the Kingdom Divided quest. For whatever reason, I wanted to upgrade my ranged first to save ammo in combat, so I wanted to finally obtain Ava's Assembler from the Dragon Slayer II quest, but I had to level up my Mining to level 68. To level up Mining I wanted to do the Motherlode Mine. But when I got there, I realized I’d want to unlock the upper floor of the Motherlode Mine, so I sold my Gem Bag to get there faster. Then I realized I also had to stay longer to unlock the upstairs hopper. And even after I hit 68 Mining, I had to stay longer because I didn’t want to leave without having the Gem Bag I started with, so I had to earn that back. After all that was done I finished Dragon Slayer Ii, got my Vorkath head, finished A Kingdom Divided, then got the potion bank from Mastering Mixology.

Finally, I was ready to try out Tombs of Amascut and complete the Beneath Cursed Sands quest.

Another time, I wanted to do more Slayer. But to make my Slayer experience more convenient, I first wanted a silk-lined herb sack. Well, to get a silk-lined herb sack, I’d have to kill Sarachnis around 50 times for the Pristine Spider Silk. But before I bothered even doing that, I had to get an herb sack from the Tithe Farm. But before doing Tithe Farm, I wanted to level up my Farming level to access the second tier of Tithe Farm plants. But to make Farming a little more convenient, I did a little Tithe Farm anyway to unlock the auto-weeding. Then when I got my Herb Sack, I was ready to fight Sarachnis. But before I fought Sarachnis, I wanted to complete the miniquest thing in this Forthos Dungeon to unlock the gates and the prayer altar. Then I had to fight Sarachnis 4 times over the 1 in 50 drop rate, getting over 200 kills before I got the Pristine Spider Silk. Finally, I was ready to go back to training Slayer.

And I loved doing all of it!

[u/Player_924]

I Agree with your point

But your examples have their "price" in your own descriptions...

GOTR lantern -> gotta get it from GOTT + the logs to burn Sailing fishing -> requires sailing and a boat

Ezscape is cool when it's EarnedScape

[u/WaveDashSpeedKick]

I've said for a long time that QOL is another opportunity for reward space. Like underwater thieving off of fossil island, its usually spam clicking but if they released an item to make it so you just don't have to spam it wouldn't change XP rates. But it would make the activity completely different and more viable.

[u/X_OttersAreCute_X]

I think the lantern already being locked behind 1500 pearls if ur unlucky is plenty of grind. They could’ve put the angler spot in some dangerous water to require more than lvl 1 sailing and a raft tho 

[u/Unfair_Awareness7502]

Somehow this is an unpopular opinion: games should be fun, not frustrating. Buffs can be unlocked, but QoL shouldn't require chores. 

[u/Firm-Cause2449 → u/Unfair_Awareness7502]

This could also just be a maybe osrs isnt for you type of case to be honest. The fun part about osrs ARE the chores and the dopamine when finishing them and finally unlocking that QoL, shortcut, or anything else a long grind unlocks

[u/Zanthy1]

I do agree that unlocking some QoL should have a task involved. But I think it’s important to note that anything regarding sailing atm I wouldn’t add tasks to unlock for because it’s still such a new and raw skill. Like those fishing spots via a ship should have been there at release.

[u/bohhob-2h]

Runelite would like to have a word.

[u/OyG5xOxGNK]

The lantern is more of a buff than a strict QoL addition, and it already has a decent grind/requirements, so I'm not sure if I support adding another unlock for it to get the non GotR benefits.

I still agree with the general idea though, and support these kind of small unlocks.

[u/hubatish]

Hmm agree with others that your examples are bad - but there are plenty of things which could be rewards instead of QoL. Hunter traps being stackable could have been a cool fletching reward instead. Agility XP, course failrate has had some buffs that IMO could be justified as more impactful if they were rewards instead. Imagine like using a crossbow to climb back onto rooftops after falling off.

[u/Jaded_Doors → u/hubatish]

Nah those examples are just as bad.

QoL should come from the skill or at the very least a closely related skill. Otherwise you face a ridiculous process of levelling umpteen skills to even just start on the one you wanted in the first place.

One Small Favours aren’t implicitly bad, it just shouldn’t become a paradigm.

[u/mitsuo1337]

Should be earned. 100%

[u/Combat_Orca]

Yeah for sure for the most part they should be part of progression

[u/ZenithMythos]

I think it depends what the line is between "QoL" and a legitimate upgrade, because in OSRS everything you listed are very much upgrades worth putting in the work for.

I think a level of abstraction is fine, but when you put too many arbitrary barriers on things just because they are "QoL upgrades" then it starts feeling like the entire game is being deliberately obtuse, instead of feeling like you're earning a thing.

The ocean fishing spots, for instance, are already earned by training sailing. The lantern is earned by getting a freaking lantern drop (A pet, 2 needles and 2 full gotr outfits across 2 accounts and no such lantern exists idk what this item is you're talking about), not to mention the FM level to burn applicable logs and (for irons) the WC level to obtain them.

I guess I'm just unsure what you think the difference is been "QoL" and just an unlock? Like, menu entry swap is QoL, that doesn't make any sense to be an unlock since it's a UI function. But upgrades to bags, better training methods and whatnot are definitely "upgrades" by the metrics of osrs.

[u/BlankitaM0ns]

Agreed. This is partially why farming is my favorite skill - your runs get noticeably better with the more qol unlocks you get across the game as a whole.

The fishing spots should be unlocked by fully charting the sea they are in imo.

[u/Tuborgat_nylle]

QoL upgrades for a skill should come from doing the skill itself, not from pvm. OSRS already has a heavy pvm focus, there is no need to take skilling content and make it into pvm content instead.

[u/bygonecenarion]

Jagex: we don't want AFK sailing options to be too good so we're going to monkey with salvaging a bit, reduce the AFK timer for group trawling, etc

also Jagex: here's fishing spots from your boat that never move or despawn lol

[u/CategoryNo5932 → u/bygonecenarion]

They already exist in the game before sailing released

[u/Ometrist]

I think $14.99 is a fair price

[u/Varality]

I prefer ezscape

[u/JokeRIterX]

I've been saying this about toolbelts. Give us a toolbelt for stuff like hammer/chisel/saw, etc. But this time just require a crafting level to make the tool belt, limited slots at certain levels, and some item drop/minigame/quest reward to craft each tier.

[u/Trithshyl]

I wouldn't call that unpopular, I believe everyone, at the very least subconsciously, understands that unlocking QoL through achieving it is the best approach.

The difference comes with if the fundamental gameplay is broken and is being "fixed" by the QoL.

[u/osrs__enjoyer]

I agree they should of made the privilege of using the lantern outside of GOTR cost 1000 abyssal pearls

[u/thestonkinator]

I didn't get the lantern until 93 RC and over a hundred hours there