PSA: Yes, I messed up the side quest also
DNA3000
Member, Guardian Guardian › Posts: 19,659 Guardian
This has been discussed piece meal already, but as I missed those discussions and messed up the side quest, I wanted to try to simplify the SQ for those that haven't completely screwed up yet. This is my current understanding of the SQ, so of course I could still be wrong, but I hope this will help some people, and I wanted to highlight not just where I screwed up, clarify how to avoid messing up like I did.
Here's my simplified instructions for the Side quest.
Every week there will be a four part objective to earn Maze keys. This week it was the one to defeat Defense:Tank champs with mutants. You can earn four Maze keys from this objective.
These keys should be used in the Maze map to earn Vault keys. Here's the part that bit me. YOU ARE NOT INTENDED TO EXPLORE THIS MAP. This map has optional paths to reach the keys. You are supposed to grab four keys from this map that are at the ends of four different sets of optional paths. Specifically:
You are supposed to head in each of the four directions indicate by the red arrows ONCE. In each of those directions is a vault key. If you go in any of those directions more than once, you will burn a Maze key but not get a Vault key, because you already got the vault key in that direction.
Vault keys are intended to be used in Vault maps, and there will be four Vault maps, one per week. In theory, you can use the vault keys any way you want, but for each difficulty tier there is a corresponding objective: the "chessmaster" objectives:
The only way to get any of these objectives is to fully explore all of the vault maps for that specific tier. There are four vault maps, each takes four paths to explore. Four Maze keys per week, if each earns a vault key that is 16 vault keys total. So there is only one way to get exactly one of those Chessmaster objectives. Earn all sixteen maze keys. Use each Maze key to earn sixteen vault keys, without missing a single one due to a Maze error. Use each vault key to run one path in a vault, and use all sixteen vault keys on sixteen separate paths in four vaults ALL OF THE SAME TIER. There is no wiggle room, and no margin for error.
I interpreted the announcement incorrectly, so I'm already out the chessmaster objective. But that's not the end of the world, I'll still try to optimize the rest of my run through. But for those that haven't made that mistake yet, and aren't yet fully sure how the quest works, this is my best understanding of it and how to run it properly. If anyone has any corrections to this, please post here and let me know.
PS: What was my error? There's a "THE MAZE" map and "ROOK'S VAULT" map this week. I assumed that there would be new vault maps, one for each vault type (ROOK, KNIGHT, QUEEN, KING) but it did not occur to me that there would also be new MAZE maps, because it was called "THE MAZE" and not something like "ROOK'S MAZE" or whatever.
Here's my simplified instructions for the Side quest.
Every week there will be a four part objective to earn Maze keys. This week it was the one to defeat Defense:Tank champs with mutants. You can earn four Maze keys from this objective.
These keys should be used in the Maze map to earn Vault keys. Here's the part that bit me. YOU ARE NOT INTENDED TO EXPLORE THIS MAP. This map has optional paths to reach the keys. You are supposed to grab four keys from this map that are at the ends of four different sets of optional paths. Specifically:
You are supposed to head in each of the four directions indicate by the red arrows ONCE. In each of those directions is a vault key. If you go in any of those directions more than once, you will burn a Maze key but not get a Vault key, because you already got the vault key in that direction.
Vault keys are intended to be used in Vault maps, and there will be four Vault maps, one per week. In theory, you can use the vault keys any way you want, but for each difficulty tier there is a corresponding objective: the "chessmaster" objectives:
The only way to get any of these objectives is to fully explore all of the vault maps for that specific tier. There are four vault maps, each takes four paths to explore. Four Maze keys per week, if each earns a vault key that is 16 vault keys total. So there is only one way to get exactly one of those Chessmaster objectives. Earn all sixteen maze keys. Use each Maze key to earn sixteen vault keys, without missing a single one due to a Maze error. Use each vault key to run one path in a vault, and use all sixteen vault keys on sixteen separate paths in four vaults ALL OF THE SAME TIER. There is no wiggle room, and no margin for error.
I interpreted the announcement incorrectly, so I'm already out the chessmaster objective. But that's not the end of the world, I'll still try to optimize the rest of my run through. But for those that haven't made that mistake yet, and aren't yet fully sure how the quest works, this is my best understanding of it and how to run it properly. If anyone has any corrections to this, please post here and let me know.
PS: What was my error? There's a "THE MAZE" map and "ROOK'S VAULT" map this week. I assumed that there would be new vault maps, one for each vault type (ROOK, KNIGHT, QUEEN, KING) but it did not occur to me that there would also be new MAZE maps, because it was called "THE MAZE" and not something like "ROOK'S MAZE" or whatever.
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Comments
1. Every week do the objectives that hand out Maze keys. You should get four per week.
2. Each week, use those four keys in the Maze map that drops that week. You should use exactly four keys in that map to get four Vault keys. Make sure to go in each primary direction once. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO EXPLORE MAZE. See map in the OP.
3. If you want to get the objective reward, then use exactly four vault keys in each of the Vault maps that release per week: ROOK, KNIGHT, QUEEN, KING. Make sure you use all your keys on maps of the SAME DIFFICULTY TIER. If you do not, you cannot get the exploration objective, which requires all keys be used to explore all VAULTs of the same tier.
4. If you don't care about the objective rewards, spend keys in the vaults any way you like to get the vault rewards you want.
This has a stronger analogy to doing content when it first drops than it has any right being.
Why are there so many steps?
Here my simplified version hypothetical version that I made up in my head
Objective > Key > Maze quest layout, but with vault path rewards in place of vault keys > Exploration rewards in place of objective rewards
They should have done that for the April fools quest. No fights just empty nodes
They sent me a 2nd Pawn Key by mistake.. now i have week one completed, explored and a useless key in my inventory.
(Big thanks to support agent Deny)
I didn’t want to waste anymore resources on him so I just left, and kept the 3rd key.
I can’t see myself completing this months task as it is, shouldn’t of gone for tier 5 😅
Stop caring about the game and your life will improve.
Tested out a key in the vault too, you also loose the key if you leave that 1.
So yeah, screw it this month, I don’t have the will power to put any effort in.
Hopefullly it’s an enjoyable 1 next month 🤞🏻
and, @DNA3000 that is an AMAZING summary, thank you! sorry for your pancakes.
Why are they needlessly complicated nowadays???
Do mindless objectives -> get key -> use key to enter quest -> do quest to get another key -> enter another quest with this new key -> get 15 ascension dust. Bruh.