Unintuitive Design Choices Lead to Quest Failures and Locked Endings in Lords of the Fallen
Despite its similarities to the beloved Souls series, Lords of the Fallen received a mixed reception due to glitches and performance issues. Players have expressed frustration over the ease with which NPC quests can be failed and certain endings can be locked.
One player shared on Reddit how they accidentally failed the quest to unlock the Umbral ending by simply opening a door after defeating a boss guarding it. Opening the door to Bramis Castle immediately after defeating the Iron Wayfarer makes the Umbral ending impossible to achieve. This design decision seems unfair, as players naturally want to progress after defeating a boss and should not be punished for curiosity.
To obtain the Umbral ending, players must wither the Rune of Adyr at Mother’s Lull immediately after defeating the Iron Wayfarer. This requires heading in the opposite direction to the bottom of Revelation Depths. Unfortunately, most players won’t realize this without consulting a guide.
Another issue lies in the vague and unintuitive fail states of NPC questlines. Many players, including myself, completed the game without completing a single NPC quest. Quests for NPCs like the petrified woman, the tortured prisoner, and Byron are far too easy to fail. For example, to complete Byron’s quest, players need to buy his wife’s pendant from a merchant in Revelation Depths. However, the key needed to access Revelation Depths drops from a boss at the top of the Cistern. If players make the mistake of using the elevator after defeating the boss, Byron’s quest advances without giving him the pendant, resulting in a missed reward.
Lords of the Fallen lacks the helpful feature of leaving messages on the ground, as seen in Dark Souls. This means players cannot rely on hints from other players to discover secrets, hidden paths, or important quest items.
While newer Souls games and Soulslikes have improved the formula by adding quality-of-life features, Lords of the Fallen’s quest failures for simple actions like opening a door or using an elevator feel like a step in the wrong direction. The game should provide clearer guidance and avoid punishing players for natural exploration.
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Source: DOTESPORTS
