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Video game rewards are supposed to be, well, rewarding. These are meant to be a sort of positive reinforcement for players who have put in the time and effort to finish certain quests, defeat difficult bosses, and collect numerous items.
A good reward, in turn, urges users to put even more hours into the video game, either replaying it or completing more objectives.
While the above may be the norm in video games, there are always exceptions, which come in the form of disappointing final rewards. These can be some of the worst recompenses they might get after having struggled with the title for long periods, possibly even sacrificing food, drinks, and a social life.
Such rewards in video games are not taken lightly by gamers. Some even seem quite insulting due to the very nature of the item they have been granted.
Note: This article reflects the writer’s opinions.
Five rewards in video games not worth the trouble
1) 240% suit - Batman: Arkham Knight
After Rocksteady had released all DLCs and updates for Batman: Arkham Knight, gamers noticed an inconsistency in their costume collection, as one slot was empty. A little digging online revealed this suit would be awarded to those who gained a 240% completion in the video game.
This meant they had to complete the base game and the Season of Infamy DLC, once in normal and then in NG+. This was quite a monumental task, as the title has many side objectives to complete, along with 243 riddler trophies to be unlocked.
While most players wouldn’t even delve past playing the game once, those who wanted full completion would have put in hours into this video game. And what was their reward? They get the same pristine version of the batsuit for finishing the main story, only with a golden bat symbol.
2) Auditore cape - Assassin’s Creed 2
Assassin’s Creed 2 told the story of Ezio Auditore, a member of the Assassin’s Order during the historical 1476 period in Florence, Italy. Near the title’s beginning, his father and younger brother are killed, and Ezio has to take on a larger responsibility and look after his mother and sister.
To cheer up his mother, Ezio takes up the task of collecting feathers from around the city, one his late brother had once asked him to do. Thus, the video game provides users with the optional objective to collect 100 feathers and bring them back to Ezio’s mother.
After doing so, they are ultimately rewarded with a fancy new cape, which they can equip, although gamers might want to think twice before doing so. This cape, known as the Auditore cape, raises Ezio’s social status to notorious, meaning that if guards spot him, they will immediately give chase and try to kill him.
Thanks a lot, game!
3) Crown of Barenziah - The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
Skyrim is full of various fetch quests that reward players with some usable item or the other. Even the most penniless of NPCs will give them some useful tools or foods for their service.
However, one such quest in this video game has a different experience queued up for users, known as ‘No Stone Unturned.’
It becomes active when they find a ‘Stone of Barenziah’ somewhere in the open world. This leads them to talk to a member of the Thieves Guild, who will task gamers with collecting all 24 of them. Since these are scattered across the entire map, this is a difficult enough quest.
Once this objective is completed, players are supposed to steal the actual crown, which will house the stones. After completing this, they might be looking forward to equipping this fancy crown, possibly with a magical effect, the likes of which are unparalleled.
But no, it is just a simple crown that sits in the Thieves Guild’s hidden lair in the sewers.
The actual reward is a passive ability known as Prowler’s Profit, which increases the chance of finding more loot in chests. This would have been a fine reward if users weren’t already rolling in gold coins because completing this quest takes literal ages.
4) Calamity Ring - Dark Souls: Artorias of the Abyss
In the Dark Souls DLC, known as Artorias of the Abyss, gamers venture far into the past of this title and witness many new things. Like a living giant capable of sound speech, a character possibly from a different FromSoftware game altogether, and a proper boss fight with a traditional dragon.
This dragon, known as Black Dragon Kalameet, is one of the toughest boss fights in this DLC. Unlike the Hellkite drake from the first game, this flying reptile cannot be cheesed, and unlike Seath the Scaleless, Kalameet is not primarily stationary.
Moving about the arena, occasionally taking to the air and using its black fire breath, the dragon keeps players on their toes.
But persevere, and victory will eventually be at hand. After their grueling battle, users are rewarded with a unique ring, the Calamity Ring. However, one look at the description and they will probably never want to put it on.
Its ability is to double the damage taken by gamers, which, anyone would surmise, is made for a special kind of masochist.
5) Literal s**t - Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
In the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, players can collect Korok Seeds, dropped by weird little tree creatures that yell “Ya-ha!” when spotted. These seeds can be taken to the merchant known as Hestu, who will exchange them for giving Link an extra inventory space.
Collecting 441 total Korok seeds will allow users to upgrade Link’s inventory to the maximum. Although they do have the option to collect all 900 seeds, giving them to Hestu will see the latter thank them for each one they get.
Yet, gamers looking for a special reward for all 900 can keep collecting, hoping for a unique item or at the very least a cool achievement.
However, once the final 900th seed is returned to Hestu, they do, in fact, give individuals a unique reward. This comes in the form of a pile of dung, whose description reads,
“A gift of friendship given to you by Hestu. It smells pretty bad”.
Here’s hoping there are no Korok seeds to collect in the sequel to the video game.
Note: This article is subjective and reflects the author’s opinion.
