Do optional side quests effect treasure in dungeon's?

[Xorlarrin]

Do optional side quests effect final treasure in dungeon's?

Trying to farm some items and it seems on a few quests the side monsters are harder than the boss, Like "All Hail The King". The side red Ettercap monster in the small cave TPK me every time on reaper. Yet the main boss is easy.

 

[Phoenicis]

SOME optionals (Mad tea party and refuge of the ancestors come to mind, there are others) can get you an additional end chest.

The specific side boss you mentioned has his own chest if memory serves. It doesn't have the end chest table, but does have the wilderness rare (NOT purple named) table.

 

[Cheeps]

When you spend more time doing some optional than the quest itself, you'd think you should get some extra award other than the double or triple digit exp.

My favourite is when you run around saving people and have to do a minute dialogue for 20 of them to get 50exp.

Then you find number 21, and say "Sorry, I met my quota, you're not getting saved because I get nothing for it, and yes, I am a lawful good Paladin."

 

[Drunken.dx]

When you spend more time doing some optional than the quest itself, you'd think you should get some extra award other than the double or triple digit exp.

My favourite is when you run around saving people and have to do a minute dialogue for 20 of them to get 50exp.

Then you find number 21, and say "Sorry, I met my quota, you're not getting saved because I get nothing for it, and yes, I am a lawful good Paladin."

there was a controversial Penny Arcade comic about that quite some time ago, can't link it since it's pretty dark "humor" (YMMW on that being called humor)

 

[kmoustakas]

The best worst optional has to be the blue dragon in seizing the dawn.

The worst best optional has to be the slaad optional in search and rescue. At least that has a unique named loot possibility there.

The best best optionals I feel are the temple of elemental evil ones because they reward unique named items and some of those are pretty good (or at least they were when the maximum level wasn't 30). Even though apparently they borked those now so more than half of them don't spawn anymore! We need an event where the original temple of elemental evil can be ran! Like: give it as an option once you completed all the quests in the chain kinda like how haunted halls 'extended' and haunted halls 'commentator' can be ran.

 

[Purr]

In the original years, many optionals gave access to unique loot (like muckbane) which made them fun to go after. In newer quest design that's not the case, except for a chance at one of the bazillion garbage "named" weapons that get included each expansion that nobody uses

 

[saekee]

Not quite the OP’s question, but:

The werewolf optional in Immortality Lessons drops thr same end chest loot. So does the easily reached locked waterfall chest in Through the Tulgey Wood.
White Plume Mountain optionals all drop specific named loot and often sentient xp stone; hence why Burkat and Snarla is a great sentient farm.

All the opts in MD can drop weapons but the rate seems really badly low and are not worth it.

I can’t think of any other examples but am sure there are plenty.

 

[Smokewolf]

It's rare that an optional side quest is worth the time needed to run it. Mostly it's just vendor loot, for nearly twice the quest time duration.