Microsoft has made significant changes to Xbox Game Pass Quests, making it harder for users to earn Microsoft Rewards points through the program, reports PureXbox.
Introduced in 2019, Game Pass quests allow users to complete quests to earn Microsoft Rewards points. These could then be used in the Microsoft Rewards store in exchange for a range of things from game purchases to in-game items.
One of the most effective ways of earning points has traditionally been the daily quest to earn an achievement in a Game Pass game. This previously awarded 50 points and has been slashed to just 5 points.
Despite this dramatic decrease, the monthly rewards as a whole can still reward users with the same number of points in total; they are just harder to get now. The monthly “Quest Completionist” quest has been doubled from 500 to 1000 points available, but its requirements are now harder to meet.
Users will have to play a game on Game Pass on 30 separate days and earn an achievement on 15 of those days to maximize their points and meet the requirements for the 1000-point monthly quest, which requires 45 daily quests to pay out. The weekly quests which previously gave out 250-point rewards have also been removed.
Game Pass users are disappointed with the changes
In order to earn all the available points, Game Pass users will need to dedicate significant amounts of energy to grinding achievements. A near-daily commitment might be asking too much of people, and many Reddit users are expressing their disappointment at the change. “sigh… The Great Nerfing of 23-24” commented one user.
The removal of the weekly quest to play a specific game to earn points also has a hidden downside. It has served as a useful and unusual discovery tool, encouraging users to try games outside of their usual wheelhouse, with some discovering hidden gems and unexpected favorites.
Despite this, Game Pass remains excellent value, with nearly $9000 of games available on the platform last year. Although the reward points might be harder to get, there is still a huge variety of games available, making for a great value subscription.
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