The Adventures of Elliot Side Quests Guide

# The Adventures of Elliot Side Quests Guide: Optional Content Worth Doing

Side quests in **The Adventures of Elliot** are best treated as a steady source of progression rather than a checklist you only touch after the main story. Optional quests can help you build confidence, gather extra resources, learn combat patterns, and uncover rewards that make later areas feel smoother. This guide is focused on one search intent: helping players decide which optional content is worth doing, how to avoid missing useful rewards, and how to work side quests into a clean playthrough without losing momentum.

Because side quests are optional, the right approach is not always to complete every single one the moment it appears. Some are quick errands with immediate rewards. Others send you into tougher areas, ask for rare materials, or become easier once you have better upgrades. The goal is to recognize which quests deserve priority now, which ones should be saved for later, and how to track them so you do not leave valuable upgrades behind.

For broader progression basics, you can also use the [beginner guide](/guides/the-adventures-of-elliot-beginner-guide/) and the [early game guide](/guides/the-adventures-of-elliot-early-game-guide/) alongside this side quest guide.

Why Side Quests Matter

Side quests usually matter for one of four reasons: they reward useful items, open convenient routes, teach important mechanics, or prepare you for harder encounters. Even when a side quest looks small, it may point you toward a cave, hidden path, optional enemy camp, or resource pocket that you would otherwise skip.

The best optional quests are worth doing because they improve your main adventure in practical ways. A good reward may mean fewer healing items spent, faster farming, safer exploration, or a stronger build before a difficult boss. Even a quest that only gives currency or materials can be worthwhile if it saves you from grinding later.

Side quests also help with map knowledge. The Adventures of Elliot rewards players who pay attention to terrain, shortcuts, interactable objects, and NPC hints. Optional objectives often nudge you back through earlier zones with a fresh reason to inspect corners you ignored the first time.

The Best Time to Start Side Quests

Start accepting side quests as soon as they appear, but do not force yourself to finish all of them immediately. Accepting them early helps you collect progress naturally while exploring. Finishing them should depend on difficulty, travel time, and reward value.

A practical rhythm is to clear nearby optional quests before leaving a major area, then return later for anything that looked too dangerous or required better tools. This keeps your quest log under control without turning the adventure into stop-and-start backtracking.

Use this simple rule:

• **Do nearby quests now** if the objective is in the same area and enemies feel manageable.
• **Save distant quests** if they require long travel through zones you have already cleared.
• **Delay hard combat quests** if enemies are draining too many healing items.
• **Prioritize reward quests** when the reward directly improves upgrades, healing, farming, or combat.

This approach helps you avoid missing valuable content while still respecting the pace of the main story.

Side Quest Priority Checklist

When you receive a new optional quest, quickly judge it with this checklist.

1. Does the Quest Reward an Upgrade Material?

Any quest that gives upgrade materials should be high priority. Upgrade materials often create permanent value, and permanent improvements are usually better than one-time consumables. If a quest reward helps improve weapons, armor, tools, healing capacity, or build options, mark it as important.

Even if the quest takes a little extra time, it may reduce difficulty across the rest of the game. A stronger weapon or better survivability can make future side quests easier too, creating a useful progression loop.

For more upgrade planning, check the [upgrade guide](/guides/the-adventures-of-elliot-upgrade-guide/).

2. Does It Unlock a Shortcut or New Access Point?

Optional quests that open doors, repair paths, clear hazards, activate mechanisms, or connect areas are often more valuable than they first appear. A shortcut can reduce future travel time, make farming routes faster, and give you a safer way back to a checkpoint or vendor.

If an NPC mentions a blocked path, lost key, damaged bridge, sealed gate, or dangerous route, treat that quest as a strong candidate for early completion.

3. Does It Improve Healing or Safety?

Healing-related rewards are especially useful for players who are still learning enemy timing. Optional quests that give healing supplies, increase access to restorative items, or make recovery easier can be worth doing before boss fights or long exploration routes.

If you often run out of healing before reaching your next objective, do healing-related side quests before pushing deeper. The [healing guide](/guides/the-adventures-of-elliot-healing-guide/) is a good companion if survival is your main problem.

4. Does It Lead to Reliable Farming?

Some side quests guide you toward areas with useful enemy drops, resource nodes, or repeatable routes. These are worth doing if you need money, crafting materials, or upgrade resources. A quest that teaches you where to farm can be more valuable than the reward listed at the end.

If you are low on resources, combine side quest cleanup with farming instead of grinding in a random place. That way, every trip has two purposes: quest progress and resource gain.

For focused farming routes, use the [resource farming guide](/guides/the-adventures-of-elliot-resource-farming-guide/) and [money farming guide](/guides/the-adventures-of-elliot-money-farming-guide/).

5. Does It Point Toward Hidden Content?

Optional quests that involve rumors, missing objects, strange landmarks, suspicious ruins, or unusual NPC dialogue are often worth investigating. These quests may lead to secrets, optional encounters, or rare rewards.

You do not need to solve every mystery immediately, but you should write down the clue or keep the quest active. If a hint mentions a specific landmark, return when you have explored enough of the surrounding map to understand where it might be.

Optional Quests Worth Doing First

The most worthwhile side quests are usually the ones that improve your character, your map access, or your resource economy. Prioritize these categories first.

Upgrade Quests

Upgrade quests should sit near the top of your list. If the objective asks you to collect materials, defeat a named enemy, find a lost tool, or help an NPC restore equipment, the reward may support permanent progression.

Approach upgrade quests carefully. Before entering the target area, repair gear, restock healing, and check whether you can combine the route with another objective. If the quest requires rare materials, avoid spending those materials elsewhere until you know what the reward does.

Rescue and Missing Person Quests

Quests involving missing NPCs are often worth doing because they tend to send you into side paths, caves, enemy-controlled spaces, or overlooked corners of the map. These objectives can introduce new shops, services, quest chains, or follow-up rewards.

When doing a rescue-style quest, pay attention to the route back. Sometimes the return path is just as important as the destination because it may reveal a shortcut or hidden chest.

Delivery Quests Near Your Current Route

Delivery quests can be efficient if the destination is close to your next main objective. They are less efficient if they send you far across the map for a small reward. Accept them, but complete them when they naturally line up with your travel path.

A good habit is to check your quest log before leaving town or a safe area. If you are already heading toward a region mentioned in a delivery quest, bring the item with you and finish it on the way.

Combat Challenge Quests

Optional combat quests can be excellent preparation for bosses. They teach spacing, enemy tells, and stamina management while giving rewards that may help your build. However, they can also become resource traps if you attempt them too early.

Try a combat side quest once. If you are winning cleanly, finish it. If you are using too many healing items or barely surviving each attempt, leave and return after upgrades. There is no shame in delaying optional fights until your build is stronger.

For combat-specific help, use the [combat guide](/guides/the-adventures-of-elliot-combat-guide/) and [boss guide](/guides/the-adventures-of-elliot-boss-guide/).

How to Avoid Missing Side Quest Rewards

The easiest way to miss optional rewards is to move the main story forward without checking towns, camps, crossroads, and previously locked paths. To avoid that, build a simple cleanup routine.

Before starting a major new objective, do the following:

• Talk to named NPCs in the current hub or safe area.
• Revisit NPCs after finishing nearby story objectives.
• Check whether any side quest objective is close to your next route.
• Look for map markers, blocked paths, unusual landmarks, or interactable objects.
• Spend upgrade materials only after reviewing active quest rewards.
• Keep at least a small supply of healing items before entering optional areas.

NPC dialogue is especially important. If someone changes their dialogue after a story event, they may offer a new objective, reveal a clue, or point you toward a reward you can now access.

A Clean Side Quest Route for Most Players

A clean route means you do optional content in batches instead of chasing every objective one at a time. This keeps the game flowing and reduces backtracking.

Step 1: Accept Everything Nearby

When you reach a hub, settlement, camp, or important rest point, talk to everyone who seems relevant. Accept side quests even if you are not sure when you will finish them. A passive objective may complete naturally while you explore.

Step 2: Sort by Location

Open your quest list and group objectives by area. If three quests point toward the same forest, cave, road, or ruin, do them together. This is far more efficient than traveling back and forth after every turn-in.

Step 3: Clear Easy Nearby Objectives

Finish quick objectives first, especially if they are close to a safe area. These may include gathering common materials, checking a nearby landmark, defeating a small enemy group, or delivering an item to an NPC along your route.

Step 4: Push the Main Story Until a Natural Break

After clearing nearby tasks, continue the main story until you reach a new safe area, unlock a new route, or feel underpowered. Then pause and use side quests to strengthen your character before continuing.

Step 5: Return for Hard Optional Content

Once you have better upgrades, revisit difficult side quests. Optional enemies that felt punishing earlier may become manageable after improving your damage, defense, healing, or build synergy.

How to Judge Whether a Side Quest Is Worth It

Not every optional quest needs to be finished immediately. Use this reward value system:

• **High value:** permanent upgrades, new tools, healing improvements, shortcuts, rare materials, build-defining rewards.
• **Medium value:** good money, useful consumables, farming access, lore clues, nearby objectives.
• **Low immediate value:** long-distance errands, difficult fights with unclear rewards, collection tasks that require heavy backtracking.

Low immediate value does not mean worthless. It simply means you can safely delay that quest until it overlaps with another trip or until you are stronger.

Side Quest Preparation Tips

Before leaving for an optional objective, prepare as if you are entering a dangerous area. Side quests can sometimes be tougher than the nearby main path because they are designed to reward curious or confident players.

Use these practical steps:

• Restock healing before entering caves, ruins, or enemy-heavy routes.
• Upgrade your main weapon before taking combat-focused quests.
• Keep track of rare resources and avoid spending them casually.
• Revisit shops or NPC services after completing important quests.
• Mark blocked paths mentally so you can return after gaining new access.
• Combine side quests with farming whenever possible.

If you get stuck during a side quest, do not assume you have failed. You may need a later upgrade, a different route, or a stronger build. The [stuck guide](/guides/the-adventures-of-elliot-stuck-guide/) can help when an optional objective stops making sense.

Common Side Quest Mistakes

Chasing Every Quest Immediately

Trying to finish every side quest the moment it appears can slow the game down and make progression feel scattered. Accept quests early, but complete them in smart batches.

Ignoring NPCs After Story Progress

Many players talk to NPCs once and never return. That can cause missed hints and rewards. Revisit important NPCs after bosses, new area unlocks, or major discoveries.

Spending Rare Materials Too Quickly

If a side quest asks for rare materials, think before handing them over or using them elsewhere. Make sure the reward supports your current goals.

Forcing Difficult Optional Fights

Optional combat is often designed to test you. If a fight feels unfair, leave, upgrade, and come back. Winning later with fewer resources spent is better than burning through your inventory early.

Forgetting to Turn In Completed Quests

Some rewards only arrive after you return to the quest giver. If you complete an objective in the field, turn it in before starting a long new route.

Completionist Advice

If you want to complete as much optional content as possible, keep a steady cleanup schedule. After each major story milestone, revisit earlier hubs, check old paths, and speak with NPCs who had unresolved problems. This is also the best time to hunt for secrets, because new abilities or better stats may make earlier obstacles easier.

Completionists should avoid rushing the final stretch of progression before reviewing unfinished quests. Optional rewards can include useful upgrades, resources, and discoveries that make the last parts of the adventure more satisfying.

For hidden content, pair this guide with the [secrets guide](/guides/the-adventures-of-elliot-secrets-guide/).

Final Recommendations

The best side quests in **The Adventures of Elliot** are the ones that give lasting value: upgrades, better healing, shortcuts, resource access, and meaningful combat practice. Accept optional quests early, complete nearby objectives in batches, and delay anything that feels too expensive or too dangerous for your current build.

You do not need to clear every side quest before moving the story forward. Instead, use side quests as a progression tool. When you feel underpowered, low on resources, short on money, or uncertain about a region, optional content can give you direction and rewards without forcing repetitive grinding.

A balanced playthrough looks like this: explore a new area, accept local quests, finish the efficient ones, continue the main story, then return later for tougher optional content once you have better upgrades. Follow that rhythm and you will get the most useful rewards without turning side quests into busywork.