Most Frustrating Collectibles in Open-World Games

Key Takeaways

Engaging with collectibles offers a break from campaign intensity in open-world games, but painstaking completion is sometimes rewarded with frustration.
Hunting for specific collectibles can be a chore, especially without helpful indicators on the map.
Some collectibles, while providing lore and rewards, rely on glitches, tedious tasks, or hidden story progression, making completion cumbersome.

As someone who has spent countless hours immersed in the magical world of video games and the gritty streets of Hong Kong, I must say that these collectibles have left me feeling a bit like Harry Potter trying to cast a spell without knowing the incantation – frustrating!

After devoting numerous hours to the primary mission, shifting gears and focusing on hunting for collectibles can offer a relaxing respite. It might be time-consuming and monotonous, but achieving 100% completion in a game is incredibly gratifying, especially when it comes to cherished titles. Open-world games, in particular, encourage thorough investigation by scattering numerous collectibles throughout the map for players to find with precision, providing a sense of accomplishment upon discovery.

Finding collectibles in vast open-world games can enrich gameplay significantly, yet the process isn’t always fun. It involves meticulously searching for specific items, completing tasks, and often blindly exploring for collectibles that aren’t marked on the map. The “no pain, no gain” philosophy applies to these collectibles, but it doesn’t make the challenging part any less tiring. Some of the most annoying collectibles in open-world games are still necessary, despite being a bit of a hassle.

10 Pigeons (Grand Theft Auto 4)

Daunting Without The Aid Of A Map

Most Frustrating Collectibles in Open-World Games

In the gaming world of Grand Theft Auto 4‘s Liberty City, players come across and collect (or kill) pigeons, often referred to as “flying vermin” using street lingo and the trophy title. Once all the pigeons are collected, players can work towards achieving 100% completion, which will unlock an Annihilator Helicopter that can be accessed on top of the MeTV building instead of the Maverick.

Instead of locating pigeons on the game map, you have to spend long hours scouring the streets and buildings. The reward for this tedious task is primarily the Flying Rats trophy and the chance to boast about it. Unfortunately, helicopters in Liberty City are only found at designated spots, which significantly limits the overall rewards.

9 Feathers (Assassin’s Creed 2)

Like Finding A Needle In A Haystack

In “Assassin’s Creed 2,” collecting 100 small feathers scattered in different cities could be a sentimental act by Ezio towards his younger brother Petruccio, but it’s one of the more frustrating tasks for players. This task rewards the Auditore cape, the “In Memory of Petruccio” achievement, and a touching scene between Ezio and his mother where they share a heartfelt moment.

Thankfully, there are plenty of guides online that make tracking down the feathers easier than ever, but there’s a lot to be said about the person who found them all in the first place, since only the most patient players could tolerate hours of mindlessly searching around a huge open-world map. It’s certainly gratifying to finally get them all, but in this case, it’s all about the destination, not the journey.

8 Riddler Trophies (Batman: Arkham City)

Require Some Level Of Critical Thinking And Foresight

As a devoted fan, I can’t help but reminisce about the iconic Riddler Trophies that have graced the Arkham series, popping up in every title from the original to Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. The allure of these trophies lies not just in their hidden nature, but also in the valuable rewards they offer for a complete collection. In Batman: Arkham City, the unique design of the Riddler Trophies, which can be collected by both Batman and Catwoman, adds an exciting layer of variety to gameplay, keeping each challenge feeling fresh and engaging.

That doesn’t make getting the glowing green souvenirs any less of a hassle, however, as Riddler Trophies are like cockroaches scattered around Gotham. Finding these Riddler Trophies is fun to an extent, but after a while, it starts to get a little ridiculous — especially since one of the challenges involves detonating explosive gel markers consecutively. The only catch is that the game never explicitly states how to do that, so someone had to figure out that zooming in detonates them one at a time. That’s just one of many grievances to hunting the Riddler Trophies.

7 Animals (Red Dead Redemption 2)

Only A Task For The Most Patient Players

To wrap up the Compendium in Red Dead Redemption 2, players need to collect details about a variety of creatures such as animals, plants, fish, horses, weapons, and other items. Besides the Legendary beasts that are hunted for clothing or financial gain, there’s a diverse range of 178 different animal species found in the Wild West, including alligators, snakes, and dog breeds.

As a gamer, I’ve got my work cut out for me: cataloging and pelt-collecting every single type of creature to fill up the Compendium and nab the Zoologist and Skin Deep trophies. Let me tell you, it ain’t a walk in the park when there are 12 different species of slippery snakes alone, each one found in a unique climate. So, multiply that by every other critter, and you’ve got an idea of what I’m up against!

6 Spider-Bots (Marvel’s Spider-Man 2)

Only Manageable After Unlocking An Ability First

In contrast to most items found in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, the Spider-Bots don’t automatically appear on your in-game map. Instead, you need to collect all of these bots to unlock a side mission that offers valuable insights into the Spider-Man universe. Each bot you find rewards you with 150 XP and 100 Tech Parts. However, locating them can be challenging since they don’t always appear on your mini-map unless you have an ability from the Suit Tech tree that reveals their location, which only helps if the bots are within range already.

It’s a fun side task, but some of the Spider-Bots require some critical thinking in order to reach them, such as maneuvering Spider-Man off tall buildings. The Spider-Bots are nice trinkets to have, but the drawn-out process of finding them makes it significantly less engaging — and made all the more frustrating by the cool lore that comes at the end of finding them all.

5 Audio Logs (Watch Dogs)

Easy To Miss And Not Worth The Hassle

In the video game titled “Watch Dogs“, you can discover Audio Logs hidden in various places across the city of Chicago. There are a total of 101 Audio Logs to find, but just 10 are necessary to unlock all the in-game items. Interestingly, there are no achievements linked with finding all the Audio Logs. Initially, the first four logs related to Aiden Pierce are given during the game’s opening sequence; however, the majority of them must be found by accomplishing side missions like QR Codes or Privacy Invasions.

As a dedicated fan, I find it’s not always straightforward to locate all the hidden gems scattered throughout the game, especially when they’re stashed away on different floors and buildings. These tidbits contribute significantly to the game’s storyline and can be revisited at will by the player. However, the effort required to find them often outweighs their value in my opinion.

4 The Crown Of Barenziah (The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim)

Potentially Relies On Glitches To Obtain

To gain the Crown of Barenziah in the game “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim,” players need to collect all 24 Barenziah Stones hidden throughout Skyrim. Once all stones are collected, the Dragonborn can explore Tolvald’s Cave to find the elusive Crown of Barenziah. Upon completing the “No Stone Unturned” mission, the Dragonborn earns the skill Prowler’s Profit, which significantly boosts the likelihood of discovering multiple valuable gems in their usual spots such as chests, urns, and dead bodies.

Although most stones can be found with relative ease, some specifically the one in the Thalmor Embassy, can significantly hamper the process due to their elusive nature. If overlooked initially, they demand an unusual glitch to retrieve, which isn’t common knowledge. It’s also frustrating that a significant number of these stones are hidden within dungeons or can only be accessed after completing a dungeon quest.

3 Merlin Trials (Hogwarts Legacy)

Certain Spells Must Be Unlocked To Complete Them

In Hogwarts Legacy, the Merlin Trials aren’t like souvenirs to hoard, but rather optional challenges scattered across the game map. Finishing these quests rewards players with extra storage spaces for their items and equipment, making it possible to carry more goods. There are a total of 95 Merlin Trials, each requiring expertise in specific spells like Depulso and Flipendo to access them successfully.

It can be both confusing and annoying to decipher what the Merlin Trials entail, and it’s even more vexing to discover that players cannot progress in some trials unless they’ve completed specific parts of the story beforehand. To add insult to injury, these trials are generally less enjoyable than other activities like nurturing creatures or cultivating plants.

2 Jade Statues (Sleeping Dogs)

A Story Mission Later On Defeats The Purpose

In the video game “Sleeping Dogs”, players can discover and collect Jade Statues after completing the mission with Amanda and encountering the kung-fu master, Sifu. Each recovered Jade Statue will teach the player new close combat techniques. Initially, the statues must be located by thoroughly exploring every nook and cranny of modern Hong Kong. However, what makes it challenging is that players might spend numerous hours scouring the city streets for these elusive statues. Fortunately, “Sleeping Dogs” eventually provides a reliable method to find them within the game’s main storyline later on.

As a dedicated fan on the hunt for those elusive Jade Statues in Sleeping Dogs, it’s quite a letdown when Tiffany calls during her mission (Tifany’s Song), and suddenly, all the locations of the statues magically appear on my map. It kind of takes away from the thrill of finding these collectibles myself, only to have them handed over to me like a silver platter afterwards.

1 Inhibitors (Dying Light 2 Stay Human)

In the game “Dying Light 2 Stay Human,” there are special items known as Inhibitors that boost Aiden’s abilities. In total, there are 126 of these Inhibitors, but some players often struggle to find the last couple (124 or 125), as they can be quite elusive. If you’re missing two, it’s often due to a mistake in the quests you’ve selected and how the non-linear storyline affects the areas where these Inhibitors are hidden.

For individuals lacking a single Inhibitor, it’s often either the one hidden in the 987 vault or suspended at the remains of the Wharf Radio Tower. These can easily be overlooked, causing game progression to stall and obliging players to revisit previously explored areas, an action generally disliked.

2024-10-25 10:34